The One That Got Away

Chapter Thirty-Four

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 Bella's return to Tampa, an overview of her interviews and meeting Liam and Lucy before going to Busch Gardens. How do you think Liam and Lucy will react to Bella?

"Dad, don't worry," Bella said as she balanced her phone between her shoulder and ear while she walked through the baggage claim of Tampa International Airport. Her flight had been delayed, causing her to miss her connection in Denver and she arrived just after two in the morning, local time. Her dad was supposed to pick her up, but he was working an overnight shift. He was stuck at the precinct. "I'm catching a cab."

"Call an Uber, Bells. Or call Edward. Can't he pick you up?" Charlie asked.

"He's also working, Dad. I'll be okay," she said, exhausted. Bella had worked all day before flying out. Then, she had to be up early to be at the University of Tampa for the first of her two interviews tomorrow. Yawning, she waved down a cab and ended the call with her father.

Giving her dad's address, the cab drove off into the darkness. Twenty minutes later, she paid the cabbie and let herself into her dad's tiny bungalow. It smelled homey, a combination of vanilla and cinnamon. There were feminine touches around the house, along with fresh flowers on the dining room table. Bella arched a brow, too tired to think about it. She remembered that her dad was dating, but did his girlfriend move in? Dragging her bags into her room, she stripped off her clothes and fell into bed. She shot off a text to Edward, saying she was in Florida. Without waiting for a response, she turned on her alarm and cuddled into bed.

The next morning, Bella showered and got dressed in a sleek black pantsuit along with a pair of patent-leather heels. She was curling her hair when there was a knock on the door. Teetering to the front door, Edward, looking haggard and exhausted, stood on the front porch, holding a bouquet of flowers and a large cup of coffee. "You should be at work," Bella chided as he strode, kissing her cheek. He was still dressed in his scrubs, his face covered in several days' worth of stubble and his green eyes covered by his chic glasses. "Thank you, though."

"You're welcome," he smiled, his voice deep and husky. "My boss took pity on me. I was working on dictations in the on-call room and the equipment was recording my snoring. Three days – I've been at the hospital for three days. But, I'm free until Monday morning at six."

"Can I at least get a hug?" Bella pouted.

"Baby, I love you too much to hug you. I'm disgusting, smelling like something that crawled out of someone's ass," he laughed. "I just wanted to see you before I went home to crash and to wish you luck for your interviews today."

"Thank you, baby," Bella cooed, reaching for his hand.

"Also, I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go out to dinner. A family dinner with the kids before spending all day with them at Busch Gardens?" Edward asked.

"That sounds pretty awesome. It's a date," she replied, squeezing his fingers. He smiled beautifully, his face lighting up despite his exhaustion. He flipped her wrist, pressing a soft kiss to her pale skin. "Go home, Edward. I adore you, but you look dead on your feet." He chuckled, kissing her cheek and left the bungalow. Bella finished getting ready, sipping the coffee Edward had brought her and admiring the gorgeous bouquet. It was an elegant combination of deep red roses, pink irises and purple accents. Flipping her hair, she swiped her coffee and clambered into her red truck. Driving to the University of Tampa, she arrived at the beautiful library. She met with several of the staff members and she got glowing reviews from her interviewers. They didn't say anything officially, but the conversations about salary and benefits, Bella felt confident that she had gotten a position at the University of Tampa library, even with her other job as a published author. Ironically enough, her book, Mafia Princess was used in a creative writing course on campus, along with several other contemporary, erotic romances. So, Bella felt good about the possibility of getting the job, even lecturing on campus for that creative writing course. She was still going to go to the other interviews, but she was happy with the outcome.