Chapter Three
"Bella," giggled the most annoying voice she'd ever heard. Growling, she pulled the blanket over her head, trying to drown out the high-pitched singing coming from the side of her bed. "Isabella Marie, get your booty up. We've got things to do today."
"Leave me alone, Al," muttered Bella, clutching at the blankets.
Just like she knew she would, Alice gripped the bottom of the dark blue comforter and pulled. Rolling onto her side, Bella threw her legs around the blanket, tugging hard. Alice Brandon let go, placing her hands on her narrow hips. At barely over five and a half feet tall, she carried herself as being twice as tall. Throwing her dark hair over her shoulder, she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Bella rolled her eyes; Alice could be so dramatic when she didn't get her way.
Looking at the clock sitting on the nightstand, she groaned. "Nine! Are you insane?" she exclaimed. "Do you have any idea what time I got home last night?"
She'd barely managed to stumble into bed somewhere around four in the morning. Though, to be honest, the time was a blur. After Edward left, the bar was overrun by loud, rude college kids who seemed to think they ran the joint. Carlisle had to break up more than a couple of fights once the booze started flowing. Nights like those were when Bella hated her job. She knew Carlisle would die trying to keep her safe this time, but it brought back too many memories — ones she'd worked very hard to forget.
"No," Alice stated, sitting back on the side of her bed. "I might have been a little busy, though."
Throwing her hand up, Bella stopped her. "Rule One!"
Laughing, she fell back on the bed. "You never want to hear the amazing details."
"Why do I need them from you when I hear them for myself," she quipped, flopping against her pillows.
"Yeah, whatever," giggled Alice, sitting back up. "You have an hour. Better hurry, princess."
Throwing her pillow across the room, Bella scowled when Alice shut the door. She could argue and fight to stay home, but knowing Alice the way she did, Bella knew she'd never win that battle. Sometimes, she found it easier to do what Alice told her to do.
Which was why, forty-five minutes later and dressed in a pair of olive-green shorts and a white tank top, Bella found herself in the passenger seat of Alice's black Volkswagen Beetle convertible, with her yapping a mile a minute about the new guy she'd met last night.
However, she wasn't paying attention; her mind was on Edward.
After the first time he found his way into R&R, she never expected to see him again. Especially after the way she made a fool of herself. But, there he stood last night, coming back to see her. Just thinking about him brought an uncharacteristic smile to her face. Never in her twenty-nine years had she ever met someone who made her smile just by thinking about him. The feeling stirring inside her scared her more than she wanted to admit.
"Are you listening to me, Bella?" Alice huffed, parking her car in front of their favorite strip mall. Turning in her seat, she analyzed her friend. There was something different about her, but Alice just couldn't figure out what. "You're hiding something from me."
"What?" Bella scoffed and climbed out of the car, being extra careful not to meet Alice's intensive stare. "Of course, I'm not."
"You are, too. But it's okay because one way or another, you'll tell me." Putting the top of her convertible up, Alice laughed and climbed out. She hit the little red button on her keyless remote, which locked the doors, and hooked her arm with Bella's, leading her toward their favorite stop, Barnaby's Fragrances. "Now, let's go shopping!"
They entered the small shop and sighed, their eyes fluttering to a close. The mixtures of scents in the air were often too much for some people, but Bella had always found herself to be at home here. She and Alice found this store almost seven years ago and came back every chance they got.
It had been almost two months since they'd managed to find time between Bella's work hours and Alice's social calendar. The shelves were filled with glass bottles in every color: red, blue, gold, and purple. The way the light flittered in through the window and hit them created a spectrum of colors to fill the room. It was peaceful and calm, providing Bella with the safety she desperately craved.
"About time my girls came by to see me," James Barnaby, the store owner, grumbled as he made his way out of the back room.
Just shy of five feet, the tiny man shuffled around the corner, pulling both girls into his arms. Smiling, they placed a soft kiss on the top of his dark, thinning black hair. The seventy-three-year-old man couldn't move around the store the way he used to, but he refused to retire. He inherited the store from his father, taking great pride in carrying on the tradition. His wife, Victoria, died just after the girls discovered the shop. Their sons had no interest in carrying on their passion, and from what Bella understood, they blamed their father for Victoria's death, even though she passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.
By the time the dementia took hold of her, James couldn't handle the responsibility on his own. Rather than move closer to help their father, the boys condemned him when he placed Victoria into a nursing home. They didn't care that he spent every moment he could at her side, trying to get her to remember him or their sons. Victoria cursed him, calling him the foulest names he'd ever heard. On more than one occasion, both Alice and Bella had held James while he grieved the loss of his wife.
Looking up at them, his attention moving from one to the other. "You're too thin."
"We are not," they both chimed, laughing.
"You're looking good, James," Alice chirped, placing another kiss on top of his head. "When are you finally going to admit you're in love with me and make an honest woman of me?"
"Young one, I do love you, but you're too much for me. I wouldn't be able to keep up with you," he teased, moving around the counter to sit on his stool. Shifting his eyes over to Bella, he laughed again. "You're glowing. You met someone."
"No, I didn't," Bella insisted but refused to meet the old man's eyes. He'd be able to see right through her. "Do you have anything new? I need something summerish. Any suggestions?"
"Don't change the subject, young one," he scoffed. Sighing, she looked up at him, aware of the smirk on Alice's lips. "Tell me who he is."
"Nobody," Bella muttered, rolling her bright blue eyes. However, James stared at her, waiting for her to continue. "Just this guy who came into the bar last week. It's nothing though."
"Oh, Bella. A bar dude?" Alice grumbled, making her disgust clear. "Please tell me you're kidding."
Feeling annoyed, she huffed. "I told you it's nothing. He just came in, and we talked."
Smiling, James reached across the counter, taking her hand in his. "It isn't nothing, young one, and being scared is okay. But listen to your heart, not that stubborn head of yours."
Bella squeezed his hand, ignoring the muttered curses coming from Alice. "He's just a nice guy who's looking for a friend, James. Nothing more."
"Oh, sweetheart." He sighed, releasing her hand. "You're so lost; you can't even see that you've already fallen."
James let the subject drop, but his words rattled around Bella's heart for the rest of the day. She and Alice each picked up a new bottle of perfume, a new scent labeled Fallen Angel, and went on about their day, promising to stop by and see him again soon. They milled around, going from one shop to another, buying a shirt here and a new skirt in another shop, but never broaching the subject lingering between them.
Bella's job at R&R had always been a sore spot for Alice, and she made it clear she didn't approve. Alice felt Bella could do better than serving alcohol all night, but she knew better than to push her friend over the issue. The last time she did, they argued, both lashing out at the other, until Bella packed up her stuff and left. For a week, Alice searched the city for her, finally finding her living out of her car. She could never understand why Bella would choose to work in that bar, knowing the hell she went through when she was a child. But after the last time, she learned not to spout off too much, or she'd lose her friend forever.
"I'm starving," Alice whined, shuffling the bags in her hands. "Let's eat."
"Where?" Bella asked and looked around. There were several new restaurants in the area.
"How about that new bistro?" she suggested, gesturing to JC's.
Bella agreed. The two women dropped their purchases in Alice's car before heading over. Being late in the afternoon, the girls didn't have any trouble getting a table. The small restaurant seemed cozy and quaint, with dim lighting providing a sense of calming and ease compared to the busy shopping center around them. The walls were covered with dozens of vintage signs from the late sixties and early seventies. Small green glass bottles and tin tea kettles sat on the dark shelves above the windows, along with hundreds of other small knickknacks.
"Hello, ladies," their waiter greeted them, dropping off two menus. Alice turned in her seat, giving him the once over, letting a smile curve over her lips.
"Well, hello to you," she purred. Grinning at her, the tall, blond-haired man laughed, his blue eyes sparkling.
"I'm Jasper, and it looks like today must be my lucky day." He smirked. Bella rolled her eyes, picking up her menu and flipping it open. Only Alice would start flirting with their waiter. "What would you two lovely ladies like to drink?"
Before they could order their drinks, the door to the back swung open, and Edward walked out. "Jasper, have you called the order in yet? I need to add a few things."
Bella gasped, causing him to look up as a smile tugged over his lips.
"Bella?" he murmured at the same time she uttered, "Edward."
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