The One That Got Away

Chapter Thirteen

For those of you who read the Get Your Southern On contest entries, this is my contribution. I am tickled at the results ... first place in public vote and third place for the judge's choice. I've decided to break this up into smaller, drabblish chapters and it will be continued. The contest contribution is the first six or so chapters, roughly. I don't know how long it will be, but I do have it planned. Thank you to Bridget for betaing this for me and for Clo, who created the banner.

Thank you for those of you who have read this! I hope you continue to do so! Without further ado ...

This is the beginning of the extension of the original contest entry. ALL NEW! Thank you for sticking with me and I hope you enjoy this! Up next will be the rest of their meal, along with their conversation about making this long-distance relationship work and some citrusy fun.

Forty minutes later, their meals were delivered by Peking Duck Dynasty. They shared a double order of crab Rangoon, egg rolls, orange chicken, fried rice, and broccoli beef. It wasn't the romantic meal that Edward had planned, but it was just as delicious without the messy cleanup. Unfortunately, Edward's house did have a lingering odor from the ruined chicken piccata that forced them to eat outside and for Edward to light some fragrant candles inside.

"I'm so full," Edward groaned, patting his flat tummy.

"Me, too. You know, though, in an hour, we'll be starving. It's the cruelty of Chinese food," Bella snickered. "But it was sooooo good."

"It was," Edward smiled. "So, tell me about your life after high school. You know my sordid, sad tale. All I know is that you work in a library in Seattle."

"Well, I went to University of Washington, getting my degree in literature and a minor in creative writing. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with that because I knew that I did not want to teach," Bella quipped. "I love kids, but I don't have the personality or the patience to teach. I'm too shy."

"You're not shy," Edward argued.

"No, I am. Even now, I don't really talk to people that I've just met and I prefer the solitude of my condo in Seattle than the nightlife. My best friend, Alice, tries to draw me out of my shell, but it usually backfires," Bella chuckled. "I'll come back to her. She's a hoot. Anyway, I worked in the school's library and I loved it. I decided to get my master's degree in library science. It took two years and I was hired almost immediately to head up the non-fiction department. I've got a small staff and I love it."

"Did you enjoy University of Washington?" Edward asked.

"It was okay. I felt like a guppy in an ocean," she said, wrinkling her nose. "But, I found my niche with Alice and working on the literary magazine in addition to my classes."

"Did you date?" Edward blushed, looking up at her.

"I had one boyfriend. We dated for about a year and a half. His name was Jacob and he was a friend of Jasper's. Jasper is Alice's husband. They set me up and he was nice, but not too bright. He also didn't really know how to treat a woman," Bella shrugged.

"He never hurt you, did he?" Edward growled.

"No. Jacob just didn't have many social graces and it was all about him, if you catch my drift," Bella said, arching a brow. Edward furrowed his eyebrows and then caught onto Bella's comment. Jacob never made her come. "Anyway, I knew he wasn't my forever, so I broke it off with him just prior to my senior year of college. He was pissed, but I couldn't see myself with him, picking up his nasty clothes and dealing with his immature behavior. Alice tried to set me up again, but I was not receptive to the guys. They had some pretty big shoes to fill."