Page 48 of Blue Collar Babes

“Axel, go sit.” I always make Axel go sit on the deck when I chop, just in case any wood or debris goes flying. She doesn’t love it, but she usually listens, curling up on the deck and watching me from afar.

I don’t need too much wood today, considering the weather, but I like to have some extra chopped just in case. Especially with the rain coming in soon. I hate chopping up wet pieces of wood, or worse yet, standing in the fucking rain trying to cut it in half. I take a swig of water from my bottle and then go back to chopping. It is basically a mindless activity that I can do with little to no thought. Which I appreciate. I don’t have much else on my mind, except the blonde next door. Who comes out this far in nature and then asks about wifi? Ugh. I slap another piece in half and when it doesn’t break, I use my hands to break it in two. I mean not my bare hands, I am wearing a thick pair of gloves for this purpose, but still.

What is it with city girls coming to upstate New York and only wanting to Instagram the whole damn thing? It is like they don’t know what it means to be disconnected. Sure, I hadn’t always been as disconnected as I am now. I grew up as connected as they come with my parents in the city, but once I was old enough to know better, I moved into their cabin and made this land my own. They don’t even visit as much as they used to. Not caring to be away from their precious social media. I don’t get it. I can go forever without validation from strangers.

“Come on, Axel,” I call her over to me and she comes running. Her tongue hanging out of her mouth, knowing it is dinner time. Every day we do a similar routine and I love it that way. I know exactly what is coming and so does Axel.

I clean up the wood I’ve cut today and bring it to the pile on the side of the house. I didn’t need to do any extra chopping like I usually do. Town had called and said they had a surplus to sell and use thanks to how efficient I had been all summer. So it is just the basics for what I might need. It is easier to cut in this weather than it is once it starts to get cold.

“Here ya go.” I give Axel a bowl of dog food on the side porch and she comes running.

I grab a beer from the fridge and pop it open on the side of the counter. Taking a long swig, I let the cool liquid flow. Nothing is better than an ice cold IPA at the end of a long day. Well, maybe besides a good dip in the hot tub, but that is coming. I sit on the side of the porch, on the swing that rocks lightly, and look around the property.

But what catches my eye is Carrie. The new girl is walking around on her porch with just a bathing suit top on and is holding her phone in the air like she’s going to magically get some service. Her boss or whoever should have warned her more clearly about this being a sanctuary from the outside world. I shake my head, why the hell is getting a cell signal so important to her? I can’t imagine what is so important that she couldn’t bear to leave that life behind, even just for a few days.

“Come on, buddy,” I call to Axel who’s done eating already. She climbs next to me and lays at my feet. A ritual we do every night.

But for some reason, through the trees and the branches, I can’t keep my eyes off Carrie. She is addicting for some reason. Like part of a movie you can’t look away from. I just want to know more about her. What is up with that? I never care this much about who stays in the cabin. But here I am thinking about the beautiful woman and what she might look like if I had her tied to my bed.

THREE

CARRIE

I don’t know who thought it was a good idea to send me to the middle of the woods in the middle of a storm. But here I am, stuck inside my cabin for the second day after the rain started. Sure, I have gotten a lot of words written, and yeah my mind is finally off my ex and what she could be up to. But that doesn’t help me when all I want to do is use the hot tub outside and relax some of my nerves about this book away.

The book is good, it has a good plot and characters. But I don’tloveit. It is as if something is missing from it, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. I can continue writing the story as it is and hand it in to my editor, and honestly I’m sure she’ll love it, but it just is falling flat with me. I don’t feel the excitement I usually feel when I am writing a new manuscript.

Today, my words for the day are done which means I am hoping to enjoy all the amenities of the cabin, but instead everything is rained out. So I laid in bed for a while, looking at the rain, but when that started to get depressing, I took a shower and headed downstairs. I made a fire in the fireplace and cuddled up under some of the blankets I found in a basket by the couch. I would normally take a picture for Instagram about how cozy and cute I felt, but there was no point if I couldn’t post it. This is really going to mess with my branding of posting to my fans.

I’m enjoying the fireplace crackling so I turn the tv on above it and watch some random movie on Showtime. It’s starting to watch me when all of a sudden it flickers off, the lights jump and I curse to myself. Did I just lose power?! You have got to be fucking kidding me. I stand up, flipping the switch a few times, but nothing. I think about calling the owner, what is her name? Chris? But I don’t have any way to contact her except venturing out into the storm. Fuck. I knew I should’ve asked her for her number.

I head up to my room and immediately begin to start packing. There is no sense in me staying here with no power and no wifi. I don’t wish to live like I am in the olden times. So I pack up all my stuff, throw on an old sweatshirt I’m grateful I brought with me, and head to the front door. Making sure I put out the fire, I grab my phone off the couch and am hoping I can at least manage a phone call to the cab company.

“Whoa.” Chris is on the other side of the front door as I swing it open.

Before me she stands in a red raincoat, soaked through her clothes, with Axel sitting right next to her. Her hand raised as if she was about to knock.

“What are you doing here?”

“I saw the power went out and I thought you might need some help,” she explains.

“Oh.” I step aside to let them in, Axel shaking herself off on the rug before coming in. At least she isn’t making the place all muddy. Not that I should care, I’m not staying.

“Are you headed somewhere?” Chris asks, eyeing my suitcase.

“I was trying to get a cab to get the hell out of here honestly,” I admit.

“Good luck trying to get a cab during this kind of storm.” She scoffs.

“Fuck,” I grumble.

“It’s not ideal, but I was coming over to offer you to stay at my cabin. I have a generator that will back up most of the power there. This cabin is so infrequently used that it doesn’t have one,” she explains.

“Oh.” I pause.Is she inviting me to come stay with her?

“You don’t have to, but I think it’s a better option than waiting for your cab that will never come,” she says, smirking. I hate how much she is enjoying my misery in this.

“I’ll stay.”

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