He continued nodding. I sighed and folded my arms across my breasts.
He seemed to sense that I had given up on entertaining him. "Bella," he said, and then he hesitated.
I waited.
"Bella," he said again, "Charlie is one of my best friends."
"I'll make sure to tell him."
He spoke each word carefully in his rumbling voice, "I noticed you've been spending time with one of the Cullens."
"I'll make sure to tell him," I repeated curtly.
His eyes narrowed. "Maybe it's none of my business, but I don't think that is such a good idea."
"You're right," I agreed. "It's a great idea."
He raised his graying eyebrows at my tone. "You probably don't know this, but the Cullen family has an unpleasant reputation on the reservation."
"Actually, I did know that," I informed him in my hardest voice. This surprised him; he'd never thought a girl could ever get so hard. "But that reputation couldn't be deserved, could it? Because the Cullens never set foot on the reservation, do they?" I could see that my less than subtle reminder of the agreement that both bound and protected his tribe pulled him up short—even shorter than usual.
"That's true," he acceded, his eyes guarded. "You seem... well informed about the Cullens. More informed than I expected."
I started him down. "Maybe even better informed than you expected."
He pursed his lips as he considered that. "Maybe,"

353

Chapter 17

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