14. Elodie
FOURTEEN
ELODIE
A giddy little thrill zipped through me as I watched Cal stomp back toward the Drifted Spirit.
That mangy little cat pranced at his side, and I couldn’t have stopped my grin if I tried.
Just last week that scrappy barn cat had popped up out of nowhere.
While I was finishing the last of the barn clean-out, she’d startled me with a flick of her fluffy tail and a low growl.
She was scared, and based on how beat-up she’d looked, the cat had been on her own for a long time.
After proving I wasn’t a threat, I bundled her up and headed to the vet.
The scratches up my forearms had been worth it.
She confirmed that the cat was about a year old, but had been through a lot in her young life.
The clip in her ear indicated she had been previously spayed as part of Michigan’s animal control program.
The vet assured me that she would be a perfect barn cat since she was so accustomed to life outdoors—all she needed was a little love and someone to care for her.
I knew just the person.
That sassy little cat wasn’t the only thing that was battle-worn and a little untrusting. All I needed to do was place her new food dish strategically close to the Drifted Spirit. I knew it was only a matter of time before she cozied up to Cal.
Besides, if he was really so heartless that he refused to see past her one-eyed glare, then he didn’t deserve her love anyway. I would be more than happy to care for that sweet little cat if he wouldn’t.
I watched with a triumphant grin as Cal walked side by side with the cat all the way back to the inn. I’d been right about Cal—he wasn’t nearly as cold and heartless as he pretended to be. There was a soft heart beneath all that bluster, and maybe that cat was one way to draw it out.
Cal needed a friend, and he had made it clear that he wasn’t interested in that friend being me .
Which was a shame, really, because if that kiss was any indication, being friends with Cal Blackwood had the potential to be very, very fun.
At first my pride had taken a hit when, after that soul-searing kiss in the barn, Cal had all but disappeared. That changed when I finally did run into him at the hardware store downtown and he looked like he’d seen a ghost.
There was comfort in knowing I had wriggled under his skin.
With an exhale, I spun in a slow circle, taking inventory of the transformations unfolding on the farm.
The pumpkin patch was thriving since the vines now had room to spread, a new stone-and-iron entryway would welcome families from all over to Star Harbor Farm, and the orchard was slowly taking shape.
I had talked to the man Stan used to tend to the orchard, offering him actual money to carefully trim back the trees.
The farm wouldn’t be ready to sell apples this season, but I was playing the long game.
When a large truck rolled by, I whistled and lifted my arm. The driver slowed to a stop and lowered his window. “Ma’am?”
“Morning. I need you and your crew to be mindful of blocking the road. We’re getting complaints and I don’t want to impact the inn. Can you take care of that or do I need to call the boss?” I asked with a tip of my eyebrow.
The driver let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. “Damn. You’re tougher than you look.”
I shot him a wink. “And don’t you forget it.”
The driver nodded and smiled back. “I’ll take care of that. We’ll be off the road in fifteen minutes.”
“Thank you!” Satisfied that I solved that particular problem, I made my way toward the barn.
The sun beat down on my shoulders, and I took in the rolling green hills in front of me.
I gave myself a mental pat on the back. This place was more than just a project.
It was proof that I could build something, that I could take broken, overgrown land and make it into something worth keeping.
In some ways the transformation was proof that Amy was wrong about me. I wasn’t some flake who couldn’t follow through. I was seeing this to the end.
At first it was pure exhaustion that kept me from overspending and relying on retail therapy, but lately it felt like something more.
Day by day, my lifestyle had been pared down to quiet mornings walking the farm, getting my hands dirty with whatever needed fixing, and rebuilding the neglected relationships with my family.
I breathed in the warm coastal air. Is this what satisfaction and belonging feel like?
I was proud not only of the strides I’d made in getting Star Harbor Farm ready for the public, but also for thinking about Callum Blackwood only 872 times per day.
By this time next week, I might get it down to 700. Maybe even 650, if I really put my mind to it. Progress was progress.
Besides, that number was down from the incalculable stream of thoughts since he pressed me against the wall of the barn and delivered the best kiss I’d ever had in my life .
A girl just didn’t forget something like that ... even if he did spend the next three weeks actively avoiding me.
My muscles burned as I made long strides across the farmland. The inside of the barn had been scrubbed clean, ready for the shelves that I had designed and ordered for excess pumpkins. A local company was hired to sand the exterior of the barn and give it a fresh coat of cherry red paint.
As I pulled open the door to the barn, my eyes found the exact spot where Cal had rocked my world. I couldn’t imagine a universe where I wouldn’t feel that unsettling whoosh in my stomach every time I stepped inside.
Even now, the scent of sawdust and sun-warmed wood filled my nose, tangling with the ghosts of memory. My skin prickled, my body remembering before my mind even had the chance to stop it.
The interior of the barn may have been mostly empty, but I could see the potential with effortless clarity.
I documented everything on social media—stylized images of the budding fruit trees, the barn transformation, and even the down-and-dirty messes of installing the new front gates.
As a result, the Star Harbor Farm social media account had steadily taken off.
I had even started including myself in the posts, sharing my progress with the followers, highlighting the steep learning curve of a city girl returning to her hometown roots.
Sure, I wasn’t proud of the fact I twisted an ankle or got muddy when I fell on my ass or had to ask the followers what certain barn equipment even was , but the positive response and outpouring of support was well worth it.
Recently I had even been fielding phone calls from local artists asking if there would be spaces available to rent in order to sell to our customers. I tucked that little nugget in the back of my mind, remembering to talk to Stan about even more expansion opportunities.
But first things first—my main goal was transforming the old farm into a premier family destination. Star Harbor Farm wasn’t going to be just any old farm. It would be a place where families came year after year, making new memories. It would be fun and nostalgic all at once.
If Cal had his way, nothing would change, but I knew that what the farm needed was fun .
A honk outside drew my attention, and I stepped from the shadows inside the barn into the afternoon sun. Stan drove a tow truck with Levi grinning in the front seat. My heart squeezed for the kid—he’d been smiling more days than not, and I knew I’d had a hand in that.
He’d been through so much in losing his mother, and somehow this farm had become a safe place for him too. Seeing him light up over something as simple as an old farm made me want to protect that spark at all costs.
“Ellie!” Levi shouted. “I had an idea!”
My hand shielded my eyes from the sun, and I could just make out an old vehicle being pulled behind the tow truck. It was black and rusted in spots, but it was the kind of farm truck from the 1950s that screamed nostalgia.
When Stan parked, he and Levi got out to greet me.
Stan clamped a hand on Levi’s shoulder. “This kid’s got a head full of ideas.” Stan’s eyes twinkled. “If only he got this excited about remembering to eat breakfast. ”
Levi huffed. “It’s not my fault the coffee you make is terrible.”
My brow creased. “You’re fourteen! Why are you drinking coffee?” I shook my head. Some battles were hard-won, and this conversation was going off the rails. “Okay, focus. So what’s the idea?”
Stan gestured toward the old truck. “He saw this pile of scrap metal behind my house and insisted we drag it up here.”
Levi walked toward the ancient truck. “Isn’t it awesome?
Stan says it doesn’t run and all the tires are flat, but I thought we could put it up here, near the barn.
People could take pictures near it or you could fill it with pumpkins or whatever.
” His brows were lifted, waiting for me to see his vision.
“Levi ...” I shook my head, pulling my lower lip between my teeth. “I don’t know what to say. This is—I mean, it’s ... perfect !” As my voice climbed higher alongside my excitement, Levi’s grin split wider. I grabbed his shoulders as I bounced up and down in front of him.
“Stan, can you drag it around this side?” I pointed to where the truck could be near the barn without blocking the roadway or any entrances.
Stan nodded, and we took a step back as he adjusted the tow truck to place our new centerpiece in the perfect spot.
It took some time to get it unhooked, but once it was in place, I framed it with my hands like a photographer.
I already knew the perfect way to style the truck for a new social media post—maybe I’d even get Levi to be in it, if he wanted to.
“This really is perfect.” I bumped my shoulder into Levi’s, emotion burning at the bridge of my nose. “Thanks, kid.”
His face turned eight shades of red, but he only ducked his head, kicking at the dirt with his boot and smiling. “Just figured it could make people happy.”
“It will, Levi.” My throat tightened. “ You do too.”
Stan hung out the driver’s-side door, standing above the tow truck.
“I swear I can’t see it the same way you do, but I’m glad it makes you two happy.
You’ve both got that same creative spirit as my Karen.
” Stan’s eyes went wistful for a moment before he thumped his hand on the roof of the truck.
“Better go see Phil at the junkyard.” Stan pointed to the four, sad flat tires on the antique truck.
“If she’s going to be photographed, might as well fix her up a bit, and Lord knows Phil’s got tire mountain over there. ”
My eyes went wide as a thought clicked into place. Tire Mountain. Tire. Freaking. Mountain.
“That’s it!” I bounced on my heels. “You know how I was saying there’s that big empty chunk of land over here?
” I spread my arms to the large hill to my left.
“Tire Mountain! Stacks of old semitruck tires that are built into the hillside. Kids can climb up and maybe even have a potato-sack slide down the side or something!” My mind was moving faster than I could talk.
My energy was bubbling. “Okay! I have to go draw this up before I forget it!”
I spun in a circle, my brain firing off faster than I could keep up. This was it. This was exactly the kind of thing that would make Star Harbor Farm different. Memorable. It was fun and nostalgic and a little bit ridiculous—just like the best childhood memories always were.
I pointed at Stan. “Talk to Phil. See what kind of deal you can make to take a butt-load of those tires off his hands!”
I ran back toward the barn as Stan laughed and shook his head. “You got it, boss.”