I want to say thank you for letting me know what you think. I'm excited to write out this story and love hearing all of your thoughts and opinions. AsukaHyuga, I made a massive mistake in plotting their age and had to replace the last chapter to fix the mistake. Jacob is 23 and Charlie is 18. They're 5 years apart and it's been 7 years since Breaking Dawn. Thank you guys so much for your support so far. I hope you like the following chapter and please, if you want, leave a review and let me know how I'm doing :).
Charlie's POV -
"Anna, we don't have time to play hide and seek this morning." I call out, my voice echoing in the empty cabin. "Grab Alfredo and come sit by the door."
I'm still trying to wake up. In order to get us both ready to go I had to wake up at 6am sharp. It gave me plenty of time to shower and spend more than two seconds on my hair. Throwing on a simple black thermal and some jeans, I french braid my hair out of my face and throw some simple tennis shoes on. Anna is dressed similarly and I let her lay in the bed while I head to the kitchen.
I check over the diaper bag and make sure I have everything I need for the day. Diapers, wipes, spare clothes, coloring supplies, blanket, sippy cup, snacks, phone charger…biting my lip I move my attention to our lunch and pull out the lunch box I packed. I spent yesterday using the sparse amount of baking pans I bought to make pumpkin and banana bread for work. If the pb&j sandwiches failed, I know for a fact Anna will eat the slices of bread. I make sure the fruit and vegetables are packed and throw in some GOGO Squeeze/sweet potato chips for her as well. I barely register Anna walkin into the kitchen as I throw some Honest juice boxes in and some bottles with tea I prepared for myself. Closing the lunch box and zipping up the diaper bag, I check the time and look over Anna.
"Today is the first day of my job. It's how I'll make money to buy our food and stuff." I explain as I velcro her shoes and straighten her ponytail. Bending down I look her in the eyes. "It's very important that you behave today."
"Okay." She whispers, her little face utterly serious.
Pulling her little body into mine, I hug her tightly and kiss the top of her head. My nerves feel jumbled, but her giggles remind me that this is all for her. Moving back and standing up, I grab our things and take a deep breath. It doesn't take us long to get to the shop. It's only 8am, and even though the shop doesn't open until 9am, I promised I'd show up early to be shown the ropes. Cold wind rips across my cheeks and Anna whines in response as we run into the office building on the side of the shop. Jacob waits behind the counter and smiles when we make it in.
"Morning!" He beams at us and I blink at his enthusiasm, before smiling a little back. Mom's words that he was a good guy float through my mind.
"Good morning." I reply as I help Anna out of her hoodie and hang it up on the coat rack by the door with my hoodie. Anna tugs at my hand and points at the lunch box and I sigh. "Would you mind if I set her up with some food. I tried to get her to eat breakfast, but she was a terror to get dressed and she didn't eat."
"No problem, let me show you to the lounge." He says, gesturing for me to follow him. Grabbing Anna's hand he leads us to the right of the desk and the office, down a hallway and presses a key code to a door. "We keep the employee lounge pretty private. I've written down the code in your employee booklet for when you need it."
Walking through the door I'm pleasantly surprised at how nice it is. There's a kitchenette on the left wall, complete with a microwave and fridge. A large table with bench seating sits in the center of the left side of the room and on the table sits a bowl of fruit. Straight ahead of the doorway is a couch that sits in the corner of the room like an L. A coffee table in front of it. Directly to the left is a door, and to its left a line of lockers.
"Wow, it's almost like a home." I remark as we move further into the room. Jake shrugs, but looks pleased by my comment.
"We spend a lot of time here and sometimes the guys' families come for lunch break. I wanted it to be comfortable for everyone." He explains. "So this is pretty much it. The cabinets are pretty bare, but you're welcome to anything in it. If you don't want anyone touching something, just put a sticky note on it."
I nod as I set the lunch box in the fridge and follow him to an emptyish locker.
"This is yours. I went ahead and added some of our button ups, the name patches are still being made, but should be ready by next week. You can wear casual clothing, but the button up is required and you'll need to invest in some steel toed work boots with slip resistant tread. The shop floor can be slippery sometimes and you'll need to go in there sometimes." He hands me a shirt and hangs the diaper bag up in the locker for me. "There's a door to the office that enters straight into the lounge, so if you want to keep both the office doors open it's a great way to keep an eye on her. There are also cameras in every section of this place that you can monitor on the computer though."
Anna leaves my legs, finally, and sits down at the table. Jake doesn't hesitate to peel her a banana and I try not to blush at the odd feeling that gives me. Finishing tucking the button up into my pants, I grab some pumpkin bread and her sippy cup of milk and set it in front of her. Tucking in, she hums a little tune she heard on the radio and ignores us. Jake raises an eyebrow.
"She's easily occupied." I shrug with a small chuckle.
"That's good." He smiles back, scratching the back of his head. "So the door next to the couch is a bathroom. There's even a shower for those who need it, just make sure to let someone know."
It takes all my might to leave Anna alone so I can follow Jake into the office. Now that I'm less distracted by the need of a home I'm able to take in the truly disastrous scene. Filing cabinets are open with papers sticking out and files upon files are stacked upon every open surface, including the floor. My eyes widen at the scene as we pass through to the lobby. The desk area is barely any better than the office. Jake looks embarrassed as he gestures awkwardly around.
"Ummmm…" I don't know what to say.
"You have your work cut out." He groans. "None of the guys are good at paperwork…including me."
"Right." I have no choice but to agree.
"All of the files are labeled/dated and you can organize them in any way you want." He says gesturing to everything. "Do you know how to use a computer?"
"Yes, in school we were required to learn the 3 basic programs most businesses use, along with all of the Microsoft programs in order to graduate." I explain.
"That's great! We use Microsoft Excel for pretty much everything, but it's really behind, because we're…well we've been out of a receptionist for a while. So you'll be in charge of organizing the paperwork and updating the files in the system. You'll also be responsible for scheduling, billing, and all the documentation for the shop. It sounds like a lot, but I promise once its all organized it should be easy to keep up with. We service anyone in the area and even though we're on the Rez, we get a steady stream of regulars. Plus we're hoping to expand in the next year to add customizing and stuff like that."
"Okay, it seems pretty straight forward." I feel a little overwhelmed to be honest, but try to keep it at bay. "It might take me a while."
"Honesty, I can appreciate that." He laughs. "Take the time you need."
I pick up a binder with my name on the front. Opening it up I find sections with pretty much everything I need to know.
"It says maintaining the kitchen and customer station?" The question flies from me when I read it in the responsibilities section.
"Most auto shops pay their receptionists minimum wage, but I wanted to pay more, because you're basically running the office." He explains sheepishly. "That little cabinet is filled with snacks and things to make coffee for the customers that choose to wait for their vehicles. I just need you to make sure it stays stocked and cleaned up, and the same goes for the kitchen in the lounge. Our guys eat…a lot. So there is a weekly shopping fund to keep the kitchen stocked. I can give you a raise if you think it's too much."
"That won't be necessary." I rush out, already feeling like I'm being handed too much. "Just make a list of what the guys like, and I'll make sure to stock it correctly."
Nodding he stands there and for a moment I almost feel myself relax, but the need to start working has me fidgeting.
"Uh you said a lunch break?" I ask.
"Oh yeah!" He breathes, leading back into the lounge. "Noon-1pm we shut the shop down and have lunch together. The guy's partners and kids come and have lunch with us most days. You're free to join us, or you guys can do your own thing. You also get a 15 minute break during the day."
"Sounds good." I don't know what else to say and he finally leaves me to it.
Jacob's POV -
I can already tell hiring Charlie isn't going to be a mistake. I'd barely had the shop door close behind me and I could see her immediately throwing herself into work through the shop window. The day passed by and thankfully the guys understood my distraction and picked up my slack as I couldn't help but to constantly look through the window to check on her. She spent the first half of the morning studying the handbook. The rest of the morning she got to work on the computer. Her focus only wavering when dealing with a customer or handling Anna. The little girl was extremely well behaved, but I could see the strain of abuse on her too. Her actions were extremely cautious around everyone and she was only carefree when around Charlie. She spent most of the morning distracted by her stuffed rabbit and a coloring book, unwilling to leave under the desk by Charlie's feet.
"Almost lunch time, think they'll join us?" Quil's voice breaks me out of another check in on Charlie. I pick up my wrench from my toolbox.
"I don't know." I answer honestly. "She seems to be doing well with customers, but she's still jumpy around me."
"Jumpy?" He asks, a little confused.
"I went in to ask her a question about a job and her heart sounded like it was going to burst out of her chest." I let him know as I glance at the person of our conversation. I watch as she adds another file to a growing stack next to her.
"It'll get better brother." Quil pats me on the back and goes back to finish his suspension job.
Sympathy is written all over his face. A common trend amongst the pack. It's hard enough imprinting and getting to know said imprint, but abuse added an entire level of hardship to the entire process. It seemed like the only one that didn't show any pity was Leah. Nothing different there though.
I use everything in me not to keep looking at her and focus on the three oil changes I have lined up. It doesn't stop thoughts of her to fill my mind. While she kept a calm exterior, the whole lobby smelt strongly of her anxiety. Her heart hammers in her chest anytime any of us males get close to her, leaving no doubt about the gender of her abuser. Rubbing at my face I try not to let anger seep into me. The boot prints along her entire abdomen still haunt me. Upon hearing the garage doors closing, I check my watch and know for a fact it's lunch time.
"Jake, did you know your dad was coming to lunch today." Jared's question has my head swinging to the lobby and finding my dad smiling at Charlie.
"The old man couldn't help himself." I groan as I move to quickly wipe off my hands. Jared, Quil, and Seth laugh and I make a beeline towards the door.
"The last time I saw you, you were the tiniest thing I'd ever seen" Dad's statement meets my ears as I enter the lobby and Charlie gives him a half smile, her scent smelling unsure of everything. "Ah Jacob! I thought I'd join you for lunch and ran into your new receptionist."
"I bet you did." I can't keep the amusement out of my voice as I find mischief in his eyes. I hear Charlie's heart beat speed up and move to the other side of the desk. "Charlie, this is my dad Billy. Dad, this is Charlie. You can ignore him if you want. The old man knows everyone on the reservation so he forgets others might not know him."
"You're just mad, because I'm cooler than you."
It's then I know dad had picked up on her caution and adjusted to it accordingly. He made no attempt to move closer to the desk and focused his attention more on me in response. Her relief is almost instant and appreciation for my father skyrockets. The pack and extended members of the family all knew the basics about Charlie and Anna. I can only hope everyone else takes the same route as my father.
"Would you mind clocking the lunch break for everyone?" I ask her as Kim breezes in with what smells like lasagna. She smiles hello as she heads straight to the lounge.
"Uh sure." Charlie responds as I start to push dad to the back.
Charlie's POV -
Jacob wasn't kidding when he said lunch was a whole affair. I was introduced to Seth's sister Leah, who nodded at me briefly and then ignored me. Kim was Jared's fiance and she was the one who provided FOUR PANS of lasagna. Even including Embry's fiance and Jake's dad, who supplied the salads and bread, it seemed like so much food. Yet the four buff shop workers and Leah polished off two pans, a whole bowl of salad and two loaves of bread with ease. It took everything in me not to stare at them in amazement. I thanked everyone for the offer of food, but Anna and I ate the lunch I packed instead. Little Anna who'd rarely been around so many people had melted into my side and barely spoke as the people in the room cooed at her smiling. The only person to catch her eye and receive a smile was Billy Black.
"So is Anna your daughter?" Jared asked with a mouth full of food. Kim shoots him a glare and I can't tell if it's for the question or talking with his mouth full.
"My little sister." I answer, focusing on pushing my anxiety down. I feel exasperated at the ease in which it rises, but I can only hope it'll lessen the longer we're here.
"Where's your mom?" This time his question earns a harsh push and I feel the tension in the room skyrocket in response causing my heart to stutter painfully in my chest.
"You don't need to answer that, Charlotte. Jared forgets to respect people's privacy." Billy's voice cuts into the silence, but the use of my full name almost brings tears to my eyes. Only mom calls me Charlotte.
The room is back to being filled with heavy silence and I clear my throat.
"It's fine." I squeak. Glancing down at Anna, I find her completely focused on her lunch. "She got really sick. I brought Anna here for a new start."
I can't bring myself to explain any further. Hearing her name, Anna smiles up at me. I stroke her face and her eyes droop. Sensing my retreat Billy starts telling me all about the reservations, but I find it hard to focus on what he's saying. The table practically sighs in relief and I'm grateful for the distraction. The rest of lunch passes by happily and I clean up after Anna and I, before laying her down on the plush couch. Her eyes are already closed before I can cover her with her blanket, and little snores leave her. Kim and Leah take it upon themselves to clean up the table, and shoo me away as everyone else clears out. I don't need to be told twice and escape through the office. The rest of the day flies by as I finish fixing the computer system data and polish off all of the files on the desk. How they are so successful is beyond me. Everything was a chaotic mess. The computer system had me taking medicine for a headache. All of the appointments were a mess and the billing data didn't exist. Before lunch I'd managed to arrange it so that the spreadsheet in Excel held customer names, appointment times, service, and even a slot for the cost. Clicking on the customer's name would move straight to a file with all of their information, history of services, and billing information. Entering the customer files on the desk was a breeze, if not tedious.
"Wow, I can't remember the last time I was able to see the surface of that desk." Jacob's voice makes me jump and I feel my heart leap into my throat. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you."
"It's okay, I'm jumpy." I breathe out. "Uhh yeah, I really wanted the front to look clean. I fixed all the files in the computer and I hope you don't mind, but I just threw out the paper ones. I also took the liberty to order office supplies. I noticed we didn't have much."
"No, I appreciate the initiative." He says as I head over to clean up the lobby. "Uh, Kim left the extra food in the fridge for you to take home. She thought you might like it for dinner or something."
I smile and nod in appreciation as I finish up my straightening. He moves past me to lock up the door and turn off the open sign. Both of us head into the lounge where Anna is occupied with the tv I didn't notice before.
"Are you ready to go home Anna bug?" I try not to laugh when she frowns in response.
"How are you guys settling in by the way?" He asks as he hangs his overalls in his locker.
"The cabin is great. She really enjoys running around it and the kitchen is nice." I tell him as I pull our things together. "I was actually kind of impressed with the renovations you've done so far."
Without thinking about it I look at him and smile. His face immediately breaks into a bright smile right back and this time my heart stutters for a different reason altogether. I look down to hide the blush staining my cheeks.
"I'm glad you like it." He says. Pausing, he sounds like he's unsure all of a sudden. "I don't know much about picking out things that go together."
"I took an interior design course in high school. I totally get how overwhelming it can get." The information flies from me without thought and surprises me. "Just take it a step at a time."
"You know, I have a bunch of decisions I still need to make…maybe you wouldn't mind helping me. I'm hopeless when it comes to decorating."
"Sure." I agree.
I pause and look over to Anna and find her still focused on the tv. It's dark outside and the thought of going home to an empty house just to stress about mom sounds bleak. My mom's words of approval float through my mind and I feel my instincts and my head fighting each other. I chant in my head that he isn't John and take a chance.
"If you want, I could reheat the lasagna and we can go over them now." I say lightly. Jacob looks briefly stunned and I feel myself panic. I wave my hands a little. "It's just Anna is distracted and I don't know. Maybe we should do it on a lunch break. You probably don't_."
"That sounds great!" His excited exclamation cuts me off. "I live right upstairs so I'll go get the samples while you heat the food up."
Before I can say anything else he leaves the lounge and I try to focus on breathing evenly. What the hell did I just do? Trying to distract myself from the boldness of my actions, I start heating food up and setting the table. What is wrong with me? I don't even know the guy. I don't have much longer to dread my actions, because he comes back in with a large binder in his hands. I raise my eyebrows at the sight and he grins at me.
"Seth's girlfriend organized everything into this…monstrosity." he chuckles, lifting it up.
It doesn't take long to serve the food and Anna sits in a high chair he pulls from one behind the lounge door and we sit opposite of each other. I feel myself start to relax before long, much to my surprise. Well I guess it shouldn't be a surprise. His face is like an open book and his demeanor briefly reminds me of a sunny day with how much he smiles. He talks while we eat and doesn't push me to speak, filling the silence with talk about how he came to buy the cabin and his hopes to turn it into a nice place that he can eventually settle into or sell. I nod and listen, easily interested in some of the ideas he has. Anna shucks her shy exterior to giggle at his hand movements every now and then. He graces her with a smile each time.
"So what do you think?" His question draws me to look at him directly and I think for a moment.
"I think you're focused on to much at the same time." I say it carefully, fully aware of what disagreement would earn me just three short weeks ago. This time is different. Instead of anger, a patiently interested expression sits on his face, making me continue. "When I was walking through the house I noticed that you started a lot of projects, but skipped over a bunch as well."
"Okay…what do you suggest?" He asks slowly, taking everything I'm saying in. I push back my sudden hesitation.
"Finish a room at a time. The floors and ceiling throughout the place are beautiful, but the rooms are all in various stages of incomplete. You need to pick a room, focus on it, and finish it before moving on." I stop talking and watch him carefully, a part of me waiting for the explosion.
"Which room do you suggest finishing first?" He asks completely serious.
"It all depends. Do you want to finish a big project that could cost you a lot of money or finish multiple small tasks for the same amount?" I shrug at him with a small smile.
I watch as he opens his binder and spins it to face the living room section to me. He has a checklist with the floor, ceiling, and plastering the walls checked off. He still needed to paint, clean up the fireplace, change the electrical outlets, update the lighting fixtures and check over the windows. Nodding I look at the paint samples and find a pretty fern green color for the walls and a white for the window sills. Pointing them out I explain how well they'd go with the floors and ceilings and mark the childproof electrical outlets.
"They also match the window sill color if you choose to go with these choices." I tell him as he serves us some coffee and I clean up Anna. She rubs at her eyes and I carry her over to the couch and lay her down. "I would suggest large wood slat blinds for the windows. They're easier to dust than the plastic ones."
"What about the lighting fixtures?" He asks as he writes things down.
"I think you guys had a great idea making most of the lighting flush with the ceiling, but if you go the extra mile and make it adjustable lighting, you won't have to invest in lamps if you don't want to." I tell him as I sit back down. Sipping the coffee I try not to moan in appreciation. I watch as he sits back and nods, absolutely impressed looking and smiles.
"It took me three years to do what I've already done, and now…" He taps the binder. "...now I can finally order the last of the supplies."
"You could do the dining room too. Just place an order for a lantern light to hang in the center of it, but the living room concept could carry over to it easily." I tell him, raising my eyebrow at his shocked look. "I'm sure if your friends help you out you could have the two rooms finished within two days."
I push the binder back over to him and sip at my coffee again. We slip into comfortable silence as he marks things in his binder. Getting up I clean up from dinner and grab a grocery list off the fridge. I feel myself bite my lip as I look over it and shake my head. Junk food, junk food, junk food. How did these guys stay so freaking fit if all they ate were hot pockets and twinkies? I turn to Jacob and hold up the list with a raised brow and watch his face flush.
"Yeah, we're basically teenage boys in our eating habits." He shrugs. "The only time we eat well is if Emily or Kim feed us. We're usually too busy to actually care."
"Would you mind if I pick up some healthier options?" I ask, eyeing the list again. "I'm getting a stomach ache just looking at it."
"Have at it." He says. "I put the debit card for the shopping on the desk, so don't forget it. Don't worry about a budget and make sure to get large amounts."
The idea makes me instantly nervous. Other than our great escape, I'd never really handled money. John made sure of it. The thought of spending a large amount on food at the expense of the shop doesn't sit well with me at all. I avoid Jake's gaze for a moment as I push my emotions back in line.
"I would feel better if I had a budget of some sort." I tell him. "I don't want to spend too much on food that'll be gone so fast."
"We've never really had one." He says unsure. "Our last receptionist didn't really tell us much. She just shopped until the cabinets and fridge were full. I think she spent, on average, $500 a week in groceries for the shop. We do really well here and have some great investors behind us so it won't hurt us too much. I wasn't lying when I say we can eat more than our weight in one sitting."
Cutting off from his rant he scratches behind his head in an action I'm sure he doesn't even acknowledge. I bite my tongue so I don't argue with his reasoning. It's not my place to do that. Glancing at the clock on the wall I move to grab my stuff and Anna.
"Here let me carry her for you." He says moving over to us. His quick movements startle me.
"No!" I bark, throwing my hand out reflexively. Jacob stops in his tracks, his face going blank, but something I can't place moves behind his eyes. "I'm sorry, what I meant was I have her. She doesn't do well with strangers."
Guilt slithers through me at my initial rudeness, but my blood is rushing with adrenaline. Jake holds up his hands and steps back without question and I pull her into my arms. My ribs scream at the action and I flinch a little, knowing for a fact that I'll need to take painkillers when I get home. I take a deep breath and grit my teeth for a moment. Jake doesn't seem to notice thankfully.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have_." I cut him off.
"No, I'm sorry. I had a nice time helping you. I didn't mean to snap at you like that." I tell him. "I think I'm just really tired."
He nods his head and gives me an understanding smile and I force a smile back. He walks in front of me and I follow behind him, grabbing the card off the counter, and exit after grabbing out hoodies. Goosebumps break out along my exposed forearms and I nod goodnight to him before rushing over to my truck. He doesn't move until we're loaded up and driving away. Everything inside of me screaming in relief that I don't have to be back until Monday.
Not the longest chapter, but I wanted to get something written out and it felt right to end it here. I don't want to rush their relationship, but they need to have some kind of ease due to the workings of the imprint. I'd really appreciate any and all reviews you can give me on what you think about the progress and how what you like so far about the characters. Can't wait for the next update!