“Why don’t you just pull over in the parking lot, then you could enjoy your food too.”
Eli was more than happy to agree since he wasn’t too keen on driving in the dark while trying to scarf down a burger. He guided the truck into a spot near the exit of the nearly empty parking lot and stopped.
After praying for the food, they dived into the contents of the bag. As they ate, Eli answered her questions about what had been happening in the town and at the lodge as they prepared for the Fall Festival. He usually wasn’t one for long conversations, but Anna’s curiosity and questions made it easy to share everything that had happened while she’d been gone.
It wasn’t until they had finished their food and were on the road for the half-hour drive back to the lodge that Anna began to talk about her few days in LA. Though he didn’t understand much of what she talked about, he could hear the stress and the strain in her voice as she spoke.
“My time away from LA has revealed how much that place just isn’t where I’m comfortable anymore. I always considered myself a big city girl but being here has shown me that that might not be true anymore.”
“You want to move to a smaller town?” Eli asked, the seed of hope that had stagnated while she was away, suddenly growing, flourishing at her words.
“I do, but it would come with some changes that I’d have to accept. Like more travel, especially at the beginning. If I’m not living in LA or New York, I’d probably have to travel more frequently in order to uphold the commitments I’ve already made. It would take a couple of years to get to the point where I wouldn’t have to travel so much.”
Her comments reminded him of their conversation on the mountain. Eli considered that idea again, recalling how they’d felt when his dad would leave on his trips. For the most part, they’d accepted it and had happily welcomed him home when he returned. It wasn’t until he’d gone on one and not come home that they’d begun to wonder what exactly he’d been doing on all those trips.
If she decided to stay in New Hope and give what they had a chance, would he be able to trust her when she had to go on her trips? He wanted to say that he would, but his mom had trusted his dad for years before the final betrayal had come.
“The biggest stress of my time in LA was having to deal with my team who were resistant to pretty much everything I wanted. Not that I could really blame them. Nothing has gone right for them since I’d left LA.”
“Yeah, but they kind of forced you to do that, didn’t they?” Eli asked. “After all, it was the outcome of what they suggested that led to you having to leave LA, right?”
Anna sighed. “Yes, that’s true. Unfortunately, I’d always said I had the final say on everything, so I guess you could say that the buck stops with me for both the good and the bad decisions. Did they pressure me? Yes. But I could have said no, and they would have respected my decision—albeit reluctantly.”
“Did you see David while you were there?” Eli couldn’t help but ask.
“Sadly, yes. He somehow got wind that I was back in town and showed up outside my apartment with his camera, demanding I talk to him and his viewers.” Anna groaned. “I was lucky that my assistant was with me and got me into her car and away from him. He’s just another reason LA isn’t where I want to be anymore.”
“Is he the main reason you want to leave?”
Anna gave a huff of laughter. “You know, that was what sent me away from LA, but he’s not what’s keeping me from wanting to go back.”
Eli hoped that maybe he was part of that. “So have you made a decision yet?”
“Not yet. I need to think through everything and figure some things out. And of course, hash this through with my team some more.”
As they approached the turn off to the lodge, Eli said, “By the way, we have guests in residence now, just so you’re aware.”
“Are you still staying at the lodge too?”
“Yes. It turned out that someone canceled one of the cabins, so Mom moved another reservation over from the lodge to the cabin so I could stay here again.” Eli was glad that had worked out since the vandal remained at large.
He pulled his truck into an empty spot beside Anna’s rental. They quietly made their way into the lodge, and Eli helped her carry her suitcases up to her room.
“Thank you so much for picking me up, and for the food and…well, everything.” She gave him a smile as they stood in the doorway of her room. “I’m so glad to be back.”
“We’re glad you’re here,” Eli assured her. “Trust me. Mom and Sarah have mentioned several times that they couldn’t wait until you were back.”
“I’m sorry it took longer than I’d said it would.”
Eli smiled. “The important thing is that you’re here now.”
“Should I be downstairs at a certain time tomorrow morning?”
“Mom usually serves breakfast from seven until nine, then we’ll be going to the church to help with some of the things that need to be done in preparation for the festival.”
“Okay. I’ll be up in time to go with you. I’m eager to help where I can.” She tried to stifle a yawn, then gave him a sheepish look. “But first I’m going to need some sleep, and I’m sure you do as well.”
Eli couldn’t argue with her, so he said goodnight before heading downstairs to his room. He’d wanted to give her a hug, but he wasn’t sure if that was appropriate at that moment, even though he’d hugged her at the airport. She hadn’t said anything more about wanting to go on a date, so it was possible that when she spoke of moving to a small town, she didn’t necessarily mean New Hope. And it sounded like she wasn’t one hundred percent certain about the move, given what it would involve for her business.
It pained him to think about that, but it only strengthened his resolve to pray for her as she made her decision and to hope that it was, in fact, God’s will that she settle in New Hope. Maybe it was selfish to pray that way, but she was the first woman who had captured him so completely that he didn’t want her to leave without them having a chance to deepen the relationship they’d already begun to develop.
Hopefully she felt the same way.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
When her alarm went the next morning, Arianna turned it off then flipped onto her back and stared toward the window, happy that she felt rested from a good night’s sleep—even though it had been short—and she was ready to meet the day. She’d struggled to fall asleep that first night in LA as her thoughts had been centered on the meeting she’d had with her team. Unfortunately, the subsequent nights in LA hadn’t gone any better.
Sliding out of the bed, she walked over to look out the window, curious to see what sort of day they’d be working with. Not that what they started out with was a guarantee of how the whole day would go. It was kind of fun to have the day’s weather be a guessing game. For the moment, the sky was kind of overcast, but the clouds were a light gray, and there were patches of blue peeking through. Hopefully that meant that sunshine and not rain was on its way.
Since she hadn’t had the time or energy to unpack the night before, one suitcase lay open, but the other was still zipped up. Most everything in them was likely to be wrinkled, so she grabbed what would be the least wrinkled…a pair of fitted dark jeans and a light green sweater.
After a quick shower, Arianna put on some makeup then blow-dried her hair before pulling it back. It was nice not to have to worry too much about her appearance like she’d had to do in LA. Not that she could comfortably go without any makeup, but she found she liked being more casual in her look. It was how she dressed at her apartment when she didn’t think she’d be seeing anyone but Rebecca.
It was entirely possible that her focus on appearance was her own issue, helped along by her mom telling her to always present herself professionally when dealing with clients. For her, potential clients—AKA viewers—could be anyone she met throughout the course of her day. The worker at Sephora. The person stocking the shelves at Whole Foods or Target
. The young girl on the sidewalk in downtown LA.
In LA, people were much more likely to stop her, asking to have their picture taken with her. She’d like to think she had a few people who watched her in New Hope—even if it was just Julian and his sister—but no one had approached her. The first couple of days there she’d been on edge, wondering if someone would recognize her, yet hoping that they wouldn’t.
Now, however, she didn’t even think about her fame, and she certainly wasn’t consumed with making sure she looked professional. She just wanted to look presentable and be comfortable. The ‘appearance bar’ she’d set for herself had dropped considerably since coming to New Hope.
Downstairs, Arianna went into the kitchen to see how she could help with breakfast. She heard voices coming from the dining room, and for a moment, she found it odd. It was the first time she’d been at the lodge with people who weren’t part of the family.
When Nadine walked back into the kitchen, she greeted Arianna with a smile and a quick hug. “I’m so glad to see you again, hun.”
“I’m glad to see you again too,” Arianna told her. “What can I do to help?”
It was a testament to the way their relationship had changed from their first meeting until then, that Nadine didn’t argue that since she was a paying guest she didn’t have to help. Instead, she just asked her to cut up some more fruit. It made Anna feel lighter than she had since she’d left for LA.
In New Hope: What do you want me to do? Cut up fruit.
In LA: What do you want me to do? I’ve sent you an email with fifty-seven million things that need to be done. Immediately.
She rhythmically sliced strawberries, apples, and melons, listening as Nadine chatted with the guests in the dining room. There was laughter and the clink of dishes and cutlery that made it all seem so normal and homey. Her cutting action slowed as she realized that she could see herself being part of something like that on more than just a temporary basis.
Maybe if things didn’t work out for her to stay in New Hope, she could look into setting up a bed and breakfast of her own somewhere else. However, she hoped it really didn’t come to that because she didn’t want to leave. Not Nadine and the twins. Not the lodge. Not New Hope Falls. But most of all, she didn’t want to leave Eli.
“Good morning, Sunshine.”
Eli’s voice had her lifting her head. He smiled as he walked over to the counter where she stood. He was dressed in a pair of blue jeans with a green flannel shirt over a white T-shirt. She was beginning to think of it as his lumberjack look.
“Sunshine?”
“Well, you’re up as early as the sun, and your hair looks like sunshine.”
“Sometimes I’m a little surprised that you people up here in Washington State know what sunshine looks like.” Arianna gave him a cheeky smile before turning her attention back to the strawberries.
“Haha. Very funny. We get more than people think.” Eli reached out and plucked a strawberry from the container. “Where’s Mom?”
“She’s in the dining room with the guests.”
Eli moved around the counter and came to stand next to her, pulling the toaster toward him. “Want a bagel?”
“Cream cheese?”
“But of course,” Eli said. “We always have that on hand.”
“And raspberry jam?”
“You eat cream cheese and raspberry jam on your bagel?”
“Definitely. It’s delicious.”
“I’m usually more of a plain cream cheese and plain bagel kind of guy.”
Arianna dropped the knife onto the cutting board and pressed a hand to her heart. “Really? I’m shocked. I never would have guessed.”
Eli dropped his arm around her shoulders and leaned close. “I like to hear you joking around, even if it is at my expense.”
For a moment, Arianna allowed herself to relax into him. He smelled of a mix of fabric softener and male-scented body wash. It was a bit of an odd combination, yet it worked for him. Or maybe it worked for her. Either way, she wasn’t in a hurry to distance herself from him.
“Good morning, son,” Nadine said as she walked into the kitchen.
Eli shifted away from Arianna to kiss his mom on her cheek. “Morning, Mom. What can I do to help? I was just making us some breakfast, but I could do something else too.”
“We’re fine, darling. Go ahead and make the two of you breakfast. Leah should be up soon.”
As if her name drew her forth, Leah appeared a minute later. “Sorry, Mom. I had trouble falling asleep last night and hit my snooze a few times.”
“It’s okay, Leah-love. We’re managing just fine.” She gave Leah a quick hug and kiss. “You can make some more coffee, if you’re ready to jump into the morning routine.”
“Would you like a bagel, sis?” Eli asked as he put a toasted bagel on a plate.
“Yes. Thanks.” Leah walked to the coffee maker and quickly began to replace the filter and water. “Where’s Sare?”
“Haven’t seen her yet,” Eli said. “She was probably up late painting.”
“I think she does that just to get out of having to help with early breakfast.”
“Not gonna argue with you there,” Eli said with a laugh.
By the time Arianna had finished cutting up the fruit, Eli had a bagel and a cup of coffee waiting for her. After making sure she didn’t need to do anything else, she sat down at the counter and quickly spread some cream cheese on one side and some raspberry jam on the other before putting the sides together and cutting the bagel in half.
“Is that good?” Leah asked.
Arianna looked up to find Leah watching her. “Yep. It’s delicious. One of my favorite ways to eat a bagel.”
Leah wrinkled her nose. “I like mine with just butter.”
“That’s great news for me,” Arianna said as she picked up half her bagel. “Means one less person I have to share the cream cheese and raspberry jam with.”
“You’re weird,” Leah stated.
“Leeeyah.” Eli dragged out her name with a groan as he sat down next to Arianna at the counter.
Arianna chuckled as she laid her hand on his arm. “It’s okay. I take it as a compliment.”
“See,” Leah said. “Weird.”
From her vantage point, Arianna was sure that she could see a smile playing at the corners of Leah’s lips. For Arianna, a smile from Leah was like winning the lottery. She wasn’t sure why Leah’s acceptance of her was so important, but it was. If she hoped to make a home here and have a future with Eli, she wanted—needed—to connect with Leah as much as she had with the rest of the family.
As they finished their quick breakfast, more guests showed up, these ones from one of the cabins. They set out fresh baked goods and fruit as well as another carafe of coffee, and when more people appeared, they did the same thing again.
“Are all the vacancies filled already?” Arianna asked, a bit surprised at the number of people eating breakfast in the dining room.
Leah shook her head. “There is still one empty room here and one cabin. They’ll be filled today, though. Some of the people coming for breakfast actually come from other rental properties around us. Mom opened the breakfast up to some of the regulars we know from past years.”
“I was beginning to wonder if there was more space to this lodge than I’d seen already.”
Once nine o’clock hit, they began to clear everything away. By that time, Sarah had arrived. She gave Arianna an enthusiastic hug, saying how glad she was to see her again. With all of them pitching in, the clean up went quickly. Since they were only offering breakfast, there was no need to prepare for lunch or dinner.
“Are you two coming into town?” Nadine asked as she punched the button to start the dishwasher.
“Yep. We’ll be there,” Eli said. “I’m going to run Shadow up to my place in case any of the guests come back here. I don’t want him scaring anyone.” At the sound of his name, the dog trotted over to Eli. “Anna, I’ll be
back to pick you up in a few minutes.”
“Sounds good.”
While he was gone, Arianna returned to her room. She debated taking her camera because even though it sounded like the festival was something she’d normally enjoy vlogging, her camera would likely be too obvious. Any filming she did would just have to be on her phone. Thankfully, she had the best phone available for that.
She made sure she had a portable charging block in her purse along with a cord. The last thing she wanted was to have a dead battery and no way to charge it. By the time Eli returned, she was ready to go and quickly climbed into the truck when he pulled to a stop in front of the lodge.
Eli explained a little more about the schedule of the festival, and as they drove into town on Main Street, she could see the changes she hadn’t been able to see the night before.
“There’s an amusement park on the street.”
Eli chuckled. “Yes, there is. They’ve brought it in each of the last five or so years. That part of the festival will open around four.”
He turned on a street just before the blockades that indicated the street ahead was closed. After a few more turns, he pulled into the parking lot of the church they’d attended the previous week. Arianna recognized Nadine’s car among the several that were parked there.
Inside the church, they went down into the basement where a hustle and bustle was already underway. Tables covered with white cloths were lined up in the center of the room.
“What’s happening here?”
“There’s a harvest pie baking contest,” Eli said as they walked into the room.
“Harvest pie?”
“Yeah. Fruit pies. Things that can be harvested.”
“Oh. So no chocolate cream pies?”
Eli laughed. “Definitely no chocolate cream pies.”
“Do we all get to taste them?”
“Well, there is a pie-eating contest on Saturday afternoon. You could enter that.”
“I don’t want a whole pie,” Arianna said indignantly. “Just a piece or two…or three. Depending on how good the pie is.”
A Love So Real: A Christian Romance (New Hope Falls Book 1) Page 28
