Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Perfect For Me

By Mama4Dukes

Chapter 05:

Wednesday…

By the time Wednesday swung around, Jasper was absolutely exhausted. Only three days into his new position, he’d been worked to the bone. The work of an entry-level engineer was no joke. His main job was grunt work for the more established engineers.

Today, Jasper had to board an oil rig and check on the work there. He got sprayed with oil more times than he could count, turned more screwdrivers and wrenches than he ever did in his life, and worked a twelve-hour shift. It was late. All he wanted to do was to collapse in bed and get a good night’s sleep.

He was hungry, though. So he headed to Red’s to grab a burger.

“You look like a mess,” Red greeted.

“New job. It’s a learning curve.”

“That’s a nice attitude to have, Jasper. Seat yourself anywhere and relax.”

“Thanks.”

Jasper headed for a small booth to the side and out of the way. He wanted peace and quiet. A minute later, a glass of beer was placed in front of him. He stared at it appreciatively and looked up at the twinkling eyes of the waitress.

“You look like you could use a cold one,” Bella stated.

“Honestly, I can. I had a long day at work.”

“I can tell. What can I get you from the grill? It’s closing in a few minutes.”

“Already?”

“We close at nine on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.”

That’s right. Red’s was only open until two am on Fridays and Saturdays. They were closed on Sundays and Mondays because Red believed everyone should have a full two days off each week.

“I’ll have a cheeseburger.”

“Onion rings, or fries on the side?”

“Onion rings.”

“What kind of dressing on your salad?”

“Blue Cheese.”

She nodded as she noted everything on the slip. “I’ll put it in for you right away.”

Jasper shook his head as she left the table. He was in deep. There was something so bubbly and wonderful about the girl.

He looked at his hands. They were a mess. He stood up to go to the bathroom and wash them. He glanced at his image in the mirror and was horrified. He really was a mess. He had grease stains all over his shirt. His boots looked like they had been dunked in oil. Speaking of which, he had been told to buy steel-toed work boots at the beginning of the week, but he hadn’t had time. He’d have to do it over the weekend.

The Italian leather boots Alice bought for him weren’t cutting it. He had a choice between those and his cowboy boots. He decided on the more formal and fragile Italian leather because he didn’t want to ruin his cowboy boots. No, sir! Jasper washed his hands and splashed water on his face before returning to the booth.

He took a big swill of the beer and then thought about the pretty waitress. Bella soon returned with his food, which he dug into.

Part of the way through his meal, she stopped by at the table and asked, “Do you want another beer?”

“No, this should be fine. I have to wake up early tomorrow.”

“Yeah? What do you do?”

“I’m an entry-level engineer for Whitlock Energy.”

“No kidding. So you work with oil.”

“They kind of have me floating around everywhere.”

“Really? Do you enjoy the work?”

Jasper thought about it. “Uh… I can’t really give you an answer yet. I just started on Monday. All I know is I’ve never worked so hard in my life.”

“Working is good. It builds character. At least that’s what my father says.”

“Your father lives in Washington, right?”

“You’ve been talking to your buddies. They’ve been dishing about me.”

“Actually, it was Rachel who did most of the dishing.”

“Rach is as sweet as pie, but she has a big mouth.”

“Are you upset?”

“Not really.” She sighed. “Well, I’ll leave you to finish your meal in peace. Do you mind if I leave you the check? I have to help set up for tomorrow.”

“No problem.”

“Great! I hope I see you soon.”

Jasper continued eating his meal. He watched Bella refill the salt and pepper shakers and then gather the ketchup bottles from the tables, wondering if he should ask her out. And if so, how? Paul and Sam seemed crazy overprotective about her.

As soon as he finished his burger, he opened the folio with the check in it. His eyes lit up. Bella had slipped him a note with her name and number on it, along with a heart. He immediately turned toward her with a big smile on his face. She winked back at him. He pocketed the number, paid the check, and left her an extra-large tip before heading out.

The next day…

During his lunch break, Jasper decided to give Bella a call. She picked up on the first ring, but he was stumped on what to say.

“Hello?” she asked. When he didn’t say anything, she asked again, “Hello?”

“Oh, hey, Bella. This is Jasper.”

“Jasper, how are you doing? I was hoping you’d call.”

“You were?”

“Sure. I never give my number to anyone, but there’s a first time for everything, right?”

“Yeah, I guess there is. So… do you want to go out sometime this weekend?”

“I can do Saturday. I work on Fridays. Red only lets everyone work one weekend day a week, so I picked Friday because it’s busier.”

“Alrighty. What should we do?”

“How about you pick me up at home, and then we’ll figure it out?”

“Sounds good. Uh, what’s your address?”

“I live with Leah and Sam. I thought you knew that.”

“No, Sam didn’t mention anything.”

“It figures, my brother probably thought he was being smart by being his overprotective self again. Oh, crap! I have to get to class. See you on Saturday!”

Before he could even respond, she hung up the phone. He let out a deep breath. “Holy shit! She said yes!” Jasper whooped and jumped up in excitement. He was going out on a date with Bella Swan!”

Friday…

Jasper was upset. He couldn’t meet up with his friends for their usual time at Red’s because he had to have dinner at his maternal grandparents’ house, the Cullens. They heard about last Sunday’s garden party fiasco from his mother and wanted to talk to him.

“I’m proud of you, Jasper. You stood your ground and didn’t let your mother bully you into getting back together with that Alice girl. I never thought she was good for you. Besides, Rich Brandon is being investigated by the feds because his company is missing thirty-million dollars.”

“Thirty-million? I thought it was twenty?”

“That’s old news. No, he’s missing thirty-million. And thirty-million doesn’t simply disappear from a petroleum company. I suspect there’s some insider trading going on, and he’s squandering money in a foreign country somewhere. Mark my words, Rich Brandon is either going to be arrested, or disappear soon.”

“Insider trading?” his grandmother, Esme, asked. “It’s no wonder he’s trying to marry his daughter off to Jasper. He needs his money, along with the Cullen and Whitlock names backing him.” She shook her head. “Edie can be such an idiot sometimes. She has no idea Nan is trying to manipulate her. It’ll be a cold day in hell before I let that disgusting family get their clutches into my grandson!” She declared as she poured more sweet tea into his glass.

His grandfather, Carlisle, smiled at him. “I talked to your Grand-Daddy Colton, I heard you’ve been working hard in the training program we designed.”

“We, sir?”

“Yes, we. You didn’t think Colton came up with the idea alone, did you?” He appraised Jasper. “I can see you did. No, we’ve both been keeping tabs on you and your father. We decided a few months ago that you were our only hope for not driving our companies into the ground. Your father is a good guy, but he’s weak. His business acumen is not as sharp as yours, but we realized you needed to learn the inner workings of the oil business from the ground up; hence you’re in the training program.”

Jasper eyes widened. “But… but… aren’t you leaving the company to Dad? Wasn’t that part of the marriage contract?”

“Jasper, I never said I’d leave the company to Beau. I said I’d merge with Whitlock Energy upon my death, which won’t be for a few years yet.”

“You’re as healthy as an ox,” Esme said. “You still play tennis twice a week with Colton.”

“Very true, Darling. Thank goodness I’m still healthy.” He turned his blue eyes on Jasper. “Whitlock Energy and Cullen Oil will be going to you upon our deaths. Your father can stay on in his position, but all the final decision-making will go to you. Of course, this is contingent on you completing the training we have set out for you.”

“Holy shit!” Jasper exclaimed.

His grandmother Esme swiftly gave him a slap on the cheek. “Watch your mouth in this house, young man!”

“I’m sorry, ma’am.”

“You’d better be. Now listen to your grandfather. He has more to say.”

“Jasper, here’s how your training will go. In a few months, after Colton gives me the okay, you’ll be coming to us for more training.”

“To Cullen Oil?”

“Yes, to Cullen Oil. Right now, we’ve been working on streamlining everything, so when the two companies do merge, it’ll be seamless. It’s not only the data systems, which will have to merge, but the pipelines as well. Of course, we can’t merge them yet, but there are steps we can take so when the time comes, it can be done quickly and efficiently. You’ll be reporting directly to me.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Now enough of this business talk. You and that twit are no longer an item, thank God. Have you met anyone new?”

“I have. I’m going out on a date with her tomorrow. Her name is Bella.”

“Bella is a pretty name. Is she from Houston?”

“No, she’s from Washington state. She’s studying for her master’s degree in mechanical engineering.”

“Ah, a fellow engineer. I bet you’ll have a lot in common with her.”

“I hope so. Tomorrow is actually our first date.”

“If things work out, bring her by so we can meet her.”

“Of course.”