Chapter 4 #3
“Oh my goodness,” she whispered, her hands covering her mouth. Maisie felt herself tremble because…this was it. This was the answer to a prayer. The miracle she needed. Relief washed over her in waves, and before she knew it, she was on her feet and tears were streaming down her cheeks.
And then she was in Axel’s arms, openly sobbing.
Later she knew she’d be mortified, but right now, it was like all the tension and anxiety she’d been carrying around could finally be released.
He didn’t say a word, didn’t try to ask her what was wrong or if she was okay. It was like he knew this was what she needed.
This man…
Time simply melted away. She had no idea how long they stood like that.
All she knew was that little by little, she felt herself relaxing.
And when she could finally pull away, she did so reluctantly.
Ducking her head, she quickly wiped her face before looking up at him, and the look of pure tenderness on his face almost made her cry again.
But she didn’t.
“Sorry. Obviously, I’m very relieved. This is…it’s…” She sighed. “For the first time in weeks, I feel like I can breathe.”
His expression never changed. “I don’t know why you’re so surprised. I told you last night and again this morning…”
“I know. I know,” she interrupted. “But that was before you had confirmation from the rest of the owners. Now it’s real, and I am ready to get to work!
” She wanted to hug him again but resisted.
“Okay, so…let’s clean up the breakfast mess and clean up the rest of the stuff in here so we can move all the food over to your cabin and I can get on my way. ”
Together they cleared away the dishes and washed them, but when they moved back out to the common area, Axel stopped her before she could pick up the sheets and blankets she’d used last night.
“You don’t have to do all that,” he told her. “I’d feel better if you left before the rain started again. It would ease my mind a lot knowing you got home safely.”
“I appreciate that, but there’s no way I’m going to leave this mess. I helped make it, so it’s only fair that I help clean it up.”
But he was already shaking his head. “Please go and get dressed and then pack up your presentation stuff. By the time you’re done, I’ll have this all under control. Although it’s probably going to stay here because I can’t do any laundry until all the power’s restored, so…”
“Oh. Right.”
“It’s okay. Really. Go and do your thing, and I’ll do mine, and we’ll meet up in the kitchen when you’re ready.” And without another word, he turned and walked away.
With a soft sigh, she got to work. Her clothes were dry, and she went into the room she’d used yesterday and got dressed. She balled the robe and dress up and placed them in one of the discarded plastic bags. Axel probably didn’t want them back, but she’d at least offer.
Unfortunately, her shoes were ruined. She scraped as much of the mud off as she could, and they were her only option to wear, but she was going to wait until they were walking out the door to put them on.
Out in the common area, she packed up her laptop and models and boards and put them in her suitcase and duffel bag. And then with one last look around, she gathered everything up and went to the kitchen.
Axel had a few boxes on the table and was currently pulling things from the freezer and putting them into a cooler bag.
When he turned and saw her, he smiled. “I found this bag in the pantry. I’ll have to remember to thank Connor when he gets back.
I think I've got everything now. Luckily, there wasn’t a lot here, so it will be easy to move over to the cabins. ”
Maisie looked at all of it plus her stuff and knew it would take a couple of trips. Then she looked down at her shoes and wanted to groan. Still…it was only right that she help him after all he did for her.
“So, uh…when do you want me to start?” she asked.
“With this stuff? I’m ready if you are.”
She laughed softly. “No. I meant with the decorating. When would you like me to start?”
“You are more than welcome to start on Monday. If you want to come back and start laying out what you need to order and all that. Although, Walker’s the one who’s handling all the expenses and he won’t be back until next weekend.
But I’m sure he can still get money to you so you can get started.
No biggie. I’ll call him later and let him know.
I know you had all the expenses listed in your presentation, but maybe you can email that to me so I can share it? ”
“I can definitely do that.”
“Alright, great.” He let out a long breath as he studied all the boxes and bags. “Let’s get your stuff out to your truck, and I can grab at least one box and the cooler bag if you’re okay carrying your own?”
“No problem,” she assured him. Maisie followed him down the stairs and through the muddy path down to the parking lot. They had to step over a lot of debris from fallen branches, but when they got to the trucks, she realized there was a fairly clear path for her to drive.
Axel put her things in the truck for her, and when he faced her, she realized she was a little hesitant to say goodbye. But the low rumble of thunder made the decision for her.
“Thank you again, Axel. For everything. I’m really glad I decided to try to break into the lodge,” she said with a shy smile.
Luckily, he smiled too. “Yeah. It was an adventure for sure. And for what it’s worth, it was nice to have some company. I enjoyed getting to know you.”
“Same.”
They stared at each other for several long moments, and she was glad she wasn’t the only one who didn’t seem ready for this to end.
“I should go,” he finally said with a lopsided grin. “It’s gonna take a few trips to get everything to the cabins and switch over the generators and all that. Let me have your phone.”
“Why?”
“So you can text me and let me know you made it home safely,” he said as she put the phone in his hands, added his information, and then texted himself. When she heard his phone chime, she realized what he had done. “Here you go. Promise to text me?”
“I promise.”
“Okay,” he said. “And just let me know when you want to come back and I’ll put you in touch with Walker.”
More thunder sounded in the distance, and this time it really forced them into motion.
“I will. And you be careful too. The ground is very muddy. How far is your cabin?”
Turning, he pointed to the area on the other side of the parking lot. “Right over there, but mine’s the last cabin on the right. You can’t even see it from here. After I run this stuff over, I may see if my truck will make it so I can get the rest over there easily.”
Nodding, she climbed into her truck. “I’ll text you when I get back to my place. Be careful.”
“You too, Maisie.” He stepped back before picking up the box and cooler bag, and she knew he was waiting for her to drive away before moving.
So she did.
Luckily the truck started, and she hoped the road back into town was clear. She took her time driving across the parking lot, and then drove even slower once she was through the resort gates because it looked a lot worse than she expected.
The speed limit was only thirty-five, but she was doing twenty.
It felt like she was crawling, but it was necessary because there were so many things on the road—nothing major, but enough that it was safer to navigate at the slower speed.
And after fifteen minutes, she thought that maybe this road had been spared and she was going to get back to the hotel with no issues.
But as she rounded an S curve, she had to slam on the brakes.
A massive tree was lying across the road.
There was no way to go around it because it was a forest on one side at the base of a mountain, and more forest on the other side that led down to the lake.
Even turning around was going to be difficult, but there wasn’t a choice.
With another storm coming in, it was either stay here in the truck and potentially have another tree fall on her or awkwardly maneuver so she could turn around and head back to the resort.
And Axel.
Good Lord…Axel.
In the tiny cabin. Close quarters. Just the two of them.
She wasn’t sure she’d be able to resist him another night. But for all she knew, now that they had officially offered her the job, he wouldn’t even try to pursue anything physical with her.
“Now that’s a depressing thought…”
But she pushed it aside so she could focus on getting the truck turned around.
It took longer than she had thought it would.
The good thing was that now she knew what to expect on the road on the way back, she could relax a bit.
When she pulled back through the resort gates, she noticed that Axel’s truck was still in the parking lot, but closer to the cabins.
She’d been gone almost an hour, so she assumed that he’d be safely back inside his place by now.
When she parked her truck next to his. She looked around the interior to see what she might bring that she hadn’t thought of yesterday.
“The robe, the dress…” she murmured, swapping out the work supplies from the duffel bag and replacing it with the clothes.
Reaching behind the seat she found a hoodie, a phone charger, a pair of sneakers, and a brush.
Thankful for the sneakers, she quickly kicked off her muddy shoes and put them on.
Although…now they were going to get muddy, but they were still better to run to Axel’s cabin in.
Zipping the bag shut, she put on the hoodie and grabbed her phone and purse and climbed out of the truck just as the rain started to fall. Muttering a curse, she slammed the door shut and made a run for it.
The ground was saturated, and every step was a struggle, and the squishing sound was awful. Axel’s cabin was the furthest away, and she was breathless by the time she jumped up on his porch.
Huffing and puffing, she raised her hand to knock just as the door opened.
“Thank God,” he said, pulling her into his arms and kissing her.