by Nancy Naigle
Matt discovered a slew of boxes labeled CHRISTMAS in the smaller bedroom. There were boxes upon boxes of outdoor lights. Elvis tiptoed back in, found a red ribbon, and ran back outside and lay down with his chin on it. For a puppy he had a lot of quirky habits already.
A box labeled HERMEY had a red “X” on the top and the word “HOLD” written on the side in red marker.
No way. If this was one of those elves, he’d just hit the jackpot.
Matt opened the box and carefully pulled out wads of newspaper. Whatever was inside … it was heavy. He lifted the taped paper bundle out of the box, then he flipped his knife open and cut the paper away.
“I’ll be darned.” It wasn’t actually Hermey the elf who wanted to be a dentist from Rudolph, but Matt could see the resemblance between the two. This elf was about two-feet tall, and someone had been working on him. There was a bag of screws and wires taped to the back of the doll with careful notes of what still needed to be done. This had probably been one of Liz’s grandfather’s projects before they packed up and left.
Mr. Westmoreland had the best Christmas decorations around. Better than some of the fancy setups Matt had seen in the city even. Mr. Westmoreland had bought them in a liquidation sale after they’d been on display in one of those big department store windows. Only a couple of them actually moved when they were on display here in Antler Creek, but according to the rumors they once had waved and hammered and even hung ornaments.
Matt looked for more boxes like this one. Like a man on a treasure hunt, he found four more in various boxes labeled with names. All of them had the same “X” and “HOLD” written on them. Matt could only assume it was because they were being worked on, since they were all in similar stages of disrepair. He couldn’t wait to tell Liz what he’d found. Having these as part of the Christmas lights would be epic.
Elvis barked and Joe Don called out Matt’s name.
Matt looked at his watch. He hadn’t realized so much time had passed. He noticed a couple of boxes toward the front with the lids off of them. That crazy dog had probably been doing a little more ribbon hunting.
Chapter Eighteen
Liz pulled into the driveway at Angel’s Rest at eight thirty the next morning. Pickup trucks lined the front of the house. She got out and the sound of power tools and demolition filled the usually peaceful surroundings.
The dumpster at the edge of the driveway was nearly full. It was hard to believe there’d been that much junk to get out of here before the real work got going, and they weren’t even done yet.
She walked up on the porch, nodding a quiet hello as a guy strolled past her carrying four studs on his shoulder.
Liz caught the door and held it open for him until the boards cleared, then followed behind him.
Country music came from the corner of the room as three men used nail guns to rebuild the wall that should have never been taken down to begin with. She could almost recognize the way things used to be now.
She walked in farther and stopped. The fireplace had been revealed and it was as beautiful as it had always been.
Yes, things were moving along even faster than she’d hoped. At least now the long list of tasks didn’t feel as daunting, with some of the former beauty revealed. She knocked on one of the wooden timbers. So far, there hadn’t been any huge surprises to disrupt the budget. In fact, the news had all been good.
Project status today was bright Christmas green.
“I thought I heard someone drive up,” Matt said. “What do you think?”
“I’m very happy.”
“Good.” Matt took her by the arm. “Come on. I want to introduce you to the guys.” Once they got within earshot he added, “After all, these guys will be your neighbors. This is Liz.” He then pointed to each of the guys. “These two giant guys are Bubba and Joe Don. They both were born and raised here in Antler Creek. Then there’s Billy, George Junior, and Glenn.”
“Hi. Thank you for being a part of the team. This is a very special place to me.” She did a doubletake at George Junior. “Are you one of George and Dottie’s sons?”
“Guilty.”
“Oh my gosh. I’m in your apartment.”
He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Mom and Dad didn’t even know I was back yet. A bunch of us are bunking down at Mill Hill. We’ll get your place ready soon enough.”
“Are you sure?”
“Definitely. Already talked to my parents about it. It’s cool.”
“Thank you.” She felt awful displacing him from his own home, though. She was pretty sure his mother would prefer he was under her roof, even if he’d rather hang out with his buddies.
Joe Don spoke up. “My parents know all about this place. They’re really glad you’re going to reopen Angel’s Rest again. A lot of people in town are.”
“I’m so glad to hear that.” She clapped her hands. “I don’t want to hold y’all up. Get back to work. I’m going to stay out of your way.”
Matt followed her toward the back door. “Want to see the cabin with the running water?”
“Already? Yes! I can’t wait!” She couldn’t contain herself. Did I actually just hop in place?
Matt had mowed a path to the back. It was much easier to get back there now.
“Watch out for the trench,” he said. “We’ve put up some flags, but you don’t want to step in that.”
What did he think she was? Careless? She maneuvered over the trench with a giant step and went inside the cabin. “This place looks so much bigger with all that stuff out of here.”
Matt flipped the light switches, and in the light it looked even better.
“Light! Thanks for bringing the lightbulbs. Wow.” She went over to the kitchenette and turned on the faucet at the original enameled cast-iron farmhouse sink. It was in great condition. A little worn in a couple of spots, but so charming. Thankfully, water pummeled the sink with good pressure.
“Tony installed a tankless water heater, so now you’ve gained a closet too.” Matt’s phone dinged. He checked the text, then tucked the phone back in his pocket. “So far only very minor tweaks to the budget based on what we’ve found.”
“Good news or bad news?” She bit her lip. She had no idea how much those tankless water heaters were, but they sounded expensive.
“Actually, right now the good and bad are a wash. No impact.”
“That’s great news. You had me worried there for a moment.” She put her handbag down on the counter, and took a tape measure out. “So I have everything in here that I need to spend the night as far as utilities, right?”
“You do. Water and electricity. There’s the fireplace for heat, or you could bring up an electric heater. I might have one at the house you could borrow.”
“I can pick up a couple. Never a bad investment to have a couple handy.”
“True.”
“I need to measure some things.” Liz stretched the tape and began measuring windows. Curtains might seem like a frivolous thing at this point, but if she was going to be staying up here while workers were coming and going they were a necessity.
“Need help?”
“Nope.” She penciled numbers onto her notepad. “I’ve got it. I’m going to take some measurements and then get down to some deep cleaning so I can start staying up here.”
Elvis came bounding into the cabin.
“Look who’s here!” She clapped her hands, and Elvis shoved his nose beneath them. “What do you have there, buddy.”
“He found that ribbon the other day when I was going through the other cabin. He even slept with it.”
“That’s so funny. I wonder if this was one of the bows my grandmother made and had stored away? She was known for her bows. Not that you could tell by that thing.”
“It looked better when he first found it.”
Elvis lay down and put his paw on top of the red, and probably once velvety, ribbon. He didn’t look like he was about to go anywhere. “He can keep me company
while I’m cleaning,” Liz said.
“Text me if he gets in the way.”
“He won’t.”
Matt turned to leave. “You know, until we get all the materials up and the trench filled in it’s kind of a safety hazard around here. I wouldn’t recommend coming up alone. I mean if something happens you want someone else around.”
The comment caught her on the wrong side of a good mood. “I can take care of myself.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. We’ll get this stuff cleaned up and the trenches filled in in the next couple of weeks. Or I could rearrange the schedule—”
“Absolutely not. You’ve got the priorities. I’ll be careful.”
He looked unconvinced.
“I promise,” she said, raising her hand to God.
She felt a little bad for the tone she’d used, but boy did she hate it when men treated her like she didn’t have good sense. She was pretty sure he hadn’t given his workers that speech. In all fairness, he had a good point, though. Especially since cell reception wasn’t that great up here, but it defeated the purpose if Matt was going to spend his time playing chaperone over her just because of a trench.
Matt left, but Elvis hung back until Liz went to get the bucket and box of cleaning supplies. He trotted alongside her with interest, even sticking his nose inside the open door of the Range Rover.
“I don’t know what you’re looking for. There’s nothing in there for you.” She leaned in and jotted “dog treats” on the page in her notebook. Wouldn’t hurt to have a stash of goodies for her new buddy. It was the neighborly thing to do, after all.
Elvis went back to the cabin with her, lying in the trench outside while she cleaned. She worked straight through, not bothering to even take a break to get something for lunch. She’d just finished cleaning the bedroom and bathroom and had walked back out to get a clean sponge when she spotted an angel figurine lying on the hearth.
She hadn’t noticed it there before.
Carefully picking it up, she turned it over in her hand and wiped the coating of dust from its little wings. Gram used to have a huge collection of angels. Some were small and collectible like this one. Others were fancy, with detailed gowns and soft feathery wings.
“I bet this was yours, Gram.” She held the tiny angel in her hand, and then set it up on the wooden mantel above the fireplace to watch over things.
* * *
BY THE END of the day Liz almost felt at home in the one-bedroom cabin. She had a list four pages long of things to purchase and projects to do. Most of which she could handle herself. If she had a bed and a lamp she could’ve stayed tonight.
“Hey, Liz,” Matt said with a quick double knock at the front door before walking in. “They’re calling for snow tonight.”
Elvis hopped to his feet and woofed.
“Does he like snow?” She pictured him more like the dog that carried the keg of brandy down the hill to help stranded skiers.
“It’s his first winter. He’s so big it’s easy to forget he’s just a puppy. I guess we’re getting ready to find out.”
“It’s my first winter here in a long time too, Elvis. We’ll figure it out together,” she said.
“I’m curious. What’s your favorite time of the year up here?”
“Summer I guess. I got to spend more time here then, but that was a long time ago.”
“I figured with the sand-dollar necklace you wear it would probably be summer.”
“I do like the fishing and hiking in the summer, but I’m really looking forward to Christmas.”
He leaned forward and touched her necklace, then lifted the pendant and looked at the back. “This is like a real sand dollar. See, if you turn it over, it kind of looks like a poinsettia.”
“Hmm. Really?” She unclasped the chain and looked at the pendant. “You’re right. I hadn’t even noticed.”
“There’s a legend about sand dollars. Part of it goes:
The Christmas Poinsettia
Etched on the other side
Reminds us of His birthday
Our joyous Christmas tide.”
She held the necklace in her hand, looking at him. “That’s really beautiful.”
“Yeah it is. I thought you’d like it. I’ll have to download the whole thing and send it to you.”
“I’d like that.” A quiet fell over her. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him. “Umm. So … is there anything else you need me to shop for while I’m out and about?”
“No. I don’t think so, but I’ll text you if anything comes up.”
“Yes. Do that. That would be good.” She pushed her hair behind her ear and rushed, gathering her things. “I’m going to let Dottie and George know that I’ll be back on Saturday to stay the weekend.”
He looked worried. “You don’t even have a bed. Or a refrigerator.”
“I’ve got that figured out. I’m going to pick out furniture from Flossie down at the antique store. She said she can have it delivered and set up in the cabin for me. She has some great pieces that I think I’ll be able to use long-term. I’ll set up for delivery of the mattress and box spring for Saturday. I already ordered the refrigerator and it’s supposed to be delivered Saturday too.”
“Then I guess we’re officially ahead of schedule on the cabin.”
“Yes we are.” She raised her hand and high-fived him. “Let’s keep it that way. Shall we?”
“Count on it.” He held the door for her to leave and he locked it before joining her out in front of the cabin. “I have a couple things for you.”
She grabbed her purse and followed him back to the house, where his truck was parked.
He went to the passenger side and pulled out a stack of paper. “Here are the plans for the kitchen with all the exact measurements. Same for the downstairs bathrooms. If you can pick out the cabinets and fixtures, and get all of that ordered, that would really help.”
“I can do that.”
“Do you still have the card I gave you?”
“In my planner.”
“Of course you do,” he said with a wink. “If you have any questions at all, just call me. Once we get the upstairs framed back out, I’ll have those bathroom measurements for you too.”
“Sounds good. I probably won’t be back here until Saturday, between the shopping and with all of this to work on.”
“Then, I guess I’ll see you Saturday,” he said.
“You don’t have to come just because I’m going to be here.”
“I know, but the weather is so iffy this time of year we want to work Saturdays when we can to stay on or ahead of schedule,” he explained. “We never work on Sunday. That’s just a rule of my own.”
She smiled gently. “I like that rule.” It was nice to know some people still held Sunday as a day of rest. She could get used to that.
Chapter Nineteen
The next day, Liz drove back to Charlotte to pack necessities. It was odd to see the FOR SALE sign in her front yard, and to have to use the lockbox to get in. A few real-estate-agent cards were on the counter. A good sign that the house was being shown.
She’d thought she’d just pack a suitcase or two and be done, but since the endgame was to be in Antler Creek forever, aside from her business attire it made sense to pack all of her winter clothes and take them with her. She also packed her coffeemaker, and then in an effort to declutter the kitchen she went ahead and took everything that was out on a counter. A plus for staging. She went through the house and collected all of her personal pictures and put most of them in a box in the back of her closet, taking only two of them with her. One of her with Pop and Gram at Angel’s Rest, and one of her with her parents last year at a vineyard.
By the time she was done packing, her vehicle was filled to the headliner. When she was ready to leave, she had to rely on the onboard cameras to see behind her.
She’d planned to try to stop by and visit Peggy and Dan, but it had taken her so long that she didn’t have t
ime.
Luckily traffic was light and she got back to Antler Creek before Flossie’s antique shop closed for the day. “Hi, Flossie,” Liz called out as she walked in.
“You’re back,” Flossie said. “I knew you’d be back. Are you here for the bedroom suite from Angel’s Rest?”
“Not this time, but I still want to see that one. Today, I need a queen bed and dressers to be delivered as soon as possible. I know it’s almost closing time. Do you mind?”
“Of course not. Come on. I’ve got some beautiful pieces.” Flossie led the way. Liz racewalked to keep up with the long-legged woman’s strides.
An hour later Liz had purchased a beautiful wrought-iron bed with an open scroll pattern along each side. With the log-and-chinking walls, the open design of the bed would really lighten the look in the room. She found a tall dresser, and two bedside tables that complemented the design of the bed too. It wasn’t what she’d had in mind when she went in, but as soon as she saw it she knew it was the answer. On her way out she found a large wooden chest she could use to store blankets in that could double as a coffee table, and a rocking chair. “I’ll take them too.”
Flossie added up all the purchases, and while Liz swiped her card, Flossie made a couple of calls to find someone to deliver Liz’s purchases.
“All set,” Flossie said. “The boys will meet you over at Angel’s Rest at eight tomorrow morning, and move everything in.”
“Great. The mattress and box spring will be delivered sometime between nine and one.” She grabbed Flossie’s hand. “This is so exciting. Tomorrow I can spend the night there.”
Flossie scribbled something on the back of one of her business cards. “You tuck my number in your purse. If you need anything at all, or you get scared, you call me.”
“That’s so sweet.” What did this little old lady think she was going to do? Chase bears away?
Liz stopped at the grocery store and picked up a bottle of wine and a bag of white cheddar popcorn to celebrate. Tonight she was going to kick her feet up and watch Hallmark movies until she fell asleep.