A Change in Direction: Chapter Eleven

2/18/2020

A Change in Direction: Chapter Eleven

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Chapter Eleven

It was a little past ten when I got back to my trailer. When we finished shopping, I stole Edward’s keys so I could drive. I made an easy dinner of spaghetti. He acted as if it was the most fantastic thing he had ever eaten. He praised me up and down, making me feel like a real chef. The only reason I left was because he fell asleep on his couch while watching another movie. I kissed his forehead, and he said he would get up, but I told him to get some sleep. He had work the next day, after all.

The morning started out so emotional, and it ended so easily. It wasn’t something I had expected. Things never usually worked out like that for me.

He walked me to my car and kissed me goodbye, telling me he would count down the minutes until we saw each other again. He made it so hard to leave that I felt like I was under a spell. One I couldn’t shake even when I got home.

Humming a happy tune as I went inside, I threw my stuff onto my little kitchen table. I danced around, getting myself a small snack before I went off to bed. I was so into it, I jumped a mile high when my personal cell phone rang.

Glancing at the screen, I picked it up quickly. “Hi, Daddy.”

“Hey, baby girl. I came by earlier, and you weren’t around,” Charlie stated in his gruff voice. “What were you up to?”

“That’s what you get for not calling first,” I teased, pulling out a gallon of milk and pouring myself a small cup. “But, if you must know, I was... working.”

“You got a job!?” He excitedly exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I wasn’t entirely sure it would go well, but I think things will work out nicely now,” I told him truthfully.

“And what are you doing?”

“I’m the personal assistant to one of the oil people out here. I just started Friday,” I explained vaguely, going to get a granola bar from the cupboard. “I was going to tell you next week.”

“Why were you uncertain about it?” he questioned, always the cop. He had been retired for a while, but it didn’t stop him from being nosy. It was in his nature.

“I wasn’t sure I’d be able to handle it. It’s a little out of my field, but I think it’ll be fine. I like the man I’m working for, and it’s enjoyable.” Opening the foil package, I took a bite. I pushed it to one cheek like a chipmunk so I could talk. “Things are looking up for me. But anyway, why did you come by earlier?”

“Can’t I just visit my only daughter?” I met his question with silence. He knew I didn’t buy that load of crap. “Your mother wants you to call her more. She’s bugging me, so I’ve got to bother you. Look, I know you’re an adult, but she doesn’t. Email her or something. Call her tomorrow and get that monkey off my back.”

“Are you calling Mom a monkey?” I laughed. Charlie groaned loudly in response. “Fine, I will tomorrow. It’s my day off, anyway.”

“You know, while you’re at it, call me more. Visit too.”

“I saw you on my birthday,” I replied. “I’ve meant to call you, but I’ve just been busy. But hey! Things are getting better. When I get my first paycheck, I’ll take you out to an amazing dinner. Anywhere you want. It’ll be my treat.”

“When can I expect this marvelous meal?”

“Monday or Tuesday after I get paid. Um, not next week but the one after. Look, figure out where you want to go, and seriously, I mean whatever. The sky's the limit.” I took a sip of milk. “How does that sound?”

“That sounds nice. Alright, kiddo. It’s late. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Call your mother. You know the drill.”

“Yeah, I know. Be careful. Be good, and if I need anything to call you. I love you, Dad.”

“You, too, pumpkin. Two weeks from now, it’s a date. Got it?”

“Got it!” I laughed. “Goodnight.”

I got up with the sun and went on a morning walk after I had a light breakfast. It was peaceful and relaxing, a thin fog covering the ground. Listening to music I had put on the iPhone, I simply enjoyed the fall weather.

After, I showered, not even minding the cold water for once. I knew it would go away soon enough.

When I was all done, I dressed in a comfortable sundress I had gotten for a few bucks at Goodwill. It was white cotton with little eyelets. Sleeveless and long, it almost went to my ankles. It was suitable for hanging around the house, but I wouldn’t have worn it out. It showed a bit too much of my cleavage for my tastes.

I cleaned up my entire place, but it didn’t take me too long to do so. I did the dishes and two loads of laundry. Then I scrubbed my counters and made my bathroom sparkle. I even dusted, which I hated to do. When I finished, I was far too proud of myself. It was so lovely to have a clean home.

After lunch, I straightened up the mess I made. But I only had a sandwich, so all I dirtied was a dish and cup. I had just propped my feet up on my couch and took out my new laptop to relax when there was a knock on my door.

Only one person I knew knocked, and that was my father. Anyone else just came in, or they were salespeople. I groaned to myself, not wanting to deal with anyone trying to hock anything.

But there were no salesmen. Edward stood on my deck in his torn-up jeans and a white t-shirt, a bag in his hands. He began talking as soon as I opened the door. “Okay. So, I looked it up, and the most likely problem is your elements blew on your heater, and it doesn’t seem too hard to check. If it is, they’re easily replaced. Otherwise, you’ll probably have to replace the whole thing, but I think I can do it.”

“You’re out of your mind!” I fussed, opening the door wider. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”

“My afternoon meeting got canceled, and I had nothing else planned. I figured I’d come over and try it. Unless you don’t want to invite me in...” he trailed off, looking inside curiously.

I took a step back. “No, no. Um, of course. Come on in. But you’re still crazy. I told you I’ll get it worked on.” I rubbed my hands nervously over my forearms as I thought about him being in my home. “I’m sorry about the appearance.”

“Why?” He laughed. “It’s spotless. I didn’t figure you to be a major neat freak.”

“No. I mean, in general. I don’t imagine you’ve ever been to a place like this before and I know you’re used to better and-”

Edward leaned over and kissed my mouth softly.

“Bella, I’ve been in homes that were built out of nothing but sticks and mud. They had no electricity and no water, but they never apologized for it. And I wouldn’t want them to. This is the place you lay your head, it’s not you. I’m sorry if my being here is making you uncomfortable, but I don’t care about what your home looks like. What I care about is fixing your heater so you can take a nice warm shower. So you don’t itch!”

“You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?” I asked as I put my hand on my hip. “Have you ever fixed anything like this in your life?”

“There is a first time for everything. I looked it up. I read. And I watched the videos. I got the tools to check, and I didn’t even have to buy them for this! They were in my garage.”

“Did you know you had them before?” I smirked.

Edward ignored me. “Just show me where the fuse box and water tanks are.”

“I can give you the tour in the process,” I joked. “Since you’ve never given me one of yours.”

“It’s boring. You’ve already seen the best places, anyway. Okay, maybe not the library,” he said as he followed behind me.

“Kitchen.” I pointed out the obvious. I opened the door. “Laundry room. The fuse box is right there,” I directed him. “I take it you want me to turn off the water heater?”

“If you know which one it is,” he replied, opening the box. He looked so lost.

“It’s already off. It popped when it stopped working. I reset it, and it worked for a few days before it blew again. After that, it didn’t anymore. Every time I tried, it went out right away,” I explained. I took his hand and led him out of the kitchen. “The heater is this way.”

As I walked down the tiny hallway, I told him where the bathroom was before bringing him into my room. I opened the closet and removed the paneling that hid the tank. I turned around to speak to him again, but he wasn’t behind me. He was looking at the pictures on the wall.

“I’ve imagined where you slept before, but it was never anything like this,” he remarked, gazing at a photo of me with my mother when I lived with her. It had been years ago. Then he ran his finger over my graduation ones. “Look at you, so beautiful and young. So happy.”

I sat on my bed, leaning back on my palms. “I want to slap that girl for having foolish dreams.”

“They’re never foolish. They’re merely dreams. And you shouldn’t feel that way.”

“Edward,” I began, wanting to change the subject. “As much as I’d love to have a warm bath, you don’t have to do this. I know what I said, but I never imagined you’d try.”

“You doubted me, and now I have to prove you wrong.” He shrugged, placing the bag by my closet door. “It’s a man thing. You bruised my ego. Simple as that.”

“I’m sure you’re just fine,” I continued teasing as he went into my closet.

Scoffing quietly, I heard him kneel. “My pride is more easily wounded than you know,” he informed me as he turned off the water to the heater. He pulled a screwdriver out of the bag and removed the panels from the tank itself. I watched in curiosity, not exactly sure what he was doing. “I have to prove I’m not some rich boy pansy.”

“I would never call you a pansy,” I replied. “A rich boy, yes. A pansy, never.”

“Well, that’s good to know.”

Next out was a yellow box. He touched the stick that came out of it to some wires on the heater and nodded his head. He put it down by his feet and then pulled a big green garden hose from the bag.

“What the hell are you going to do with that?”

“I‘m going to drain the tank, so I can pull the elements out. That’s what the video said to do. Can you stick the other end of this in the tub, so it has a place to go other than your floor?” He spoke a bit sardonically, a small smirk on his face.

“Sure,” I answered, hopping off my bed before I brought it into the bathroom. It was just long enough to curl around once like a snake at the bottom. “It’s in!” I called.

“Alright!” He yelled, turning something on or off because I heard the flow of water down the hose. It ran out into the bathtub at a steady pace. I came back into the bedroom to find Edward wiping his hands on his jeans. “This part is supposed to take a while. It has to stop gurgling.”

As if to prove it was there, the tank burped loudly then gulped. I shrugged and waved my hand towards my bed before I sat down.

Perching beside me, he looked too big to be in my room. I felt like a teenager who had brought her boyfriend over without her parents knowing. Biting my lip, I smiled at the thought as I brushed my hair over my shoulder.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked him lightly. “You know you don’t have to.”

He shrugged, glancing over at me. “I want to help you, and I know I don’t have to. Most of the good deeds in this world are things people don’t have to do, but do anyway. And yes, I know you’d have it fixed soon. And I know you’re more than able to do without. I just don’t like you being uncomfortable and me not being able to do anything.”

“That’s sweet.” I leaned over and kissed his cheek.

“Plus,” he chuckled. “I wanted an excuse to come inside your home. It’s adorable.”

“You’re full of shit,” I laughed, settling back on my bed with my arms above my head. “Saying it needs a little work is the understatement of the year.”

“Bella, you shouldn’t be so worried about it. It’s a stable place to be. It’s yours. You should be proud of that. It’s neat, it’s clean. It’s old, and yeah, there are some things that could be repaired, but those are minor.” Edward bent over me, laying on his side as he did. He made sure his shoe covered feet never touched the mattress as he brushed his fingers through my hair. “If this is where you want to be, then it’s where I want to be, too.”

“You are so charming,” I cooed, dragging my fingertips over his lips. He smiled that happy child-like grin that made him a decade younger around the eyes. “So, how long did the video say it would take?”

“At least thirty minutes, depending on the size of the tank.”

“How are we going to waste that much time?” I asked in a playful tone as I ran my fingers through the back of his hair. “I mean, we don’t have a zillion inch TV or a million movies to pick from.”

“Oh, I’m sure we can find a way to amuse ourselves,” he quipped as he leaned in closer. Edward placed a kiss on my chin and then my forehead before running his nose against mine. I pulled him in and brought my mouth to his. He smiled against my lips, taking me in like he was savoring a delicious meal.

I had imagined kissing on his couch, on his floor in his home gym, and on the pile of pillows, but I had never fantasized about making out on my bed in the middle of the day.

He kept his touches innocent, his hands only brushing my sides, hips, shoulder, arms, and face. Mine stayed mostly in his thick reddish hair.

“I think it stopped,” he mumbled as I kissed his ear. He chuckled as I tugged on it, my nails scratching down his back. “Bella.”

“Hm?” I giggled as I licked the spot right behind. He shivered all over, and my laughter turned slightly evil.

“It’s stopped, and so should we,” he murmured as he stood up, leaving me lying there on the bed with kiss-swollen lips and a breathless sigh.

“Damn you and your self-control,” I whined, flinging my arms dramatically above my head.

“I’m on a mission.”

Pouting, I pulled a pillow from the top of my bed. I placed it over my face and did a silent scream of frustration. He snatched it off and threw it across the room before giving me a kiss hungrily. When he pulled away, I tried to hold on, but he was stronger than I was.

“Come back,” I whimpered.

“In a minute. I’ve got to prove my manhood here.”

“There are other ways to do that,” I spoke in a sultry voice. The moan of annoyance that came from my closet made me snicker like a child.

“Women are evil,” Edward complained to himself, the sound of metal against metal echoing through the tiny space. “All of them. Succubi sent to torture hard-working, good men. All of them are wicked temptations wrapped up in pretty packages. And this one will be the death of me. I just know it.”

“Aw! I’m not that bad.” I grabbed another pillow and threw it into the closet. It came flying back out a moment later.

“I’m working here, naughty girl. Stop distracting me.”

“But aren’t I a good distraction?” I impishly questioned.

Edward peeked out and raised an eyebrow in my direction. “You are the best one I’ve ever come across. The only way you could be more so is if you were nude and covered with ice cream.”

I batted my eyelashes. “What flavor?”

He groaned again and turned his attention back to the heater. “Well, I think I found your problem. The elements have warped, and one of them split.”

He stood up and showed me. Even though I had no idea what I was looking at, I knew it was broken beyond repair. After setting them down on the floor on a towel, he pulled his phone out of his pocket then looked at something on the heater.

“What now?”

“Well, I need to go get the elements. They have them in stock at the Home Depot down the street. Want to join me?”

“Sure,” I responded, going over to the closet and pulling out a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. “Go get washed up, and I’ll get changed.”

“But you look so beautiful in that,” he told me softly, his voice barely a whisper.

“Thank you, but this is not an outside dress. This is a housedress,” I replied in an embarrassed rush. “Go wash up. I’ll be out in a second.”

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Thanks to Gina for proofreading this episode!

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