The Other Swan

13. American Pastime

I sat in the living room, watching TV to pass the time. I could hear Bella in the kitchen, talking to Jessica Stanley on the phone. Dad walked through the front door, propping his rod against the wall and setting his tacklebox on the floor beside it.

"Hey there, kiddo!" He called out to me as he took his rubber boots off.

"Hey, Dad," I said. He was scrubbing his hands off in the sink as Bella said goodbye to Jess and hung up the phone.

"Where's the fish?" She asked, surprised that he hadn't set any down on the counter.

"I put it out in the freezer."

"I'll go grab a few pieces before they freeze – Billy dropped off some of Harry Clearwater's fish fry this afternoon," Bella mentioned.

"He did?" Charlie's face lit up, causing a small smile to appear on my own. "That's my favourite."

It didn't take long for Bella to prepare the meal and the three of us to sit down together at the table, eating in silence.

"So what were you two up to all day?" He asked, shoving a piece of fish in his mouth.

"We were at the Cullen's house this morning," I responded nonchalantly.

"Both of you?" He asked. He knew that I'd been hanging out with Emmett, but Bella was yet to inform him of her budding romance.

"Yeah," She responded. "Actually, I sort of have a date with Edward Cullen tonight. Lucy and Emmett too. Kind of a double date thing." She muttered awkwardly.

Dad looked like he was about to have a stroke. He was not happy at all.

"I thought you liked Emmett!" I complained, frustrated at the turn of events.

"Well... yeah, but... I don't know. You two seem like you're getting pretty serious, and I don't like it. They're too old for you girls, especially you, Lucy."

"We're both juniors," Bella defended her and Edward.

"And Emmett is just a grade ahead of me," I also defended, leaving out our technically four year age gap.

"Wait..." He paused. "Which one is Edwin?"

"Edward is the youngest, the one with the reddish-brown hair." She replied, accentuating his actual name.

"Oh, well, that's" – he struggled – "better, I guess. I don't like the look of that blond one. I'm sure he's nice enough, but he just looks too... shifty. And Emmett seems too... big."

"Dad! He works out! He's really just a gentle giant though. And he treats me well."

"Hmph. And Emmett and Edwin... they're your... boyfriends?" He practically had to force the last word out.

"It's Edward, dad."

"Are they?"

"Sort of." She responded at the same time I said "Yeah."

"You said last night that you weren't interested in any of the boys in town." He said, picking up his fork again which let me know the worst was over. He was right. She had said that. She didn't need to be, but she had been trying to hide the fact that she was seeing Edward.

"Well, Edward doesn't live in town, dad."

He gave her a look that said "I'm not buying it" before returning to his meal.

"And anyways," she continued. "It's kind of at an early stage, you know. Don't embarrass me with all the boyfriend talk, okay?" Early stage my ass. The two seemed pretty obsessed with each other if you asked me. And Emmett and I definitely weren't at an "early stage". I already loved him far too much to ever let him go.