Page 36 of Lucky in Love
“Sprained. Crutches for a few days, then a boot till I’m able to walk normally.”
“Good it’s not broken anyway.”
“Yeah.” She glanced around as if looking for an escape.
He was tempted to inquire how she was dealing with Jenny’s passing but couldn’t think of a tactful way to do it without sounding intrusive.
“So,” he said. “I was gonna come find you today…”
“What’s up?” She raised an eyebrow.
“I wanted to ask if I could stay a little longer.”
“How much longer?”
“Well, indefinitely.”
Alex’s brows shot up. “This have something to do with your New York trip?”
“You have to admit. It’s a real pretty place to have a midlife crisis.”
She huffed out a laugh. “Yes. Very pretty indeed.”
“I’m thinking of writing a book, and there’s a strong Henry David Thoreau vibe goin’ on here.”
“Funny you mention writing. Unless they cancel, a romance writers’ group is coming for a retreat this weekend. Maybe they’d let you join.”
“You’re hilarious,” he said as she laughed at her own suggestion. “Is there room for me or not?”
She shrugged. “Yeah. I had cabin twelve off the books until the spring anyway.”
“Great.”
“One thing.” She held up a finger. “I scheduled a new roof for it on Thursday. I thought you’d be gone. They said it would only take a few hours.”
“That’s fine. I’ll work around it.”
“Also, there might be a little noise while they finish up at the rec cabin this week. Sorry in advance for that.”
“No worries,” he said, then nodded to her ankle. “Let me know if you need help with anything. I really do have a lot of time on my hands.”
“I have Lauren and my friends, but thanks. And thanks for feeding Daisy. Later.” She hobbled away.
Back at his cabin, he finished his coffee and opened his laptop to get some work done. He used his phone to open a hotspot. Technically, it was cheating, but he had to get online to do his job. He was still on the company dime and had an article to write.
The program he used was a collaborative thing. Any employee with the password could access his work-in-progress. It was how he communicated with his editorial team.
When Brody logged in, he saw his editor had commented a “LOL” on the entry regarding his arrival and check-in—Alex hadn’t fared so well there. And added a laughing face emoji at the police coming to his cabin.
He wrote a few preliminary paragraphs detailing the woodsy atmosphere and quaintness of the town, then uploaded photos of his hike to the falls.
Today, he’d finish exploring Whispering Pines—take a walk around the lake and check out the progress on the rec cabin. Tomorrow, he’d explore downtown and go back to the state park to round out the “things to do” section. If he finished all that, he could have a rough draft done by Thursday. Polish it up, and wash his hands of it by Friday.
He scarfed down a sandwich, grabbed his camera, and headed out. It took about an hour to walk around the lake, mostly because he paused every few minutes to snap a picture.
On his way back, he stopped by the rec cabin. The holes in the kitchen had been filled with a refrigerator and a stove. Several pieces of furniture huddled in the middle of the room, still in their original packaging. The odor of wood stain assaulted him as a worker put the finishing touches on the freshly built bookshelves and cabinets that lined one wall.
It was taking shape, and Brody could see the potential. The fireplace looked especially inviting. He envisioned the wingback chairs flanking the hearth, a fire blazing. The perfect spot to read a good book on a cold night. He would paint that cozy scene for his review.
