Disclaimer:I do not own Twilight or any of the characters. All belong to Stephenie Meyer, I've just borrowed a few of her characters to have some fun.

At the knock, I looked up and was surprised to see Charlie Swan standing in the doorway to my office. Not exactly a frequent visitor, I was curious what would bring the Chief of Police to my door on a Monday morning.

I pushed away from my desk, got up and walked around to greet the Chief with a handshake. "Hey Charlie. Come on in, have a seat." I motioned to one of the comfy chairs in the corner of my office. I was suddenly thankful Emily had badgered me into decorating my office last month, insisting I had to have some place decent to meet with clients.

"I'm sorry to bother you at work, but I have a couple of things that I need to talk over with you and I wanted to keep this just between us for now," Charlie said with a grimace.

Shit. Private could only mean one thing. And it wasn't good. I tried to not to let my concern show on my face. I certainly wasn't in trouble with the law, but...

"Sure Charlie, or should I say Chief Swan?" I smiled just a little. "This is sounding like it could be official business."

He didn't return my smile. "Well, it could be. That's the problem." Charlie paused for a minute, sighed, and continued, "It's Paul again. We had to bring him in again last night. I know you've helped him out in the past, and I don't want to throw that kid in jail, so I'm giving you the chance to take care of this."

"Shit," I let out a small sigh before asking, "What did he do this time?" I leaned back in my chair and began examining the ceiling tiles; maybe they could give me some answers. "Do I even want to know?" I concentrated on breathing in and out evenly. I had to keep my temper under control. I didn't want to go off on Charlie; absolutely none of this was his fault.

"It's just more of the same; drunk and rowdy. But there was some malicious mischief thrown in this time. I think I can keep it quiet if damages get paid and repairs are done, but this can't go on for much longer. Either you get a handle on that kid and straighten him out, or I'll be forced to."

"Yeah, of course I'll do it. Just get the details to me and I'll take care of the money and the repairs." I gave up my pretense of neutrality and let a bit of my frustration and anger show through, "And I'll take care of Paul, too. You know he's like a brother to me. Hell, half the time he's staying with my mom anyway. I'll do whatever it takes to straighten him out …even if it means knocking some sense into that hard head of his."

"Well, like I said, I don't want to see that kid end up in jail. Just make it work, will ya?" Charlie put his hat back on but made no move to leave. "Uh, before I get going, I have a favor of my own to ask. Personal, not business." He looked distinctly uncomfortable and I'm pretty sure he squirmed, just a little, in his chair. The Chief squirming? My curiosity was immediately peaked.

"Sure, let me have it."

Charlie cleared his throat a bit before starting, "Well, Sam, you know that Bella just graduated, right? And she's been drifting a bit – not too sure what she wants to do. I know you tend to hire some local kids to help you out over the summer and I was hoping you might have something for her to do here?"

I stared at the Chief, stunned. Fuck yeah, I have something for Bella to do. Right here. It felt like I'd just had a present, all wrapped in pretty paper and ribbon, dropped right in my lap. I desperately hoped my face showed nothing of what I was thinking; I didn't want to do anything to mess this up.

It wasn't until Charlie started to frown that I realized I hadn't responded at all, yet. "A job for Bella? Yeah, we'll definitely be needing some extra help around here this summer. Let me talk to Em and we'll see what we can figure out," my brain was now firing a mile a minute trying to work this to my advantage. "Why don't you have Bella give us a call this week and we'll set up an interview."

"Thanks, that sounds great. I'll have Bells call you real soon." He seemed relieved so we shook hands and I walked Charlie out, promising to keep him updated on what was going on with Paul.

vvvvvv

After Charlie's visit, I tried to get back into my normal morning routine, but that was turning out to be easier said than done. Instead of working out numbers and scheduling, I sat at my desk, staring at my computer without really seeing anything. I needed to concentrate but my emotions were all over the place, and I was struggling to get my shit together. I mean, I was fucking pissed over the whole Paul incident, but worried too. I loved that kid like a brother, but I was completely frustrated with his acting out. This wasn't the first time I'd pulled his ass out of the fire, but it was damn well going to be the last. Thank fuck Charlie gave a damn about the kids from the res. Not everybody did, but he was definitely a friend. Hell, he'd known most of my boys since they were born. Charlie had been best buddies with Harry and Billy for as long as I could remember, that's for sure.

So Paul … I needed to talk to him. If he didn't return my call soon, I guess I was just going to have to track him down after work. And that pissed me off a little, too. Running around, trying to find his ass had definitely not been a part of my evening plans. But whatever, right? Sometimes you just did what you had to do.

And how about Charlie's request? I'd never admit it out loud, but the thought of having Bella around here every day made me giddy like a little fanboy. Part of me was totally hell, yes! And I wanted to give in to that part, I really did. But another part of me, the rational adult, was completely aware of the problems that could cause for everyone. I couldn't put my business at jeopardy. It meant too much to me and all the people it supported. I always did the rational thing. Always.

But to have Bella around every day? I swear my cock twitched at just the thought. I wanted it, and I wanted it bad. And that was the problem, wasn't it? Would I be able to work with her around all day? And stay even somewhat professional? But, really, what could I tell Charlie except yes? He'd gone out on a limb, more than once, to help with Paul. If for no other reason than that, giving Bella a job was the least I could do to pay him back.

Come, on Sam! Give this shit a rest. I had things to get done, so time to get it together and make a plan. First things first, talk to Emily. She was one of my closet friends and I trusted her advice in almost everything. I always trusted Em to tell me the truth and not hold back.

And to be fair, the office was more or less her territory. I usually left the staffing to her. But I knew she was going to need some help with the new Cullen project heating things up, so it just might work out. So why wasn't I calling her in her right away? 'Cause as good of friends as we were and as great of a working relationship as we had, it was still awkward talking to your ex about your next.

vvvvvvv

The sounds of Motown filled my truck as I grabbed the wheel and pulled out of the lot. Nothing like a little early R&B to soothe the soul. I had to laugh at myself. The guys were always on me about my taste in music, but I didn't really give a fuck. I knew it wasn't cool, but I liked what I liked.

I started to relax, letting the music do its thing. Today hadn't ended up being to bad after all. And maybe all the drama would at least lead to some good. I hadn't seen Paul yet, but he'd promised to come in to talk to me tomorrow. So no playing tracker tonight, thank god. I knew I had to figure out some way to get through to him, or Paul was going to self-destruct. And he was too young and too damn good to let that happen to. Hell, Paul was like a little brother to me, so no brainer really. I would do everything I could to help straighten him out, up to and including kicking his ass. There was no one else around to do it for him, so that left me. Fine, bring it on. I could and would handle it.

I jolted as I felt a buzzing coming from my pocket. Shit, I had forgotten to take my phone out before getting in the truck. Good luck getting it out now, you tight jean wearing motherfucker! The only person I really felt like talking to right now was the one least likely to be calling me, so I just let the call go to voice mail. It was probably Emily anyway and, much as I loved her, I didn't really feel like talking to her anymore tonight. Did that make me a dick? Yeah, probably. But that wouldn't really be news to anyone.

Emily and I had I had a history together. It wasn't a secret. We'd always been friends; we'd grown up together on the res. It had almost been inevitable that we would date. But Em and me? Yeah, we never should have taken it farther than that. As friends we were great. As lovers? Not so much. She wanted more and I didn't really have it to give. There just had never been that extra something, that magic that drew me to her, you know? But we'd made it through that, and come out friends (eventually) on the other side.

But that history and friendship gave her the right to speak freely to me, something I usually valued. Usually. But no matter how much I liked and respected the messenger, it didn't make it any easier to hear hard truths. And she'd let me have it, no holds barred.

Yes, I was old to be having a "crush". But, no, this was much, much more. Yes, I needed to protect the business from personal bullshit. No, I couldn't sit around all day ad make "puppy dog eyes" at Bella. And yes, Bella was very likeable and would fit into the office well. See? We had talked it out, and I think Em would ultimately be O.K. with the situation. I knew she had some reservations, hence the phone call avoidance. But with Em's help, I felt that it could really work out having Bella in the office. And the thought of her being around all day was a heady one, for sure. A good idea though? Yeah, I was starting to think it might be. I would just have to find a way to keep everything in balance. No problem.

A/N – Thanks so much to all of you for hanging in there. I know this is a short chapter, but more is coming very soon. Thank you for all of your great reviews! I can't tell you how great it is to receive a review and how much it motivates me to keep writing. I want to give special thanks to zambuk68 for his patient reading and re-reading every word I write and for his unfailing support and encouragement.