Squaw rolled his eyes dramatically. "Great."
"Well, Bella, tell Charlie"—Billy paused before continuing—"that we stopped by, I mean."
"I will," I muttered.
Squaw was surprised. "Are we leaving already?"
"Charlie's gonna be out late," Billy explained as he rolled himself past his son.
"Oh." Squaw looked disappointed. "Well, I guess I'll see you later, then, Bella."
"Sure," I winked.
"Take care," Billy warned me. I didn't answer.
Squaw helped his father out the door. I waved briefly, glancing swiftly toward my now-empty truck, and then shut the door before they were gone.
I stood in the hallway for a minute, listening to the sound of their car as it backed out and drove off into the increasing storm. I stayed where I was, waiting for the irritation and anxiety to subside. When the tension eventually faded a bit, I headed upstairs to change out of my messy dressy clothes.
I tried on a couple of different tube-tops, not sure what to expect tonight. As I concentrated on what was coming, what had just passed became insignificant. Now that I was removed from Jasper's and Fredward's influence, I began to make up for not being terrified before. I quickly gave up on choosing an outfit—throwing on an old flannel tube-top and jeans—knowing full-well that a tube-top never remained on for very long.
The phone rang and I sprinted downstairs to get it. There was only one voice I wanted to hear; anything else

355

Chapter 17

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