big restoration?” He nodded. “I suppose that could be it. It reminds me of the place my grandfather used to have near one of the other lakes nearby.”
“There’s one thing that I really need to have done as soon as possible. You don’t happen to know of any handyman that might be willing to add some modern locks for me. I’m afraid we’ve gotten a little too carried away by authenticity.”
“I have a teenage son who’s pretty good with things like that.”
“Perfect.”
“It might take him a day or two to do it right. What you might want to do it get a couple of latches and padlocks so you can lock it up from the outside.”
“That’s a great idea. And I do know my way around power tools,” Ariella admitted.
“I kind of figured that. Anyone who’s into boating and snowmobiling usually isn’t afraid of a little hard work.”
“Can I help you with your luggage and groceries?”
“That would be nice. Our family owns another older home across the lake. The grounds are a little run down, so for now it would be easier to travel back and forth by pontoon.”
“Here comes my son,” Matt said as a teenager drove into the driveway, looking around with obvious curiosity.
Matt introduced them. “This is Ms. Cappella, Vin, and she’s looking for someone to do a little work for her. Ariella, meet Vincent.”
Teenagers seemed to be unusually sensitive to the pheromones, and Vincent was definitely staring at Ariella with adoring eyes, even though he was a good-looking teenager and probably had a girl he was dating.
“Nice to you Vin. I wanted to have some doorknobs installed along with some locks, but I don’t want them to appear out of place with the house.”
Vin became thoughtful, staring at the cabin. “I might be able to dig something up from one of the reclaimed hardware stores.
Matt added, “I thought she could add some latches and padlocks on all the doors in the meantime.”
“How about I do that right now?” Vin suggested. “It wouldn’t take me more than an hour. I’ve got my tools in the truck, so I’d just need to go in town to the hardware before they close.”
“Are you sure it wouldn’t be an inconvenience?”
“Not at all,” Vince answered. “I’ll be right back.”
Matt watched his son start up the truck and drive off without him as if he wasn’t there.
“Strange. I’ve never seen him that enthusiastic before,” he admitted. “He didn’t even ask for the money to purchase the locks. I think he has a crush on you.”
Ariella laughed.
Finally, she answered, “Tell you what, Matt. Since you’ve been so kind with helping me load up my groceries and belongings, why don’t I drive you back to the Marina? I’ll come back and unload a few things from my jeep that I’m planning on leaving here at the cabin temporarily while Matt is attaching the padlocks for me. That way I’ll have the keys when I return.”
He grinned. “That works for me. Let me know if my son becomes a pest.”
Ariella laughed again.
* * *
Vin did have a crush on her, but it was kind of sweet. Once, she’d had a boyfriend like that when she’d been about sixteen years old, and it was funny how he reminded her so much of Michael, when he’d still been young, sweet and kind.
She unloaded the majority of her artwork into the cabin when she returned after dropping att back at the Marina, but had decided to hold to a few of the portraits for now, since she felt that there was some significance behind her inspiration at the time.
Most particularly the painting of the man who Mother and Aunt Serena believed to be her mate.
She was beginning to hate that word. It had no significance whatsoever in terms of the qualities she was looking for in a man.
Finally, she was exchanging phone numbers with Vin and he handed over the keys.
She pulled out a hundred-dollar bill. “Will this be enough?”
“Thank you, Ms. Cappella,” he answered, looking a little stunned. “I’ll be sure to give you a call as soon as I find some usable hardware.”
“You can call me Ariella, Vin. And I might be calling you if there’s anything I need help with at the house. No one in the family’s been there for a while, so I’m not quite sure what to expect.”
“I really appreciate that,” Vin answered, raising a hand in farewell. “If there’s anything you need, call either me or my dad.”
“I will,” she answered,