Divining Elise_Granite Lake Romance

by Jody A. Kessler

  “The lightning would have taken me out before hypothermia.”

  “I thought you were more optimistic than that,” he said.

  “Not today.” Elise rubbed a hand over her face and shuddered.

  “You should change out of those clothes and get dry. Do you need to borrow my flashlight so you can see?”

  “No thanks.” Elise slipped out of his embrace and picked up something off the couch. Her phone screen brightened and she returned to the bedroom.

  Rob shined his light around the apartment and saw the pile of towels on the floor beneath the window. Water streamed down the wall and the glass. He grimaced at the mess and wondered if his building had similar problems.

  She returned wearing dry clothes, but still looked tense, cold, and stressed.

  “I noticed the leak. Did that start tonight?”

  “It’s the reason I was on the roof.”

  “Anything I can do to help?” he asked.

  Elise looked at her feet. “No. I’m going to have to deal with the problem tomorrow.”

  “I don’t mind taking a look. I’m already here.”

  “Thanks for coming. I really appreciate it, but I don’t want to take advantage of your kindness any longer.”

  Rob turned from the windows. The sound of dismissal in her voice wouldn’t send him away quite that easily. “I’ll go up and take a look. Did you see anything that could help?”

  She sighed and walked toward the kitchen. Rob thought she was going to ask him to leave, but instead she opened a closet door and shined her phone light inside. “Take this up with you. If you can bend the drain spout to the side, the rain will stop running down the front windows.” Elise passed him a broom. “I couldn’t reach the spout with my screwdriver but this will probably work.”

  He took the offered broom and didn’t comment. She was actually letting him help.

  They returned to the bedroom window that doubled as an escape route. Rob climbed through in his long overcoat and dress shoes. Not exactly maintenance and repair work attire, but it’d do in a pinch. “Will you let me back inside when I’m finished?” he asked as she passed the broom to him through the window.

  “I make no promises,” she said, her face unreadable.

  Why did her cool tone tinged with hints of spiciness challenge him? He wanted to know more about her and why she threw up the facade of an uncaring and unconcerned woman when he was around. There was so much depth, emotion, and humor in those eyes, but she didn’t like him to see it. Why was that? he thought as he made his way across the roof. She perplexed him and he had thought about her more often in the last couple of weeks than any woman he’d ever met before.

  Lightning rippled across the sky to the northeast. Thunderclaps echoed through the night as he shined the light over the edge of the roof. He used the broom handle to pry the broken section of gutter pipe loose and bend it away from the building. Water drained away from the front of the bookstore and he hoped it made a difference.

  Rob tapped the window to be let back in.

  “I think we’re in business,” he said as rain dripped on the floor around his feet.

  “I was watching by the window. It’s much better. Thank you again. Twice, I suppose.”

  “And then some,” he said, referring to all the times he’d saved her pretty round ass.

  “I don’t need your help,” she said.

  For some reason he couldn’t stop himself from provoking her. Maybe because it was so easy, but he loved agitating her blood pressure. Her reactions couldn’t be predicted and he found it stimulating in the strangest ways.

  “Yes, you do. You said yourself that you could have died out there.”

  “Okay, well, I said thank you. Now I’ll say goodnight.”

  “I don’t think so. Pack a bag. You’re both coming with me.”

  “It’s time for you to go.” Elise placed a hand on his arm and pushed him toward the exit.

  “And you’re coming with me. You’re half frozen and have no electricity. I’m not leaving you and Colton here. You can stay at my house.”

  “You don’t have electricity, either,” she said.

  “You don’t know that. And I have a generator and a woodstove, so even if the power is out, I have electric and more importantly, heat.”

  Elise crossed her arms over her ample chest. Even though it was near black inside the bedroom, he knew she wore the haughty and stubborn look that warmed his insides.

  “I’m sure the power will be back on any minute. We’ll be fine. Thank you for your concern.”

  “Come on, Elise. You’re shivering. I have a guest room for you and Colton. And I promise I won’t even talk to you if that’s what you want. Grab a bag of overnight things and I’ll meet you out back with my truck.

  Rob walked out before she could continue arguing.

  To his surprise, she walked out the back door when he returned. He jumped out, grabbed their bags, and helped Colton into the backseat. As he buckled the boy in, she locked the store.

  “I have to pick up Allison on our way.”

  She didn’t answer and remained quiet for the rest of the drive.

  * * *

  “You have a beautiful house,” she said after they tucked Colton into the guest bed.

  “It’s all right,” he said, turning on the stove to boil water.

  “Why do you have electricity but no one in town does?” she asked as she ran her fingertips over the quartz countertop.

  “We’re outside of town. My neighborhood must run on a different grid. I’m glad we have power. You can get warm and stay that way.” Rob walked away from the stove to check on Allison. She slept in her car seat and he didn’t want to risk waking her by moving her to the crib. “Come with me,” he said to Elise.

  She hesitated, of course, but followed reluctantly. He stopped in the hallway and opened the linen closet. Rob passed her a couple of towels.

  “The guest room has a private bath. Go get warmed up with a shower. I’ll keep an ear out for Colton, but he’s pretty zonked out.”

  Her gaze dropped to the offered towels and she hesitated again. Rob placed them in her hands. He returned to the kitchen and to his sleeping baby. If she stayed on her regular schedule, she would need a bottle in the next hour or so. Elise wasn’t the only one who had gotten cold and wet in the storm. A hot drink would take care of the chill and let him experiment with a recipe he wanted to try. While the water came to a boil, he changed out of his wet clothes.

  Rob returned to the kitchen and added whole cloves, a cinnamon stick, and a dash of nutmeg to the hot water. As the spices steeped, he set the container of Allison’s baby formula and a clean bottle on the counter.

  It still felt strange calling her by Delaney’s surname, but he couldn’t commit to the name Michaela told him. On his drive back from the city, he decided he had mixed feelings about the name Maisie. It wasn’t a name he would have chosen.

  He ran a hand over his head and stared at his daughter’s indescribably precious face. She had basically fallen into his lap and now here he was, sleeping barely four or five hours a night, learning everything about infant care, settling into his new house and town, and building a business from scratch. Rob was tired. More tired than he thought humanly possible.

  He turned the stove back on to reheat the water, then added the specialty tea he’d picked up in a gourmet cooking store. He let the tea steep for another four minutes, then strained the drink into two large mugs and added a spoonful of wildflower honey. Rob wouldn’t add the shot of Kilkerran to Elise’s mug, but he put a healthy shot in his own. He stirred and sipped. The flavors sparked on his tongue and the whisky absorbed into his bloodstream.

  The 2011 Campbeltown single malt Scotch whisky was sweet, smooth, and had hints of clove and summer grass. He found a tumbler and poured another shot into the glass to savor on its own. The whisky was one he and his brothers wanted to offer to their customers at the brewery and he knew they’d chosen well. He t
ipped the glass to his lips and let the full experience move through him. Spices with honey hit first, then crisp apples with a little buttery note, and the warmth came last. The shot of whisky was excellent, but the hot toddy was the recipe of the night. He cut two thin slices of lemon and added them to the drinks. He tasted again and decided he’d found a winner. The spiced toddy with the gourmet tea and the Scotch would go on the list for his brothers to taste test and give their votes.

  Rob moved Allison, still asleep in the infant carrier, and his hot toddy to the living room. A subdued version of the interior of his home reflected back at him from the large picture windows that covered the front of his house. During the day, the lake view stretched from one end of the house to the other, including his master suite on the west side of the home. The house was built into the side of a hill overlooking the lake. The walkout basement also had plenty of floor-to-ceiling glass, which gave the feeling of almost living outdoors whether you were upstairs or down. The view and square footage were definite selling points when he decided to purchase.

  While he started a fire, Allison woke with her usual whimper and mewling sounds. He mixed up the baby bottle then settled onto the couch with Allison in his arms.

  Fifteen

  ELISE FOUND ROB AND the baby on the couch in his living room. She set the remote for Colton’s video monitor on a side table and plugged it into an outlet.

  “I know he’s a little old for the monitor, but it helps me feel better. Since he’s so visual and he doesn’t call out for me, I just like to be able to see him.”

  “I’m not judging anything you do for your son,” Rob said. “And I have a similar one for the baby.”

  Elise nodded as she glanced around before letting her gaze settle on the crackling fire. She felt worlds better after a shower. She’d let the hot water massage the tension out of her muscles and stayed beneath the spray until she was warm on the inside. Not wanting to wash her hair, she had piled it high on her head in a messy bun and left it there. Tending to stay up late at night, she wasn’t tired and thought it best to check in with Rob before tucking in next to Colton. Her joggers and T-shirt were dull and uninviting, and she hoped they would give off the message of not being available.

  But when she walked into the open living space and found Rob humming softly over the baby, her heart did something completely unexpected. Her heartstrings reached down and poked her in the ovaries. Her insides melted at the sight of him cradling the baby, feet propped up on the coffee table, and a fire glowing in the hearth. She swallowed hard and kept quiet. Nothing good could come from the feelings swimming around inside her chest and belly.

  “There’s a mug of tea by the stove. It should still be warm if you’d like it. It’s a new recipe and I’m looking for honest opinions,” he whispered so as not to disturb the baby.

  She took the opportunity to walk away before she gave into temptation and cuddled up on the sofa, thigh-to-thigh, next to the man and baby, and lost herself in domestic bliss.

  Elise sipped the tea, being careful, and found it just the right temperature. The cinnamon and honey made her think of sopapillas or fry bread, but there was also a hint of nutmeg. The combined flavors tantalized her taste buds.

  From the other side of the room, Rob kept his voice low, but loud enough to hear him say, “Not sure if you like whisky, but you should try a shot of the Kilkerran in the toddy.”

  She eyed the bottle of Scotch, then picked it up and sniffed. Her interest piqued and she went for it. Her heart had already squeezed and thrummed at the sight of him on the couch, so why not add some liquor to this messy equation? Maybe the alcohol would settle her nerves. And if she drank enough, she might even pass out before embarrassing herself.

  Elise tried the toddy and a moan of pleasure rose from her throat. Why did Rob’s drinks have that effect on her? So much for not embarrassing herself. The heat from her cheeks was from more than just the whisky.

  Rob rose from the couch. “Excuse me for a minute while I put her in the crib.”

  He walked along the front windows to the far end of the house and through a doorway. She savored the next sips of tea while she absorbed the elegance of the kitchen with its sprawling stone countertops and top of the line appliances. The house made her feel as if she were on a dream vacation. She was half tempted to open the fridge and see what she could whip up, but she refrained. This wasn’t her kitchen and she wasn’t on vacation. She wasn’t even entirely sure why she’d come. Maybe it was his suit. In her dreams about him before they officially met, he always wore a suit. Then seeing him come to her rescue wearing the same suit compounded with being wet, frozen, left in the dark, and Rob’s insistence had tricked her into packing an overnight bag. Or maybe it was the more simple reason that even when she looked like a drowned rat, he looked at her the same. No matter the reasons, she felt safe with Rob. As much as she wanted to deny those feelings, they had won against any argument of remaining in the cold dark apartment through the night.

  He returned before she’d even left the kitchen. It was such a beautiful space that she’d been content to stay there, enjoying the hot toddy.

  “You like it?” he asked.

  She cradled the mug between her palms and smiled. “It’s perfect. Goes down smooth. The honey and spices blend together like heaven in a cup.”

  “That’s the best compliment I could have received.” He leaned a hip against the counter and watched her.

  “It’s really good.” She closed her eyes as the cup touched her lip and took another drink. She would keep staring at him if she didn’t force herself to look away. He had changed out of the dress slacks, shirt, and tie and now wore flannel pajama bottoms and a white T-shirt that had a Black Bear Brewing logo on it but also accentuated just how much time he must spend working out.

  “Should I start a second round?”

  “Maybe,” she said. “You’re not trying to get me drunk, are you?”

  “Not at all. But I like the way you’re enjoying your drink, so I thought I would offer you another one.”

  “Go ahead if you want... I might take a refill.”

  “Are you hungry?” He moved to the counter by the sink and filled a pan with water.

  She was starved, but she didn’t say so.

  “Bodie and Shane tend to eat my food and they don’t replace it. I’m not sure what I have left.”

  “Your brothers live with you?”

  Rob turned on the gas burner beneath the pot of water and began pulling ingredients from a cabinet. “Bodie’s been staying here off and on. Shane is here when he’s not in the city.”

  “But neither of them are here tonight?” she asked.

  “Bodie texted me earlier. He’s out looking for a lost hiker with his Search and Rescue team. He said he wouldn’t be back because the base camp is about two hours from here. If or when they find the missing person, he’ll camp out or stay with friends rather than drive back tonight. Shane’s in San Francisco for a couple of days.”

  “Can I look in your fridge?” she asked.

  “Help yourself,” he said as he stirred the tea.

  “How about I cook us some eggs while you make the drinks?” she asked, finding eggs, cheese, and salsa in the refrigerator.

  “I wouldn’t object,” Rob said.

  Elise only needed help with finding the spatula and silverware, but otherwise, made herself at home in the large kitchen. The eggs were done at the same time as the hot toddies. She divided the food onto two plates. Rob had slipped pieces of whole grain toast into the toaster while she cooked. He buttered the toast and placed two slices on her plate.

  “Jam?” he asked.

  She nodded and he slid the jar of raspberry jam across the counter. They pulled up stools at the island and ate a late dinner.

  “I always like eating breakfast for dinner,” she said. “It’s fast and easy to throw together.”

  “This is so much better than a bowl of cereal for dinner. I was starving, so I’m gla
d you were hungry, too. I’d feel rude eating in front of you.”

  “I was really hungry. I didn’t want to say so and embarrass myself. I guess standing out in the cold and wet burns a lot of calories. By the way, I didn’t come over to eat your food and use your hot water.”

  “It’s okay if you did,” he said. “We’re new around here and making friends is all right. Isn’t it?”

  She nodded, but the uncertainties clamored around inside her mind. “I’ve never lived anywhere else except for Mesa. I’m making everything up as I go.”

  “Aren’t we all?”

  “Do I detect some new parenting frustrations in that question?” she asked and took her last bite of toast.

  “The learning curve over the last month has been rough.”

  “But you’re still here and the baby looks healthy. Does she have a name yet?”

  “I just found out my ex wanted to name her Maisie,” Rob said. “I don’t care for it.”

  Elise thought about the name then said it aloud to feel the words on her tongue. “Maisie Allison. It’s cute, and she’s adorable. I think it’s a good name.”

  “When you say it, it sounds a lot better.” His pale green eyes met hers and his mouth lifted in a small smile.

  Elise stared into her cup. His unintentional compliments and the way he looked at her made her lower belly tingle and tighten.

  “I still haven’t filled out the birth certificate with a name, so baby Allison has kind of stuck. I’m not usually so indecisive, but with everything going on, I just haven’t been able to narrow down her real name.”

  “You’ll figure it out.” Elise slid off the stool and took her and Rob’s dishes to the sink.

  “Leave those. I’ll clean up in the morning. Or when I’m up with Maisie Allison at 3 a.m. There, I said her name. Maybe Maisie will stick after all,” he said, then added, “3 a.m. is when she likes to be awake.”