“I wanted to help,” he said, the truth of his words resonating in the quiet room. “I guess I also wanted to maintain a connection here, with you.”
Daniella’s gaze was locked on his. She didn’t say anything for a moment. “It feels weird knowing you’ll be my boyfriend and my landlord,” she said finally, her voice a mix of gratitude and bewilderment. “I need some time to think about what you’ve said.”
Relief washed over Harrison. At least she hadn’t told him it wouldn’t work. “Take all the time you need.”
As the last volunteer left and the final traces of the celebration were cleared away, Harrison looked around the room. The chairs were stacked neatly against one of the walls, the flowers had been placed beside the podium, and boxes of tablecloths and napkins were waiting to be collected tomorrow and washed.
With everything gone, the meeting room looked like its soul had disappeared.
“Thanks for helping out today,” Daniella said, her voice soft in the emptiness. “And for buying the house. I’m still not sure how I feel about it, but thank you.”
“I’m glad I could be here to help with everything.”
They waved to the person on night duty at the center and walked outside.
“Are you okay?” Harrison asked as they slowly made their way toward their trucks. He was worried about the distant look in Daniella’s eyes.
She gave a slight nod, but her expression told him she was still trying to piece together a puzzle. “I need to go back to The Fairy Forest. I want to see how everything turned out after I left.”
“I’ll come with you,” he offered. The thought of leaving her to face her business alone was unthinkable.
* * *
They droveto The Fairy Forest in separate vehicles. On his way across town, Harrison kept thinking about Daniella’s reaction to him buying the house she was living in. He hoped she understood why he’d bought it and, more importantly, why he was staying in Sapphire Bay.
Unsurprisingly, the parking lot was deserted when they arrived at The Fairy Forest. It seemed so large compared to this morning’s cramped space filled with people, furniture, and decorations from inside the building.
When he met Daniella at her truck, she pulled a flashlight out of her bag and switched it on. “I don’t know if we’ll need this. The electrician said everything’s okay, but I’m not taking any chances.”
They walked across to the entrance and Daniella unlocked the front door.
“Do you want me to try the light switch?” Harrison asked as they stepped inside.
Daniella nodded and stepped away from him.
He lifted his eyebrows, and she grinned. “I thought I’d move in case you get zapped by the electricity and end up on the floor.”
That made him feel a whole lot better about turning on the lights. “You’re sure the electrician said the power’s okay?”
Daniella nodded. “He sent me a certificate for the insurance company.”
Reaching out, he flipped on the switch and let out his breath. The lights were on and he was still standing.
Daniella sighed when she saw some props stacked against the walls in the large reception area. “I guess they had to go somewhere while the fire department was sucking out the water.”
“We can move them back later,” Harrison told her as she walked toward the entrance to the events room. He was dreading what they’d find through the doorway.
Daniella’s groan told him it wasn’t good. “It looks like any other room,” she said sadly. “The magic is gone.”
“But only temporarily,” he reminded her. He caught his breath when he saw the bare concrete floor, the artificial flowers stacked on the tables, and another pile of boxes labeled butterflies, birds, and fairies. It felt like the heart of Daniella’s business had been ripped out, and only the shell was left. “At least the trees survived.”
Daniella walked across to the nearest one and inspected the trunk. “It looks okay, thank goodness. The water-proofing definitely helped.”
Harrison followed her as she checked the storage rooms, making sure nothing needed to be moved. It was lucky that most of the items were sitting on shelves. Otherwise, there would’ve been an even bigger mess to clean up.
The next area they checked was the kitchen, where the pipe had burst. It was dry, but the wood laminate on the floor was buckled and twisted, and the bottom of the cabinets weren’t much better.
Harrison opened the refrigerator and freezer. “Did the electrician say anything about the appliances?”
