Chapter 17
The next few weeks seemed to fly by, with the group settling into a comfortable daily routine. Brent had ripped out the flooring in the parlor and the kitchen, and to their delight the original wide wooden planks were underneath with no signs of rot. It would take a lot of muscle power, but Brent assured Alethea he could bring them back to their original glory, and she would save money by not having to put in tile or laminate. Alethea tried to steer clear of the work areas so she didn’t have to see Brent bent over resurfacing the floors, the muscles in his back rippling from the effort, his damp shirt clinging to him in the summer heat. Yes, she definitely needed to avoid that.
With Priya banished from the kitchen until the floors were done, she had taken the extra time to poke about the house, searching for whatever long lost antique treasures she was convinced all old houses were hiding. Finding the attic so free from dust and spider webs had been a shock, and she once again marveled at how pristine Aunt Scarlet had managed to keep things. The vastness of the attic was impressive and stretched the entirety of the house, with the rafters going up at least fifteen feet in spots to support the sharply peaked roofs. Despite all the room, it was filled to the brim, with narrow but neat pathways carved out amongst the clutter in a grid pattern. There were steamer trunks of all sizes and every piece of furniture you could imagine, along with mirrors, paintings and sconces, to name just a few items. It was clear that Priya felt like a kid in a candy shop, running up to the attic shortly after breakfast and surfacing again only to eat the takeout they picked up for lunch.
Danica seemed to be happily living her best life as well. She had found a free online workshop about yoga for accessibility and had bonded with a few of the other yoga instructors in attendance. Wanting a way to form a community, they had decided to start a monthly virtual meet up where instructors like them could connect and get support from each other. A few more trails were under her belt now, as hiking was starting to become a regular part of her routine. Not surprisingly, she had become friendly with a few hikers that she kept bumping into on the trails. Danica always seemed to make friends anywhere she went.
Alethea, on the other hand, was doing her best just to tread water and stay out of her own head as much as possible. Despite every rational, logical, sane way she could think about what happened, there was no denying what she had seen. A soft, undulating white light had radiated from every inch of her skin. It hadn’t lasted any longer than a few seconds, but it had felt like an eternity. She had tried to think of any reasonable explanation that didn’t involve her either being completely crazy or a magical fairy princess, but to no avail. And googling what makes your skin glow had only gotten her ads for L’Oreal.
But every time she came to the conclusion that she must be having a mental break her thoughts circled back to one nagging thing. Brent had seen it too. She could picture the expression on his face. It hadn’t just been the lighting that day they had been sitting together out back, of that she was now certain. But how was that possible? The I’m-going-crazy route was starting to sound like a better option than the I’m-actually-glowing route. If she tried to talk about it with Brent, what exactly was she supposed to say? Hey, remember that one time where you thought you saw me glowing? Well guess what, you did! Even worse, what if she did it again? She was about to head over to the cottage to see if Danica wanted to go into town to get some lunch when she heard Brent’s voice behind her.
“I hope everyone’s hungry!” He was carrying the blue igloo cooler that normally sat on the back of his truck bed in one hand. “I made lunch for us today. Are the other two around?”
Alethea looked at the cooler skeptically. She sure hoped it wasn’t soggy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a bag of doritos. She called Priya down from the attic then they headed over to the cottage where Alethea filled Danica in on the lunch plans while Priya washed up.
“Well, that’s awfully thoughtful of him.” Danica waggled her eyebrows in an exaggerated gesture.
“Knock it off, will you?” Alethea just wanted to get this lunch over with so she could go back to avoiding Brent.
“What? I’m just saying that the Muffin Man seems to be awfully nice to a certain someone.” Her expression feigned innocence as she looked over at Alethea and batted her eyes.
Priya giggled in the background. “You can say that again!”
“You two are out of your minds. The guy must think I’m a lunatic and let’s face it, he’s probably right. He’s just being nice because he was friends with Aunt Scarlet and he feels bad for me.”
“Mmm-hmm. Sure. We’ll go with that. Now, let’s go eat.” Danica put an end to the conversation as she headed out the door towards the main house, the other two following right behind.
They opened the door to the kitchen and were greeted by a spread that was worthy of a magazine shoot. Brent had emptied the contents of his cooler across the prep table, using the china serving dishes from the hutch. “I thought you ladies might enjoy a picnic today. It’s cool enough to eat outside and a break out in the fresh air will do us all some good.”
Everything looked so vibrant and fresh. There was a log of goat cheese in the center of the plate that looked like a savory version of neapolitan ice cream. One side of the cheese was covered in strawberry jam, the center dusted with herbs de provence, and the other side covered in apricot preserves. Adding to the polished appearance were artisan crackers scattered around the plate and a few sliced figs. A pair of salads were the centerpiece. The first was a large bowl of arugula and baby greens, thin almond slices and perfectly ripe strawberries, mixed with fresh herbs and some kind of lemon vinaigrette, Alethea’s sharp nose told her. Next to it was a salad of chunky watermelon slices stacked high on a plate and drizzled with balsamic syrup and feta cheese. The bright green sprigs of mint tucked in neatly around the edges tied the dish together. Alethea couldn’t help but be surprised by the effort he had obviously put into this meal.
Once they were done loading up their plates with the scrumptious looking picnic fare, Brent grabbed an oversized blanket out of his bag and led the way outside onto the back lawn. Spreading out the brightly colored woven blanket, they all chose their spots and got comfortable before devouring their lunch.
“Brent, this is seriously delicious!” Priya licked a drip of balsamic glaze off her finger before giving Brent a thumbs up sign.
“That’s high praise coming from our Master Chef over here.” Danica’s full laugh said she was kidding around, but Alethea knew there was truth behind her words. Danica never missed an opportunity to sing her friends’ praises.
Brent looked at Priya curiously. “Oh?”
“I’m a culinary instructor.” Priya continued to answer Brent’s questions and told him all about her journey to work with food, meeting Jake, and how much she loved her job. “I never thought I’d get to wake up every day excited to go to work but somehow I got lucky enough!”
“I’d say we’re the lucky few for sure. And what about you, Alethea? Your aunt was always telling me how much you loved your job, are you still with the same agency?”
Alethea swallowed a big bite of watermelon while she processed this information. Of course her blabbermouth aunt had bragged about her to her handyman. She had probably shown him all kinds of embarrassing pictures, too. “I’m sorry, she told you what?”
Brent laughed, in a lightly teasing way. “Oh she told me quite a lot. You happen to have one very proud aunt. I’ve heard all kinds of updates about her extraordinary niece over the years.”
Aletha felt her cheeks redden. It was a good thing Aunt Scarlet was all the way in Florida where she couldn’t reach her because she could just about throttle the loquacious woman. “Did she now?” It was more of a resignation than a question. “How lovely of her.”
“Yup, from acing honors English to your last big promotion.” His grin was wide now. “I must say, I can agree with your aunt. You”re quite the impressive woman.” His eyes sparkled as he smiled, the boyish grin lopsided on his face. Alethea wished she could crawl under the picnic blanket and hide.
Danica threw her head back and laughed uproariously. “Good old Scarlet! Why am I not surprised?”
“Well I’m glad you think it’s funny,” Alethea grumbled.
“Oh come on, your aunt being proud of you isn’t a bad thing.” Brent was looking into her eyes as he spoke, holding her gaze. “She only talked about you so much because she thinks so highly of you, Alethea. You should see how her face brightens. I loved listening because talking about you made her so happy.”
Hearing him say her name out loud made Alethea’s stomach do a series of flips. Mercifully, he must have picked up on how uncomfortable the conversation was making her and decided to change the subject.
“So, Danica, what branch of yoga do you teach?”
She raised her eyebrows and finished chewing her bite of cheese and crackers before responding. “Well, I’m trained in Hatha but I’ve just recently become interested in exploring adaptive yoga and how I can make my classes more accessible for everyone. Don’t tell me you’re a yogi?” She looked at him with a skeptical expression.
“No, no, definitely not.” He laughed warmly. “I dated a yoga instructor once so I’m familiar with the basics. I’ll do a hot yoga class every now and then if my muscles need a recovery day, but that’s about it. I’ve always found it interesting, though.”
Alethea felt her pulse quicken. She tried to focus on the food and definitely not on Brent sweating, muscles straining, as he did yoga shirtless in a steamy room. She forced herself to think about their lunch. What was that herb in the lemon vinaigrette? Tarragon? She kept her eyes down on her plate and her thoughts on finishing up her meal so she could get out of here and away from Brent.
It would be good to get back inside and moving around again anyway. Lazing around in the sun on a full stomach was adding to her already serious exhaustion. Alethea put one hand over her mouth to try and stifle a yawn before she took the last bite of watermelon on her plate. She wanted to hurry up and get this lunch over with, but that didn’t mean she intended to let any of her food go to waste. It really was delicious, after all.
“Another lousy night?” Priya looked over at her sympathetically.
Brent turned to look at Alethea as he laid his silverware on his empty plate. “Are you having trouble sleeping?”
She nodded. “Ever since I got here. I don’t think I’ve slept through the night yet. The bed is more than comfortable but I just can’t seem to shake this awful case of insomnia.”
“I’ve been giving her chamomile tea, magnesium and melatonin but nothing’s seemed to help.” Danica left out mentioning a few of the other, more disgusting tasting concoctions she had made Alethea try as well.
“My grandmother had the best tea for helping my brothers and I sleep when we were little. She called it her ‘health-tonic’ and said it kept her ‘humors’ balanced.” He chuckled, a fond look in his eyes. “She used to drink it every day. It didn’t taste that great but man it sure did the trick. I’d be knocked out before even finishing the cup. Well anyway, I hope you’re able to get some sleep soon.”
Alethea thanked him and smiled, trying to hide her annoyance. I just might if you could stay the heck out of my dreams! The way he looked now certainly wasn’t helping things in that department. Sitting across from her on the woven blanket, the sunlight bringing out a few flecks of red in his chestnut hair, it was impossible to deny that Brent looked positively delicious. She covered her mouth with the back of her hand, trying to cover another yawn.
“On that note, I should excuse myself.” Alethea stood up and thanked Brent again for the delicious meal and went back inside. Deciding to throw all of her worry into her work, she found that ripping off wallpaper was actually quite cathartic. The small extra bedroom at the west end of the house was the last of the upstairs rooms that needed to be stripped. The original, hand-painted linen wallpaper that lined the master suite would be staying, as well as the embellished wood paneling that adorned Alethea’s old room.
It was a perfect afternoon for her to blast the music and lose herself in the physical labor. Danica was out for a hike and last she had seen Priya, she was curled up on the chaise in the drawing room, her nose buried in the next book of the series she was reading. Turning up the volume on the little Bluetooth speaker, Alethea blasted her Girl Power! playlist, and before long she was surrounded by a pile of paper shreds, the dated floral pattern looking more than a little sad laying in tatters on the floor. With her arms well-toned now from the weeks of work, she was more than ready to start sanding, wanting to get her muscles moving and work up a sweat. Alethea never thought she’d see the day where she’d enjoy such a tedious, not to mention strenuous, activity. But here she was, actually looking forward to it.
Glancing up, she realized that she needed to take down the copper ceiling medallion in the center of the room before the sanding got debris everywhere. Stretching up as far as she could while standing on the second rung from the top of the ladder, she still couldn’t reach it. Alethea turned her head towards the door and yelled as loud as she could, hoping her friend could hear her over the music. “Hey, Priya! Can you come here a minute?” She fished her phone out of her back pocket and turned the music down a few notches. “PRIYA!” she hollered again.
Maybe she could reach it if she balanced on the top step. The ladder was more like a glorified step-stool anyway. She figured it should be steady enough. It teetered back and forth just the slightest bit as she put her full weight onto the top step, but it stabilized as she stood tall, reaching for the medallion. Perfect! She could easily reach it now and started to remove the first screw. But as she untightened the fittings, it threw off her center of balance and the ladder began to lean precariously to the left.
“Hey Priya went out, can I help you with…” Brent didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence. As he was walking into the room, he saw Alethea lose her footing and pitch off the rocking ladder. Instinctually, he dropped the tools in his hand and lunged forward, his arms reaching under her body just in time before she hit the floor. Well, almost just in time. Her body had seemed to hover there for a split-second, as if it had paused in midair to wait for his arms to be under her.
“Are you, okay?” A look of intense worry knitted his eyebrows together as he squatted on the ground, holding her against him.
“Yeah, I’m okay. Just embarrassed.” It was true. She was perfectly fine besides the jolt of adrenaline that was coursing through her veins. And the pounding of her heart that she wished she could blame on the fall rather than the smell of pine trees that made her insides go warm. And the fact that she had just floated! Everything had happened so fast. Had she imagined it? Had Brent seen? She searched his face for any clues in his expression, but the only look she saw there was one of concern.
He helped her to her feet and stood the ladder back upright. “Want me to hold the ladder steady for you?”
She accepted, appreciating that he simply offered to help rather than trying to take over. Jackson would never have let her get back up on the ladder again right after almost doing a faceplant. He would have insisted on taking the medallion down for her. Looking back on it now, Alethea realized that he had treated her like a glass figurine sometimes, like he was afraid she might break.
When she climbed back up the ladder this time, it felt rock solid on the ground thanks to Brent’s sturdy hold. She tried to focus as she reached up with the screwdriver, but he was merely inches away from her and she felt her stomach do another somersault, trying not to remember the feeling of her body wrapped up tightly in his arms. Those biceps, cut into by the sleeve of his tee shirt, were too distracting for her taste. Forcing herself to concentrate, she focused her gaze back at the ceiling. “Thank you, by the way. That could’ve been nasty if you hadn’t been there to catch me.”
When he didn’t say anything immediately in response, Alethea glanced down and found him studying her.
“Maybe. Maybe not.” He looked thoughtful.
She shifted uncomfortably and finished with the last screw. What the heck was that supposed to mean?
“Thanks again,” she said once she was back down off the ladder.
“Anytime.” He gave her a half smile, the grin not quite reaching his eyes. “Well, I’m about done for the day, going to pack it in.” Before she could even respond, he had turned and strode out the door, his footsteps down the stairs sounding hurried.
Alethea felt her skin blanche. She had floated and Brent had seen it. She was certain of it now, the way he had just stared at her with that dazed expression on his face, not speaking. He had practically run out of the room! Alethea didn’t think she’d be surprised if Mr. Brent Cornerstone ran all the way home and never came back. Just great, now men were literally fleeing from her. How could she even think about dating again when all these weird things kept happening? She felt absurd. Tell you a little about myself? Sure! Let’s see, I enjoy reading, I’m an animal lover and I occasionally float, but don’t worry, not at the same time as I glow. Scorned and jobless, she could now add destined-to-be-a-spinster to her list of depressing facts.
“I’m home!” Priya burst through the front door looking like her best impression of Audrey Hepburn. The satin scarf wrapped around her head was covered in a print of large dahlias, the warm colors of the flowers accentuating the pale peach of her perfectly tailored A-line dress. Her excitement was punctuated by the sound of her nude-colored heels skittering across the wood floors to the dining room where Alethea was eating a late snack.
“Guess who I bumped into at the pharmacy?” Priya’s eyes were sparkling in anticipation and Alethea knew of only one thing besides her husband that could bring a look like that to her friend’s face, and that was food.
“Joannie.” Alethea pretended to guess, even though she already knew the answer.
“Yes!” Priya stood up on the balls of her feet and clapped her hands. “And she told me the secret ingredient for the muffins, not to mention that all of her pastries are plant-based! I still can’t get over there’s no eggs in the recipe. Dani will be so happy to hear that she hasn’t really been cheating with the pastries this whole time.”
Alethea could hear the sense of triumph in her friend’s voice. “Well go on, what’s the secret ingredient?” She was actually dying to know herself. It wasn’t often that Alethea was stumped by a flavor.
Priya smiled wide. “It’s lime zest of all things! Well, technically she said it was ‘magic with a little lime zest thrown in.’ Isn’t that adorable? Joannie is an absolute gem of a woman. I could’ve stood in the shampoo aisle for an hour chatting with her and picking her brain.” She was energized by the muffin mystery finally being solved and wanted to try her hand at baking a batch as soon as she put her things away and changed into something she didn’t mind getting raspberry juice on. Her happy mood was contagious and Alethea felt her spirits lifting. She decided she was done thinking about hot contractors and step ladders and floating for the day. Instead, she took a seat at the round kitchen table, comforted by Priya’s chatter as she bustled about, measuring flour and microplaning citrus rinds.
“Don’t forget to add the magic!” Alethea teased as she wiggled her fingers over the seafoam green ceramic mixing bowl filled with the muffin batter.
Danica joined them once she returned home, and the three friends talked happily well into the evening, sitting in the backyard and watching the fireflies as they finished off a bottle of chilled rosé. It was the perfect summer evening. Alethea bit into an exact clone of Joannie’s orange-raspberry muffin and savored the flavors, and for just about the millionth time, she looked up at the night sky and thanked her lucky stars for her friends.