Anna gave him a skeptical look. “Are you sure about that? He seems really friendly.”
“If you’d tried to come into the house alone—without having met him first—you would have gotten a much different welcome.” Eli put the bowls in a bag then opened a cupboard to pull out the bag of Shadow’s food. He walked over and put them by the door. “I’m just going to get some things to take to Mom’s. I’ll be right back.”
In his room, Eli pulled out a duffel bag and shoved an assortment of clothing into it. He didn’t need to take too much stuff since he could come back if necessary. After putting some toiletries in his shaving bag, he dropped it into the duffel and zipped it up.
Back in the living room, he found Anna sitting on his couch, Shadow in front of her getting his ears scratched once again.
“You’re going to spoil my dog,” he said with a smile as he put his stuff by the dog’s things.
“You were the one who told me what he liked. You can’t tell me something like that and then not expect me to use the information.”
Eli chuckled as he made his way around the room, checking to make sure the windows were all secure. He did the same for the workshop and then went back into the house.
“Does he need a leash?” Anna asked as Eli opened the front door.
Shadow answered for Eli as the dog bounded out the front door and down the porch steps. Scampering into the trees, he paused to do his business a few times. By the time Eli had loaded his stuff into the truck, the dog was back at the truck and eagerly jumped up into the seat when Eli opened the back door.
“How come I didn’t know you had a dog until today?” Anna asked as Eli circled the truck around and headed back down to the lodge.
“I guess I didn’t think to mention it, and I don’t generally bring him to places where I’m working. Pretty sure dogs and wet paint don’t mix too well.”
As they passed Anna’s cabin, he noticed the police were gone, presumably having gotten what they’d needed. Anna fell silent, and Eli knew their little interlude was over. Reality was setting back in, and though Eli wished he could, there was nothing he could do to prevent it.
At the lodge once again, they carried all their stuff in with Sarah and Leah’s help. Shadow made his way into the living room and settled onto the large dog bed Eli’s mom kept there for him.
Up in the room she’d chosen, Anna stood staring at the pile of bags on the floor. Eli watched from the doorway as she crossed her arms, her hands running up and down them, bunching up the sleeves of her sweater then smoothing them out. It was like all the life she’d shown while in his workshop had drained out of her. She looked fragile and a bit lost.
Eli approached her slowly and said, “Can I give you a hug?”
Anna turned to face him, her eyes flat and devoid of emotion. “What?”
“You look like you could use a hug.” If Eli had seen either Sarah or Leah acting the way Anna was, he wouldn’t have hesitated to hug them.
She nodded, pulling her arms in close to her chest as he wrapped his around her. Her head dropped forward, her forehead resting in the crook of his neck. Eli fought the urge to tighten his embrace. He wanted her to feel safe but not constrained. He rested his cheek on top of her head, inhaling the subtle scent of her shampoo.
In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to protect her from the world and everything that would ever cause her pain and hurt. Unfortunately, he knew that wasn’t his place because if their lives intersected much more, the risk of him bringing more scandal into her life rose substantially, and after what she’d told him about her life earlier that day, he wasn’t sure he could do that to her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
After a subdued late lunch where everyone was as quiet as Leah usually was, Arianna escaped up to her room. Her new room. Or was it her prison?
No.
She refused to think of that lovely room as a prison. Wandering over to the window, she stared out at the towering trees. Instead of focusing on the negative reasons why she’d had to move from her lovely cabin to the lodge, Arianna thought of the time she’d spent in Eli’s workshop. She’d been in awe of how talented he was. Her hands had been itching to pick up her camera and film everything. The house. The workshop. His creations.
Eli.
However, she got the feeling that his workshop was a sanctuary few were given entrance to. It wouldn’t be right of her to invite the world—her world—into it, even if it was only through the lens of a camera. The idea of keeping that sanctuary secure kindled warmth within her.
And then there had been that hug. When he’d offered to hug her, there was nothing in the world that would have made her say no. She couldn’t help but compare Eli’s hug to the few she’d had to endure with David. Eli had held her tightly, but it had felt like he was trying to anchor her, protect her. David’s hugs had always felt like he was trying to keep her from escaping.
With Eli, as soon as she’d moved back, he’d let her go. David, on the other hand, had always held onto her a few seconds longer than she’d wanted. That had left her frustrated and wanting to get as far away from him as possible.
Arianna turned away from the window, sadness seeping into her heart at the thought that her first relationship had been a fake one with someone like David. She’d known better. She’d known it wasn’t the right thing to do, but she’d done it anyway. There was no way that scenario could have had a positive outcome, regardless of what David might have hoped for.
And now she wondered what sort of outcome her time in New Hope Falls was going to have. She didn’t want to have to leave before she was ready to, but it appeared there was someone who was determined for her to go right away.
Pushing aside the fear and worry that thought brought with it, Arianna began to unpack her things. Again. The bags of craft supplies sat on a nearby chair, and she wondered if she would be able to produce the video she’d hoped to with their contents. She still needed to get into her PO box to pick up the order she’d placed for her clothing haul/try-on video as well as the Etsy items she’d picked out.
Unfortunately, she now had no car with which to pick up the packages. Maybe she’d accept Kieran’s offer to have the work done on her car, and then she’d just get a rental. Eli had driven her car over from the cabin, and it was currently parked between his truck and Nadine’s car, undriveable because of the message on it.
After she’d emptied her suitcase into the large dresser that matched the sleigh bed, she set her laptop bag on the bed and opened it. She put her laptop on one of the end tables, then took out her Bible. It was the first time she’d taken it out of the side pocket where she’d slid it before she’d fled LA. The worn cover was protected by the padded zippered case she’d bought for it a couple of years ago.
In truth, she hadn’t picked up her Bible much since she’d agreed to fake a relationship with David. It was as if having made a decision that went contrary to what she knew was right had prevented her from delving into the Bible anymore. Even without reading its words, she’d been convicted about what she’d done.
Sinking down into the overstuffed armchair, she unzipped the cover and allowed the Bible to fall open in her lap. As her gaze fell on the thin pages filled with underlined verses and notes in the column, memories flooded her mind.
Don’t ever let the things of this world cloud your vision of our purpose here.
Her best friend’s words whispered through her mind. It was hard to remember Liz’s voice after all these years, but her spiritual encouragement and advice lingered in Arianna’s heart. As the end of her life had drawn near and cancer had been declared the victor in the battle to live, Liz had given Arianna her Bible. It was something she’d been familiar with because one of Liz’s favorite things as her body had weakened had been to listen as Arianna read passages from it.
Even now, those times were clear in her memory as were Liz’s words of encouragement. Not for the first time, Arianna wished that her friend was still ali
ve so she could talk to her, but at least she still had the comfort of the words her friend had deemed important.
As her fingers skimmed over the fragile page, she read the verses that Liz had underlined or highlighted along with the occasional scribble of notes in the margin. Sometimes, a verse or note would remind her of a conversation they’d had. Over the two years they’d been roommates, they’d had a lot of conversations, but the important ones lingered all these years later.
A light knock on the door drew her attention from the Bible. Setting it down on the couch as she passed it, Arianna went to open the door. Sarah stood in the hallway, a small frown wrinkling her brow, her fingers twisting together.
“I…uh…wanted to know if you might like to see some of my work. My latest projects.”
“Really?” Arianna was sure she was offering it as a distraction, but if Sarah was serious, she wasn’t going to turn her down. “I’d love that.”
“Great!” Sarah’s expression cleared, and her usual smile lit up her face. “Do you want to come now?”
“Sure.”
Sarah chatted excitedly about the projects she had to show her as they walked down the wide stairs to the main floor and then turned to the back of the lodge and another narrower set of stairs. Arianna hadn’t been down to the lower level before, so she looked around curiously as they reached the bottom of the stairs.
There was an open seating area with a couple of comfy-looking couches clustered around a fireplace. The back wall of the walkout basement, facing the forest, was made of large glass windows. Heavy curtains hung on either side of the windows, presumably there to offer privacy when needed.
“That’s Leah’s room over there,” Sarah said with a flip of her hand toward a door on the other side of the couches. “My room and studio are this way.”
Sarah led the way to a door close to where they stood. “Don’t mind the mess. I’m not the greatest housekeeper. I save any housekeeping spurts for the rooms upstairs.”
Arianna looked around as Sarah walked through a room that was definitely on the untidy side but not a huge mess. Her bed was unmade, and there were clothes draped over chairs. The vanity had an assortment of cosmetics scattered across it, some of them familiar in their shape and packaging.
“My studio is through here.”
The open door led into a room that shared the same view as the seating room. It too had floor to ceiling windows letting in lots of natural light that spilled across several easels and canvases. Arianna moved further into the room, her gaze settling on the nearest canvas.
It appeared to be a painting of a wedding portrait. A picture was pinned to the top of the easel, which Sarah was apparently using as her guide. Her work was so…beautiful. So alive.
“This is lovely, Sarah,” Arianna said, her hand lifting toward the painting though she stopped herself from touching it. “They look so in love. You’ve really managed to capture that.”
“Thank you. Portraits are what I enjoy the most, but I also do some landscape work.” Sarah gestured to another canvas. “This one was commissioned by a guy who wanted to give his parents a painting of their family cabin after it was wrecked by a tree falling on it during a storm.”
Just like the portrait, this picture was alive. The colors were vibrant, capturing the leaves in the foliage, the water in the distance a glistening blue. “They’re going to love it.”
“I hope so,” Sarah said. “Sometimes it’s hard for me to separate myself from the paintings enough to look at them objectively. I love all of them, but not everyone has loved my work.”
“I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion,” Arianna said with a shrug. “I don’t like all the art that’s out there in the world that people rave about. I’m sure there are plenty of people who love your work, so don’t worry about the ones who don’t.”
“Yeah, the only problem is that I want everyone to love my work. It’s hard to hear that people think it’s too simplistic even though it takes me ages to do a single painting.”
Arianna turned toward Sarah and saw her staring at the cabin canvas, her lower lip caught between her teeth as she gazed at it. Sensing the vulnerability in the woman, she went to her side, her shoulder brushing Sarah’s. Part of Arianna wanted to hug her, but she wasn’t sure if that was her place.
“Just keep doing what you’re doing,” Arianna told her. “You’re making the world an even more beautiful place, one painting at a time.”
“Thanks, Anna.” Sarah glanced up at her and smiled. “My family says stuff like that, but sometimes I think they’re just telling me that because they have to since, you know, they’re my family, and they have to be encouraging. Hearing it from an outsider helps.”
Outsider.
Arianna knew what she meant, but still, the word sank its tenterhooks into her and wouldn’t shake loose. That’s what she was. There at the lodge. In New Hope Falls. Even in LA. She’d always been the outsider. Because she hadn’t wanted to party or get drunk or high, she was often excluded from the influencer world in LA. As a Christian—even though she’d chosen not to proclaim that’s who she was to that world—she couldn’t bring herself to be a part of those types of things.
“Just don’t let the negative voices discourage you from using the talent God has clearly given you. Not many of us can capture the beauty of His creation as thoroughly as you can.”
“Sare?” Leah appeared in the door of the studio. Her gaze moved between Arianna and Sarah. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You’re not,” Sarah said with a smile at her twin. “I was just showing Anna my paintings.”
Leah looked at the canvasses then back at Arianna. “She definitely got all the talent for painting. Not even one drop made it into me. My stick figures don’t even look like people.”
“Well, I didn’t get even a drop of talent for singing or playing the piano,” Sarah said. “So I guess it evens out.”
Leah didn’t respond to that, just shrugged then said, “Mom was wondering if you’d taken a call this morning about a reservation for the Fall Festival. She found notes jotted down by the phone, but she couldn’t decipher them.”
“Oh, right. Yep, I did. I meant to print them out more clearly but then got distracted.”
Sarah headed out of the studio, so Arianna followed her. Leah left the room with them, but instead of going upstairs, she headed into her own room. As Arianna walked up the stairs, she glanced over her shoulder in time to see the door to Leah’s room close. She thought about Eli’s revelation about Leah and wondered how much heartache the woman hid beneath her rather brusque exterior.
Arianna wasn’t particularly close with her own dad, but even so, if he chose to abdicate that role altogether, it would have been heartbreaking for her. She couldn’t imagine having a father who was so devoted for that many years, only to have him walk away without a backward glance.
Back on the main floor, Sarah went to where Nadine waited behind the registration desk. She’d just decided to go back upstairs when the front door opened, and Eli walked in, Shadow at his side. He carried a toolbox in one hand and a step-stool in the other.
Arianna froze with her hand on the banister of the stairs, unable to keep from staring at the man who was taking up more and more of her thoughts. He wore his usual faded jeans and a T-shirt, but to her, he couldn’t look more perfect. Other women might like guys in suits, and she might have said the same thing at one time, but having met Eli, her new favorite look was a simple pair of jeans and a plain T-shirt.
“I fixed that light fixture that’s been flickering, Mom. It should be okay now.”
“Thanks, darling.”
Feeling a bump on her hand, Arianna looked down and saw Shadow standing next to her. Smiling, she ran her fingers through his silky fur, scratching behind his ears, since that was clearly what he wanted.
“Yep,” Eli said. “Definitely spoiled.”
Arianna lifted her head and smiled at Eli. When he smiled back at
her, she felt a flush of heat in her cheeks. “Of course, I’m going to spoil him. He’s such a good boy.”
“He is,” Nadine agreed. “I wouldn’t let him in the lodge otherwise.”
“Eli, I wonder if I could talk to you a minute about my car,” Arianna said when Nadine turned her attention back to Sarah.
“Sure. Just let me put this stuff away and wash up,” Eli said with a nod toward the kitchen.
Arianna followed him, settling on one of the stools at the island counter. She watched as Eli put the toolbox in a cupboard near the back door then washed his hands.
“Do you want anything to drink?” Eli asked as he went to the fridge and pulled it open. He glanced over at her expectantly.
“Some water, please.”
Eli pulled a large pitcher of water from the fridge and carried it to the counter. As he got two glasses from the cupboard, he said, “So what did you want to talk to me about?”
“I wanted to see about getting my car in for the bodywork and then maybe renting something, so I’ll still have wheels while I’m here.”
Eli slid one of the glasses across the counter to her then returned the pitcher to the fridge. “That sounds like a good idea. I’ll give Kieran a call this afternoon to get the number, then we’ll see how soon they can get your vehicle in.” He leaned over the counter, bracing his forearms on it, his glass between his hands. “You know it might be a week or two before they’re able to finish the work. Would you be able to stay that long?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Arianna hesitated, uncertain what he was saying. “Is it okay if I stay here that long?”
“Oh, it’s fine.” Eli flashed her a quick smile as he straightened. “I just thought you should know how long it might take in case you were making plans.”
Her team was still pressing her to return to LA, but she was resisting, and so far, they hadn’t come up with a valid reason that would absolutely require her to go back. And as far as she was concerned, it would stay that way for awhile longer.
A Love So Real: A Christian Romance (New Hope Falls Book 1) Page 18
