Seeking Happily Ever After (Ever After #8) - Elena Aitken Page 0,42
herself think that maybe, even for a moment, whatever it was that was happening between them just might be more than either of them were letting themselves believe.
Chapter Eleven
The paint color was perfect. Char swiped the brush across the blank wall again and stepped back with a satisfied grin. The cabins were comprised almost entirely of logs, but there were a few interior walls that Travis had put up in some of the bigger cabins to section off the bathrooms and bedrooms. She’d tried at least five colors, but none of them looked quite right. Until now.
“Perfect.” She couldn’t help but laugh at herself when she realized she still had two coats to do. The one swipe from her brush wasn’t even close to being done. Not that she minded. For the last week, she’d immersed herself in the design and planning of the Lynx Creek cabins, and she was loving every single minute of it.
It felt good to be doing what she loved again. Really good. And most importantly, Steph was happy with the early results, too.
She’d set up each cabin to be a little bit different than the last, each with their own theme to keep them unique but at the same time cozy and comfortable. But this cabin, the one tucked up farthest in the hills, was going to be her favorite. Because of its location, completely secluded and surrounded by tall pines, it was obviously going to be the Lumberjack cabin. She’d picked out a red and black plaid bedspread and had found various lumberjack paraphernalia to adorn the walls and the couch—when the furniture was finally delivered in the coming weeks. Including a really nice antique ax that would look fantastic on the wall by the door.
Char put down her paintbrush and picked up the ax, giving it a little swing. The ring on her left hand caught the sun as she lowered the tool safely back to the ground and once again, like so many other times since Nick had put it on her finger, just over a week ago, she stopped and stared at it.
It was a gorgeous ring, even if it wasn’t the ring and it had been given to her in the most messed-up situation. Still, she couldn’t help but think that maybe, under different circumstances, or even when all of this mess was sorted out…maybe…the situation wouldn’t be quite so messed up and the ring might actually represent more than a solution to keep Amelia safe and with her father. Maybe it could be more?
It wasn’t the first time Charlotte had let herself think that way. And it concerned her that it might not even be the last. But she couldn’t help it.
She hadn’t meant for it to happen, and she’d meant it when she’d said that she didn’t want anything serious, but still…playing house with Nick and Amelia was starting to feel more and more real as the days went on. Waking up to the smell of fresh coffee brewing and the happy sounds of a little girl who had very quickly worked her way into Charlotte’s heart, followed by a good morning kiss from Nick, had become a pretty amazing way to start her days.
But not as amazing as how she’d been ending her days. Wrapped in the arms of a strong, sexy, and smart man who challenged her mind with no end of ideas about her business and never seemed to tire of hearing about her latest design finds or what she was working on at the cabins before their conversations would inevitably dissolve into kisses and touches that made her body come alive over and over again.
Yes. It was a pretty easy life to get used to.
She took a breath and pulled her gaze away from her ring as her cell phone rang. Without glancing at the caller ID, she snatched it up.
“Hello?” She practically singsonged into the phone.
“Damn.”
Charlotte’s heart stopped for a split second.
“It’s good to hear that voice. Baby, where’ve you been?”
She punched the button to end the call and dropped the phone on the floor in front of her, staring at it as if it would explode at any second.
No.
Billy.
The anonymous calls with no one on the other end. They weren’t wrong numbers. But…
Billy didn’t know how to find her.
Not that it would take a genius to know she was back in Glacier Falls. But no one had her number. Only her close friends and family. And there’s no way he’d come for