Just the Girl

Chapter 7

Dinner with the Cullen's was a strange affair. Bella wasn't positive how they were doing it, but the Cullen's seemed to be eating their food lightning fast. They kept her talking by asking questions about her dad, her mom, Phoenix, and her childhood. Every time she turned one way to answer a question, someone else was waiting with the next one. Before long, everyone else was done eating and Bella had only taken a few bites.

"Okay, okay," Esme finally cut in. "Bella hasn't even had time to eat. Why don't we give her a moment?"

Bella smiled gratefully and dug in. The steak was amazing. Bella considered herself to be a good cook, but she had never made anything this extravagant. The potatoes had the perfect ratio of butter, garlic, and salt. "Mrs. Cullen, this is amazing."

Esme beamed. "Esme. And thank you! I was trying a new recipe today. I'm so glad to have someone around here who eats." Bella tilted her head to the side. Esme didn't miss a beat. "These kids, they like to make things for themselves, go out to eat, or eat leftovers. I never get to see if they liked my food."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Cullen, I love it." Bella took another bite of the steak, covered her mouth and asked, "So, you're an interior designer?"

Esme beamed. "I am.I had a great time decorating the entire house."

"Really, your home is beautiful." Bella looked around at the accents in the dining room. "How do you-" She paused. "What made you?" Bella shrugged. "I don't know what I'm trying to ask, but I'm just impressed."

"Esme doesn't just decorate," Emmett bragged, both elbows resting on the table. "She has a workshop. She made this table."

Bella looked at the table, an intricately carved oval shape. Carved into the woods were perfectly symmetrical loop designs, roughly one inch from the edge. Alice added, "And she didn't like the countertops, so she bought the marble and carved it herself."

Bella dropped her utensils. "Mrs. Cullen, if you could show me how to make things, I would be eternally grateful."

Esme swatted Emmett's elbow so he leaned back in his chair. "You know, I run a small business. I make custom pieces for people all over the world. I have a little space in the business for an assistant if you'd be interested."

Bella looked at Rosalie, who was smiling at her. "Are you serious? I just told my dad I was looking for a job. Did he put you up to this?"

Esme's face lit up, and a gleam in her eye told Bella that whatever she said next was going to be a lie. "No, I haven't talked to Chief Swan about you getting a job at all! I definitely didn't run into him this weekend as he was on patrol." Esme clapped. "I've always wanted an apprentice."

Alice snorted. "Excuse me!"

Esme amended, "I've always wanted an apprentice that wasn't in my own family. This will be fantastic!" Esme clapped. "We'll hammer out the details this week, like hours, pay, everything. I'll draw something up."

Bella was finally able to finish eating as the conversation began to move on around her. Rosalie laid out her tentative plans for their project, Alice talked about how boring her math class was, and Jasper sat quietly in the corner. Bella thought he might be purposefully leaning away from her, but when she met his eyes, he did his best to give her a reassuring smile. Bella thought it looked forced, but she liked him anyway. He had a warmth to him like he might be laughing at a joke Bella didn't know and was going to tell her the joke one day. The entire room was filled with warmth until Emmett's phone buzzed. He checked his phone and started texting back quickly.

"Emmett, that's rude," Esme chided him.

"Mom," he whined, "it's Edward."

Bella felt like the air had been sucked from the room. Alice looked grim, Jasper looked away, and Rosalie set her teeth in response to the name. Emmett looked ashamed. Only Esme looked unchanged. "Oh, how is he?"