Chapter Five
Sadie
“I haven’t had a chance to restock the cabin so let’s go in Patty’s Pit Stop for some rations.” Hank navigated me toward the convenience store I’d passed on my way to the bookshop.
We entered and a woman behind the checkout counter lowered the magazine she’d been reading. “Hey, Hank. How’s Sarah feeling?”
“Better, Patty. Thanks. She just needed to rest, you know?”
“Ah, yes, rest. That four-letter word Sarah has so much trouble comprehending,” Patty said.
Hank chuckled. “You know it. I managed to convince her to stay on the couch for a few hours the other day, but I had to load her up with books and her knitting and our Christmas card list.”
“Christmas card list?” Patty’s eyebrows rose. “Holy Hell, she’s getting quite the headstart, isn’t she?”
“Yup. Give me your list and she can probably get that done for you too while I’ve forced her to stay still.” Hank gestured to me. “Patty, this here is Sadie, just moved to Greenridge from . . .” He arched an eyebrow.
“Overseas.” I walked over to a display of maple syrup and busied myself with reading the label on one of the leaf-shaped bottles.
“Overseas,” Hank said slowly. “Right. Okay.”
I caught the look that passed between Hank and Patty, but overseas was the only answer they were getting from me.
“Hank’s been kind enough to offer me his cabin as accommodations while I search for something more permanent,” I said.
Patty motioned to a cork board on the wall by the door. “I don’t think there’s anything available right now, but if something comes up, it’ll be listed there. I let folks advertise as a public service to the community.”
I wandered over to the board, noting flyers for yard sales, advertisements for used cars, a brochure for house cleaning services, and an invitation to an All Hallow’s Eve Walk. Perhaps this board would be a good spot to let people know I’d be offering my services soon.
Patty had been right though. No accommodations were listed.
“I’ll keep an eye on this board then,” I said. “Thank you for the tip.”
Patty gave me a nod then Hank helped me pick out some groceries, which was a task I’d never done for myself.
Typically, at the palace, we had staff for garnering food and staff for cooking food and staff for serving food and staff for cleaning up after the eating of the food.
Some of the choices on the shelves of Patty’s downright baffled me.
I picked up a rectangular box from the shelf in front of me now. “Toaster pastries.” I glanced at Hank. “What are toaster pastries?”
Another glance passed between Hank and Patty before Hank said, “You put them in a toaster to heat them up. They have different fillings inside like strawberry, blueberry, cinnamon sugar. The outside is a cookie-like pastry.”
“They’re friggin’ delicious!” Patty hollered from the checkout counter. “The peanut butter and jelly one is my favorite.”
I scanned the shelf until I found the flavor she’d mentioned. “I should like to sample these.”
Hank held up the little basket he’d picked up to hold our intended purchases. “Get the cinnamon sugar ones too. They can pull double duty as a breakfast or a dessert item.”
I took his advice then we grabbed a few more essentials as Hank called them and made our way to Patty. I paid for the food and Patty loaded it all into two tote bags.
“You bring these bags each time you come here,” she said. “They’re reuseable. We don’t do those nasty plastic bags.”
“Got it.” I took the tote bags. “That’s smart.”
“Just doing our part for the environment,” Hank said. “Thanks, Patty. Have a good Sunday.”
“You too, Hank.” Patty’s gaze settled on me.
“Nice meeting you, Sadie. I’m sure I’ll see you again because you’re going to get addicted to those toaster pastries.
Trust me.” She offered me a friendly smile, which I returned, noting her aura was mostly in shape, except for something a little shadowed near her heart.
“Enjoy your day.” I followed Hank outside. “She seems nice.”
“Yeah, Patty’s great. I think she’s lived most of her life in that store though.
” Hank led us back toward the hardware store and an old truck parked beside it.
“She had twin boys that joined the Air Force. They both passed away about a year apart from each other, and her husband had also been a military man who met his demise in service. The store is all she’s got now. ”
That explained the shadows near her heart. The poor woman. Maybe I could help her process her grief with my learned techniques. I’d love to try.
“Do you have any children?” I asked Hank after we climbed into his truck.
“I do. One daughter and a grandkid. Proud as heck of both of them.” He started the truck and eased onto the main road. “What’s your family like?”
Of course he would inquire. I shouldn’t have asked him such a personal question, but I liked Hank. He was easy to be around and he was taking care of me so nicely.
“My parents are . . . strict people,” I began. “And my home has many rules.”
“I see.” Hank grinned. “So you’re out on your own adventure, are you?”
“Yes. Exactly. My own adventure.” I loved that way of thinking of my situation. It was far better than regarding it as running away from obligations.
“Well, you picked a great place to do that, Sadie. Greenridge is a beautiful town and I bet you’ll find out who you really are here.”
“That is my hope.”
After a short drive, Hank turned onto a narrow dirt road that appeared to lead directly into the forest. Had I made a grave mistake in trusting that this man actually had a cabin? Orla and Fionn had warned me to keep my wits about me in a foreign land. Had I failed to heed that advice?
When mailboxes lining the dirt road came into view, however, the existence of other homes in the area became clear. My instincts about Hank had been right. He was a trustworthy person, truly intending to help me.
Most of the mailboxes had names painted on them. Marshall, Wright, Kimura, Alanso, Slater.
“Be wary of that last one there.” Hank pointed to the box marked Slater. “Town rumors suggest Jimmy Slater is sketchy.”
“Sketchy?”
“Yeah. Like suspicious,” Hank said. “Some people think he’s a serial killer with a checkered past full of gore and horror.”
A shiver rippled through me and Hank chuckled.
“It’s mostly town lore,” he said. “And in fact, some folks believe old Jimmy Slater has turned over a new leaf for love.”
“Love?” Like in romance novels?
“Yep. Word is he’s dating Beth Hartley and he’s basically changed everything about himself to be the man she deserves. Kinda sweet, don’t you think?”
“Very sweet,” I agreed. “Did you say Hartley?”
“I did.” Hank made a left turn onto a narrower dirt road.
“The Hartleys are a big family in these parts. There’s a whole pack of them and they run Hartley’s Nest, a wildlife rehabilitation center a few minutes from here.
A nice gal named Ashley who works at my hardware store married one of the Hartley boys. ”
“Which one?” For some reason, I didn’t want it to be Beckett, but that was silly. I’d only had a minutes-long interaction with the man and I didn’t think he was particularly fond of me.
“Logan,” Hank said. “Nice boy. Comes into the hardware store all the time because he takes care of the maintenance of Hartley’s Nest and builds stuff on the side.”
“I met Beckett earlier today,” I said.
“Another nice boy. He’s the youngest of the Hartley clan.
” Hank pulled into a semi-circular driveway in front of a charming little cabin painted a deep brown with a dark green door and shutters.
When the leaves weren’t so colorful, I’d be willing to bet the cabin blended in with the forest setting quite well. I already felt safer here.
We got out of the truck, retrieved my things and the groceries, and Hank let us into the cabin where I instantly fell in love with the place.
“Oh, this is lovely, Hank.”
At the far end of the room we’d stepped into, a black, iron wood stove sat atop a bricked platform with a wall of bricks behind it.
On either side of the stove were glass doors that offered a sublime view of a sparkling pond out back that was rimmed by a variety of trees.
A little flagstone patio stretched from the back of the cabin toward the shore and several chairs faced the water.
To the left was a tidy little kitchen with knotted wood cupboards and black countertops made from a stone that had white veins artistically running through it. The hardwood floor beneath our feet was comprised of beautiful, wide boards that looked as if they had a history about them.
A simple, wooden table with benches on either side of it sported a charming display of different-sized pumpkins on a slate tray with bits of colorful leaves strewn about and a large, cream-colored candle. On the wall in that area hung a gorgeous painting of the view outside.
“That painting is magnificent.” I walked deeper into the cabin to get a closer look at the details of the artwork.
“That’s the talent of another Hartley.” Hank came to stand beside me.
“Vanessa—though she’s a Hartley-Holland now after having married our town dentist, Spencer—is the only girl of the Hartley siblings and a gifted artist.” He motioned to the painting.
“She makes art like this, but I’ve seen her work with other mediums such as metal and wood.
Vanessa also teaches art classes both at Hartley’s Nest and in our schools. ”
“Being free to make art for a living sounds like such a treasure,” I said.
“Not allowed to do such things where you’re from?” Hank asked.
“Not even allowed to dream such a thing.” I peeked down the hallway.
“Well, anything’s possible here.” Hank nudged me toward the hallway. “Go on, check it all out while I put these groceries away.”
I probably should have volunteered to help him with the groceries, but curiosity got the better of me and I wandered down the hallway instead.
The bathroom was cozy with a pleasant red-and-black-checkered shower curtain and fluffy black rugs that resembled bear fur in front of the toilet and the bank of wood cupboards holding a hammered metal sink.
Farther down the hallway, I found two bedrooms. One was decorated in soft burgundy and cream tones with a large, iron-framed bed taking up much of the space. Wooden tables flanked the bed with iron lamps on each. A rustic wardrobe lined one wall and a sitting area was by two windows in the corner.
The other bedroom had a small couch in it that was upholstered in a soft, brown suede that looked so utterly comfortable.
A simple desk was by the window and several bookcases lined the walls.
By one set of shelves was a single, oversized chair with a small table beside it and a sturdy iron lamp.
I instantly knew that spot was where I’d begin reading the books I’d purchased today.
When I came back out to the kitchen, Hank was folding up the reuseable tote bags, all the groceries having been put away.
“I hope the accommodations are to your liking, Miss Sadie,” he said with a smile.
“Much more than to my liking,” I said. “To my loving. This place is wonderful. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather find someone who could pay you what it’s worth right now instead of letting me stay here?”
“I’m certain.” Hank patted my hand resting on the countertop. “Maybe the entire reason I didn’t get around to renting it this season was so that it would be available when our paths crossed. Do you believe in destiny, Sadie?”
“I do.” Another thing my parents never wanted to discuss.
“Me too. This cabin remained free for you. I’m sure of it.” Hank beamed a smile at me.
“I’m so happy I went into Faraday’s today.” I launched forward and caught Hank in a hug.
“Oh.” He stumbled back a bit, but then his arms came around me and it was like every hug I’d always wanted my father to give me. “I’m happy you came in too.”
We stepped back from each other, but Hank held onto my hands as he looked at my face. No. More like studied my face.
“I don’t know what brought you here exactly,” he began, “but I have a feeling it wasn’t pleasant. It probably was a difficult decision to leave your home as well, but being brave often leads to the best things, Sadie. That’s what I’m hoping for you. All the best things.”
My eyes stung as I blinked back tears. “Thank you, Hank. Thank you so much.”
He gave my hands a little squeeze before releasing them. “I’ll let you get settled now, but I wrote my phone number down on that pad by the refrigerator there. If you need something, you call, okay?”
I nodded, too overcome with emotion to speak.
I walked with Hank to the front door and he pressed the key into my hand.
“Enjoy your stay at the Faraday Cabin.” With a little bow, he stepped outside and climbed into his truck.
The engine started, but he put his window down.
“I forgot to say there’s a car in the garage that you’re welcome to use.
Used to be my daughter’s. It’s nothing fancy, but it runs fine.
Key is in the top drawer between the stove and the refrigerator. ”
Nodding, I watched him disappear down the dirt road until I could no longer see him.
I went back into the cabin and poked around a bit to get familiar with where all the groceries went and where the plates and cups and silverware were located.
I sat on the leather couch in the living room and stared at the blank TV screen on the wall across from me.
Normally, Orla operated the television for me.
She selected what I’d view, but right now, I had total control.
I picked up the remote and hit the power button. The TV flared to life, showing a man and a woman kissing in a grassy field.
Ah, a romance. Perfect.
But the grassy field made me think of meeting Beckett this morning.
I squeezed my eyes shut. I had no business thinking of a man just yet. I had more critical things to figure out first. Like selling my services so I could make money. Like finding a place to live that wasn’t borrowed from a kind stranger.
Like building the life I wanted. Not the one that had been arranged for me by my father.
Perhaps after I puzzled all of that out, I could turn my attention to romance.