It was almost noon by the time she left her room and made her way down the hall to the staircase. The steps creaked as she went down, but it was a homey sound. The idea of her grandparents walking the same route day after day made her smile. Just being here in this house, this town, gave her a connection to the past she’d always sought.
Mia would walk to the stores—they were just down the street a block or two. Filming had been done indoors last week, and she felt starved for a bit of sunshine and fresh air. Besides, she was eager to scope out her family’s town.
When she rounded the front desk, she stopped at the sight of Levi perched on a stool. He was wearing a white Bluebell Inn polo that set off his tan.
He straightened at the sight of her. “Good morning, Mrs.—I mean, Mia. I hope you slept well and enjoyed your breakfast.”
“I did. Thank you.” Mia stopped in front of the desk. There was something different in his countenance this morning, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
“Our other rooms are available now, if you’d like to take a look. They’re a bit smaller, but we have a—”
She waved him off. “The suite is wonderful. Thank you, but I’ll just stay put.” He had to be wondering where her groom was, but thank God he was too professional to mention it.
“All right. Is there anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable?”
“Everything is perfect. I was just going to do some shopping. Is there someplace nearby you’d recommend for clothing?”
“There are a couple stores in town that sell outdoor apparel for hiking, climbing, and such, and other stores that stock touristy things like shirts and hats. Most of those have the Bluebell Lake logo on them though.”
She bit her lip. “Oh. I was thinking more like regular clothes: jeans, tops, a sundress?”
He was already shaking his head. “You’d have to go to Asheville for that kind of shopping.”
“No problem. That’s what Uber is for, right? Thanks for your help.” She pulled out her phone and turned toward the door.
“Um... I’m afraid we don’t have that here.”
She blinked. “You don’t have Uber?”
“Well, we have Ernest Farnsworth, but he only drives on the weekends, when he’s not working at the marina.” He straightened from the stool. “But no worries, I can drive you. I’m actually at your service this week for all your traveling needs.”
She noted his stiff smile. “Excuse me?”
“It’s part of the package. I’d be happy to take you anywhere you need to go.”
And still no questions about the mister. Well, maybe this would be a good opportunity to get that conversation out of the way.
“Well, thank you. I’d appreciate that, if you’re sure it’s not an imposition.”
“Part of my job. Asheville’s over the mountains, about forty minutes.” He pulled a set of keys from his pocket and walked around her, opening the door for her. She put on her sunglasses as she followed him down the walkway. There was nobody about, but no point taking chances.
When he reached a silver Ford sedan, he opened the rear door for her. She paused only a second before stepping inside. Even when her driver drove her to the set she didn’t sit in the back. Really, she only did that in a limo, and that was a rare occasion. The formality seemed unnatural here in the sticks.
He got into the driver’s seat, started the car, and put down the windows. “I’ll put these up in a minute, just letting out some of the stuffy air.”
“It’s all right. I like fresh air.” She filled her lungs with a breath full of pine and the sweet scent of some flower. She’d have to get clothes appropriate for hiking. She was used to being busy and didn’t want to leave too much time to wallow in her misery. Plus, the exercise would keep her fit. It would be refreshing to burn calories on trails rather than at the gym. She glanced at the ridge of mountains rising up over the still lake. Not to mention the grand views.
The lake was nestled in the mountains like a baby in a cradle. She scanned the panorama, wondering what her mother had thought of it. On the rare occasions Bluebell had come up, her mom had scoffed at it. But Mia thought the little lake town seemed like the ideal place to grow up.
Levi had no sooner gotten outside of town than he put up the windows and cranked up the air conditioning.
Mia shifted in her seat, feeling disconnected there in the back. The professional distance wouldn’t help when she tried to explain why she was here alone. Maybe she should just let it go—he was obviously going to. But it would feel like an elephant in the room whenever she saw him, and she’d grown up with enough elephants to know they didn’t belong indoors.
She cleared her throat and looked at the sliver of his face she could see in the rearview mirror—basically his very blue eyes and the dark slashes of his brows.
“So, um, listen,” she began, her heart beating ridiculously hard, “you must be wondering why I’m here alone.”
He kept his eyes on the road. “It’s not really any of my business.”
