Back to the Start
Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.
Dinner at the Blacks
"So, Bella, what do you want to do?" Jacob asked.
After spending two hours dutifully hitting the books, they had decided it was time for a break.
"I don't mind." Bella said easily. After the stressful day she'd just had, she was now feeling remarkably relaxed.
Jacob hesitated. "I was going to work on my car, but we can do something else…"
"No, that's perfect!" Bella interrupted. "I'll watch. You work."
"Okay." Jacob laughed. "See you later, Dad." He called out to Billy, who was parked in front of the TV, looking preoccupied.
"Alright, son. Have fun." Billy didn't even look his way. He had been in a thoughtful mood ever since coming off the phone with Harry Clearwater.
Outside it was raining. The water droplets fell as if they could barely be bothered to conform to the will of gravity. They were large and soft, not like the driving rain that was usually the norm. Bella tilted her fingers upwards and watched the remnants of the drops run downwards into the palm of her hand like tiny rivers.
She followed Jacob through the thick shrubbery which concealed his garage from the house. The VW Rabbit was in the same position as the last time she had seen it, propped up on cinder blocks, but this time it was missing its wheels.
"I've got to replace all the tires." Jacob said ruefully as he led the way inside. "I need to raise more funds."
"I've got some money saved. College fund, you know. I could loan you some if you want?" Bella offered.
Jacob shook his head reluctantly. "I'm not going to let you dip into your savings, Bella."
"I don't mind."
"I know." Jacob smiled to take the sting out of his words. "I just don't like being in anyone's debt."
"You mean it would hurt your male pride to take money from a woman." Bella teased him.
Jacob laughed. "Something like that. I wouldn't want to get a reputation as a kept man." He opened the door of the Rabbit so she could sit on the seat instead of the ground, just like the last time she had watched him work.
Before Jacob had even gathered his tools together, someone shouted out his name.
"Jake? Are you out here?"
"Great timing." Jacob muttered under his breath, before shouting back. "Yeah."
"Who's that?" Bella asked curiously.
"Quil and Embry."
"Ah!"
"I apologize for them in advance." Jacob said with a heavy sigh. "Especially Quil."
Bella snickered at the resigned look on his face. He had told her about the boys the last time she was here. She had enjoyed listening to him talk about their escapades. Now she was going to meet them in person.
Eventually two tall, dark-skinned boys strolled around the corner into the shed. One was slender, and almost as tall as Jacob. His black hair was chin-length and parted down the middle, one side tucked behind his left ear while the right side swung free. The shorter boy was burlier. His white t-shirt strained over his well-developed chest, and he seemed gleefully conscious of that fact. His hair was so short it was almost a buzz.
Both boys stopped short when they saw Bella. The thin boy swiftly glanced back and forth between Jacob and Bella, while the brawny boy kept his eyes on her, a slow smile spreading across his face.
"Hey, guys." Jacob greeted them half-heartedly.
"Hey, Jake." The short one said without looking away from Bella. Bella had to smile in response, his grin was impish. When she did, he winked at her. "Hi, there."
"Quil, Embry – this is my friend, Bella."
Quil and Embry, Bella still didn't know which was which, exchanged a loaded glance.
"Charlie's kid, right?" The brawny boy asked her, holding out his hand.
"I'm hardly a kid." Bella said a little irritably, but she shook hands with him anyway. His grasp was firm, it looked like he was flexing his bicep for her benefit.
Bella tried to stifle a giggle at his blatant attempt to impress her, but she didn't quite manage to suppress it. She ended up making a weird snorting sound that made both boys' jump. Their startled expressions made her want to laugh even harder. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
After the brawny one got over his shock, he grinned at her again. "I'm Quil Ateara." He announced grandly.
"Nice to meet you, Quil."
"Hey, Bella. I'm Embry, Embry Call – you probably already figured that out, though." Embry smiled a shy smile and waved one hand, which he then shoved in the pocket of his jeans. There was something about his reserved air that reminded her of Angela Weber.
"Nice to meet you, too."
"So, what are you guys doing?" Quil asked, still looking at Bella.
Jacob looked annoyed at his friend's blatant staring. He stepped in front of Quil to cut off his view of her. "Bella and I were going to work on the car." He explained inaccurately.
The word car seemed to be the magic word. Both boys went to examine Jacob's project, drilling him with educated questions. Many of the words they used were unfamiliar to Bella, and she figured she would have to have a Y chromosome to understand their excitement.
After a while Jacob looked up, apologetic. "I'm sorry, Bella. We're boring you, aren't we?"
"No." Bella promised. And it wasn't a lie. She was enjoying herself-finding their animated banter amusing.
Jacob grinned, looking relieved. Quil had behaved himself, mostly, so far. "Do you want a look at the engine?" He asked Bella, shoving Quil aside to make room for Bella near the hood of the vehicle.
"Hey, man! Watch it!"
Jacob rolled his eyes as he gestured for Bella to come and join him. She slid out of the Rabbit and inserted herself in between the trio, gazing down at the greasy engine, and wondering what all the fuss was about. Jacob then launched into descriptive detail, pointing out all the parts. Bella nodded, acting as if she understood the inner technicalities of a working engine.
"I'll finish taking this apart tonight." Jacob explained. "I'll clean them up and then I can start rebuilding."
"That sounds like a good idea." Bella agreed, though she still had no idea what he was talking about. She was saved from any more mechanical talk by the sound of Charlie calling her name. "Oh, my dad's here." She said in surprise. The time had gone by so fast; she hadn't realized how late it was.
"The old man must have dinner ready." Jacob slammed the hood shut. "Time for you guys to leave."
"What?" Quil complained good naturedly. "Aren't we invited?"
"No." Jacob said pointedly.
"I see you want to be alone." Quil grinned widely as he glanced at Bella and then whispered something to Embry that Bella didn't catch.
Jacob's hand flashed out to smack Quil on the back of his head. "That's it. Get out." He ordered.
"Jeez, dude." Quil rubbed his stinging scalp.
A brief scuffle followed, interspersed with an "ouch" and a "hey!"
"Are they always like this?" Bella asked an amused Embry.
"Pretty much." He confided with another one of his shy smiles, which once again reminded her of Angela.
Bella giggled quietly. It made her feel weightless, so she laughed again, just to make the feeling last longer.
"Bella?" Charlie's familiar voice sounded impatient as it wafted through the trees, sounding closer this time.
"Let's go." Jacob said. "See you later, guys." He called out to Quil and Embry as he snapped the light off.
Bella felt completely blind in the dark. "I can't see, Jake." She whined.
Jacob gave out a low chuckle as he grabbed her hand and towed her out of the garage and through the trees, his feet finding the familiar path with ease. His hand was rough, and very warm.
Despite the path, Bella still managed to trip over her own feet in the darkness. Jacob didn't seem to have the same problem. It was almost like he had night vision or something. He laughed when she tripped for a second time, grabbing her with both hands this time to keep her upright.
"Its not funny." Bella huffed indignantly.
"Its endearing." Jacob countered, giving her one of his most appealing smiles.
Bella felt her skin warm from his compliment. Still clutching his hand tightly, she stumbled in his wake, making him laugh again. This time she joined in. By the time the house came into view they were both breathless with all the laughing.
Charlie was standing under the little back porch, and Billy was sitting in the doorway behind him.
"Hey, Dad!" Jacob and Bella both said at the same time, and that set them off laughing all over again.
Charlie frowned; his gaze drawn to their joined hands. "What took you so long? I've been calling for ages. The foods getting cold."
"I'm sorry, Dad." Bella apologized breathlessly. Her father's face was unusually serious, even Billy was stoic. Something had clearly gone down between the two men while she and Jacob had been occupied in the garage.
Jacob noted the tension too. "Is everything okay?" He asked cautiously.
"Fine, son, fine." Billy said mutely.
"Okay." Jacob wasn't convinced, neither was Bella. They exchanged a worried glance as Billy spun his wheelchair around and rolled it into the house, with Charlie following close behind.
Throughout dinner, Billy chit-chattered steadily for the first ten minutes or so, trying to draw Charlie in with sports scores. However, Charlie remained quiet and withdrawn. His mind was clearly elsewhere. It made Bella wonder what had happened at the Cullens to put her father in such a reflective mood. He hadn't opened up about the visit yet, perhaps waiting until they were home alone to tell her about it.
Bella recalled Jacob telling her about when the Cullens moved to town, how Charlie had found their quiet presence pleasant, but Billy thought the opposite and tried to warn him about them. When Charlie found out that some local boys from the Quileute reservation were boycotting the hospital, it caused a rift between the two friends for a few years. He must be regretting that now, probably wishing he had taken Billy's concerns more seriously back then, she thought to herself. She wondered if the two of them had been discussing it. It would explain the strange tension both men were giving off.
Jacob glanced around the solemn circle and caught Bella's eye. He was feeling the strain as much she was. He raised his eyebrows questioningly and she gave a slight shrug of her shoulders in reply.
They continued to eat in subdued silence. Bella glanced at her father often while she ate. His jaw seemed permanently clenched. He wasn't really concentrating on his food, just listlessly shuffling it around the plate with his fork. Billy hadn't eaten much either. His dark eyes were trained on Charlie, too, his expression troubled.
The persistent silence seemed to be killing even Jacob's appetite. Normally he was always reaching for second helpings, but he was still on his first, chewing slowly and glancing thoughtfully at the two men just like Bella was.
Bella could feel the fear in her chest waiting to take over. It sat there like an angry ball propelling her towards an anxiety she just didn't need. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. "What's going on, Dad?"
Charlie looked up at her, startled out of his introspection. "What?"
"She means you can cut the tension with a knife." Jacob added as he looked between the two men.
Billy raised his eyebrows in what, to Jacob, was a very expressive way, but all he said was: "There's nothing wrong, son."
Charlie added his assurances to Billy's. "Everything's fine, kiddo."
"Then why the long silences?" Bella wouldn't be put off. She wanted answers, not trite reassurances.
Bella watched as Billy and Charlie exchanged a long look. There was no animosity there, the look was quite cordial. So, they obviously hadn't had another exchange of words. So why were the both so serious? She was about to ask, when Jacob took the words right out of her mouth.
"Is this about the Cullens?"
Charlie sat back and pushed his plate away, sighing heavily. "Yes." He admitted.
"What happened, Dad?" Bella pleaded. "Did they listen to you when you told them about Edward?"
"Oh, yes, they were very polite." Charlie's tone dripped with sarcasm. "They tried to put a positive spin on it, making light of Edward's behavior, and trying to justify his actions. Carlisle Cullen sure has a way with words. He gave me the usual reassurances, assuring me he would have a quiet word with Edward, and ask him to tone down his youthful exuberance."
"Youthful exuberance?" Bella repeated. "He actually said that?"
"Yes." Charlie said grimly. "He was trying to downplay everything. I wasn't having that of course…but it was the darndest thing…even though I was immensely frustrated with the stream of excuses he was giving me, I found myself feeling as calm as you like. It was so strange. I can't explain it." He frowned, clearly angry with himself at allowing them to manipulate the situation.
"I warned you about that family, Charlie." Billy added. "I told you they are not trustworthy."
Charlie huffed under his breath. "I know. I know. I should have listened."
"What happens now?" Jacob asked.
Charlie shook his head as if to clear it. "Well, I made my position clear enough." He said to them all. "I told them to make sure that Edward doesn't bother Bella again, and if I hear otherwise, then there will be serious repercussions."
"Thanks, Dad." Bella smiled at him gratefully.
Charlie smiled back, placing his hand over hers. "I don't want you worrying anymore, kiddo. I believe he'll back off once his parents make him understand the gravity of the situation if he doesn't comply."
"Let's all hope so…for everyone's sake." Billy agreed – his eyes clouded with worry as he looked, not at Bella, but at his son.
A/N-thanks for reading!