“Do you know who did it?”
“No.”She changed the subject, not wanting to talk about her suspicions of Johann and Darren.“Were you able to authorise me to your social media?”
“Yeah.That was the other reason I called.But I feel bad about this, Chelsea.We can’t pay you for your work.”
“I’m happy to do it.”
“If you’re sure.I’ll email it to you now, but if you don’t get time, that’s fine.”
Chelsea glanced out the window as Barry walked towards the house.“I’ve got to go.The lawnmower guy you suggested is here for dinner.”
“Did he agree to do Lilydale?”
“Yeah.He’s starting tomorrow.”
“I’ll have to drop by after work to check it out.”
“See you then.”She hung up and went to let Barry in.She made the introductions and left Barry and Ethan to make the pizzas while she reviewed the links Lauren had sent her.
They used scheduling software so she could upload all the posts at once and they’d be posted on different days.Chelsea sorted the posts into groups.By the time she was done, Ethan was setting the table around her again.
She flushed.“Sorry.Lauren sent me some things for the campaign.”She turned to Barry, who had a beer in his hand.“I’m doing some work for the local council to promote the annual fair.It hasn’t been doing well over the past few years.”
“I remember the Honeybrook Fair,” he said.“My parents used to bring us down for the day.It was always fun.”
“It’s at the end of the month if you want to relive the nostalgia,” Chelsea told him.
He nodded.“I might.The kids would love it and with it being the end of the school holidays, they’ll be bored with all the usual things.”
She hadn’t considered the school holidays.She made a note to check the start date.“I could give you a discount on the family cabin if you want to make a weekend of it.”
Barry laughed.“You don’t need my help with promotion.You’re a born sweet-talker, but I’ll take you up on the offer.Book me in.”
Chelsea grinned as a thrill passed through her at having her first paying customer.She entered his details in the booking system and sent him an email confirmation with payment details and then packed up her laptop as the pizzas came out of the oven and they sat down to chat about the plan of action for tomorrow.
By the time Barry left for the night, she was more confident in her ability to make Lilydale work.
Ethan had already cleaned the kitchen and was locking the back door as she closed the front door behind Barry.
It was comforting to have someone help her check the house was secure.
Everything about Ethan felt comforting and right.
He came back into the room and his gaze centred on her—direct, encompassing, like she was his entire world.
She hadn’t felt like that since they were together as teenagers.
And therein lay the problem.
As much as she wanted to run into his arms and forget about all the heartache he’d caused her, she couldn’t.It would be foolish not to go into this expecting some sort of heartbreak.They didn’t even live in the same state.
But she longed to have him hold her in his arms again and kiss her senseless.
She’d dreamed of waking up in his arms for more than a decade.
Could she give herself the physical aspect while protecting her emotional self?
“You’re doing a lot of thinking over there.”Ethan stayed at the base of the stairs, his hand on the banister.
