Shaky Ground

Chapter Fifteen

Here we go again ... the plot bunny just couldn't stay away. Persistent little fucker. Originally, this began as a dream. When I woke up, I wrote down as much as I could, but it's morphed into something different.

So, Heidi got her comeuppance. Will she be fired? Also, Edward seems to trust Bella. He is going to her when he needs her, vice versa. We will have some more citrusy goodness coming up, along with Bella's birthday ... which will be celebrated the following weekend. And what will happen with Jake?

Chapter Fifteen

I hate jogging. I hate jogging. I hate jogging. I hate jogging. I HATE JOGGING! Bella sneered as she pounded the pavement. She was wearing a pair of leggings and a tight jacket, her phone tucked into the pocket. She was listening to her angry mix, trying to calm down after a brutal overnight shift. She got into her car and drove to a nearby park, taking off and repeating her mantra. I hate jogging. I hate jogging ...

"Isabella?" she heard.

Bella stopped and saw Edward wearing a pair of shorts and tight long-sleeved shirt. He was also dressed to run. She looked around, seeing she was in his neighborhood. "Hey, Masen," she panted, tugging out her earbuds.

"It's six in the morning," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to forget last night's shift," she said. "Do you mind? I kind of have a flow going." Edward nodded and they continued to jog, at a relatively fast past, too.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Just a lot of little cases that required all of our attention," Bella said. "And needy fucking parents." Her pace picked up as she ran into a park, Edward on her heels. "Yes, your child is sick, but I can't wave my magic fucking wand and cure them of the common cold. AND I'm not giving you a god damned antibiotic for the sniffles."

"Don't hold back, Swan. Really," Edward deadpanned. She smacked his chest. "Hey, I'm on your side. Don't beat me up, woman."

"You're convenient, Edward. I can't exactly smack the parents," she snorted. She slowed down, stopping at a water fountain. "I love my job. I truly do, but I'm just on edge."

"Why?" Edward asked, taking his own sip.

She wanted to tell him that she was on edge because she was turning thirty. She wanted to shake him and force him to open up to her, but he'd probably push her away. So, she shrugged. "I don't know. I get this way sometimes." She blinked over to a bridge about a half mile away. "Wanna race?"

"You think you can beat me?" Edward quipped, his face relaxing and a crooked smile spreading over his lips.

"Maybe," she sang, bouncing on her toes. "Afraid you're going to get beat by a girl?"

"Never," he laughed. "On your mark, get set ... HEY!" Bella took off, giggling and he was on her heals, but she'd gotten a pretty big head start. They ran along the path and it was close. Bella was taunting him every step of the way. Until her toe clipped a raised lip of the running path. She fell down, spinning off into a ditch. "Oh, shit!" He slowed down and crouched down next to her. "Isabella? Bella?"

"Owww," she moaned, rolling over. "Who the fuck put that nonsense in the middle of a running path?"

"Don't move, Bella," he said, tenderly brushing the debris from her face. "How many fingers?"

"My head is fine. It's my knee," she said, sitting up. "I fucked it up in college and I normally should be running with a brace, but it's at home." Edward made a face. Her leggings were shredded and he rolled them up. "Now, who looks like pizza?"