Out With the Old, In With the New Part 2

"Hello Zack, how did it go? Is there something wrong?"

Isabelle didn't say anything, it was actually Cole Hanson on the phone. It wasn't some joke.

"Zack!"

Being pulled out of the moment Isabelle answered "This is Isabelle actually." Not having a clue of what to say next.

"Isa-belle." Cole had to clear his throat, he wasn't expecting it to be her. "Isabelle is everything okay?"

"Mhm..." She was really trying to figure out what's she would say.

"Why are you calling?"

"Why?"

Why was such a simple question, that Cole couldn't pick up on it.

"Why what, Isabelle I need a little bit more."

It was now Isabelle's turn to clear her throat, her hands shook. She once had the courage to stand in front of him, but that courage was smashed. She was afraid, and nervous.

"Why would you send me all of this stuff? I can't-"

Isabelle didn't get to finish when Cole interrupted her. "Isabelle I don't expect you to pay me back. For the reason, I thought the letter explained it well. Did it not? Unless, did Zack give the letter? Did he lose it?"

Before Cole could ask anymore questions Isabelle answered. "No Zack didn't lose it, and yes he gave it to me." She ignored the other question though.

"Then why are you asking me this? Did you not understand?" Cole scratched his head confused.

"No I didn't understand, nobody wants to give, and not get. So what's the catch?" Isabelle asked with more of a spark than she meant to. Calming down she finished with. "What do you want Cole?"

Cole chucked only Isabelle Jade would question him with no remorse. She did not suck up to him. "Isabelle I know what it is that you are doing there, at a bookstore in the middle of no man's land."

She wanted to be mad at him for calling this part of town no man's land. When he had the choice to change it, but she couldn't. She understood why, something's were just to broken. What did he know about her. She was ninety-nine percent sure no one could figure it out. The truth was, there were only a few people who knew. Instead of panicking she let Cole tell her.

"And what am I doing here Cole?"

"Ms. Jade you are there because you want to make a difference for people who don't have much. You want to give them the world anyway you can. What better than a bookstore? Am I correct?" Cole smiled with satisfaction, of course he was correct.

Isabelle was utterly stunned. No that wasn't the full truth, but it was half. When people would ask her why she worked here that's what she would tell them, but she never told him. She wasn't going to agree to boost his ego. Instead she ignored his question with one of her own.

"That doesn't answer why you want to help me." Laughing she knew he was disappointed with her not answering.

"Ms. Jade you are quite the character. You know people don't talk to me like you do?" Hiding his own enjoyment.

"I'm sorry, that must be quite boring. That still doesn't answer my question."

"Your not giving up are you?"

"Nope!"

Cole sighed and shook his head. He didn't know anyone else more stubborn than him, Dylan, and Chase. He was going to have to add one more person to that list.

"Well Isabelle if you must know. I own the town, every part. Through the years I along with Dylan, and Chase have been making each part livable."

"Yeah meaning this part wasn't worth fixing. Sense you had too much other things to do. That's why you didn't want to help me. Now what, you feel guilty? Honestly Cole I don't need your pity."

"Isabelle, Isabelle hey!"

"What?!"

"Calm down, you want my answer then please give me the chance to talk. Your right almost about everything, while your wrong on others. For a long time your right, we did not believe it was worth fixing. You made it different, you changed my mind. I'm fixing the place, so eventually the computer will work. I gave you so much stuff because I see your vision. I expect great things from you. It would be nice to let people dream again."

Isabelle didn't know what to say, this isn't the Cole Hanson she met in the office. The only thing she could come up with was.

"Well thanks, but the book selection you chose won't work."

This girl there was never a dull moment in her presents. "And why is that?" Trying not to laughed at Isabelle's serious statement.

"When running a bookstore there are only so much space. So every librarian must chose stories. Most of us chose stories based on meaning, and there is no way all of these books can have meaning to someone like you." She was to frustrated to realize what she said.

Someone like him who did Isabelle think he was? That sentence hurt him a bit. "Okay Isabelle what do you mean, someone like me?"

She realized her mistake a little to late. "Okay that's not what I meant. I meant was you can't just buy fancy books to impress me, it won't work. Do they actually have some kind of meaning to you?"

Cole was about to answer, when she asked a question so quietly. If he wasn't an alpha, if he was anymore human he wouldn't have caught it.

"All the people in the world and you chose me, why?"

Instead of answering her, Cole only smiled. "Isabelle can I talk to Zack please?"

"But you didn't answer my question."

"Isabelle I need to talk to Zack."

Disappointed he wasn't going to answer her she almost forgot something. "Cole one more thing."

"Hmm?"

"Zack was doing what you told him. I asked to call you, he did nothing wrong." She didn't know who Cole was, or what he was like to people who didn't listen to him. She didn't want Zack getting into trouble because of her.

"Mhm thank you for your honesty once again. Have a great night Isabelle." This girl truly suprized him.

"This is Zack speaking."

"Oh yes Zack, as long as you are there follow anything she tells you to do, it is her store." Cole didn't leave it up for a discussion Isabelle wasn't going to be forced to do something she didn't want to do.

"But Sir..."

"Don't make me repeat myself Zack!"

"Yes Sir." Zack hung up the phone. "Ms. Jade is it alright if we continue?"

Isabelle didn't know what Cole had told him. She nodded her head as the men brought the computer, love seat, and clocks, and set them all up. The bookshelves were replaced, and both Isabelle and Jane helped put books on the shelves. All that was left was to remove the old books, and bookshelves. One of the movers was about to break a shelf when Isabelle screamed.

"NO DON'T, STOP!"

The movers froze into place. Zack walked up to them and told the mover to just wait. "Isabelle what's wrong?"

But Isabelle didn't respond. At first she just stood there. It was one thing to put up new shelves, new books, but she could never forget the meaning behind the old books, or shelves. She couldn't let herself forget.

"The old books are being added to the new ones, and the shelves need to go into a locker in a storage unit." She handed Zack the business card, on it said the locker number and the code.

Everyone but her was confused. Zack was about to complain, argue, but then he remembers what Cole said. "Anything she says goes." So Zack told the movers to carefully load the shelves, and they left, as Isabelle and Jane put the old books away. Jane went home early as Isabelle stayed behind. If it wasn't for the paint, and old books the past would be gone. Maybe it was just time to move on.

Isabelle sat on the new love seat, and stared at a loose board in the office. She couldn't help but think, the past was disappearing like it never existed, would she also disappear into nothing? Shaking her head at the thought she pulled out her phone, and added a contact Cole Hanson. For once today she wasn't at loss with words, or her mind clouded. Instead she was fully aware of what she would say. She sent him a message, and then shut her phone off. She didn't want to see his response tonight.

Isabelle walked home, and went into her room to get pjs on. She saw Jane sleeping with a book on her chest. It was an older one that Jane checked out. Isabelle walked over, and picked up the book. Putting the bookmark in, she shut the book, The Little Prince. Isabelle smiled as she out the book down, and tucked Jane in. Isabelle never understood why the Little Prince was willing to die to get back to his rose. When she was younger it even made her sad. Isabelle went out to the living room after changing, and brushed her teeth. Laying on the sofa she read a few chapters of her own book before falling asleep.