Mia chuckled. “I’m just glad to get the role back.”
“You do your job, and I’ll do mine,” he said, his tone wry. “This is a happy day, Mia. Let’s celebrate over dinner once you’re settled.”
Mia was walking in her back door by the time she remembered the little package Levi had handed her. She’d been on the phone with Brooke the entire ride home. When she arrived she had the driver crawl through the swarm of reporters at her curb. She could hear them shouting through her window.
“Mia, what do you want to say to your fans?”
“What do you think of Emma’s actions?”
“Do you feel vindicated, Mia?”
“Mia, how do you feel about Jax Jordan?”
Shaking away the questions, she pulled her suitcase to the base of the stairs and dropped her carry-on bag beside it. The house smelled of artificial pine. She knew the difference now, she realized, after taking in the authentic scent of mountain pine for five weeks.
She walked across the expanse of the living room, her heels clicking on the ceramic tile—the only noise in the house. A cold and sterile sound. Her eyes swept the living space. The black Italian leather living room suite, special ordered. The white luxurious rug spanning the space. Those were the only soft things in the room. Everything else was glass and metal and concrete, the architecture bearing a sort of stark beauty.
She grabbed her bags and headed up the glass steps. She suddenly missed the charm of squeaky wooden floors, cozy furnishings with a hodgepodge of knickknacks, and the ever-present sound of people moving about.
Once in her room she dropped her bags and reached into her purse. The small package had sunk to the bottom, but she found it with little trouble. She pulled it out, her heart suddenly beating too fast. This, whatever it was, was her last contact with Levi. There was already an ache where her heart rested.
She held the package in her palm, feeling its weight, wondering what it might be. Some trinket she’d pointed out in a shop, probably. A souvenir. A memento of a place and person she’d never see again. Or maybe it was the engraved watch they’d found in the attic—possibly her grandmother’s.
She wasn’t ready to face it, this last connection between them. She opened a dresser drawer and placed the package beneath the folds of silky lingerie where she wouldn’t have to see it until she was ready.
forty-five
Levi stepped up on the ladder again and went to work around the gutter at the rear of the house. He checked his watch. He was losing light as the sun set across the lake and running out of time. At least the heat was waning with the end of the day.
Repairs to the inn had been in full swing for a week. The plumber had repaired the pipes, replacing all the old ones to prevent a reoccurrence. He was a relative of Della’s and was doing the work at cost. Della bribed him daily with baked goods to rush the job.
Donald Walters, one of his dad’s old friends, owned the local hardware store. He’d donated the necessary drywall, and friends from church were volunteering their time to put it up. They’d have to hire a professional to tape and mud it, but Levi already had a guy lined up. From there, they’d paint and put the trim back up: Levi, Molly, Grace, Adam, and anyone else who was willing to pitch in. It was all hands on deck.
Thankfully the wood floor had survived, only requiring the replacement of a few boards. Altogether Levi thought they could have the job done in two more weeks. They were still out a lot of revenue, but hopefully they’d finish the season strong.
He had a new hook to help with marketing—it had come in the form of a brief note Mia had left in his sisters’ bedroom. The words were now embedded in his heart.
From the cozy bedrooms to the warm hospitality and delicious breakfasts, my stay at the Bluebell Inn exceeded my expectations. Enter a world where every detail is considered, every need anticipated. Both in town and on the lake, the inn is the perfect point from which to explore the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and the area’s many natural attractions. The Bluebell Inn is a destination of its own. I can’t think of any place I’d rather be.
That last sentence made his breath hitch every time. He couldn’t think of any place where he’d rather Mia be either. As busy as he’d been, the last week had dragged. He thought of her a thousand times a day. Sometimes the memories made him smile, and other times he wondered if he’d need to carve his heart out of his chest to stop the ache.
He’d thought he’d hear from her—because of the necklace if for no other reason. He’d thought that gesture would’ve meant something to her. But maybe it didn’t. Or maybe she simply couldn’t bring herself to make contact with him again.
He’d been tempted a hundred times to reach out to her. But after what he’d gone through with his sisters he was trying to stay in his own lane. And whenever he got down about her lack of communication he remembered her generous endorsement.
Grace had already placed it front and center on their website and added it to the review pages on numerous travel sites. He had bigger plans for the quote once he had a little space on his credit card.
He continued working along the gutter, making good progress. He’d been at this for almost three hours, but he was almost finished. Just one last...
His phone buzzed with a text and he checked the screen. Just in time.
***
Molly set down her brush and glanced at Grace in the mirror. “What is this event anyway? And since when do you hobnob at the Biltmore?”
Grace had begged Molly to go along tonight and had dragged her through shops all afternoon, searching for the perfect dress.
“I told you it’s an appetizer fund-raiser thing. Sarah got tickets and thought it would be a good way to network for my website business. But she can’t go with me, and I can’t go alone.”
