Chapter 5
Ariana
I can hear the other employees talking in the kitchen down the hall. It all seems so casual. No separate offices. No cubicles. No formalities at all. I smile as I watch Eric pull up an employment form. I love it here already, except for Petunia, she seems a little…scary.
“Here we go,” Eric says as he adjusts his chair. “Name…Ariana Harlow. Address?”
I go still. Shit. I can’t give him my father’s address. I try to remember if I put an address on the application. No. I just said the city and state. I could use one of Dad’s other houses. Definitely not the one here. If Dad sees I accessed his condo here, then I’m screwed.
“Ariana, address?” Eric repeats.
“I…uh, don’t have one yet. I just moved to town,” I say as I realize I’m an idiot. I was so focused on getting out of the city, I didn’t even think about where the hell I would stay tonight. Is there even a hotel here? Maybe there’s a bed-and-breakfast, like in the movies?
“She could stay here,” Joy interjects. We both turn to find her standing in the doorway with a half-eaten muffin in her hand.
“Oh, no, that’s not necessary,” I say way too quickly.
“Have you even looked for a place yet?” Eric calls my bluff. Shit.
I feel my cheeks turning pink. “N-no?” I stammer and it comes out as a question rather than a statement.
“I do have a guesthouse here. Kingsley was in it, but he’s found an apartment by school when he’s not staying with his mom, so it’s vacant right now. It’s yours if you want it,” Eric offers.
I stare at him in shock. He’s giving me a job and a place to stay. People like this actually exist.
“So…would you like to stay in the guesthouse?” Eric asks, his words slow as if I’m cognitively impaired.
“I couldn’t. I don’t want to be an inconvenience,” I squeak.
Eric looks me over and types in the farm’s address. “You can and you will. There, all done,” he states as he finishes that text box on the screen.
He stands abruptly and I shrink back. I’m so used to my father yelling, that my body just naturally takes over when a big male looms overhead.
Eric steps back and I see his jaw clench before he speaks. “Please use it, Ariana. It’ll be helping me out. I need to get it redone and maybe you’ll have some ideas,” he states. “I’ll show you to it now. We can finish the paperwork later.”
“If you leave your driver’s license here or your social security card, I can start filling out the rest,” Joy says.
Panic washes over me. My father’s address is on that license and my full name is on my social security card. “I left them in the car. I’ll have to grab them in a bit,” I say quickly.
“No worries, dear. We have plenty of time,” Joy replies with a warm smile as she walks back over to her desk. “I’ll put some sheets and towels in the washer for you. Oh, and here are your clothes.”
“Thank you,” I reply as I take the bundle of clothes and put on my shoes before turning to follow Eric.
He leads me through the hallway and into his house. I frown because he said guesthouse and this is most definitely not a guesthouse. But then he takes me down another hall, past a living room and a study. He opens a door and I find myself on a covered porch. There’s a small pebbled pathway out to a little house. I guess I didn’t see it because it was behind the barn and is much smaller than the barn. It looks like a miniature version of the big farmhouse. It’s adorable.
He opens the green front door and we step inside. There’s a small living space to the right and a kitchen to the left. I see a door in the back of the kitchen. A stairway breaks up the two spaces and is right in front of us.
“It’s not big, but it has everything you need,” he starts. He opens a drawer in the kitchen and pulls out a folded piece of paper. “Wi-Fi passcode is here, the door passcode to the main house is here. You’ll need that to get into the office. There’s a small stacked washer and dryer in that closet or you can use the one up at the house. The bedroom loft is upstairs. I can give you directions to the grocery store if you need them. And…I can’t think of anything else. Do you need help bringing stuff in? Did you bring stuff with you?”
I nod. “I have a few suitcases,” I state.
“Well, let’s go grab them. I’ll let you get settled today and we can start work at nine a.m. sharp tomorrow,” he says as we walk around the house to the parking lot in front of the barn.
Eric takes both suitcases and I grab my oversized purse. I’ll need to figure out how to turn in the car I rented. I only have it for a month. Shrugging, I decide to contemplate that later as I lock the car.
Eric chuckles. “You don’t need to do that,” he says as we walk back to the guesthouse.
“Huh?” I ask as I stop and look around us.
“Trust me, there are motion sensor cameras around the property, including at the driveway, and Storyview Falls’ worst crime since I’ve lived here is when some teenagers toilet-papered the high school. So, you’re safe. Feel free to lock it, but I just wanted you to know that if you forget or something, you don’t need to worry,” he explains as we walk back into the little house I’m calling home for the foreseeable future.
“Good to know,” I say with an air of skepticism because no place is crime-free, that’s crazy.
Eric shrugs as if to say, your call. “I’ll leave you to it, then. Oh, here’s my number,” he says as he holds out his hand. I frown for a second until I realize he wants my phone. I pull it from my pocket and place it in his large hand. I almost want to laugh because my phone looks like a kid’s toy in his palm. I swallow as my eyes trail up his body. Eric is large, like all of him. Without meaning to, I glance at his package and then quickly look away as I realize I was just thinking about my new boss’s dick. Get a grip, I think to myself. He hands me back my phone.
“There. I just texted my phone, so we’re all set. Call me if you need anything, or just come on into the main house.” He pauses and pulls out his phone, typing away before looking back at me. “I just sent you the address of the grocery store in case you need anything. It’s not huge, but it has all the main staples.”
Nodding, I glance at my phone as I see his text come through. I probably should go figure out what I need.
“Great. I’ll see you in the morning. Goodnight, Ariana,” he says as he leaves, shutting the door behind him.
I look around before heading upstairs. The loft is small but large enough to house a very tiny closet, a chest of drawers, one small nightstand, and a full-sized bed.
I groan. Will my clothes even fit in here?
I call Katia.
“Beotch! Are you there? Tell me everything!” Katia answers.
I laugh. “I’m here. And guess what?” I say.
“What?”
“I got the job!” I squeal, suddenly feeling excited.
“O.M.G. That’s awesome! Is the town like the movies? Is Eric as hot as I thought he was? Did you do something small town-y like rescue a Christmas tree farm? Tell me more,” she replies.
I giggle. “I did stop at the pharmacy for directions. It was so cute. And the farm is…I love it. Well, except this pig…” I proceed to tell Katia every part of my adventure so far. She’s quiet for the most part, which is unlike her.
“So, you’re, like, living on the farm?” she asks, her voice half-disgusted.
“Well, I guess I am,” I reply.
“Ewww! But there’s like animals and bugs and actual shit. I would triple-wash your hair tonight and then give it a full conditioner treatment,” she suggests.
“I suppose. I need to go to the grocery store. How do I do that?” I whisper as I change into real clothes because I cannot go out in these clothes.
“How the hell would I know?” she replies.
“Ugh. I don’t even know how to cook. What do I get?” I ask as I contemplate this. I’ve never once cooked for myself. I mean, I’ve gotten snacks, but they are all pre-made.
“Good luck with that. You’ll be living on apples and water,” Katia says.
“You are not any help. OK, I’m heading out. I need to figure this all out, like right now,” I state.
“Fine, but call me tomorrow night. I want to hear all about your first day,” she demands. I grin. She’s a pain in my ass but she’s a good friend.
“I will. ’Night,” I say.
“Sleep tight, you runaway,” she teases.
I roll my eyes as I disconnect.
I head out to the car and punch in the address Eric gave me. Fifteen minutes later, I’m pulling up to a small store. Keller Grocery. Not a name brand, but how bad could it be? I park and walk inside. It’s small, not like the grocery stores I’ve seen on television. I try to remember this one cooking show I like that has chefs competing in a grocery store. I think the food is like in groups. I take a cart and grin. This could be fun.
I find some crackers and cheeses. There are some olives in a jar that look alright. I grab various fruits and some bottles of water. They have iced tea in a carton and lemonade, so I grab those. I’m turning to put them in the cart when I bump into someone.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I mumble.
“No worries, my dear,” an older woman looks at me and smiles. “Are you new to town? It’s far too early in the season for tourists.”
Grinning, I nod. “Just moved here,” I answer.
She holds out her hand. “I’m Greta. I own the cleaning service in town.”
“Nice to meet you, Greta. I’m Ariana. I just started working at Windsor Family Farm.”
“Oh, Eric’s farm? How lovely! He’s just such a good person. I’m sure you’ll love it there,” she rattles on as she looks at my cart.
I blush. “I…is there like a coffee shop or someplace like that here?” I ask.
She nods. “Elisha owns the Storyview Fall’s Café. She makes the best pastries. You should stop in there. Max’s Restaurant is also very good if you don’t feel like cooking.” She leans in conspiratorially. “I mean, I seldom feel like cooking,” she adds with a wink.
I giggle. “Me either,” I agree as we both laugh together.
“It was really nice meeting you,” I say to her.
“Do you like reading?” she asks.
I nod enthusiastically. Reading and movies have been my escape for as long as I can remember.
“Well, what’s your phone number? You should come to book club. We’re trying to recruit some younger members,” she says.
We exchange numbers and she bids me a good day as I continue throwing random items in my cart. I find a few toiletries and some cleaning materials, which thankfully happens as I run into Greta again because she recommends all the best ones. I head in search of the café afterward.
I snap a few photos with my phone because this place is unreal. The buildings look to be from the eighteen hundreds. The street is tree-lined. People stop and chat with each other as if everyone here is best friends. It looks like a scene from a film rather than real life. It’s not that I’ve never been to a small town before, but honestly, my time in small towns has been rare. I went to college in a nearby city. Even my boarding schools were in or near cities. I vacationed in places like Paris and London and occasionally an island. But none of that is anything like this.
“Oh, hey, how did that job interview go?” I hear from behind me. I turn and find Sylvie from the pharmacy walking out from what looks like a consignment store.
“Hey,” I reply cheerfully. “I got the job!”
“That’s awesome! Welcome to Storyview Falls!” she says as she adjusts a purse strap on her shoulder. “I was just going to grab coffee at the café. Have you been yet?”
I shake my head. “No. I was told it’s good though and was actually heading that way myself.”
“Great. So, where are you from?” Sylvie asks as we begin walking toward a sign that has a coffee mug on it.
“I grew up downtown, but Eric just offered up his guesthouse here. So I guess I’m officially becoming a Storyview Falls resident,” I explain, glazing over my life story because I don’t want to lie to Sylvie. She seems nice.
“A city girl, huh? I grew up in the city too, but when Grandpa started talking about retiring, I moved out here,” she says as she opens the café door and we step inside. The smell of fresh bread, baked cookies, and coffee surrounds me like a warm hug.
“Hey, Sylvie,” a woman says from behind the counter.
“Hey, Elisha. This is Ariana. She’s new to town. She’s working for Eric,” Sylvie says as we walk up to the counter. She leans toward me. “I’d get one of her seven-layer bars. They are amazing and she will not tell me the secret ingredient.”
Elisha laughs. “What can I get for you ladies?”
“I’ll have a vanilla cappuccino with almond milk, and oh, what are those?” I ask as I point to a pastry that looks amazing.
“Those are my raspberry chocolate tortes,” Elisha says.
“I will take two of those. And a dozen of your macaroons.”
“Sure thing,” she says. I pull the remaining cash from my purse. Shit. I need to find a bank around here and open an account.
“Hey, is there a bank in town?” I ask.
“Yep. Right by the park off Main Street,” Sylvie says.
“Great. I need to open an account. Geez, so much to do when you move to a new town,” I say with a smile.
“So, you’re working for Eric, huh?” Elisha asks as she glances over her shoulder at me while she makes my drink.
“Yep. Just started,” I answer.
“You’ll love it. Eric is the best and he could certainly use some help out here,” Elisha replies as she turns and sets my drink down.
Sylvie leans in toward me. “He’s had a rough time of it. I think you’ll be good for him.”
The way she says it makes me wonder what she means. Does his rough time just have to do with the farm? She knows I’m working for him, right? So, not dating him. Clearly, there are some things I don’t know yet about my new boss. I just hope he gives me enough of a chance to learn more about him.