by Jeulia Hesse
He would not press her.
“I’m so sorry about work. It’s going to be all right,” he said adamantly. “There is no need for you to waste your time on anything or anyone that does not appreciate all that you have to give.”
She chuckled into his chest. “Especially you?”
He laughed. “Babe, I am ready to be with you wherever and whenever you are. Just as long as I have you in my life, all will be well.”
“Even if we are starving and homeless somewhere?” she laughed. “Speaking of which, I’m starving. Let me get cleaned up from my jobless meltdown so we can celebrate.”
She gave him a few take out menus to order from and went to the master bedroom.
After ordering food and finding it would be delivered in about 45 minutes, he realized how hungry he was. Finding his way through the bedroom to the master bath, he took in his surroundings. The lack of decoration and personal touches in the apartment continued into her bedroom. There was one picture on the nightstand. He noted quickly that it was likely a photo of her mother. Nothing else indicated any personal mementos. It was like a hotel room, except for the full closet of clothes.
He noted the scattered clothing on the floor and imagined she had rapidly shed her work clothes after the day she had had. She was now naked in the bath, just steps beyond him.
He knocked lightly, in order to not startle her, and entered the bath. It was an expansive room with marble fixtures and a gleaming marble tile floor. The whole vibe was very feminine. She had her hair tucked up into a loose bun and was relaxing in the tub with her eyes half closed. She looked beautiful – like a mermaid resting in the surf.
He knelt at her side and gently reached out to massage her shoulders. Using a washcloth, he moved the hot water over her neck and back. She kept her eyes closed while murmuring her pleasure. His body responded.
“Food is on its way,” he whispered to distract himself.
“Mmm,” was her response, making his self-control a shade more difficult.
“Feeling any better?” he asked, taking a seat on the edge of the tub.
She reached a wet arm out to touch his leg. “I still can’t believe that you are here or that you came.”
She had gone from feeling horrible to joyous, and was now wallowing in the middle, not able to experience either fully. It was clear that she was weighed with worry.
“I want us to have a wonderful life,” she started, taking his hand. “I am so happy that you came.”
Tears coursed down her face as she looked up at him. He reached out and gently wiped them from her face. “We will have a magnificent life,” he said. “Wherever you want that to be.”
She pulled away from him and looked down into her bath, moving the bubbles around absently. “The inn is the only opportunity for me now. Gina really feels strongly that it would work, and she is willing to become a partner with me.”
“That’s great news!” Kevin bolstered the conversation. “Do you have enough funding to make the changes you were thinking of?”
“I don’t fully know. The money those developers were throwing around was pretty nice.” She joked, splashing him teasingly with the bathwater.
He laughed, boosted that they were falling back into their easy camaraderie, it was nice to see her to kid with him. “That so?” he said as they laughed together.
“I guess I can ask Victor to invest as well,” she started, “but honestly I would rather not. I want this to be my own project. I want to do it independent of Daddy’s money.”
“I am sure he doesn’t see it that way,” he answered.
Kevin always liked Victor. He was a reserved Brit, but it had been apparent that he loved Christina immensely. He had a lot of class and style as well. All things that endeared him to Kevin. “I can check into the conservatory. That was an option Claire had mentioned.”
She slid back down under the water. The bubbles barely covered her skin. He noticed.
“What was that?” she asked.
“I’ve known them to buy big tracts of land. They keep it undeveloped, and you can still use the property for recreation and such. I actually sort of know... someone that used to work for them. I think she may be in their New York offices actually. I can look her up if you want to go that route, or you can contact them directly.”
She looked at him with interest. He could tell she wasn’t just focused on the fact that the conservancy would be an option for land purchase, but that he was referring to a “she” that he used to know.
“She?”
He cleared his throat. “Just an old friend from college. It’s just a thought. It may be a quicker introduction that way,” he explained.
At his words, she rose from the bath, naked in front of him. His mouth went dry, taking in her form.
“Can you hand me that towel over there?” she asked sweetly.
Speechless, he retrieved the towel and gently wrapped her in its softness, helping her out of the tub as if she were a child. Clearly, she was not – he was all too aroused by her nakedness. She stepped away from him.
“Actually, if you don’t mind, that may be a great idea,” she replied to him, walking into the bedroom, and pulling the bath towel around her figure. “We may as well seek out other alternatives to raising some cash for the renovations. It can’t hurt to have a backup plan.”
At her words, he knew she was finding her footing. Her tone was business-like and strong; she sounded more like herself when she was thinking about business. He made a mental note to make that call in the morning. He was sure he had his friend’s contact information in his phone.
All thought melted away as she dropped the towel to the floor, facing him. “How much time did you say we have before the food arrives?”
His heart leapt as he embraced her damp, dewy skin. “Plenty of time,” he growled, passionately kissing her neck.
Chapter 23
She woke to the sounds of the birds outside rejoicing in the new day. The birdsong danced in her heart, reflecting her emotions. She lay with Kevin’s arms around her, as he gently snored behind her in the king bed that barely fit in the bedroom of his cabin. The early morning sun shone off the pond just outside, creating a dappled pattern reflected on the walls.
It was heaven to lay here in the morning, snuggled with her love. Life had certainly taken a turn in the past weeks with the full-fledged blossoming of their relationship amidst the loss of her job. It still hurt after all that work and dedication. She had a feeling she would be bitter about it for a long time to come.
It was a turning point, however, and the push that had moved her in this direction. She knew she could use her business acumen for her own benefit. Kevin pulled his arms more tightly around her. She knew now that he would follow her wherever their lives ended up, and she rejoiced that they had found each other again. Or rather, that she had found him, as he had patiently waited for her return.
Gina would be arriving later today. She had quit her job at the hotel in the city on the same day that Christina resigned. They were taking a few days together to seriously discuss Gina’s proposal for the inn and the dining options. Christina was still developing the full plan and they were moving forward. The old guilt remained, however. Granted, it was diminishing as time went on, but Annie’s disappearance was present in every corner for her.
Kevin had contacted his old friend at the Nature Conservancy. It turned out that they had repeatedly approached Ada and later Jeremy with an offer to purchase land around the inn, but neither had ever shown an interest. They had been thrilled at renewing the prospect with Christina and the financial terms were solid. There would be enough money and more to complete the renovations they had planned, in addition to some start-up funds. Gina’s partnership would add to the already stable potential of the property. Christina would not have to depend on Victor for financial support.
All she needed to do was to say yes and to get over the hump of guilt that still assuaged her by being back in Vermont.
Maude had been recovering well and was going to spend a few weeks at rehab to get back on her feet. Her hospitalization had left her weak. Jim was spending a lot of time there with her. The matter of the insulin vial weighed on Christina. She had not taken any further steps to investigate the matter further, with the exception of a few Google searches. If it had been a medication error, they would have legal recourse for Ada’s death, something she was unsure of pursuing. Maude’s rights were less clear, as the medicine was not prescribed to her.
It could have been something more sinister, like an intentional mix up of insulin that killed Ada. Who would have done it and what would have been their motive? Christina and Kevin were the only people that were aware of the mis-labeled vial. Kevin had not mentioned it again. Christina pushed the idea from her mind. There were so many other things to be concerned with, so she was likely reading into the situation. She would mention it to her attorney when she next spoke to him. He was a trustworthy individual and she felt confident he would offer sage advice.
She and Jeff were continuing to discuss options for having horses on site, and the amenities they offered. He had convinced her to let him use the barn and stables for a bit, just while he looked for land of his own. Right now, he had moved a few animals into the barns. It was nice to hear them moving about in the daytime. It felt like old times when Ada had kept chickens and a few other animals.
Jeff was thankful, as he had horses stabled in various barns across the area, and it was a challenge for him to manage all of them. He would be able to keep most of his horses in the stables at the inn, but he had wanted to house more so he could get into breeding racehorses. That was the reason why he was looking for a place of his own.
Jeff had also talked Christina into hiring Layla to work in Maude’s place for the housekeeping and minor cooking – just while they got themselves through this period. She had recovered from her injury for the most part and was quiet and efficient in her duties. Layla was perhaps too quiet, Christina thought. She tended to look just beyond her when she addressed her. It was a little disconcerting.
Christina had spoken to Victor a few times in the past weeks. He was happy that she was business planning for the inn seriously. He had been pleased for her to learn that she and Kevin had rekindled their relationship; he would often tell her how he had found love and happiness later in life. He had lost her mother after just a few years of marriage, so he was always one to encourage her to take the reins to be happy.
Victor had remained closemouthed about what they had found earlier with the accounts and reassured her that she did not have to worry about them as the attorney had everything in hand. It was still a mystery, and she had had a call with her attorney and a bank examiner about it. Of course, it had revealed nothing to her about what they were looking for. She put it largely out of mind.
Jeremy had not been around lately, or if he had been, she hadn’t run into him. He had been a fixture for so long with her aunt that she had decided to not press the issue. She was no longer working with him and had effectively cut ties. She knew that he was not happy with her decision to go with the Nature Conservancy offer to purchase acreage, and she wondered what kind of business relationship he had had with the developers. He had been so eager for her to move forward with that deal.
Kevin moved behind her. His skin was warm against hers, and any further worries or concerns of the day were pushed aside as she turned in his arms to kiss him.
Chapter 24
“Hey.... What were you doing way up here?” Christina asked as Gina came down the path into the upper lawns. “I thought you were still locked in the office.”
Gina sat down in the deep wooden Adirondack chair. Christina observed her friend’s red stained fingers and the dirt on her knees. “Where in the world have you been?” she asked again.
Gina grinned. “I have found a patch of strawberries!” she exclaimed. “Jim had said I could have free reign if I found them. The patch is a little hard to get to. It’s through the woods, off the trail, and kind of angled on the hillside.”
Christina nodded. “Oh right,” she remembered. “We used to call it the secret garden. But we never really spent a lot of time in there. It used to be that bears spent more time there than people.”
She laughed out loud as the look on her friend’s face changed from delight to horror. “You’re kidding!” Gina said, smacking her friend in the arm. “Just for that, there will be no strawberry shortcake for you!” She uncovered the bundle she had been carrying, revealing a full basket of glistening red berries. “Aren’t they beautiful?”
“Wow, they look great! Nice and juicy,” Christina replied, reaching into the basket for a berry. She managed to grab a few before Gina rose from her chair, pulling the basket with her.
“Enough!” she shouted, pulling the basket out of Christina’s reach. “I want to use them for dessert tonight.”
Observing the size of the basket her friend was carrying, Christina said, “That looks like enough to feed the French Army. Are we having company?”
Her friend laughed out loud. “Just the usual suspects are coming, including Shawn. We saw him this morning when we went into town.”
Christina shook her head, guessing she needed to pay more attention to Gina’s interest in Shawn. She was spending most of her time worrying about how she would keep all the people who worked and lived at the inn employed. She was growing weary of her own drama.
She watched her friend walk down the gently sloping lawn to the big house. “Wait,” she asked, “who did you go to town with?”
“Never you mind!” Gina replied, as she opened the door to the kitchen and disappeared.
Christina chuckled to herself. Gina seemed in a light mood, and she deserved it. She settled back into her chair and resumed her contemplation.
Set deep in everyone’s soul is the compass of home. Home is not always the place where you think you will end up nor is it always the home where you started out as someone’s child. Home is sometimes where you end up when you were waiting for the place you thought you’d live.
In the times when she had distanced herself from the memories and guilt of this place, Christina had dared to dream of a home where there was love and laughter with friends, a soul mate, and children playing. When she was young, that was everything that she longed for, ever since she had tasted it with Annie’s family. All she had wanted was house full of noise and people, a great expanse of lawn, fields, and woods to run and explore. There were animals to play with, and flowers and vegetables to tend and pick. Hours of chores, cyclical with the seasons and with rewards of beauty and harvested crops to eat and sell.
Christina looked out over the big house, through the gorgeous beds of flowers in bloom, and over the expanse of lawn reaching the fields and woods beyond. She looked at the roof of the barn and imagined the orchards beyond that were just out of sight. Her mind reached further than her eyes to the expanse of acres spread over the side of the mountain with their beautiful views, dark thick forests, open fields, rocks, streams, and ponds. Its expansive size no longer felt like a burden, but rather, was starting to feel like an asset. It was starting to feel like her own.
Christina’s thoughts lightened as the clouds that had covered most of the sky today parted to show the late afternoon sun. She turned her face upward to capture the rays on her skin. Its warmth spread throughout her body and gave her relief from the coolness of the late spring day. She smiled to herself. In her mind’s eye, she could see herself living here, having a family here and living out her days. Deeply she realized, it was what she had wanted all along. The ghosts were still around, the guilt faded but over time she knew the good memories would take their place.
It was her home after all.
Chapter 25
“I really want to thank you for gettin’ new game cameras,” Jim said, approaching the porch where Christina was enjoying her morning coffee – or rather, her late morning coffee. Last night ended ea
rly this morning, with misty recollections of beard stubble rubbing roughly on her cheeks, chafing her skin, her breasts, and her thighs. In just a few minutes, she was lost in thoughts from the previous night.
Jim’s cough startled her, and she reclaimed her awareness of the conversation as she sloshed her coffee on the newly painted boards. Jim was reporting some trouble with the new cameras. “You see,” he said, leaning intently toward her from his stance on the porch steps, “every time that I think they have captured something, there is nothing in the picture. The camera just took a picture of the leaves or the ground.”
He settled himself on the steps, notably wincing as he leaned back onto the porch column. His arthritis made him slower, certainly, but his blue eyes were bright with the topic of the conversation. “I really hoped we would catch a glimpse of some kind of creature,” he said, shaking his head, “at least a tail. Or a back. Or a blurry photo to show us our beast that keeps messing with my gardens.”
Christina settled back in her chair, sipping on the cooling coffee. “Gosh Jim,” she said, “I am so sorry. I was sure we would capture something by now.”
“Did the Sheriff tell you to get these contraptions?” he asked.
Christina nodded; Shawn had mentioned this type of camera to her when the others were damaged. Chagrinned, she recalled ordering them. Her lack of knowledge of the technology of game cameras was not offset by her purchase of the camera with the most elite features. Admittedly, the decision had been fueled by a bit of guilt from Maude’s incident. What she bought was over the top with capabilities and included the full ability to reset and reposition the field of view remotely from a computer. The camera would also automatically text or email any motion detected photos, so there was no need to go out and retrieve them from the woods. Everything could be handled from the comforts of home. Much of the technological aspects were lost on Jim as he had limited access to email and therefore, some of the features were beyond his technological talents. Christina had figured that her technological ability combined with his skills in identifying the animals would get them far in locating this ‘creature’ as Jim referred to it.
