Chapter Ten

~The Newbie on the Staff~

EPOV

After cleaning herself up, Bella joins us back at the table with a simple apology. I don't know if she is apologizing for taking ten minutes in the bathroom, or for her comment. Let's be honest, we all know she didn't mean it like that! But with my brain on high alert for interpreting anything Bella-related as sexual these days, of course I took it to mean her mouth on my ears, my fingers, my chest, my...Jesus, take your pick.

We spend the next forty minutes snacking and watching Bella sample all the different hors d'oeuvres we created for her menu. Over and over again, I watch her open her mouth and nibble, suck and manipulate the various foods. My dick is straining against my jeans so desperately, I think it might burst through the fabric and appear like Jack Nicholson's face from behind the hacked white door in "The Shining".

Chicken Apple Salad Bruschetta

After tasting the chicken apple salad bruschetta, she has a dab of mayonnaise on the corner of her lips. I watch her tongue slink out and swipe up the left side of her mouth and I think I might have a stroke.

After a bite of a particularly moist piece of chicken in lemon and wine sauce, she lets out a sultry moan and I watch a bit of sauce escape her lips and dribble down her chin. I fall out of my chair. I cleverly cover by claiming I was bending down to tie my shoelace, but realize my case doesn't hold water because I'm barefoot. Suddenly my 'untied shoe' turns into an itchy bug bite. Those pesky mosquitoes can't resist my sweet blood, I guess.

I sound like a fucking lunatic. The men in white coats are probably pulling up to the curb right now.

Next thing I know, the doorbell rings and I find Dave waiting for our interview. I quietly excuse myself from the table, asking James to wrap up the meeting with Bella. Dave is an eager kid with several months' experience behind a bar. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders and he's ready and willing to start training as soon as possible. I tell him to hold off for a week and come in next Monday, because training a bartender AND a waitress at the same time is about as much fun as having a root canal.

The two-day memorial service for Bella's aunt is next weekend and OF COURSE I'm slated to work the event, after James had to cover both weddings this past weekend. Two full days with Bella right there next to me. No escape at all.

I feel the like the universe has "banana in the tailpipe'd" me for the umpteenth time in the last couple of weeks. Bella will also be with me practically every day this week, training at the bar for hours and hours on end.

And why does our required uniform for the girls at Last Call consist of a denim mini-skirt and a black tank top? Maybe I could change the policy this week to a burlap sack or something similar. People will still buy drinks, right? Because if I have to keep looking at Bella wearing the dress she has on now— or even worse, the uniform at work— I'm gonna lose my shit.

And OH MY GOD, what the fuck is wrong with me? This girl is burying her aunt and all I can think about is what she's gonna look like working for me at Last Call? Maybe I should get an invite to Douchebag Island.

I've gotta call Tori. This is bad. This is really, really bad. I look at my watch to check the date. 15 more days…that's all I need to hold out until I can finally get some release. Tori will be back here in LBI for a couple of weeks through the July 4th weekend when we have our engagement party. After that, she immediately takes off again for Utah, for the sequel of Lauren Mallory's movie. This one will be about a girl who seeks inner peace by spending her summer on a dude ranch. I mean, what the hell is that all about? How does anyone find inner peace surrounded by horse and cow manure?

I have no freaking idea, but I can tell you right now, I find inner peace on a beach with an icy beer sweating in my hand. Give me the sounds of the ocean. Give me the smell of coconut suntan lotion. Give me a day where it's in the high 80's with a sea breeze to keep me cool. Give me a fuckawesome blue sky with only wispy clouds passing above. I don't even need to be with anyone. I'm by myself, with a cooler next to me in the sand, reclined in my chair with my Ray-Bans on. THAT, my friends, is inner peace, Edward Cullen-style.

"E, do you have to go already?" I hear James pull me from my 'inner peace' happy place.

"Huh, wha—?" Very articulate. Really; well done, Eddie-mah-man. I'm about to give that annoying voice in the back of my head the beating of its life.

"Well, I saw you look at your watch. I didn't know if you had to take off already."

"Umm, yeah. I'm finished with our new bartender and I need to head over to the bar to take care of the weekend's receipts. So, I..ahh…I guess I'll see you later then, Isa—," I squeeze my eyes shut to try and get it right, "…Bella?" I hedge, hoping maybe, just maybe, she got a job in the last few days and neglected to tell James about it.

"Uhhh, yeah. If that's what you want," she responds quietly from the table.

If that's what I want? Jesus, if there were ever a loaded question…

"Well, wouldn't it be if it's what you want? You're taking a quick-pace job that can get pretty stressful at times. Sure you're up for the challenge?"

"I am…if you still want me."

I hear James start coughing at the same time that I feel all the blood in my body rush toward my crotch like brides at that Filene's Basement Annual Bridal Gown sale. I know this because my fiancée made me watch it on You Tube a few times and then, like the rest of the nut-jobs, she, too, did the running of the bulls, err—, brides last year and miraculously managed to survive. I sure hope she came away with a dress she liked, she never bothered to tell me either way. But I do know one thing, the women on that video appeared psychotic and completely ruthless.

"Yeah. I do…err— we do, we need you. We need you on the staff. It would help us out a lot. So umm, yeah, that's a yeah. So I'll see you tonight at 7, then?"

"Yes. I'll be there. Oh! And James told me what I should wear, so I'm all set."

Of course he did. Fucking marvelous.

"Okay, great. See you then. J, I'll catch ya later." I walk over to James and do our brotherly fist bump and nod at Bella.

I grab my stack of papers and start toward the foyer saying a silent prayer. "God, we both know you don't hear from me too often, and I apologize for that, but if you could just see to it that I not continue to be a babbling, fumbling moron where she's concerned, I would really appreciate it."

Just as I complete my request for divine intervention, I walk smack into one of the beams separating the foyer from the dining room.

"Awesome. Thanks for delivering on that prayer, Big Guy."

~~~~~L~A~S~T~C~A~L~L~~~~~

"Can I get anything else for you, ladies?" I turn on the charm to make the girls stay a while longer. 'Cause the longer they stay, the more likely they'll want to drink some more. I love what I do. I love watching people have a great time and eat great food that I helped create while they enjoy their summer. Repeat customers and word-of-mouth recommendations are our lifeline around here. And at the end of the day, the more business we pull in, the easier it will be to achieve our goals. Seems like a win-win for everyone.

We have a ton of work to do on the hotel and the bed and breakfast…and I really want to try and get it all done this year. The contractor will take care of the hotel upgrades, but James and I are getting the remodeling done at the B&B. If we can get all the work done on the off- season, everything we earn starting next summer will be gravy. I seriously can't wait. It's gonna be a heck of a monster to tackle, but I'm ready for it.

I look down at my watch and see that it's just about 7. Bella should be here soon. All I can say is that I hope she's ready to work. I can't believe she's really going to go through with this. She never lifted a finger for the four years that I watched her at the Flanders. Are you kidding? Her manicure would've gotten smudged! She would've started sweating and that would have led to her hair getting the frizzies! See where I'm going with this? I heard it over and over from her. The more I think about all this, the crazier this idea has become that she's really going to work for me.

Why? Why did I ever agree to this without interviewing her myself, first? Oh that's right, 'cause I said I would trust my brother's judgment.

UGH! This is like a cosmic black hole of fuckery; a domino effect of insanity. One thing happened, then another, then another. I'm just waiting for it all to collapse. I fear, however, that I'll be the one on the bottom of the pile of rubble.

May as well suck it up 'cause there's nothing I can do about it now, and oh crap, here she comes with James leading the way.

My brother walks her to our office where I presume she's dropping her bag. They disappear from my sight and suddenly I'm concerned that maybe he's kissing her goodbye. Or maybe he's kissing her AND wishing her good luck on her first night, as well. Two kisses? Really, James? Is that necessary? Back off, already, I'm not gonna eat her!

My bitter inner monologue has led me into murky waters, thinking about eating and Bella. Eating things with Bella…eating things off Bella...eating…ugh, holy shit, I've gotta stop. Aaaand now I'm attempting to inconspicuously adjust myself under my jeans after thinking about eating Bella.

I'm refilling a guy's beer and shaking my head to clear it of all things sexual that have to do with Bella, when I hear James come up behind me.

"Hey bud. I'm delivering your newest waitress into your capable hands. Play nice, okay?"

HA! You have no idea how difficult this is going to be, baby brother.

Bella, whose cheeks are flushed yet again, gives James a weak smile and turns to look at me.

"Okay, I've gotta get back to plan the necessary food and liquor purchases for the memorial. You kids have fun! Good luck, Bella, you're gonna be great!" James leans in, gently takes her chin in his hand and kisses her square on the mouth. I feel my chest tighten a bit. It's not like he's tonguing her down or anything, but it doesn't make it any easier to watch, that's for sure. I make myself look busy and when I see him start to walk away in my peripheral vision, I look up to give him a goodbye nod.

God, that was bizarre. Way too awkward a feeling for someone who shouldn't be at ALL concerned with the girl his brother is kissing or the fact that said girl is the same one for whom he used to have unrequited feelings. Hello? Victoria Elaine Braswell… you know, your fiancée? The one you're planning to marry in six months? Perhaps you should be thinking a little more about her and a little less about Bella.

Alright, time to be an adult. You're her boss, you need to put all feelings aside. Anger, attraction, confusion, all of it…time to let it go. Just run your bar and train the new employee. I let Justin, the other bartender, know I'm stepping away from the bar for a few minutes to show Bella around a bit.

"Okay. So James showed you where you can place your personal things when you come in for your shift. After that, you'll come over to the computer on my desk and clock in. It's pretty easy. I've already punched in your name and some other personal information from your application. All you have to do is choose a four-digit pin that you'll remember. When this screen here pops up, you just enter your pin and click this button. Uhh, here… I'll let you choose your pin, now."

I turn away from the computer and busy myself with some more paperwork that I need her to fill out.

"Done," she offers with a smile.

"Okay. Now you're clocked in. You'll do the same thing at the end of your shift once you're ready to take off. I also have these papers I need you to look over and fill out. Policies for employees, OSHA information about safe procedures, workplace safety standards, etc… oh, and this emergency contact card. In case something happens to you, we need to know who we can call. Maybe put your husband's name down…or…whatever."

"What's gonna happen to me? Drunken brawl? I hope you don't need me as a bouncer, too. I might have to request a pay increase," she adds with a laugh. Bella's trying to be nice and I'm being a cold fish. And I LOVE that she totally didn't address the 'husband' thing! I narrow my eyes at her. Mhmmmm. What're you hiding, princess? I'm onto you.

I respond with a weak smile, "Nah, nothing like that. If there were ever a real issue, don't go anywhere near it. Just let one of the bartenders know, and we'll take care of that stuff. It's all in the policy and procedures book. Wouldn't want you to break a nail," I say with a chuckle.

She blinks her eyes a few times and her semi-smile vanishes from her face. What? What'd I say?

After leaving the office, I bring her back to the kitchen to introduce her to the cooks and give her the lay of the land on how things work behind the scenes.

"The cooks'll take care of most of the prep work for the food, but from time to time they'll ask for help prepping some of the fruit or salad items. Slicing tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, lemons, stuff like that. I can show you how we like the food to look on another day. I just want to give you a bit of an overview of what goes on back here."

I keep walking and talking at the same time. If I stop to see her reaction, it might open up the chance for conversation…and I'm not at all interested in talking to her about anything other than work.

"Oh, and this is the walk-in where we keep all of our refrigerated items. Fruits, veggies, eggs, dairy - stuff like that. We also have separate walk-ins for the meats, one for the fish and another for the frozen goods," I add in a rush.

Bella's basically quiet as I lead her around and show her what's what. She seemed friendly enough when she arrived, but she's pretty silent now. Just nodding from time to time and smiling for the cooks when I introduce her to them. Probably just a lot to take in, I suppose.

We make our way back out to the restaurant seating area and I grab the arm of one of my favorite people in the world. "Kate, this is Bella. She's our newest waitress. I was hoping she could shadow you here and there through the night and the rest of the week."

Kate smiles brightly and wraps her arms around Bella. "Yeah, absolutely! Great to meet you, Bella. You'll love it here. It's hard not to fall in love with Edward…he's the best. Let me run this food out to table four and I'll be right back for you. Meetcha over at the bar."

For as much blushing as I've noticed Bella doing recently, you could probably fry an egg on my cheek right now. Yes, please…fall in love with me, Bella. That wouldn't complicate my life any more at this point.

That beating I threatened the little inner mental voice with earlier today is getting closer and closer to going down. I feel like I'm about to have a psychotic break.

Kate's terrific. Always has pep in her step and is pretty much the kindest human being on the planet as far as I can tell. She's a hard worker for James and me, she loves helping out at the catering events and when somebody calls out sick, she's almost always available to cover for us. She's been with us since we bought Last Call a year and a half ago.

Katie grew up here on LBI, so she knows more about this place than any of us. She's engaged to a good guy by the name of Jake, but her fiancé is a Gunny in the Marine Corps and he's deployed to Afghanistan right now. He actually just left a couple of months ago and it's a twelve-month tour. So, more often than not, she will be our go-to gal whenever we need someone to cover. She already knows this and she's more than happy to do it. Thank God for Kate.

I turn back to Bella as we walk together toward the bar. "So anyway, I figure we'll just ease you in tonight and you can keep an eye on Katie when she takes orders and serves the customers. We can train tomorrow on the registers where you punch in orders for food and drinks. I purposely brought you in after the dinner rush tonight, so you wouldn't get completely overwhelmed.

The dining room will be open 'til ten. After that, any food that patrons want to order is brought out to the bar or to one of the pub tables where the customers are seated. You can watch Katie and Meredith, she's over there, I'll introduce you to her in a minute. Anyway, once the dining room is closed, Mere will go home and Kate will float over here to the bar where she'll wait on the pub tables for the rest of the night. I know it all seems confusing and a little convoluted right now, but once you see it flow a few times, it'll get easier to understand."

Bella finally pipes up. "Okay. Seems to make enough sense now, but yeah, I'll start to feel better once I've seen the run-through several times."

"Fair enough. So listen, here's a drink menu you can take home with you to familiarize yourself with what we offer here and the different concoctions we try to promote. We offer a drink special every night. Tonight it's a Malibu Baybreeze. Malibu rum, cranberry and pineapple juice…girls love it. I think it's vile, but hey, I'm a beer kinda guy."

Nothing, not a sound from her. Tough crowd. These are the jokes, folks!

"Anyway. Just have a seat here at the bar and as Katie gets customers, she'll grab you. She's pretty much trained everyone here, so you're in good hands."

As I walk away from her, I swear to the Good Lord that I hear her grumble something under her breath.

I turn back, "Didja say something? I didn't catch it."

"Nope, not a thing…but, umm, can I get a drink?" Bella questions with a smile.

Oh, here we freaking go. I knew she'd try and pull something. Hell no, you can't drink while you're working! I knew the Isabella I used to know would eventually show up. The one who thinks that no rules or regulations should ever apply to her.

"Well, you can't have alcohol, if that's what you're asking for." I answer her back in a chastising tone.

Eyes wide as saucers, she quickly responds, "NO! Of course not! I was just wanting a—"

"Shirley Temple with three extra cherries?"

"Yeah. That." She offers a semi-smile and looks down at her lap, quickly.

After an awkward pause long enough that it seems a trip through the Panama Canal could fill it, she speaks again. "So… are you ever planning on telling me where you know me from? " HA! I wonder how long she's been holding that inside. It's like a dam just burst and she looks beyond relieved to have blurted it out.

"Not important. It was a long time ago." I hear a customer on the other side of the bar shout for me, so I walk away before she can press me for any more information. I really don't want to get into it with her.

It's taking everything I have to be civil enough to function tonight. If I start rehashing what happened back then, I guarantee that one of two things will happen. The first way it could go is that I'd get really fidgety trying to explain how I know her, which would inevitably lead to me into saying some pretty nasty things. I'd remember her appalling behavior, how she treated me and treated others around her and then, I'd wind up going off about the infamous night where all hell broke loose. And that of course would lead to what happened at the end of my last summer there... and let me tell you, if it goes that far, I'll start screaming like a mental case. Not good.

The second option has me explaining how I knew her but rehashing the past as calmly and gently as possible to spare her feelings. But what the hell would I even tell her? It was all so fucked up. Beginning to end and everything in between. I never knew who she truly was because her bad behaviors far outweighed out the good. I don't need this shit anymore. I put it away a long time ago...but with her resurgance, it's all bubbling to the surface again and here I am talking to myself!

Either way, it ends up with her feeling like shit and me needing to take a stress test because my blood pressure is through the roof.

And excuse me, but the fact that she can't remember any of this her damn self pisses me off to NO end! How self-centered can she be? She seriously doesn't remember me at ALL?

I can't BE that guy anymore. I was too hung up for too long. She doesn't deserve my time. Not anymore. James can have her. I don't care how different she seems right now. Girls like her don't change. I'm just waiting in the wings for the other shoe to drop. And I know it will. It's coming.

And when it does, I'll be fine and dandy because I won't have allowed Isabella… Swan… King… WHOEVER — to have gotten under my skin. Not this time.

BPOV

I couldn't contain myself, not a second longer. He'd been oozing aloofness from the moment James dropped me off.

"Anyway. Just have a seat here at the bar and as Katie gets customers, she'll grab you. She's pretty much trained everyone here, so you're in good hands."

Before I can shut myself up, the words coming spilling out, "Good thing! As if I'd ever let your hands touch me, jackass."

Yikes. I need to calm down and fast. First night training with the boss; try not to get your smart-ass fired, Bells. But I can't help it!

He's been a complete horse's ass since I walked in the door tonight. I was totally ready for this day. Between my pep talks with Emmett and James this weekend and then James pumping me up during our pizza date, I was ready to deal with him. Once Eric turned out to be Edward, I knew I had my work cut out for me. But reality is a whole helluva lot different than my allies telling me how to think, feel and act, all the while reassuring me that everything is gonna be peachy-keen.

Edward is just a jerk. Plain and simple. For as attractive as he is, he's cold, unfriendly and definitely unwelcoming. I can't believe he's in the customer service business. I wonder how he stays open if this is how he treats people? I don't get it, I just don't.

And what the hell was that comment about breaking a nail? If my nails were any shorter, they'd be bloody nubs! I'm not girly and snobby like that! I mean, hello? I was trying to lighten the mood and make a joke! Of course, I know I can't be the one to help break up a possible bar room brawl! I'm not the village idiot! And he comes back at me with a straight answer and adds his snarky comment about breaking a nail.

Then the waitress, Kate, adds her two cents about how easy it'll be to fall in love with Edward. Yeah, not bloody likely, lady. There's a small faction of the population who might be able to fall in love with him: robots, zombies, vampires…those who don't need a heartbeat in order to function. It won't be me, that's for damn sure.

I don't care how hot he is. That crop of hair designed to look like organized chaos…I mean, the color can't even be classified. It's like a combination of burnt sienna, raw umber and random streaks of goldenrod...probably from spending his free time in the sun. Good Lord, clearly I've been spending entirely too much of MY free time with Tristan and his jumbo box of Crayola Crayons.

And those eyes…definitely a swirl of jungle green and asparagus. Sigh. Further evidence of my brainwashing, Crayola-style.

I catch myself looking at him mixing drinks to make sure I'm pinpointing the colors accurately. I suppose I could also put the blame on Alice and her early intervention of paint samples in my life. My poor five-year old nephew doesn't deserve all the blame to be placed at his cute little size eleven Buster Browns.

And you know what? Damn his jaw and his freakin' Adam's Apple, just damn it, you know? It has to be so perfectly angled and covered in scruff? I mean come on, buy a razor! Wait, no don't. I didn't mean that. Not before I get to lick it…or... something.

And his physique? Well, he's certainly not bulky like Emmett…but that's perfectly fine with me. I don't know that I'd want to be snapped in half like a twig. I can see he has fabulously tanned and well-toned arms like James does. Again, most likely from doing so much heavy lifting of cases of liquor, mixing and pouring drinks, hauling catering materials, prepping the food like he mentioned to me earlier. Mmmm, a man in the kitchen. Few things are sexier, just sayin'.

And his ass in those jeans? Well…I'm not about to throw insults at it by trying to compare it to anything else that exists in the cosmos. I'm pretty sure it's the finest thing that I've ever seen in my life. Except perhaps his ass out of said jeans…

BUT! BE! THAT! AS! IT! MAY!

NONE of this matters because A) he's my boss; B) I'm dating his brother (also my boss…oh, the fabulous irony) and C) his beauty on the outside is being totally eclipsed by the bastard he seems to be on the inside. Turn your brain off, Bella. At the end of the day, he's acting like a chicken-shit who can't seem to get up the guts to tell me anything about how we knew each other however-long-ago.

Game on, dude. I don't care what happened in the past. I'm gonna find out what it was and THEN I'm gonna see what I can do about it to try and fix it! And YOU can't stop me!