He continued nodding. I sighed and folded my arms across my chest.
He seemed to sense that I had given up on small talk. “Bella,” he said, and then he hesitated.
I waited.
“Bella,” he said again, “Charlie is one of my best friends.”
“Yes.”
He spoke each word carefully in his rumbling voice. “I noticed you’ve been spending time with one of the Cullens.”
“Yes,” I repeated curtly.
His eyes narrowed. “Maybe it’s none of my business, but I don’t think that is such a good idea.”
“You’re right,” I agreed. “It is none of your business.”
He raised his graying eyebrows at my tone. “You probably don’t know this, but the Cullen family has an unpleasant reputation on the reservation.”
“Actually, I did know that,” I informed him in a hard voice. This surprised him. “But that reputation couldn’t be deserved, could it? Because the Cullens never set foot on the reservation, do they?” I could see that my less than subtle reminder of the agreement that both bound and protected his tribe pulled him up short.
“That’s true,” he acceded, his eyes guarded. “You seem . . . well informed about the Cullens. More informed than I expected.”
I stared him down. “Maybe even better informed than you are.”
He pursed his thick lips as he considered that. “Maybe,” he allowed, but his eyes were shrewd. “Is Charlie as well informed?”
He had found the weak chink in my armor.
“Charlie likes the Cullens a lot,” I hedged. He clearly understood my evasion. His expression was unhappy, but unsurprised.
“It’s not my business,” he said. “But it may be Charlie’s.”
“Though it would be my business, again, whether or not I think that it’s Charlie’s business, right?”
I wondered if he even understood my confused question as I struggled not to say anything compromising. But he seemed to. He thought about it while the rain picked up against the roof, the only sound breaking the silence.
“Yes,” he finally surrendered. “I guess that’s your business, too.”
I sighed with relief. “Thanks, Billy.”
“Just think about what you’re doing, Bella,” he urged.
“Okay,” I agreed quickly.
He frowned. “What I meant to say was, don’t do what you’re doing.”
I looked into his eyes, filled with nothing but concern for me, and there was nothing I could say.
Just then the front door banged loudly, and I jumped at the sound.
“There’s no picture anywhere in that car.” Jacob’s complaining voice reached us before he did. The shoulders of his shirt were stained with the rain, his hair dripping, when he rounded the corner.
“Hmm,” Billy grunted, suddenly detached, spinning his chair around to face his son. “I guess I left it at home.”
Jacob rolled his eyes dramatically. “Great.”
“Well, Bella, tell Charlie” — Billy paused before continuing — “that we stopped by, I mean.”
“I will,” I muttered.
Jacob was surprised. “Are we leaving already?”
“Charlie’s gonna be out late,” Billy explained as he rolled himself past Jacob.
“Oh.” Jacob looked disappointed. “Well, I guess I’ll see you later, then, Bella.”
“Sure,” I agreed.
“Take care,” Billy warned me. I didn’t answer.
Jacob helped his father out the door. I waved briefly, glancing swiftly toward my now-empty truck, and then shut the door before they were gone.
I stood in the hallway for a minute, listening to the sound of their car as it backed out and drove away. I stayed where I was, waiting for the irritation and anxiety to subside. When the tension eventually faded a bit, I headed upstairs to change out of my dressy clothes.
I tried on a couple of different tops, not sure what to expect tonight. As I concentrated on what was coming, what had just passed became insignificant. Now that I was removed from Jasper’s and Edward’s influence, I began to make up for not being terrified before. I gave up quickly on choosing an outfit — throwing on an old flannel shirt and jeans — knowing I would be in my raincoat all night anyway.
The phone rang and I sprinted downstairs to get it. There was only one voice I wanted to hear; anything else would be a disappointment. But I knew that if he wanted to talk to me, he’d probably just materialize in my room.
“Hello?” I asked, breathless.
“Bella? It’s me,” Jessica said.
“Oh, hey, Jess.” I scrambled for a moment to come back down to reality. It felt like months rather than days since I’d spoken to Jess. “How was the dance?”