Chapter Five #3
Not without effort, Beth inched towards the room in question, resenting every step that took her further away from her goal.
She placed the bottle and glass on the coffee table and, wanting to weep at how comfy the couch looked, headed back into the hall, hoping to haul her butt up the stairs before Ellie returned.
No such luck. Ellie reappeared, carrying a second wine glass and a plate of cheese, crackers and fruit.
‘Uh-uh,’ she said, waving the glass at Beth. ‘Where do you think you’re going? You’re joining me for a drink. You look like you need it.’
‘Oh, actually—’
‘Nope, sorry. Not taking no for an answer.’ She herded Beth into the sitting room. ‘You’ve been working so hard at the cafe and that house of yours and you never take a minute to chill. C’mon, get your butt on that couch.’
Beth did as she was told, because the couch did look inviting and her aching muscles were crying out for a glass of that shiraz. Perhaps taking a few moments to relax and fill her belly, which rumbled right on cue, might give her the strength she needed to make it up to her room.
She eased her body onto one of the sofas and the relief was instant. Sinking into the feather-filled cushions, she was unable to keep a satisfied groan from escaping.
‘See?’ Ellie said as she placed the plate of goodies on the coffee table. ‘I told you this was just what you needed.’
‘You did,’ Beth acknowledged. ‘Thanks for that.’ She had a habit of pushing herself to the point of exhaustion. Maybe if Ellie had been at the house this afternoon, reminding her to take breaks and pace herself, she wouldn’t be in this much pain right now.
Ellie flicked her blonde ponytail over her shoulder and poured the wine.
‘So, how’s the house coming along? You look wrecked—’ Her eyes grew round as soon as the words left her mouth.
‘Oh! Crap, I didn’t mean—Not that you look terrible.
It’s just that with …’ She gestured helplessly at Beth’s grubby knees and gardening clothes.
Beth couldn’t help smiling. It was nice to not be the one putting her foot in her mouth for once. Not without difficulty, she sat up and accepted the glass of wine Ellie handed her.
‘Don’t worry about it. And it’s going well enough. I’m just not sure when I’ll be able to move in there and get out of your hair.’
‘Don’t be silly. Stay as long as you want. Besides, we’re only just sitting down to share our first bottle of wine and I’m determined to keep you until we’ve shared at least five.’ She re-capped the bottle and lifted her glass in a salute. ‘Like it or not, Beth, we’re gonna be the best of friends.’
Unable to read between the lines, Beth studied Ellie’s expression, but she couldn’t tell whether her host was poking fun at her. ‘Are … are you being facetious?’
Ellie’s eyes widened and she rushed to smooth things over.
‘No! At least, I don’t think I am.’ Her cheeks grew pink.
‘Honestly, I don’t really know what that word means, but I was joking.
Sort of. What I meant to say is that I really would love for us to be friends, but I promise I won’t force you into staying.
You’re welcome to, though. Oh, god, I’ll just be quiet now.
’ She took an enormous gulp from her wine glass.
Sagging against the cushions, Beth sighed. No wonder she had no friends. Conversations like this were so hard to navigate and she always ended up making things awkward.
‘I’m sorry,’ she blurted. ‘I get offended easily. It’s not the first time I assumed someone was making fun of me when they weren’t.’
Ellie waved away the apology. ‘No need to be sorry. I get it. I mean, we don’t know each other, not really. But honestly, we should be friends. There aren’t many women our age in town, so I’m super excited that you’ll be around for a while. The guys I hang out with all smell like cow.’
Caught unawares by the comment, Beth barked out a laugh but bit it off almost immediately. And now she could feel her cheeks growing red. Great. She put her wine glass to her lips, hoping to cover her embarrassment.
Ellie didn’t seem to notice her mortification, thank goodness. If anything, she seemed pleased that Beth had enjoyed the joke.
Smiling, she grabbed a slice of apple. ‘So, tell me, what do you think of Karlup so far?’
Following Ellie’s lead, and perhaps stalling for time, Beth reached for a cracker and slice of cheese. ‘It’s cute, though I haven’t seen much of it. I’ve been kind of busy.’
Pfft. Liar. Work was just an excuse. If she didn’t have her job and fixing up the house to keep her busy, she’d be holed up in her room, doing her best to avoid anyone and everyone.
‘Well,’ Ellie said, her tone conversational, ‘in the interest of solidifying our friendship and showing you more of the town, I’m inviting you out on Saturday night. Barefoot bowls is on. You should come.’
Beth cringed. ‘Um, sport and I really don’t mix.’
‘Oh, don’t worry about that. It’s just for a bit of fun, a chance to let loose and have a drink with mates.’
Beth chewed the corner of her mouth. How did she explain to someone as bubbly and outgoing as Ellie that a situation like the one she’d just described was her version of hell?
It would absolutely not encourage her to let loose.
In fact, she’d be so highly strung that if she were a guitar she’d be making sickening twanging sounds for the duration of the evening.
‘I, uh, I don’t think so. I mean, given how sore I am right now, it’ll take me over a week to recover.’ Lame excuse, Beth. ‘I-I don’t even know how I’m going to get up the stairs to my room.’
‘Hmm.’ Ellie narrowed her eyes but couldn’t quite hide her amusement. ‘You play a hard bargain, friend. But don’t say no right now. Just sit on it, and if Saturday rolls around and you feel up to it, then great, come with me. If not—’ she shrugged, ‘—that’s fine, too.’
Beth sagged against the couch, relieved that she didn’t have to come up with another excuse.
‘And as for getting upstairs, my cousin’s kids tell me I give great piggy-back rides.’ Ellie popped a grape in her mouth and winked.
That threw Beth for a loop. ‘Your cousin? Noah, right? He has kids?’
‘Oh, no, his brother Ethan does. Yep, little Charlotte and Oliver love me.’
‘Well, I don’t think either of us would survive you giving me a piggy-back ride up the stairs.’
Ellie laughed. ‘Yeah, it’s probably not worth the risk. Here, have another glass of wine. Pretty soon your muscles will be so relaxed you’ll be flying up to your room.’
After one more drink, Beth got to her feet with relative ease. ‘I really need to head up now while I can move. Thanks for the drink, Ellie.’
‘No problem. Good luck with the stairs!’ Ellie flashed her dimples. ‘Oh, and Beth, about bowls on Saturday … think about it, yeah?’
Beth smiled and nodded, but as she made her way upstairs—with minimal trouble, thank god—she knew she wouldn’t be going anywhere near the bowling green on Saturday.
Having a drink in the sitting room of the B she did nothing more than sit with her laptop in her room at the B&B, crossing all the items that didn’t require physical exertion off her to-do list. Online shopping had been the order of the day—she was in desperate need of clothes better suited to the cooler climate—and, intrigued by how much she might get for her aunt’s house, she’d started researching the current real estate market.
But today, two hours into a five-hour shift at the cafe, she was struggling. The minutes were ticking by so slowly and every step took effort, every dish collected weighed a tonne, and every time she wiped a table clean, she tried not to whimper.
She persevered, though. Because the last thing she wanted was to admit to Tom that she wasn’t up to the task, or to go home early and force Marge to come in on her day off.
Not that she thought they wouldn’t be understanding and accommodating—they were the nicest, kindest bosses she’d ever had—but she was determined to show them that they could rely on her and repay them for helping her out when she’d needed it.
With the lunch rush finally over, Beth gathered the dishes from the most recently vacated table as the bell over the door signalled another customer. She turned, plates and glasses in hand, and froze when she saw Noah standing just inside the entry, his arms laden with a crate of eggs.
His gaze dropped briefly to the dishes she carried and one side of his mouth quirked up. ‘We’ve really got to stop meeting like this.’
Predictably, her cheeks grew warm. Two weeks may have passed since their last encounter, but the memory of it was seared into her brain. It’s not every day I find a guest back here. Especially one with such pretty green eyes.
She put her head down and crossed the dining area as if he hadn’t spoken. In the kitchen, she began loading the dirty dishes into the dishwasher.
‘G’day, Tom. Got your eggs. Where do you want them?’
Noah’s voice sounded behind her, ratcheting up her nerves. She grabbed a cleaning cloth and spray bottle and made her way out onto the deck, where she started wiping down already clean tables. Hopefully, by the time she went back inside, Noah would’ve continued on his egg run.
‘I didn’t know you were working here.’
She spun around, her movement sudden, too punishing on her tired muscles, and she winced.
‘Hey—’ Noah took a step towards her, one hand extended, though he came no closer. ‘Are you okay?’
‘Yeah.’ She twisted the cloth in her hands. ‘Just a bit sore, that’s all, and … you surprised me.’
‘Sorry.’ He frowned slightly, his gaze assessing. ‘I just didn’t want to leave without saying hi. And I wanted to double-check that I hadn’t upset you. You know, last time we saw each other.’
‘Oh. No, you didn’t. I just wasn’t having a good day, that’s all.’
His dark hair, which he wore thicker on top, had a slight curl to it and it was slightly mussed, as if he’d been running his hands through—
‘And today?’
She blinked. ‘I’m sorry, what?’
‘Are you not having a good day? It’s just that you rushed into the kitchen as soon as you saw me, then came out here. Can’t help but think you’re avoiding me.’ He shoved his hands in his pockets, hunching his shoulders.
Thrown by the vulnerability of his stance, Beth opened her mouth but words evaded her.
He flicked his gaze over her and his frown deepened. ‘Beth, you can tell me to mind my own business, but did someone hurt you? You look like you’re in pain.’
‘Oh! No, nothing like that. I spent eight hours gardening the other day, that’s all, and my body’s not used to it.’ She blushed again, exerting yet more force on the cloth she was wringing, and glanced down at her hands.
‘Gardening? You’re still at the B&B, right? Ellie’s not putting you to work, is she?’ He dipped his chin and lowered his voice. ‘Because I can talk to her.’
Beth’s lips curved, almost against her will. ‘No, she’s been great. I’m fixing up a house and the garden there needed tending.’
That seemed to pique his interest. ‘Wow. Okay. What kind of work are you doing to the place? Besides gardening, I mean.’
She shrugged. ‘Just general maintenance. Small repairs. Giving it a bit of a facelift.’
Noah nodded. ‘Right, well, just so you know, besides delivering eggs and working on the family farm, I’ve got some experience in all of those things. I completed a roof carpentry apprenticeship back in the day and I’ve renovated a few houses now, so if you need any help or advice, I’m your guy.’
Those words did strange and unexpected things to her.
She swallowed, not without difficulty. ‘Uh, thank you. That’s good to know. And kind of you to offer.’
‘Anytime.’ He smiled and dipped his head in acknowledgement, his hands still shoved deep in his pockets. She expected him to turn and leave, but he stood there a moment longer, his smile stretching wider.
Beth blinked and glanced away, unable to hold his gaze.
‘Okay, well, I’m gonna go.’ He stabbed a thumb over his shoulder. ‘More eggs to deliver and all that.’
‘Okay.’ She let her hands hang by her sides, finally giving up on the pretence of cleaning.
‘Have a nice day, Beth.’
‘You, too.’
She watched him walk away, then sagged against the nearest solid surface.
Letting out a shaky breath, she inspected her trembling hands.
Despite the intense, physical reaction happening in her body right now, she could still acknowledge that she’d managed to have a fairly normal conversation with an incredibly attractive, confident, self-assured man.
The complete opposite of her, really, and not the sort of person she usually conversed with at length. Or at all.
Letting out a short, sharp burst of laughter, she touched her quivering fingers to her lips, recalled the way he’d checked in with her and offered to help with the house—not that she’d be taking him up on his offer.
God, no. Her nerves couldn’t handle that.
She’d make do with watching YouTube DIY tutorials.
The internet was made for people like her—people who found it impossible to ask for help.
Still, she counted her exchange with Noah as a small success. Not one she wanted to repeat anytime soon … but perhaps she wouldn’t have to cross the street to avoid him next time.