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5.

Have a good night, little mousy?

Prior to his little parting remark, Bella had actually been on Edward's side. However, as she ascended the stairs, her brain slowly started to boil over with rage.

Little mousy.

Seriously?

Was that really the impression she had made on him or was he just trying to goad her like he had been his brother in law all throughout dinner? By the time she'd reached her bedroom, her cautiously favorable opinion of him had shifted into a dislike that would probably rival Carlisle's.

Though she couldn't say she liked the pater familias of the Cullen family all that much either.

Having lived under his roof for a few days, it was hard to see why her father had been raving about what a good man he was and how he lived for his family. Where it was true that Carlisle Cullen was anything but a scoundrel, and probably worked as hard as he did to provide for his wife and children in a way that allowed them to have nothing but the very best in life, Bella could also see where his tactic was flawed.

And boy was it failing miserably!

Spending time with Jasper and Rose that day, it hadn't taken her long to pick up how both the children were craving their dad's attention; Rose by being everything she thought the perfect daughter should be, and Jasper by rebelling against everything he believed Carlisle wanted in a son. While they'd gone into town to get some gelato from the fancy Italian place that apparently couldn't match the ten thousand different flavors Esme had stocked the fridge with, Rose had kept on a steady stream of conversation, mostly outlining all the things she liked about her new dress and how she was looking forward to showing it to her dad when he showed up for dinner. That, of course, didn't happen because Carlisle had been held up in town for so long the kids had already eaten and gone to bed by the time he returned.

The look on Rosalie's face when she realized her dad wouldn't be seeing her new dress, and the pretty curls she and Bella had spent ages coaxing her hair into, had broken Bella's heart into bits. Especially since it was clear as day that this wasn't the first time Rose had been disappointed in that way.

Charlie would have noticed every detail if it had been his daughter standing in front of him.

Jasper, on the other hand, was trying a very different approach; crashing down on the beach towel next to Bella after spending about an hour paddling out to the sea and surfing back. He'd wasted no time before confessing that one of the reasons he'd picked up a surf board was that his father hated surfing and surfers alike. It appeared to be a theme in his life: pick something that's the exact opposite of what your father wanted for you and then grow to love it. It had happened with surfing, picking up the guitar when his father preferred the piano, and favoring art and history in school while his father wanted him to focus on science or economics.

Charlie would have supported any dream Bella showed a bit of interest in.

On the outside, he hadn't looked too put out by his father's delay but when he thought she wasn't looking, that tough front had slipped for just a second, revealing a boy who underneath it all was longing as much for his father to notice him as his sister did.

Poor kids!

Carlisle may have been providing best of things for his children, but all they really wanted was him.

Having been forced by fate to grow up with just one parent present in her life, Bella couldn't even fathom having a parent stay away by choice. And then to think that their father chose to spend what few days away he had from working by going on fishing trips with his old buddy! As she got ready for bed, Bella had half a mind to call her father and order him to cancel all fishing trips for the foreseeable future so that Carlisle would be forced to park his ass on one of his expensive sofa for longer than a few minutes every night and actually spend some time getting to know his family.

She didn't though. Because angry as she might be, it didn't make her brave enough to go head-to-head against her employer.

His brother in law, though, was a completely different matter.

When she woke up the next morning, her indignation over Edward's careless jibe had abated somewhat but apparently one look at him; his feet were perched on top of the counter and Rose and Jasper hung on his every word as he told them a story about his life on the road, was enough to bring it all back to the surface.

And that was even before she realized he was telling a story Bella only needed to hear two sentences of to know that it was totally inappropriate.

"…and the girls…they just love a good guitarist." Bella's anger rose to new heights as she caught Edward's suggesting eyebrow-waggle. "Ask any member of any band in the world and he'll tell you it doesn't matter how ugly you are, the minute they put you on a stage with a guitar in your hand or behind a drum kit, women will flock to you in drones. Seriously, Jazz, keep up the good work on that guitar of yours and you're going to have to beat them off you with a stick!"

"No shit!" Jasper shouted, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets as he high-fived his uncle while his sister kept her eyes firmly on her cereal. Her blush, however, left Bella in no doubt that she'd caught on to every single detail of the story.

"I hardly think your sister would approve of you telling these kinds of stories." Bella was quick to step into the room, hey eyes scanning for anyone who could back her up.

"God, mousy!" Edward groaned, stealing a few cocoa puffs from the box and popping them into his mouth one by one. "Do you have to be such a nanny?"

"It's what I'm paid to be," Bella snapped, marching up to the counter and taking away the box. Her fingers twitched at her sides as she wished she had that can of mace her father insisted she carry.

Sporting an insufferable grin, he popped the final bite of cereal into his mouth. "And what are you going to do now, little nanny? Are you going to tell on me?"

"It would be the smartest thing to do," Bella replied haughtily, grabbing a cup of coffee and a piece of toast. She waited until the kids had left; Jasper to his precious guitar and Rose to the outside deck so to feed the leftover crumbs of their breakfast to the birds. "But it would be even smarter for you to realize that you're as much of a guest in this house as I am. And what's more, I believe my position here is based on a somewhat stronger footing than yours is."

"Go, little mousy, go!" Edward applauded, chuckling in a way that made her want to smash his face into the counter even more than she had already. "Who could have known that the sweet little lamb turns out to be such a tigress! Hell, I'm getting hard just listening to you!"

Bella gasped, fighting the urge to slap him as, much to her own chagrin, she could feel her cheeks pinking up with a tell-tale blush. In all her life, she couldn't remember even having met someone who made her feel angrier and more uncomfortable. And the worst thing about it was that he knew.

And he loved it.

Much to her relief, Esme chose that very same moment to come back into the house, her footsteps echoing in the distance as she opened the front door and walked straight through to the study while barking orders into her phone. "Then you're going to have a little problem on your hands!" Bella snapped, grabbing her coffee as she hightailed it out of the kitchen—a place that had suddenly become unsafe for her.

Esme's eyes lit up the moment her new friend stepped into her study, her hand motioning for Bella to sit down as she concluded the conversation on the phone before putting the little device down with a look as if it had been the thing to offend her instead of the person on the other end of the line. "It seems like I have to go into Manhattan tomorrow because, apparently, nobody else knows what they're doing." She sighed, frowning as her eye moved to her phone again. "If you want, you and the kids can tag along with me. It's been ages since they've been to the Brooklyn Zoo and Rose has been nagging me to go since she's grown bored of the one in Central Park."

"That would be great!" Bella was quick to agree, though in reality she knew far too little of either zoo to actually have an opinion about them. However, if it was something the kids would enjoy then surely she would like it too. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself as she remembered one of the things she had been hired for: making sure the kids came to no harm in absence of their parents. "I actually wanted to talk to you about your brother."

"I knew something happened, judging from the looks on both your faces just now." Esme let out another deep sigh as she stared out of the windows with a wistful look that betrayed just how much she worried about her brother. "I do hope he behaved himself after Carlisle and I…left last night. I know he may not show himself to be a decent man at all times but I know him, Bella…" Her face grew so sad as she let her voice trail off. If Bella had ever needed more of an incentive to hate a man, then that was it. "I know he doesn't want to be the person he's become even more than I do but it's just… the way we've been brought up has made him very self-indulgent."

Bella nodded as she saw her prejudice confirmed. "I overheard him saying some things to Jasper and Rose this morning…"

"Don't say any more." Esme smiled sadly, understanding the younger woman's unease at sharing this kind of information with the subject's sister. "I think I know just what my brother might have said and, though I hate that this has happened, I can't say I'm surprised by it. Edward gets to get a little bit enthusiastic when he talks about his life on the road. So much so that he sometimes forgets who he's talking to."

"I think he did just that this morning." Bella bit her lip, trying not to be too disappointed in the rather nonchalant way the sister waved away her brother's indiscretion.

"I'll talk to him. Again." Looking out of the window, Esme let out a deep sigh. "Every time he comes here, I hoped that he'd changed…that he'd be my brother again; the sweet, sensitive boy he was before he landed a record deal."

"Life in the spotlight can change people," Bella mused, going on what she picked up from the headlines of magazines.

"I don't think I have to warn you about him, do I Bella?" Esme looked up, suddenly super-discerning as she gazed at her new friend and employee. "For a while now, Edward has had a habit of trying to alleviate what he claims is his boredom while he's staying with us by seducing whatever female employer or friend of ours he has set eye upon.

Bella snorted, remembering how close she had come only a few moments ago to deploying the can of mace her father had equipped her with. "Don't worry, Esme, I think I'm quite safe from him."

Shaking her head, she almost had trouble keeping herself from laughing out loud. If Edward Masen had his sights set on her, then he would have another thing coming.

Because there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell she'd ever end up in his bed.

Thoughts?