Hello, people!
What's this? Early update? Did Momo lose her marbles, calendar, or whatnot?
We're off for a long weekend in St. Augustine, FL tomorrow and we'll be there for a few days to catch The Killers' gig on Monday. Hence the early update.
I figured y'all wouldn't mind :)
Usual housekeeping:
- Usual disclaimer applies - I still don't own any of it.
- Team Momo wouldn't exist without Midnight Cougar and Alice's White Rabbit with their red pens, or without AGoodWitch, Driving Edward, Mel, Maplestyle, and Eternally Addicted who pre-read and tell me if I'm off my rocker or not.
A small time jump here. We're hearing from Bella today.
Chapter 24 - BPOV
One Friday night in April, we went out on a triple date of sorts with Alice, Jasper, Rose, and Emmett. Because Emmett picked the venue, we ended up at A League of Extraordinary Smashers, to absolutely nobody's surprise.
While Rose put away the second of the two smash burgers she'd ordered and still managed to look regal as she did that, we talked about how woefully overworked we all were.
Alice had transitioned with flying colors into her role as Carlisle's PA, but the workload was daunting. A lot of things went into assisting the managing partner of the firm, and to Edward and Emmett's diverted reactions, it turned out that Edward came by his fussiness with details genetically. Carlisle was just as meticulous as his eldest son was. However, Alice thrived with the challenge, but at times, the pressure got to her.
Rose's job in HR was no less thorny, especially when the time for annual performance evaluations rolled around. Always a consummate professional, she never gave up details in social conversations, but her hints were enough—someone would get the cold shower of their lives after these evals were done and dusted. She had no doubts that some performance review meetings could get ugly.
Jazz and I had a full schedule going into the spring—more submissions for industry publications, announcements of major deals hot off the presses, and the usual job fairs at colleges prior to graduations. It kept us busy and under pressure.
Work-related challenges weren't sparing Edward and Emmett, either. Emmett recently had the misfortune of working with Rebitch on a transaction that included a few things that fell under her expertise, and after only one meeting, he regretted involving her instantly.
That also touched on Edward's practice, because the deal Emmett spearheaded involved one of his clients. This past week, he had to bail on half his lectures at Cornell to come back to Atlanta and save the situation before Rebecca burned Rome to the ground, so to speak.
"I can't believe she said that to the CEO's face," Emmett lamented. "I wish she would've kept her trap shut."
At that point, Rose snorted. "Gee, Em. By now, you should know that Rebitch's specialty does not include that. Tact is not her forte."
Em shook his head, and drained the rest of his pint. "And this, my friends, is why I drink."
"Tell me about it." Edward huffed. "You didn't fall off your bed at the ass crack of dawn. I did, when the CEO called me and ordered me to take her off the deal, or else."
Jazz wolf-whistled; he was still a bit astonished at Edward's less than prim and proper language in a social setting. "I might be naïve and in the minority here, but may I ask a question?"
"Go ahead, Jazz. Let's see where this goes," I replied, munching on my onion rings.
"If she's that much of a train wreck, that bumped into a dumpster fire, which turned into a clusterfuck, why are we still dealing with her? Can't we just fire her judgmental ass and be done with it?"
At his question, Rose did a spit-take on her drink, and Emmett patted her on the back until she stopped coughing.
"Should I take that reaction to mean I can't ask the question?" Jazz prodded.
"Oh, you can ask. And trust me, you're not alone. I'm not at liberty to answer, that's all," Rose explained.
"Jazz, let's change the subject. We don't want to put Rose in a difficult position, do we?" Alice advised.
He nodded and seemed to have something else to say, but as it often happened, Alice and her enthusiasm steamrolled over him.
"We haven't had a girls' night in ages. And don't you look away, missy!" she said, jabbing her finger in my direction.
"I've had some busy weeks" I shrugged.
Emmett feigned a compulsive cough and muttered under his breath. "Yeah, busy between my brother's sheets, more like."
"I heard that, Em," Edward deadpanned. "And I won't allow you to be disrespectful to Bella, even if you think you're cracking jokes."
I squeezed Edward's hand under the table to show him my support, and he kissed my temple. I didn't appreciate Em's jab either.
"You know, Em, if you have anything negative to say about my relationship with Edward, you should own it, instead of mumbling shit hoping we won't challenge you on it."
Emmett's face fell at my words, and when he looked to Rose for support, she raised her hands. "No, buddy. You stepped right in it. Up to you to fix it. Maybe we should have a girls' day tomorrow and let you guys blow off some steam, maybe together. Sounds like y'all could use a talk."
"But, Rosie, you promised we'd go—"
"I didn't promise anything. I said we'd look into it. But now I'm not so sure I should jump into things with you, if you're determined to be shitty to your brother and best friend. Bells, Alice, and I will go get facials and mani-pedis tomorrow."
"And what about us?" Jasper asked. "Why do Edward and I lose time with our girlfriends on a weekend because Em suffers from chronic foot-in-mouth disease?"
Alice was quick to make her point. "Because Rose and I also need time with Bells, and you both have been so busy lately that we hardly see her. We can reconvene for dinner, if you want."
Edward looked at me in silent question, with a warm, open smile on his face. "How about we do dinner all together at my place tomorrow? Sounds good, darling?"
He was opening up his home to his brother and friends, and I couldn't be happier about it. His easy acceptance of tomorrow's plans at the spa also told me he wouldn't begrudge me my time with the girls. I turned toward him and kissed him briefly. "That's a lovely idea, baby."
He leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Bring an overnight bag, will you? I've missed you this past week. Stay the weekend with me?"
I nodded, already vibrating with anticipation.
&&&StN&&&
The next day found the three of us at a glitzy spa where Rose knew the owner. Thanks to her connection, we all got super discounts on their treatments for the day.
When it was time for our pedis, the beauticians accommodated us in three spa chairs next to each other, so we could keep chatting. Let's face it, that was the main reason for this whole exercise—be in the same spot with unlimited time on our hands so we could spill whatever tea we needed to spill.
"You and Edward looked cozy last night," Rose started.
At the mention of his name, I smiled. It had become a reflex for me. "He makes me happy. What can I say?"
"Edward and Bella, sitting in a tree …" Alice singsonged.
"God, Alice. Could you be any more saccharine sweet? I want to hear the juicy stuff."
Alice huffed, crossing her arms. "So do I, but at least I'm pretending to ease Bella into it."
"Children, don't bicker. What is it that you want to know exactly?" I asked. Ripping off the Band-Aid was usually a better solution with these two.
"And you'll answer all our questions?" Alice insisted.
I threw her a withering look. "Within reason. Edward is important to me. I'm not going to spill all our secrets or tell you what we do. It's private. It's ours, and I don't want to cheapen it by turning it into gossip."
"But … but …"
"Hush, Alice. You heard her," Rose chided. "She's been patient with us all these years about our own relationships and she's not tried to invade our privacy once. We should give her the same respect. Now, if y'all are interested in news, though—"
"Is Rebitch getting fired?" How quickly Alice's attention shifted, and Rose's ability to exploit it always proved masterful.
"You know I can't talk about that."
"What's your news, Rose?" I asked her, in hopes Alice would let that issue go.
"Emmett asked me to move in with him. My lease will expire at the end of the year. I'm seriously thinking about it." Her happiness was so pervasive that her entire countenance glowed.
"I'm happy for you both," I whispered.
She smiled, mouthing, "Thank you," at me, while Alice's mind landed another interesting subject.
"You know, Bells, Rose's place is closer to the office than yours. Maybe you could take over her lease?"
Rose's place was also in a newer, nicer building with security and renovated kitchens. And it was a two-bedroom. For me it would definitely be an upgrade—especially in terms of costs.
"It's tempting, Ali. But I don't know if I can swing it, cash-wise."
Alice leaned her head to the side, as she did every time she pondered something seriously. "Well, maybe you won't be there long-term. Maybe if it was a shorter lease, you could make it work."
"And out of which magic crystal ball did you pluck that, oh wise one? I'm graduating from my MBA program next month. I'm under a ton of deadlines and pressure. I don't want to add moving into a new apartment into that mix. No, thanks."
Alice's gaze narrowed, as if she knew or suspected something I wasn't privy to. But I couldn't dwell on that. All of my focus was on my impending graduation.
Lots of moving parts!
I also posted an update on current and future projects in the Lair, where we're keeping a good list going of "special" Rebecca nicknames (type LaMomo's Lair in the FB search bar and the group will pop up!). Come and join us if you want to take a peek. I also post exclusive teasers for my upcoming story "Dreams Unwind" (aka RockerWard), which will premiere later this year on a screen near you.
Have a great weekend, and I'll see you all next Saturday!