Love Comes from Unexpected Places

Chapter Four: Shopping with Charlie

Carrying Mia down the stairs with a smile on her face, Sophia cooed at her daughter knowing that they had a busy day ahead of them with Charlie taking them shopping. 

Bella had left early that morning for school, their conversation having come to an abrupt end when Sophia had suggested that she speak to someone, anyone about what she was going though. 

"Good morning," Sophia greeted cheerfully, she had always been a bit of a morning person as long as it wasn't too early; she headed for the kitchen knowing that Charlie would be inside. 

It was his day off and for that she was thankful, she knew he'd planned to take a couple of days off while she adjusted to being here in Forks. 

Charlie looked up from his newspaper and smiled at Sophia, his eyes moving quickly to Mia who she was carrying; he knew that he was going to have to get used to having the baby around the house again. 

It had been many years since the last one, Bella had turned eighteen last September and Charlie couldn't help but wonder just where the time had gone. 

"Morning, did you sleep okay?" Charlie asked awkwardly as Sophia carefully shifted her hold on Mia so that she could make herself some toast, she would be a lot happier when she had things for Mia and her car arrived from New York. 

Charlie got up from his chair and held out his arms to take Mia from Sophia, he knew that it was the least that he could do while she had breakfast instead of trying to juggle a baby as well. 

"I slept fine thanks," Sophia said handing her daughter over, she watched her uncle with Mia knowing that she was going to have to pick some warmer clothes up for her as well as some other things. 

Thankfully she had her card, she would have felt terrible having Charlie pay for it all and her parents had sworn that her allowance would always go in on the 15th so that she didn't have to worry about adding to his expenses. 

Charlie nodded his head as he cooed at Mia, he couldn't deny that his great-niece was beautiful baby; she reminded him of Sophia when she had been little.

"Can I ask you a question?" Sophia asked leaning against the kitchen counter, she brushed some hair from her face as she watched her uncle with Mia; it was a nice to see especially since she knew that it had been a long time since there had been a baby in the family. 

Charlie nodded his head as he adjusted his hold on Mia so that she lay comfortably in his arms, he could already see where this conversation was going to be headed. 

"Have you thought about maybe refreshing Bella's bedroom?" Sophia asked gently, she had done a lot of thinking last night after her talk with Bella and she knew that her cousin was in need of a little change. 

The room would hold memories that Bella just could not seem to escape and every magazine she'd ever read about break ups suggested shaking things up like this. 

Charlie blinked a little surprised about Sophia's question, it wasn't the one that he had been expecting and he was sort of relieved that it was different. 

Anyone that he had talked to about Bella's current state only continued to push him to seek professional help for her; he didn't think that was something that he should force on her especially given how she had lashed out when Renee had come to take her. 

"Only I was thinking... maybe Bella could do with a little bit of a change," Sophia mused as the toast popped out of the toaster, she moved to butter it as she pondered the entire situation. 

Bella couldn't carry on like she was, she was wasting away before their eyes and seemed almost disconnected from the world around her. 

Perhaps being trapped in the place that she had spent so much time with her ex wasn't going to help her, especially if she was refusing to open up about what was going on.