With a soft sigh, she got to work. Her clothes were dry, and she went into the room she’d used yesterday and got dressed. She balled the robe and dress up and placed them in one of the discarded plastic bags. Axel probably didn’t want them back, but she’d at least offer.
Unfortunately, her shoes were ruined. She scraped as much of the mud off as she could, and they were her only option to wear, but she was going to wait until they were walking out the door to put them on.
Out in the common area, she packed up her laptop and models and boards and put them in her suitcase and duffel bag. And then with one last look around, she gathered everything up and went to the kitchen.
Axel had a few boxes on the table and was currently pulling things from the freezer and putting them into a cooler bag. When he turned and saw her, he smiled. “I found this bag in the pantry. I’ll have to remember to thank Connor when he gets back. I think I've got everything now. Luckily, there wasn’t a lot here, so it will be easy to move over to the cabins.”
Maisie looked at all of it plus her stuff and knew it would take a couple of trips. Then she looked down at her shoes and wanted to groan. Still…it was only right that she help him after all he did for her.
“So, uh…when do you want me to start?” she asked.
“With this stuff? I’m ready if you are.”
She laughed softly. “No. I meant with the decorating. When would you like me to start?”
“You are more than welcome to start on Monday. If you want to come back and start laying out what you need to order and all that. Although, Walker’s the one who’s handling all the expenses and he won’t be back until next weekend. But I’m sure he can still get money to you so you can get started. No biggie. I’ll call him later and let him know. I know you had all the expenses listed in your presentation, but maybe you can email that to me so I can share it?”
“I can definitely do that.”
“Alright, great.” He let out a long breath as he studied all the boxes and bags. “Let’s get your stuff out to your truck, and I can grab at least one box and the cooler bag if you’re okay carrying your own?”
“No problem,” she assured him. Maisie followed him down the stairs and through the muddy path down to the parking lot. They had to step over a lot of debris from fallen branches, but when they got to the trucks, she realized there was a fairly clear path for her to drive.
Axel put her things in the truck for her, and when he faced her, she realized she was a little hesitant to say goodbye. But the low rumble of thunder made the decision for her.
“Thank you again, Axel. For everything. I’m really glad I decided to try to break into the lodge,” she said with a shy smile.
Luckily, he smiled too. “Yeah. It was an adventure for sure. And for what it’s worth, it was nice to have some company. I enjoyed getting to know you.”
“Same.”
They stared at each other for several long moments, and she was glad she wasn’t the only one who didn’t seem ready for this to end.
“I should go,” he finally said with a lopsided grin. “It’s gonna take a few trips to get everything to the cabins and switch over the generators and all that. Let me have your phone.”
“Why?”
“So you can text me and let me know you made it home safely,” he said as she put the phone in his hands, added his information, and then texted himself. When she heard his phone chime, she realized what he had done. “Here you go. Promise to text me?”
“I promise.”
“Okay,” he said. “And just let me know when you want to come back and I’ll put you in touch with Walker.”
More thunder sounded in the distance, and this time it really forced them into motion.
“I will. And you be careful too. The ground is very muddy. How far is your cabin?”
Turning, he pointed to the area on the other side of the parking lot. “Right over there, but mine’s the last cabin on the right. You can’t even see it from here. After I run this stuff over, I may see if my truck will make it so I can get the rest over there easily.”
Nodding, she climbed into her truck. “I’ll text you when I get back to my place. Be careful.”
“You too, Maisie.” He stepped back before picking up the box and cooler bag, and she knew he was waiting for her to drive away before moving.
So she did.
Luckily the truck started, and she hoped the road back into town was clear. She took her time driving across the parking lot, and then drove even slower once she was through the resort gates because it looked a lot worse than she expected.
The speed limit was only thirty-five, but she was doing twenty. It felt like she was crawling, but it was necessary because there were so many things on the road—nothing major, but enough that it was safer to navigate at the slower speed. And after fifteen minutes, she thought that maybe this road had been spared and she was going to get back to the hotel with no issues.
