Eli sighed and sat back in his chair, staring blankly across the room. “I also struggled to accept that God would allow my dad to walk away and then let all of that happen with Sheila. I was angry at my dad. Angry at Sheila. Angry at the people who thought I was guilty. But mostly, I was angry at God.”
Arianna could definitely see how that could be the case. “How long did you stay that way?”
“Almost a year. I couldn’t handle the judgment whenever I went into town, so I rarely left our land. I hid out at the lodge and helped Mom with the girls and with the running of the place, but along with the town, the church was a no-go. My mom let me quit school as long as I agreed to homeschooling so I would still graduate. I just cut myself off from everything, but Pastor Evans—the pastor at our church—came alongside me and was there when a lot of others weren’t. He listened to me vent. He was a safe place for me to break down. And he prayed for me.
“He and his wife were pillars of strength for us back then. My mom was trying to hold everything together, but it was hard for her. Pastor and Mrs. Evans stepped in and supported us when many wouldn’t. I felt guilty because I knew that people who would have been there to support my mom after my dad left were staying away because they believed I was guilty of murder.”
“But they didn’t even know if Sheila was dead, right?”
“They certainly didn’t let that small detail stop them from being my judge and jury.” Eli brushed away more chips of wood then bent over the wood again. He worked in silence for a few moments before saying, “It took me a long time, even after I’d come back to God, to let go of my anger toward those people. Even now, I tend to keep my distance from a few who still seem to believe that I’m guilty.”
“So even all these years later, they still have no leads or anything on where Sheila might be?” Arianna asked.
“No, they don’t.” Eli sighed as he sat back from the piece of wood. He set his tool on the wood then pulled off one of the gloves and pushed the glasses onto the top of his head. “A couple of years after she went missing, the case went cold with no new leads. Coral, Sheila’s mother, has been after the police to reopen the case. Kieran let me know just yesterday that they have agreed to give the case another look.”
Arianna could see the strain on Eli’s face, and her heart ached for him. “And that means you’ll be pulled into it again.”
He nodded as he sat there, his hands clasped loosely between his thighs. “Kieran has already said that they’ll be interviewing me soon.”
“Even though there have been no new leads?”
“Yep. That’s kind of why I wanted to share this with you.” Eli’s look was serious as he regarded her. “I like you a lot, and I want to spend more time with you, but you need to know what you’re getting into if that’s something you want too.”
“You want us to date?” Arianna asked, needing the clarification.
Eli hesitated a moment before he nodded, his gaze holding hers. “Yes. I’d like that, but I come with baggage now that could be something you don’t want to be associated with, especially since you’re just coming off a scandal.”
Arianna wished that she could just dismiss his concerns, but honestly, there was a good likelihood that if anyone connected him to her, they would dig up everything on him. There were whole channels on YouTube devoted to digging up dirt on other channels. If there was dirt to be found, the diggers would find it, and happily share it with all their viewers. When she’d started out, that hadn’t been a thing, but now there were plenty of drama and opinion channels that did their best to dissect everything content creators put out on YouTube or their social media accounts—especially the ones with bigger audiences.
So yes, there was a real risk of people finding out about Eli’s role in the investigation and portraying it as another scandal in her life. The thought turned her stomach, but not so much for herself. The reason this scandal with David had upset her so much was because it had reflected badly on her and the way she’d always tried to live her life.
This situation would be harder on Eli and his family than it would be on her. Just from his recounting of the story, she could tell how deeply it had hurt him the first time around. Last time, it had just been people in the town who had turned on him. If he was connected to her, people all around the country—and maybe even the world—would pass judgment on him.
Arianna sighed as her gaze met Eli’s. “I want us to be able to date, and I’m not worried about another scandal for myself.”
Eli’s head tilted to the side as he regarded her. “You’re not?”
“This thing with David…it became a bigger scandal than it might otherwise have been because I’d promised my viewers that I’d always be truthful with them on my channel. That any reviews I did would be honest. That they could trust me. I betrayed that trust by entering into an agreement that went against everything I had stood for.” Arianna hesitated, but Eli didn’t fill the silence, so she continued. “People connecting us would be a lot worse for you than for me.”
“Still, it wouldn’t be good for you to be connected to a suspect in a girl’s disappearance. Especially so soon after everything else you’ve gone through recently.”
Arianna uncrossed her legs and lowered them, slipping her hands under her thighs as she leaned forward. “The sad truth, Eli, is that something like this would probably gain me back any subscribers I’ve lost because of my scandal with David. They would be a different type of subscriber, however. Ones who would be using my channel to gain any information they might be able to get about you and the investigation. Curious people. So no, this wouldn’t hurt me the way you think it might.”
Eli reached up to run a hand through his hair, knocking his safety glasses off his head. With a sigh, he bent over to pick them up and put them back in place over his eyes. Tugging his gloves back on, he picked up his tools and leaned over the piece of wood once again.
“I have a feeling the media coverage this time around will be more intense.” He began to work again, his attention on the wood. “Coral hasn’t just been getting after the cops to re-open the investigation. Apparently she’s been contacting the media in hopes of getting a story on the national news.”
Arianna heard the frustration in his words, but his movements remained sure as he worked on the wood. She wanted to ask him about the tools he was using, and the type of wood he was working with, but their conversation was more important.
“Has she been successful with the media?”
“I haven’t heard anything about that yet, but with it being the ten-year anniversary, I could see news outlets being interested.” His movements stilled for a moment as he sighed. “And they’ll probably want to talk to me since I was her boyfriend at the time and one of the suspects. Chances are, people are going to hear about me whether it’s from being connected with you or through the media.”
Arianna waited to see his shoulders slump with dejection, but they didn’t. He was clearly frustrated with the situation and didn’t want to have to deal with it all over again, but she didn’t doubt that he could. That he would. He would bear that burden on his broad shoulders, and Arianna found herself wanting to be there for him like his family would be.
“If you’re willing to take the risk, I am as well,” Arianna said quietly.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Eli’s head jerked up at her words. Once again, he pushed the glasses to the top of his head, his gaze intent on her. “Why?”
Arianna stared back at him, uncertain how to respond. How did she put into words something she didn’t completely understand herself? She’d never believed in love at first sight—and still didn’t—but there had been something about Eli that had attracted her to him almost from the start. His quiet strength. His devotion to his family and to his faith. His modesty in the face of so much talent. His simple approach to life. Things she’d never imagined she’d find attractive in a man.
And yet she did. So very much.
“My
heart is telling me that you’re important.” Arianna shifted in her seat, still trying to find the words that would make him understand this wasn’t just a vacation fling. And it wasn’t a rebound thing either because she hadn’t felt anything for David like she did for Eli. “You’re a man like no other I’ve ever met, and that’s a wonderful thing. I want to spend more time with you. Get to know you more.”
It was hard to read Eli’s expression, but she had to believe that he at least felt something similar since he was the one who broached the idea of dating. She didn’t say anything, waiting for him to figure out what he needed to before responding to what she’d said.
Finally, a slow smile began to curve his lips, and the tension eased from his features. “I feel that way about you, too. You were like a ray of sunshine coming into our lives. We thought for sure you were some rich girl out slumming with us normal people. Yet you were willing to step in and help us out. And you even put up with Leah, and you did it with a smile.”
Arianna smiled at that. “Well, I didn’t know her yet. Liz always used to tell me that everyone had a story. Sometimes that story would make someone happy, and other times, it might make them unhappy. She told me to treat everyone with care, regardless of how they treated me. I’ve tried to live like that ever since.”
“It’s a good way to approach our interactions with people,” Eli said with a nod. “And I so appreciate you extending that care to Leah. Even people who have known her for her whole life and who knew about what happened with our dad haven’t been so kind.”
“I hope maybe she’ll let me be her friend one day,” Arianna said.
“Maybe in time.” Eli shrugged. “I make no promises, but if anyone were to fill that role for Leah, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was you.”
Arianna sat back in the chair, lifting her legs to cross them again, while Eli focused again on his work. They sat in silence for a few minutes before she began to ask the questions she’d wanted to when he’d first begun to work. After giving her a quick smile, he began to answer each of her questions, showing a lot of patience for her total lack of knowledge regarding woodworking.
When she ran out of questions, their conversation began to move in another direction. A more lighthearted one than they’d had previously. This one was about their favorite things. Favorite music. Favorite books. Favorite TV shows. Favorite movies. They agreed on some things but not on others.
She spent more time watching videos on YouTube than shows on TV. Eli didn’t watch much television, but when he did, he preferred non-fiction shows.
Eli also read, but not as much, and he preferred mysteries over any other kind of fiction, and he was all about the paperbacks. No ebooks for him.
For movies, they both enjoyed action-adventure though Arianna also enjoyed dramas.
“I think there’s a new action adventure coming out soon,” she said. “Maybe we could go see it.”
Eli looked up from his work and smiled. “I’d like that. Our first date?”
“Yes, our first official one. It kind of feels like we’ve been on a few already.”
“This is true,” Eli said with a laugh. “But we’ll call this one our first. We can do dinner then the movie.”
“Perfect.” Arianna felt a shot of excitement pass through her at the idea. Though she’d been out plenty of times with David, she’d never once been as excited about any of those times as she was at the prospect of a date with Eli.
Later that night, Arianna was in her room, sorting through the clothes she’d received in the order she’d picked up from her PO box earlier, when her phone rang. She picked it up from where it sat on the end table and flipped it over to see the display.
Arianna quickly tapped the screen to accept the call. “Hi, Mom.”
“Hello, Anna, darling. How are you?”
Arianna always found it amusing that they’d given her such a fanciful name—courtesy of her mom’s mom who also had had the name—but they never called her by it. To them, she’d always just been Anna. In fact, anyone close to her had always called her Anna. It had only been when she’d started her YouTube channel that she’d begun to go by Arianna—and for some reason, that’s what she’d always thought of herself as.
It was interesting that in the time she’d spent in New Hope Falls, she’d begun to feel less like Arianna and more like Anna. In LA, she’d lived as Arianna, and that’s how she thought of herself. That’s what her team called her. It was what David had called her. But here…here she was Anna. To everyone she’d introduced herself, it had been as Anna. Maybe it was time to begin thinking of herself as Anna once again.
“I’m doing good, Mom. I’ve been out of LA for a little bit. I needed a break.”
“Why didn’t you come to New York, my darling?” she asked. “You know your father and I would have enjoyed seeing you.”
“It was kind of spur of the moment, and I didn’t plan to be gone as long as I’ve ended up being away.” Arianna paused, then said. “How are you and Dad?”
She was glad that her mom was easily distracted. They’d never been very interested in her life in LA, so as long as she told them she was doing fine, they wouldn’t question her more on it. However, she knew that if she ever said she was struggling, they’d be on a plane to see her right away.
They talked for about half an hour, then said goodbye. Her mom had asked where she was but hadn’t asked for details of why she’d needed a break. Which was just as well. Arianna wasn’t sure her mom would understand what she’d done and what had happened as a result.
The next morning, she’d barely finished donning her painting clothes since they were going to be tackling the cabins once again when her phone rang. Releasing the handful of hair she’d been in the process of gathering on top of her head, she leaned over to see who was calling so early.
Seeing her assistant’s name on the screen, Arianna was half-tempted to ignore the call. However, part of making the distance between them less upsetting for her team was taking their calls when they came.
“Hey, Becs.” She put the call on speakerphone and set it on the counter in front of her. “What’s up?”
“Me, but just barely,” Rebecca said with a groan. “I’ve already heard from Steve this morning, asking me if I’d called you yet.”
“Called me about what?” Arianna reached for her brush and began to smooth her hair again before gathering it up into a ponytail.
“You need to come back to LA,” Rebecca said in a rush.
“I’ll be back eventually,” Arianna assured her. “I’m just not ready yet.”
“I’m afraid you don’t really have much choice, not if you want to keep your products in the At Home stores.”
Arianna lowered her arms, her hair falling all around her face as she stared at herself in the mirror. “What’s going on, Rebecca?”
“It’s just that the reps from At Home want to meet with you.”
“Is it because of the…situation with David?”
“Maybe? Probably?” Rebecca sighed audibly. “I can’t say for sure.”
“Okay.” Arianna rested her hands on the counter and dropped her head forward, staring at the phone. “When do they want to meet? I’ll come for the day.”
“Come for a week,” Rebecca said.
“Two days.”
“Five.”
Arianna shook her head and smiled in spite of herself. “Three. And that’s my final offer.”
“Okay, fine. Three days. Let me know where to book your ticket from, and I’ll take care of it.”
Normally, she let her assistant handle all the bookings, but she hesitated to do that this time. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Rebecca, but somehow, Arianna was sure, Steve would find a way to get her to spill where the flight originated.
“I’ll take care of it this time. Send me an email with the dates you need me there, and I’ll make the arrangements.” Arianna picked her phone up and went back into the bedroom. “Is everything else okay?”
>
“I don’t know,” Rebecca admitted. “Steve is still furious that you won’t come back to LA.”
“He needs to just calm down. I’m in contact on a daily basis. As much as I would be if I were in LA. It’s not like I saw him all that frequently when I was there.”
“I know, but I think he feels like he doesn’t have as much control when you’re not close by.”
Arianna scoffed. “He’s not in control even when we’re in the same office. I always have the last word.”
Though that wasn’t true of every YouTuber and their management team, she had chosen to run things like that, and given the size of her channel, she’d been able to have more clout when setting things up that way.
“True,” Rebecca said. “But he’s constantly ranting about how inconvenient it is that you’re not here.”
“I’m sorry if it’s making your job more difficult.”
“It’s not. I just tune him out. You’re my boss, not him.” She hesitated then said, “Have you been checking on social media? I mean, I know you aren’t posting, but have you been reading comments or anything?”
“No. I haven’t logged onto any of my accounts. I’m just not interested in what they’re saying right now. I assume you’re keeping up on it though.” Arianna dropped down on the bed. “Anything I should know about?”
“Things have settled down since you put out your video, although there is a ton of speculation about where you are. You might want to post a picture of yourself in your studio while you’re here, so they think you’re back in LA.”
“Unfortunately, I have some videos that I want to post that will make it clear that I’m not back at home.”
“Still, it can’t hurt to post something from your place. At least it will look like you’re home, even if it is just for a short time.”
A Love So Real: A Christian Romance (New Hope Falls Book 1) Page 22
