They came to a stop next to his truck, and she crossed her arms, tucking her hands against her side. The air was probably a little too chilly for someone who was used to warmer temperatures.
“It’s the curse of having a job that you can basically do from anywhere,” she added with a laugh. “It’s a good and bad thing, really.”
“Well, I’m pretty much tied to one place with what I do.”
“I’m still hoping you’ll show me your work one of these days,” Anna said, giving him a teasing smile.
Eli felt a warmth fill him, and he came very close to inviting her up to the shop right then, but something held him back. “Maybe one of these days.”
“Well, I’d better get back to my place and wade through the millions of emails that undoubtedly await me,” she said with a sigh.
“Let me give you a ride.” Eli opened the passenger door of his truck.
“Thank you,” she said as she gripped the handle above the door and pulled herself up onto the seat.
“Do you need more wood?” he asked as he slowly guided the truck the short distance from the lodge to her cabin.
“I think the wood is fine, plus I’m going to be moving soon, right?”
Eli nodded. “If that’s okay. We could do the cabin last if you’d rather stay put.”
“I knew the move was coming, so I’m ready for it. Just tell me when.”
“Honestly, it’s up to you. The first two cabins are done now. Mom’s been working on the finishing touches, so if you like either of them, you can move whenever you want.”
Anna seemed to consider that for a moment before she nodded. “I might take you up on that.”
“Just let me or Mom know, and we’ll help you out.”
As he came to a stop in front of her cabin, she said, “Sounds good.”
He hopped out and jogged around to her door, pleased that she waited until he opened it to get out. “Maybe see you tomorrow.”
She smiled up at him as she nodded. “Have a good evening.”
Eli leaned against his truck, waiting until she’d gone inside before climbing back behind the wheel and heading for home. It was hard to ignore the desire he had to hang out more with Anna, particularly since this was the first time in a long, long time that he’d felt anything like that for a woman. However, he wasn’t someone who jumped into things, and though Anna seemed to be a perfectly lovely woman, he still wasn’t sure about opening that part of his life to her.
After all, he had a feeling that she hadn’t opened up completely about her life either. And he couldn’t help but wonder if there was any sense in opening his life up to someone who might not be around in a few weeks.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Arianna spent the first part of her evening as had become her habit…answering her email. After that, however, she turned to something a lot more fun…online shopping.
She’d decided to set up a PO box in a nearby town so that she could have things shipped to her. After debating whether or not to just use the post office in New Hope, she’d decided that maybe it would be better to not use the post office there since she wanted to keep a bit of privacy, just in case.
She’d decided to forgo her video for that day, in hopes that she’d have a better one the next week. That meant she needed to do some shopping ASAP. Having made up her mind that she was going to be hanging around New Hope for a bit, Arianna decided to do a fall clothing haul and try-on for her viewers.
She normally didn’t buy a lot of seasonal clothing since LA didn’t really change seasons that dramatically, but it was different in New Hope Falls, so she jumped right into seeing what she could pick up for a fall clothing haul. Shopping was something she’d always enjoyed, but she tended to donate the clothing and products once she was done with whatever video she was filming unless she really fell in love with something.
Curled up in front of the fire once again, Arianna clicked through pages of clothing and accessories, dumping a bunch of them into her cart to sort through again before placing the order. She usually tried to buy between six to eight outfits, so it took awhile to mix and match and figure out which items would look good and be things her viewers might be interested in buying.
By the time she went to bed, she’d placed orders with two different online retailers, and she was ready to call it a day. Being so busy left her with an exhaustion that she actually enjoyed because she fell asleep quickly.
Things still hadn’t recovered from the scandal with David. He continued to spout off on all his social media platforms about how she’d deceived him and broken his heart. There was a part of her that wanted to post all the emails that had been exchanged at the beginning of their “relationship,” but she knew it would just add fuel to the fire. And, no doubt, he’d accuse her of faking the emails.
All she could hope for was that he’d eventually tire of it and move forward with his life. She would have offered to meet with him and have a conversation if she’d thought he would be rational about it. But rational was not a word that anyone could use to describe David these days.
She thought of Eli and how calm he was, and it really appealed to her. Though she and David had had fun early on, he was very much high energy. He’d constantly wanted to be doing things. And now that energy was turned toward the breakdown of things between them. If only they could have ended the arrangement amicably, they could still have been friends, but David had tossed gasoline and a lit match on that possibility.
What annoyed her the most about David’s repeated outbursts was that it was keeping her from her own social media. Anytime she ventured onto one of the sites, she was bombarded by tags in messages and hashtags that were dividing her and David’s audiences. She’d been so disappointed to see the #TeamDavid and #TeamArianna tags.
Angry that she’d allowed herself to be sucked into those thoughts before bed, Anna opened the app she used to read and curled up under the covers to read about someone else’s happily-ever-after even while she was convinced that she’d never experience that for herself. Not that she’d thought she’d have that with David, but right then, with everything going on with him, it seemed even more out of reach than ever.
The next morning, without her alarm going off, Arianna slept in much later than she normally would have. The slow start to her morning was something she enjoyed, and after bundling up, she took her mug of coffee out onto the back deck. The sounds of nature greeted her with a song that was foreign to her, but it soothed her in a way she’d never realized she could be soothed.
Tilting her head back, she closed her eyes and let the sun warm her face. It felt a bit weird to not have to go to a cabin to work, and she found that she missed the company as much as the work, even after having known the family for such a short time.
Since she did have some plans for the day, she didn’t linger too long on the deck once her coffee was gone. Even though she was venturing into Everett where she’d see more people, Arianna settled for a quick makeup application and then pulled on a baseball cap, tugging her ponytail through the opening in the back. She wasn’t really trying to go incognito, but if no one recognized her, she wouldn’t cry about it.
She had to drive through town in order to get to the highway that led to the city. There were quite a few cars parked along Main Street, and lots of people were out on the sidewalks. That almost made her want to pull over and join them, but she didn’t. Maybe another day she could, but right then, she had plans she needed to follow through with.
As she drove down the winding road between towering trees, Arianna pondered her desire to insert herself into the fabric of daily life in New Hope Falls. And it wasn’t just the life in the town, but also the lives of the people she’d met. After so many years of being more of an observer than a participant in the world around her, it was a bit of an odd feeling.
Before leaving the cabin, she’d googled the closest store where she could buy a lot of craft supplies. Inspired by fall like she’d never been before, she
decided that in addition to her fall outfits video, she was going to do a video of autumnal crafts. Not Halloween though. That had never been her thing. Growing up, she’d never participated in Halloween activities beyond what they’d done at school. Her parents hadn’t seen the sense of it when they could just buy her whatever candy she wanted.
Because of that, she’d never bothered to do Halloween decorations, and honestly, she didn’t do much for fall most years either. Christmas, however, was a different story as she embraced that even though winter didn’t really come to LA. Spring had always been her favorite season, but watching fall slowly arrive in New Hope, she was rethinking that.
Smiling, Arianna guided her car into the parking lot of Hobby Lobby. She had the same spark of excitement for this that she’d had picking out the fall outfits to order.
It was only as she’d felt that excitement again that she’d realized it had been a while since she’d experienced it over a video. It had taken escaping from her life in LA to find excitement again for the things she had once enjoyed doing.
When she left the store a couple of hours later—the most time she’d spent in a craft store in ages—she was laden down with several bags. As Arianna put the bags in the trunk of her car, it occurred to her that perhaps she’d do well to make her move to one of the other cabins before tackling this project. The bits and pieces were contained within packaging and bags at the moment, but that wouldn’t be the case once she started on the projects she had in mind.
She made a quick trip to a grocery store to pick up a few things that she hadn’t seen in the store in New Hope, even though she planned to stop in there as well on the way home. As long as she was in the area, she would do her best to support the local economy.
As she approached the cash register in the New Hope grocery store a short time later, she noticed it was manned by the same boy who had rung up her groceries the last time she’d been there. Remembering how he’d seemed to recognize her, Arianna hesitated a moment, wishing that there was more than one checkout lane open. Since the alternative was to abandon her groceries, she pushed her cart to the conveyor belt, and when she stepped up to the cash register, she pinned a smile on her face.
“Hello,” he said with a friendly smile. “Were you able to find everything you needed?”
“I was. Thank you.” This time, she took in the name on his nametag since last time she hadn’t. Julian was spelled out in gold letters against a dark blue tag.
Though he worked quickly and efficiently, Arianna didn’t miss the looks he sent her way. She kept waiting for him to say something, but he completed the transaction and once again offered help with her bags without making any further comment about recognizing her.
She didn’t really believe for a minute that that meant he didn’t still think he recognized her from somewhere, but she appreciated him not bringing it up again. Last time she’d managed to avoid a lie while still denying being famous, but there was no guarantee she’d manage it a second time.
With all her errands done, Arianna headed out of town for the cabin. When she saw Nadine’s car parked at the lodge, she almost stopped, but mindful of her groceries, she decided to unpack them and then come back to chat later. It didn’t take long for her to do that, and then, rather than drive back, she decided to walk to the lodge since it was a nice afternoon, even if it was a little cloudy.
When she walked into the lodge a few minutes later, Nadine came out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel.
“Hello, hun,” the older woman greeted her. “How has your day been?”
“It’s been very good, actually. How about yours?”
Nadine nodded her head toward the kitchen before turning back toward Anna. “I also had a good day. I had lunch at Norma’s, which is always good—just don’t tell her I said that.”
Arianna laughed as she settled on a stool at the island, taking in the mess before her. “I haven’t been there all week. I’ll have to try and go back soon.”
“Norma understands.” Nadine went to the fridge and pulled out a large jug of milk that she proceeded to pour into a measuring cup. “I told her about how much you’ve been helping us out.”
“I’d offer to help her out too, but she looked like she had plenty of help already. Plus, I’ve never waitressed in my life.” Eying the large number of ingredients on the counter, Arianna asked, “Are you cooking for a crowd?”
“Basically.” She returned the milk to the fridge. “We have a potluck lunch following the service at church tomorrow, so I’m preparing some food.”
“Everyone brings food?”
“If they can, but it’s not expected. Those of us who can, try to bring enough to cover those who can’t.”
“So like visitors?”
“Yes, visitors, but we also have young families and seniors on fixed or low incomes who can’t stretch their money enough to bring food for something like this.”
“Is your church big?”
“It’s the biggest of the churches in town, but there are bigger ones not too far away.”
Arianna thought of the churches she’d attended in her life. There had been two, but it had been several years since she’d last been inside one, and she wasn’t sure that would be changing the next day even though something was drawing her to it.
“I was talking with Eli about me moving to one of the other cabins now that some of them are done.”
Nadine nodded. “That would probably be a good idea. The first two are completely finished, so either of those would be available for you, or if you’d rather wait, you could move into another of the studio ones.”
“I think I’d like a one bedroom this time,” Arianna said.
“That’s a good idea if you plan to stay here for a little while. It will feel a bit more like home,” Nadine said, then hesitated. “Well, maybe not the home you’re used to.”
“Oh, believe me, it will feel like home.” Arianna leaned forward to brace her arms on the counter. “Any place where I feel comfortable feels like home, and you’ve made me feel very comfortable here.”
Nadine put the milk into a big pot on the stove then motioned with her hand. “Let’s get you the key for the other cabin then you can move in whenever it’s convenient.”
As they went out to the check-in desk, Arianna said, “I’d also like to extend my stay at some point.”
“We can take care of that later,” Nadine said as she opened the key box behind the desk and pulled out a key with a keychain with the lodge’s logo on it. “Here you go.”
“Thank you so much.”
“Are you okay for supper?” Nadine asked. “Everyone kind of does their own thing on the weekend.”
“I’m good. I grabbed a few groceries while I was out. No risk of starving for me.”
“That’s good to hear. I haven’t lost anyone to starvation yet, so I’d hate to start now.”
They shared a laugh then Arianna said goodbye and made her way back to the cabin. The one she was moving to was on the other side of her current one, so moving wouldn’t be much of a hassle. Since she didn’t have anything else to do because she didn’t want to unpack her craft items, she decided to go ahead and make the move.
Once she’d made up her mind, Arianna moved quickly, packing away all the clothing and things she’d pulled out when she’d arrived. It seemed weird to load up her car to drive a few feet and unload it, but there was no way she was going to try to drag her suitcases across the uneven ground between the two cabins.
Arianna was in the process of lifting one of the suitcases out of her car at the new cabin when she heard a vehicle approaching. Turning, she saw Eli’s truck headed her way. It came to a stop in the middle of the road right behind her car.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Opening the door of the truck, Eli jumped down. He pulled his cap off and ran his hand through his hair before setting it back in place. “Moving on up?”
“Yep.” Arianna looked from the cabin she was moving from
to the larger cabin. “From studio to one bedroom. Isn’t that the normal progression?”
“For some people, I suppose. I lived at home until I built my place.” He came to where she stood near the trunk of her car. “Let me help you with that.”
Before she could say anything, he lifted one of the suitcases out of the trunk and set it on the ground before doing the same with the second one. Arianna went to the back seat and pulled out the stuff she’d put there then led the way up the steps into the cabin.
“Do you want me to go ahead and put these in the bedroom?” Eli asked as he came in with the suitcases.
“Yes. Thank you.” She set the bags she was carrying on the couch then went back to the car to gather up a few more of the smaller things.
Eli met her at the door as she came back in. “Is there more?”
“Just small stuff that I can get,” she told him as he stepped back to let her in. “Thanks for doing the heavy lifting.”
“You’re welcome.” He looked around the cabin. “You know, I kind of thought Mom was nuts wanting to repaint the cabins. I didn’t think it would make enough of a difference to warrant all the work, but now that all the furniture is back in place and she’s put the décor she wanted in place, it really does look nice.”
“Your mom has a great eye for decorating,” Arianna said.
“She has always said she didn’t know where Sarah got her talent for painting, but I think Mom has more of an artistic bent than she realizes.”
Eli followed her back out to the car and ended up helping her carry in the last few things. Once back inside, he gestured to the bags she’d left on the couch. “You planning a craft party?”
“Are there such things?” Arianna considered the idea for a moment before deciding she really liked the idea. What would be more fun than getting together with other people who liked crafting like she did? Too bad she didn’t have friends who would be on board to come to such a party.
“Well, I don’t know if they are specific crafting parties, but I know Mom and the girls go to stuff at church sometimes that seem they’re centered around crafts. Never been myself though.”
A Love So Real: A Christian Romance (New Hope Falls Book 1) Page 12
