Chapter 8
We walk up the mock ship's plank entryway towards the restaurant door, and I scurry to hold it open for Edward since he's pushing Joey. He greets the girl at the hostess station who immediately leans down to stroke Joey's fur. "Jasper is in the back room. He's not happy, Edward."
"I'm sure he isn't." Edward walks towards two closed doors and tells me Jasper is the head chef.
"Did you really mess up?" I worry for him, he's had so much on his mind and I can imagine something like that happening. It sounds serious, but I do want this Jasper guy to cut him some slack. Why couldn't he just tell the manager?
"I'm sure it's a misunderstanding, but if Jasper is upset, I have to fix it." He reaches the door laced with fishing net decorations and swings it open.
"Surprise!" The cheer startles me as I'm behind Edward and can't see what's happening.
He's frozen for a moment, but then his head rears back and a loud laugh escapes him. I glance around and see a roomful of people, at least thirty or so, smiling and laughing.
On the wall is a huge blown-up photo of Edward holding Joey behind the bar of the restaurant. The bar where I made a fool of myself treating my assignment – him – with total disdain. I've never wanted to take a moment from my life away more than that one and hope none of the employees remember me.
Joey is out of the stroller now cradled in Edward's arms and people surround them, giving them both hugs and pats on the back. A man with beachy blond hair comes up and Edward punches him in the arm.
"You suck. I knew I didn't mess up. You're an ass." Edward laughs, shaking his head at who I assume is Jasper.
"Sorry to do that to you, man, but someone had to get you here." Alice from the hotel is suddenly at Jasper's side, giving Edward a kiss on the cheek and Joey a kiss on the head. She loops her arm through Jaspers and my eyebrows raise.
"Hi, Ms. Swan! Edward told me you left the hotel to stay with him. It's nice to see you again."
"I had no idea you knew him or maybe I would've mentioned it when I checked out." I smile, feeling guilty knowing there's no way I would have offered up that info regardless. In my mind, she was still just a little yokel working at a resort motel in the sticks. Remorse floods me, as I've given no one in this town, or the town itself, a chance.
Look at all these people taking time out of their lives to celebrate a friend. A friend in need.
"Jasper, this is the Ms. Swan I told you about from New York. Turns out she's the one writing the article on Edward and Joey," she says, still smiling happily at me.
I hold out my hand. "Please, call me Bella." I say to both of them. "It's nice to meet you, Jasper. Your lobster mac n cheese is the bomb." What did I just say? I'm never nervous. Never. But here, I feel two feet tall.
"Well we have a whole bunch of it over there. Help yourself." He points to a large spread of food, and my stomach rumbles.
I stay by Edward's side, however, and meet everyone from Edward's high school teacher to the lady who owns the kite store. Some of the staff move in and out, celebrating while also maintaining their tables out in the restaurant. There are so many people from his life here. Here to celebrate him and his best friend. People that care about him, people that he's most likely made an impact on one way or another.
I have no one that would do anything like this for me. Hell, I have no one that would show up if someone did.
He's glowing, absolutely thrown that they'd organized this. He gets slightly choked up chatting with a woman named Pam who helped Edward train Joey. He's loud and rambunctious talking to a guy named Steve about the time they pulled some prank on the mayor. He's serious when he's whispering with an older man wearing a bowtie in the corner.
He introduces me to this last man as Dr. Banner. The man who saved his life. He's retired now, gray around the temples with tons of wrinkles around his kind eyes. I have the urge to thank this man, but I keep it to myself.
Edward silently hands me a beer from the cooler on the table, smiling at me while still keeping up his conversation. I take it and tap his hand with my finger. I guess it's an involuntary 'are you okay' gesture, but I'm not sure he understands that. He just lets go of the bottle and turns back to talking with his doctor.
I wander around the party, making mental notes and chatting with people from Edward and Joey's life. I'm not gaining a whole slew of new information, as everyone is keeping the party jovial and has basically the same thing to say.
Edward is apparently the greatest man to ever walk the earth. How kind he is. How helpful he is in the community, how funny and charming and would be voted most likely to save babies from burning buildings. But even in the funny stories and light conversation, there is the underlying solemnity about why we're all gathered here. Joey gets passed around, loving the affection from everyone until he's finally put on the floor after Jasper brings out a bowl of water.
Sometime later, as I'm poking a fake wooden crab sitting on a shelf, Alice slides over and hands me a fresh beer. I raise it to her and take a sip. "He's really popular, isn't he?" I nod towards Edward.
"Joey? He's the whole town's dog. King of the local canines." She smiles at me with a twinkle in her eye and I know she knows I wasn't talking about Joey. "Edward is very well-liked, obviously. He's lived here his whole life, you know? We went to school together, actually."
I stare down at her. She must've known him when he was sick. "What was he like… before?"
"Is this the reporter asking or a friend?" She raises an eyebrow but saves me from answering. "Edward was the Edward he is. Now a little older, a little sadder, a little more reserved, but the big heart is still there. Everybody knows and loves Edward. And in turn, we all love Joey for giving him a reason to stay with us."
"He must have some faults," I laugh, disbelieving that anyone could be this good a person, even though I'm experiencing it firsthand. My thought stutters quickly towards Michael. I couldn't name more than ten people I'd call to gather for a celebration in his honor. And five of them wouldn't come. I guess we do have that in common if not much else.
"He's a terrible chess player."
"I'll have to see if there is a chess set at the house." I sip my beer, questions racing through my mind. "We haven't discussed his parents much, I suppose you knew them?"
"Oh sure, Mr. Cullen was my boss back in high school."
I turn to her fully. "Oh? Did he own the motel?" That would make some sense for the large house, I suppose. Maybe it was handed down for a few generations. Maybe he owned quite a few. Perhaps Edward lives off the money from the sale after his parent's death.
"No, no. My family owns that." I cringe, knowing that yet again I'm a jerk for assuming this girl was just a townie who couldn't get a 'real' job. "I worked here in the winters when the motel wasn't that busy. Mr. Cullen owned this restaurant, and now Edward does."
"Edward owns this place?" I say stupidly, repeating what she just said. "He's not just the bartender?"
Confused, Alice looks at me. "Well, yeah. I thought that would be something you'd know."
"You would think," I say, gritting my teeth.
"So no, he's not 'just' the bartender. He's the blood and guts of this place. Obviously, his illness stopped him from going to college, but he had plans to. Was going to study architecture in Boston. Put all his college plans on the back burner to keep the restaurant open. There's been lots of families employed by the Cullens over the years, and he didn't want to sell to someone that might change it, or knock it down to sell the land."
Fuck me. I am such an asshole.
I look at Edward and want to flee. Crawl away in my rental car. Or at least go outside and have a smoke which I realize I haven't craved since I got to this town.
"Alice, I apologize for the 'just' comment, it's not what I meant. I was surprised. I had no idea…" I trail off lamely.
"Yeah, Edward doesn't talk about himself much. Jasper and I just found out about the article a few days ago, and we're his best friends."
"So, you didn't know I was here to write a story about him when I checked in? You didn't send me to this place on purpose?"
"Nope. Just a coincidence I guess. I suppose I see how you would assume he's 'just' the bartender." She smirks. "He likes that role best. He does what he has to, to run the place, and technically he doesn't really need to work, but he's a natural behind the bar. Just like his dad."
"Why doesn't he need to work?" Surely the restaurant isn't that lucrative. At this point, I realize I've read the entire situation all wrong, he could tell me he owns the entire town and I'd probably not be surprised.
"I'll let Edward answer anything else you might want to know, I've probably said too much already." She chuckles and walks off.
I roll my eyes at myself and sigh. What kind of reporter am I that I didn't fact check prior to getting here? Did Aro keep me in the dark on purpose? No. I'm responsible for my lack of interest. Maybe I should hang up my reporter hat and work at Alice's motel.
Making a point to talk to more people, I listen to more stories, ask some basic questions about the town and history of the restaurant. I try to gain more insight into the aftermath of the tragic death of his parents without coming across as intrusive. The bartender who took over for Edward my first night here helpfully tells me the accident was well covered in the local papers at the time and that the library in the Ogunquit Memorial Library would have copies.
I'll make time to get there tomorrow.
My last full day here in Ogunquit, the town I never wanted to come to.
Thanks to CarrieZM and LayAtHomeMom, who I would throw surprise parties for any day.
This is for Squiggy.