A FEW HOURS LATER
ISABELLA
My shift ended the way minor disasters usually did, quietly, suspiciously, and with the sense that the universe was holding its breath. I wiped the counter one last time, untied my apron, and told myself that if nothing else happened in the next five minutes, I would count today as a win. The universe, predictably, took that as a challenge. The bell above the cafe door chimed, and I didn't look up at first. It was a big mistake.
'Bella?"I instantly recognized the voice.
That voice didn't belong here. It belonged to a different chapter, a finished one, a burned one. Slowly, I looked up. Rosalie stood just inside the doorway, clutching her purse like a shield. Beside her, taller, greyer, painfully familiar was Bella's father, Charlie. Alive, present, and concerned.
"What." I said faintly. "Are you doing here?"
