Chapter Sixteen
About thirty minutes after he’d spoken with Anya, Eric decided to leave the kitchen door unlocked for her since Arielle was getting a little fussy.
It looked like it was time for a diaper change and probably a bottle since it was after seven. He had a feeling she was getting tired. According to the instructions, she hadn’t slept quite as much as she usually did, and Eric had kept her busy moving around for most of the day, even taking her outside for a little walk around the property in his arms.
That way, he hoped, she would sleep all night tonight. Brian and Ashley would probably be exhausted by the time they got home.
As he finished changing Arielle’s diaper, his cell phone rang.
“Hi,” he said to Anya, after checking the caller ID and switching on the phone. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, fine,” Anya answered. “I just realized that I didn’t know which house belonged to Ashley and Brian.”
Eric laughed. “It’s the old spooky house. In fact, I don’t know if you were here in town at the time, but they hosted the Halloween haunted house the year before last, before COVID.”
“Oh, wow. That’s a big house. No wonder they decided to make the basement an apartment. I’m right down the road. I’ll be there shortly.”
“The overhead light is on over the barn, and then you can just park near the kitchen, alongside the house. My truck is parked near the back door that leads downstairs, so you’ll drive by it first.”
“Okay. I’m pulling into the driveway right now,” she said.
Arielle was in a much better mood after she’d had a quick bath and he’d changed her diaper. All he had to do was find her some clean pjs since she’d gone through a couple of footed rompers already today when she’d upchucked some of her food once and her formula another time.
Which was probably his fault since he’d been carrying her around so much throughout the day.
He wrapped a warm blanket around her and carried her over his shoulder into the kitchen, gently patting her back.
“Come on in,” he yelled as Anya stepped onto the porch, carrying a box which must have been filled with food.
She looked at him oddly as he opened the door for her, still hanging onto Arielle. Walking over to the kitchen island, she laid down the box, suddenly swallowing hard.
He frowned. “What’s wrong? Did something happen? It’s been less than five minutes since we spoke.”
Her eyes suddenly filled with tears. “It’s just…the baby. I was kind of emotional there for a minute when I saw you taking care of her. Look at all those blond curls. Shanna’s hair was like that when she was young.”
“I need to find her something to wear,” he admitted, grinning. “It’s a little draftier here in the kitchen. Why don’t you come along with us into the living room, and you can sit with her near the fire?”
“Aren’t you hungry?” she asked.
“Yes, I guess I am. But I need to do something with Arielle first,” he said, grinning. “I’ve just discovered that she gets whiny at night when she’s not being held.”
Anya laughed softly. “I’m not too hungry yet. They provided food for us all day long, so I was back and forth through the day munching on appetizers. Will she let me hold her since I’m a stranger? You could eat first and then go look for her sleepers.”
“Let’s try it. Come on. Follow me,” he replied, heading back into the living room with Arielle bouncing over his shoulder. “I don’t want to give her a bottle until I’ve got some pajamas on her. That way, she’ll probably fall asleep in the playpen and won’t wake when Ashley and Brian take her upstairs and tuck her into her crib.”
“This place is really nice,” she said, glancing around with apparent appreciation.
“Did you know that Ashley purchased this place before Brian returned to town? She’d been working full-time in construction before moving back to Crystal Rock.”
Anya’s eyes went wide. “You’re kidding me.”
“No. Not at all,” he answered, motioning her into the small recliner near the fireplace. “I think you’ll be more comfortable there with her than on the couch. The chair’s a little narrow for me, and I’m afraid of Brian’s recliner because of all the remote-controlled gadgets that have been installed on the crazy thing.”
She laughed, sitting on the smaller chair.
“Ashley remodeled the entire kitchen on her own, as well as their bedroom suite upstairs. I’m sure they’ll give you the tour.”
“She did that kitchen on her own?” Anya grimaced. “It’s beautiful.”
“Isn’t it?” Arielle began to fuss when he pulled her away from his shoulder. “Auntie Anya wants to hold you Arielle. See the pretty lady right there?”
Anya reached out with her arms, and that’s all it took for Arielle to reach out with hers. Anya had a look of wonder on her face as Arielle got cozy with her on the recliner, still wrapped in her blanket.
“You’re such a sweet little girl, aren’t you?” Anya cooed softly, unwrapping the blanket a little and tickling Arielle’s belly.
Arielle smiled.
“Uh, oh. Are you getting your first tooth?” Anya asked, touching her bottom gum. “It feels like it might be popping up. Your bottom gum is a little red and you keep on rubbing it with your fist.”
Without a doubt, Eric would keep that mental picture in his mind for a very long time. “I’m surprised that Ashley or Brian haven’t noticed.”
“I might be wrong. The only reason I thought about it was because one of the girls from work has a baby about the same age, and she brought her in the other day after her doctor’s appointment,” Anya said, reaching for the pacifier that he handed over. “She pointed out the lower gum. If you have another pacifier like this, I think it can go in the freezer to soothe her gums.”
“I think there are like three or four of them floating around. I saw a couple in the kitchen,” he answered, grinning. “I’ll pop one in there while I’m getting something to eat. I think the two of you are going to be fine.”
When Arielle suddenly laughed, Anya’s widened eyes met his.
“That was a little eerie, wasn’t it?” he asked.
Anya huffed out a breath, tickling Arielle’s chin. “You know what we’re saying. Don’t you Arielle?”
This time she smiled widely, batting her fists together.
Laughing, Eric headed toward the kitchen. “I guess I’d better get my food and heat up her bottle while she’s still content. I’ll run upstairs first and grab something for her to wear.”
Once Arielle had been dressed in her sleepers, Anya insisted on feeding her the bottle while Eric ate, and soon they had Arielle asleep in the playpen.
“Why don’t you eat in the kitchen? I can make coffee,” he suggested. “And then I can clean everything up before Brian and Ashley get home.”
“Come to think of it, I am a little hungry now,” she admitted. “I’ll leave everything here for you guys if you have the space. I sure don’t.”
“I don’t think there’ll be much left anyway. I forgot how good the food is at the Inn. I ate quite of bit of prime rib,” he confessed.
Once Anya was seated at the table eating a pretty decent portion of a seafood pasta dish along with some side dishes of cheesy potatoes and broccoli, Eric helped himself to some of the cheesecake she’d brought along.
“Ashley said that they might be late because they were packing up several items for shipping in the morning,” Eric said. “There were some pretty substantial bids on most of the artwork, so most can be sent out immediately. I even bid for the portrait done of this place years ago.”
“Isn’t that series beautiful? I’ve seen it on display in the mall,” she said. “I have to go into work extra early tomorrow so we can get everyone out of there by three to enjoy the holidays. I suppose I’d better get moving after we finish eating.”
“I’m glad that you came by,” he said softly, forking some of the chocolate turtle cheesecake from his plate and holding it up to her mouth.
When the tip of Anya’s tongue lightly skimmed over the tiny chocolate chips on top before she bit into the cheesecake and closed her eyes, obviously savoring the taste, he was ready to reach right over the table and yank her into his arms.
“You don’t know what you’re doing to me right now,” he said hoarsely.
She opened her eyes, smiling coyly before she winked. “Maybe I do.”
His mouth gaped open, until he suddenly burst out laughing. “Now that’s the Anya I remember.”
“I had a really nice day today, Eric. Danielle Loughlin said something about asking Penny about working with her in some special position. I’m not sure what she has in mind, but I’m thinking I might be ready to do more with my life than work at the flower shop, although I’d still manage the mall and do the accounting for the shop. That’s something that doesn’t take much time for me. Besides, my friend Jaynie is more than capable of managing the shop.”
“You sound…happy,” Eric admitted.
“Let’s just say I’m more accepting of the circumstances. I don’t want to end up like Mom, as much as I loved her.”
“From what you’ve said, she didn’t want you to end up like her either,” Eric agreed, sliding over a plate he’d loaded with another piece of chocolate chip cheesecake.
She grinned, picking up the fork.
“Would you like some coffee?” he asked, standing to make a small pot. “I’d better have a cup since I don’t know how long Brian and Ashley will be.”
“I’d better not. I don’t want to oversleep. It’s been a long day today, but exciting too.”
When she was finished, she stood.
Eric sighed. “I’ll get your coat. Did you want me to warm up your truck?”
“Nah. I don’t have too far to go.”
“I’ll give you a call tomorrow and let you know what time to come over. I think we’re going to try and wait on at least one set of parents to arrive before we eat,” he said.
She nodded.
“Well,” she said after Eric helped her put on her coat.
“Well,” he echoed, grinning and pulling her into his arms.
When his mouth covered hers, he could still taste the chocolate. “Yum. You taste like cheesecake.”
She giggled when he ran his tongue gently across her mouth, before smacking her lips with his.
“Goodnight, Eric,” she said, smiling as she headed through the mudroom to the door.
Reaching for his coat, he slipped it on, following her outside to make sure she got off alright.
Eric stood and grinned as she stepped into her beat up pickup, starting up the engine. At least the motor sounded like it was in a lot better shape than the exterior, he thought.
“Goodnight,” he called out and waved.
Holding up her hand first, she put the truck into gear, turning in the driveway and heading toward the exit onto the road.
* * *
When Anya returned home, she still had a smile on her face. After parking in the garage, she was inside the cabin about ten minutes later, dropping all the gifts she’d purchased earlier along with the gift wrap and bags on the kitchen table. She’d even purchased something from the Dragonfly Pointe Inn sale for Eric.
What she needed was a hot bath, she decided. It was such a relief that she was no longer freezing. Even the water in the small water heater was a little hotter when she showered or took a bath.
Another thirty minutes later, she was choosing clothes to wear both to work tomorrow and later that night. After pulling out the sofa bed, she quickly bagged and labeled all the gifts she’d purchased, leaving them on the kitchen table so she could load them in the truck tomorrow afternoon.
When she finally fell asleep, she still had a smile on her face. It had been a long time since she’d had something to look forward to.