Under My Nose
Edward Cullen sets a deadline of six months to find his true love before he turns thirty. Leaving his successful restaurant to drive a mule-drawn carriage in the French Quarter of New Orleans, he searches for the meaning of true love, because he has yet to understand it. Will he know when he finds her or will she be right under his nose? Can bubbly, buxom Bella tantalize his taste buds with beignets and an abundant
booty?
A/N: Thank you to the readers who review every chapter. There are a handful of you. I appreciate the love, and I find your input very helpful. When we get into further chapters, I will send you another surprise. Again, thank you for your constant support in bringing those review numbers up.
And thank you to the readers who follow and favorite that I am unable to send a thank you PM.
Chapter 37:
EPOV: February
Sitting around the table, I watch my family and friends eat, talk and bullshit one another.
I rub my chest with a fucking emptiness. I love Bella, but what we have is not enough for me.
I need fucking more …
with her.
I need her to be mine … completely.
I whisper into her ear, "Let's set a date."
She leans her head down with her hair cascading over her face and taking in a large sigh.
I can't see her expression. I hold my breath.
I feel that fucking pressure on my chest, until she lifts her head, and I see the vision of happiness on her broad smile.
"Well, you're the one with the urgency of geriatrics ahead of you." She giggles. "When would you like to do this?"
"As soon as possible." I rub my chest.
Bella frowns. "Are you all right? Why are you rubbing your chest?"
"It's a heaviness." I pout and breathlessly hiss. "Bella, I need more."
She gets this fearful look in her eyes and grabs my arm. "Are you having a heart attack? Edward, what is it?"
"Bella, what the matter?" Sally asks.
"Edward said he has a heaviness in his chest," she yelps to Sally with her frightened eyes on me.
Sally reacts holding her cell to her ear. "I'll call my doctor."
"I don't need a doctor. I'm fine!" I reassure.
"Then, what's the heaviness on your chest?" Bella pleads with me. She looks so scared.
"I don't know, " I mumble. "Anxiety. Insecurity. What the fuck do I know?" I nervously yell.
The room becomes silent.
Jasper gets up and stands near me. "It's okay, man." He grabs hold of me and hugs me to his chest. I hug him back. "It's okay, Edward." He places his head on mine, and pats my back. "You just want all your eggs in one basket. Just take a big breath. You'll be fine."
Emmett grabs one of Bella's hands. "He'll be fine. It's a panic attack. He used to get them as a kid."
Bella rubs my back, turns and hugs me tightly with me mumbling, 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry
Jasper returns to his seat next to Alice. "They grow up too fast." Alice shakes her head with a glint in her eye.
Sally whispers to Jasper, "He'll be fine?"
"He'll be fine." Jasper smiles at me. "Bella has him."
Bella soothes me. She quietly hums, "Ssshhh, it's okay. Edward, whatever you want, I'm fine with. You pick the day, and I'll meet you down that aisle."
I grab her shoulders and stare into her eyes. "You mean that?"
She reassures. "I want our outside wedding with Julia, our friends and family. Okay, I'll give in to your business associates. We can have whatever menu you want, as long as I get to bake the cake." She points. "I know what I want!" She takes a deep breath. "I don't need a Rabbi to perform the ceremony, but there is this tradition of breaking the glass I would like to keep."
She thinks. "And if you wanted to do this tomorrow, I will go along with it."
Alice protests, "No, you won't! We have dresses to find, flowers to arrange, a venue to look for…"
Sally interrupts, "You could get married in my backyard. We could do a huge tent, rain or not."
Mama Jean adds, "And I sew. I could make your gown."
Charlie makes a trip to the bar, pours brandy into a glass and hands it to me. "Sip this slowly, son."
I nod to him a small, 'thank you'.
The burn of the brandy coats my throat and warms my stomach throughout my hyper body. I begin to calm down. "God, I haven't had one of those in a very long time."
Emmett reaches over Bella and pats my shoulders. "You were fourteen waiting for the football coach to post his team players."
I look at Emmett with great surprise. "You remember that?"
"Sure, I do. I had hoped we would play together." He smirks.
"Well?" Bella asks.
"Emmett blabs, "He was a fast little fucker." He looks around, "Sorry, if our mom was here, she would yell at me, 'language'. But Edward was quick and he could throw that ball, but the coach felt he needed more experience before becoming quarterback."
Charlie asks, "So what happened?"
"I got wide receiver and played that position for two years." I kind of say with pride. "Then, in my junior year, I finally played quarterback."
"I was gone by then, but I would make it to every one of his games. He was awesome." Emmett does say with pride on his face. I smile at him.
Jasper adds, "Yeah, every game Emmett would harass us from the stands."
Bella asks Jasper, "You played, too?"
Alice interjects, "They were the dynamic duo. Jasper was the other receiver. When Edward was quarterback, Jasper was his main man to throw to. They lived for football season. I was so bored, I became a cheerleader."
"Oh man, I loved her pom poms." Jasper kids.
"I bet you had every girl wanting you," Bella teases.
Emmett guffaws, "Bookworm quarterback is a hard combo. His inner geek took over, back then. The sad part is that he got his braces removed, grew six inches, and his skin cleared up."
"My skin was always fine," I protest.
"Don't let him fool you, Bella, he wasn't always this fine specimen of manhood." Emmett ridicules. "He was pretty geeky with his pocket protector."
"Dammit, Emmett, I was five when Uncle Frank gave that to me." I blush.
"You still wore it on your shirt, Edward." He laughs.
"C'mon, Emmett, you wore Cowboy boots and a bandanna, shouting, 'I'm gonna ride wild bulls'!" Jasper accuses.
Emmett huskily laughs. "Damn straight, but I changed those wild bulls to Guernseys." He gestures milking with his hands. "Nothing like full udders."
Alice moans, "You're disgusting."
Sally burst out laughing. "Now, this is what I want to see once a week. Dinner here or my house or somewhere else, but together." She tears up. "It would be so nice to be together."
Alice coos, "Well then, let's plan a huge dinner with a wedding and flowers" She point to Sally. "Tents in your backyard?"
I look at Bella. "When?"
And the conversation is rapid fire, quick on the tongue!
"It's almost March. How long will it take to make a dress?" she asks Mama Jean.
"Depends on you, Bella. You tell me what you want, Alice can design it. She's so good with sketching. We can fit you in a matter of weeks."
Sally adds, "And I can help."
"And I have the florist." Alice pipes in.
"Oh, I need to call Esme so we can plan the wait staff together." Sally gets up with her cell to her ear and walks to the other side of the restaurant.
Charlie tentatively asks, "Am I still allowed to walk you down the aisle?"
Emmett answers, "You're the dad. That's your job."
Charlie looks at Bella for approval.
"You've always been my father," she quietly states.
He smiles at her with a proud glow. "Then, it would be my honor."
Everyone chatters on around us, as we continue to move in rapid motion. I touch Bella's hair, smoothing it away from her face. "Well?"
She places her hands over mine. "How about before it gets hot? A sunset wedding with cool breezes. A huge tent in my mother's backyard. I know you will be torn between Emmett and Jasper for your best man. So, I have an idea."
"Which is?" I ask and kiss her nose.
"No other attendants. Both Jasper and Emmett stand with you, as your best men. And I can have my friend, BB, and Alice as my maids of honor. No one gets hurt, everyone's included and we don't have any guilt. We keep the wedding small and the stress low. Allow our mothers to do what they do and we just say, 'I do'. What do you think?"
"Sounds good, but what day?" I nervously ask.
She giggles. "April first."
I shake my head with a huge grin.
"It fits us to defy the law of the Fool's Day. We could make this so much fun, Edward, but not making fun of our marriage. Okay?"
"Okay." I agree.
"Mom?" Bella shouts out to Sally. She pulls her cell from her ear. "April first."
Sally lets out a belly laugh, talking into her phone. "Esme, April first."
She laughs again. "She loves it. Whoopie cushions on all the chairs." She's hysterically laughing.
Emmett chimes in and shouts to me, "I love it. Jasper and I can paint your balls blue!"
Bella looks in horror, but burst out laughing.
"With DayGlo!" Alice falls over.
Jasper screeched, "Glow in the dark balls."
Emmett walks behind me and pats my back, "At least, she'll find them right away."
I nervously glance over at Charlie, but he is too involved with Mama Jean and doesn't hear the ball jokes.
Now, that we have a date, the wedding mania begins. Another hour passes and Sally says we haven't made a dent in anything. They are on speaker phone with mom. Dad is in the background moaning about missing the cookies. So, Bella and I start to clear the dishes, bringing them into the kitchen.
"So, April first?" I question.
Bella places dishes in the large sink, turns on the water and rinses each dish as I put leftover food away into the refrigerator. "Yeah." She giggles. "I think that fits us. We are haphazard." She bends to place the dishes into the dishwasher.
"Well, with our mothers and Alice, they will have everything planned in the next hour." I close the door to the refrigerator.
She sighs. "As much as Dad and Mama Jean have hit it off, I have a sick feeling in my stomach."
"You don't like him with MJ?" I ask.
She shakes her head. "No, that's not it. It's just a strange feeling. Dad may say he wants a divorce, and Renee may have been a pain in the ass all of those years, but he was always devoted to her." She huffs, "I got the feeling he loved her more than she loved him. I think he's trying to show me some kind of support. It's just all wrong."
I lean back up against the wall and cross my arms over my chest. "Baby, he's trying to make amends. He knows he fucked up."
She wipes her hands with a dish cloth. "Yeah, I understand that, but declaring he wants a divorce, hitting on Mama Jean and still carrying a torch for his wife is not good. He needs to clean up his own act and figure out what he truly wants, and not what he thinks will soften the mess with me."
"You're right, but Mama Jean's no fool. She will see right through him." I motion for her to come to me.
Bella walks over to me, wraps her arms around my waist and I bring her in for a tight hug. "Man, you feel fucking good."
She mumbles into my chest, "So do you."
"I think we need to escape upstairs. No one will know we are gone." I kiss her hair.
"I think my dad will." She giggles.
I chuckle. "He has his own thing going down."
We hear a crash by the outside door.
"What was that?" Bella looks up at me.
I shrug. "I don't know."
I quickly move to the back door. Bella follows me as I walk out to the parking lot. Back in the dark corner near the dumpster, we hear crying.
We look at one another and I keep Bella behind me as we approach the
other side of the dumpster. On the ground, we see a curled up body shaking violently from the heaving of cries of 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry'.
Bella looks at me, her face white as a ghost and runs to the body. "Oh my God. Oh my God." Bella falls to her knees and turns the body to her.
"Bella. Bella."
"Mom." She holds her tight.
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So, Bella finds Renee, broken and beaten. It will be interesting what happens next.
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A/N: Thank you to my Beta, Sunflower Fran. I appreciate her time, her proper grammar and quick pen. Another great find by PAD!
To Robseve and Postapocalypticdepository (PAD), my pre-readers that give their unselfish time and creative input. Both of these ladies are inspirations and true friends.
Now, let me rec Postapocalypticdepository stories, since she so graciously rec'd mine.
Skater Boy and Boarder Girl: 10137826
Never Judge by the Cover: 9056924
Boys Will Be: 8868006
Rude Awakenings: 8876785
It's a New Dawn, It's a New Year: 8862243 (complete)
And to: Midnight-Confessions 9182601 by ohgeefantasy
Careless Hearts 9881551 by ohgeefantasy
Pudding Cup: 10189248 ( Entry in The Bad Boys of Twilight Contest. Awards: First Place Public Vote & Two Judges)
And to: Edward Cullen FBI Special Agent and Psychic by 9626040 Dinia Steel (complete) Sequel TBA
And a shout out rec to: BURN 8999279 by compass54
Also, found this story: Finally in Phoenix 9987411 by laughablelamb
AND: A Crack in the Door 8874295 by jane-with-a-y
AND:New Beginning 10175667 by LadyBeck
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And thank you to all the readers, whether you review or not. I enjoy every comment and suggestion. Yes, NOLA (New Orleans, LA) is an exciting place to live. And to combine the old world with the new is a challenge, but the humor is quite a serious business. My objective is for all of you to smile, after each chapter.
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Recipes:
Corned Beef Spread Recipe
2 cups mayonnaise
2 cups sour cream
1 medium onion, chopped finely
2 tablespoons dill weed
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
2 cups corn beef, diced
Onion bagels, cut into large pieces or
snack rye bread or pumpernickel
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and place in refrigerator to chill. Serve with bagel pieces and snack breads.
Beer Fondue
1 ½ cups fresh cauliflowerets
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded swiss cheese
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups Irish or nonalcoholic beer
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
1 French bread baguette
In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a boil. Add broccoli and cauliflower; cover and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and immediately place vegetables in ice water. Drain and pat dry; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the cheeses and flour. In a large saucepan, heat beer and lemon juice over medium heat until bubbles form around sides of pan.
Reduce heat to medium-low; add a handful of cheese mixture. Stir constantly, using a figure-eight motion, until cheese is almost completely melted. Continue adding cheese, one handful at a time, allowing cheese to almost completely melt between additions. Add mustard; cook and stir until mixture is thickened and smooth.
Transfer to a fondue pot and keep warm. Serve with bread cubes and reserved vegetables. Yield: 2-1/2 cups.
Blarney Stone Appetizer
1 large onion, chopper
3 tablespoons butter
2 packages spinach
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup dried breadcrumbs
¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
⅛ teaspoon dried oregano
⅛ teaspoon dried basil
Dash ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoon parmesan
In a large skillet, saute onion in butter. Add the spinach, soup, eggs, mushrooms, crumbs, feta cheese, oregano, basil, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Spoon into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cut into 1-in. squares. Yield: about 6-1/2 dozen.
Glazed Corned Beef
1 corned beef brisket with spice packet, trimmed
1 medium onion, sliced
1 celery rib, sliced
¼ cup butter
1 packed cup brown sugar
⅔ cup ketchup
⅓ cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
Place corned beef and contents of seasoning packet in a Dutch oven; cover with water. Add onion and celery; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2-1/2 hours or until meat is tender.
Drain and discard liquid and vegetables. Place beef on a greased rack in a shallow roasting pan; set aside.
In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Brush over beef.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.
Dublin Dumpling Stew
1 pound boneless pork, trimmed and cut 1" chunks
2 tablespoon butter
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped celery
1 garlic clove, minced
5 medium carrots
3 cups water
1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup water
1 package frozen mixed vegetablesDumplings:
1 ½ all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground mustard
1 egg
⅔ cup milk
2 tablespoons canola oil
In a Dutch oven, brown pork in butter over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and garlic; cook until vegetables are tender. Quarter carrots lengthwise, then cut into 2-in. pieces; add to pork mixture. Add the water, bouillon and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until the meat and vegetables are tender.
Combine flour and cold water until smooth; stir into stew. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add mixed vegetables; reduce heat to low.
For dumplings, in a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, caraway seeds, salt and mustard. Beat the egg, milk and oil; add to dry ingredients all at once. Stir just until moistened. Drop by tablespoonfuls over stew. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a dumpling comes out clean. Yield: 6 servings.
Irish Stew
⅓ cup plus one tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
1 ½ pounds lamb stew meat
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 medium onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups beef broth
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 medium carrots, sliced 1" pieces
1 cup frozen peas
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons water
Place 1/3 cup flour in a large resealable plastic bag. Add lamb, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat.
In a Dutch oven, brown lamb in batches in 2 tablespoons oil. Remove and set aside. In the same pan, saute onions in remaining oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.
Add broth, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Return lamb to the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour or until meat is tender.
Add potatoes and carrots; cover and cook for 20 minutes. Stir in peas; cook 5-10 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender.
Add seasonings and Worcestershire sauce. Combine remaining flour with water until smooth; stir into stew. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Shamrock Stew
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 pounds top round beef steak, cut into 1" cubes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
2 cups water
1 large onion, sliced
1 teaspoon marjoram
1 bay leaf
1 pound carrots, cut 1" pieces
1 package frozen peas (10 oz)
Dumplings:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
In a large bowl, combine flour, salt if desired and pepper; set aside 2 tablespoons. Add meat to bowl and toss to coat.
In a Dutch oven or large soup kettle, over medium heat, cook the meat in oil until no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, water and reserved flour mixture. Add onion, marjoram and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Add carrots; cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir in peas. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf.
For dumplings, in a large combine flour and baking powder. Stir in milk, egg, oil and parsley if desired. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto simmering stew. Cover and cook for 12-14 minutes or until done. Do not lift the cover. Serve immediately.
Beer and Pretzel Caramels
⅓ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups miniature pretzels
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
Caramels:
4 cups dark beer
1 cup butter plus 1 teaspoon, divided
3 cups sugar
⅔ cup corn syrup
2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
⅓ cup water
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon kosher salt
In a small bowl, combine sugar and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the pretzels, oil and vanilla. Add sugar mixture; toss to coat. Transfer to a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. foil-lined baking pan coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool completely. Coarsely chop pretzels; set aside.
In a large saucepan, bring beer to a boil; cook until reduced to 2/3 cup. Set aside to cool.
Line a 9-in. square pan with foil; grease the foil with 1 teaspoon butter and set aside.
In a Dutch oven, combine the sugar, corn syrup, 2/3 cup cream, water, salt and remaining butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 238°, about 20 minutes. In a small bowl, combine reduced beer and remaining cream; slowly stir into sugar mixture.
Using a pastry brush dipped in cold water, wash down the sides of the pan to eliminate sugar crystals. Cook, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer reads 245° (firm-ball stage), about 30 minutes.
Remove from the heat. Pour into prepared pan (do not scrape saucepan); sprinkle with candied pretzels and kosher salt. Let stand until firm, about 5 hours or overnight. Using foil, lift candy out of pan. Discard foil; cut candy into 1-in. squares using a buttered knife. Wrap individually in waxed paper; twist ends.
Blarney Stone Bars½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup quick-cooking oats
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt3/4 cup English toffee bits
⅓ cup chopped pecans
4 drops green food coloring
¾ cup vanilla frosting
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla. Combine flour, oats, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Fold in the toffee bits and pecans.
Spread into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Add food coloring to frosting; spread over the bars. Cut into diamond shapes.
Chocolate Meringue Bread Pudding
4 cups day old white bread
2 cups milk
3 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips
Place the bread cubes in a greased 9-in. square baking dish. Combine the milk, 1/2 cup sugar, egg yolks, butter and vanilla; pour over bread. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
Cover and bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
In a small bowl, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff peaks form.
Spread evenly over hot filling, sealing meringue to sides of dish. Bake, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes or until meringue is golden. Serve warm.
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And please, review … it makes me happy.
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Next up: BPOV