Chapter Six
Eliza – Saturday
Shit.
I jumped up like a bolt of lightning in my bed, my heart racing like crazy in my chest. I kept thinking this whole cabin thing over and over in my mind, planning everything that could go wrong, and it seemed that had infiltrated my dreams. The worst-case scenarios were sickening me, and I was starting to think that this had all been a mistake. I wasn’t yet ready to rent out the cabin. When I’d put it online, I hadn’t expected anyone to call me. Especially not that quickly.
And then the guy with the gruff voice did. God, I couldn’t help but wonder what he was going to be like. In my mind, I kind of pictured him with dark features and eyebrows that were constantly furrowed. I imagined him as someone older, a little intimidating, possibly with a scar running down his cheek.
Oh, God, what if he turns out to be a murderer or something? What if he wants the cabin for something untoward? What if...
No, I needed to stop that. I was freaking myself out over absolutely nothing. Everything was going to be fine. Laynee and I had spent the entire evening yesterday cleaning the place up, and it looked good. It was all going to be fine. I just needed to focus on my breathing and sort out my head. I needed some sleep to get ready for my early morning...
“Oh, no,” I groaned lightly as I turned over to see the clock. It was already six a.m., and while I didn’t think that this guy was actually going to turn up at seven, I needed to be there, just in case.
I rolled out of bed and allowed my feet to hit the floor with a thud. Staggering across the room, sleep still filling my vision, I made my way into the kitchen to grab a much-needed cup of coffee. I needed caffeine to get my brain going, but before I could even look at the coffee pot, a cold, wet sensation sank its way through my bed socks.
“Ugh, what the fuck?” I called out loudly, hopping from foot to foot as I grew colder. “What now?” Sure, this place was just about cheap enough for me to live in while also eating and stuff, but sometimes it didn’t feel worth it. One minute the electricity was going, the next moment it was another plumbing issue... And this time, a burst pipe greeted me, and a wet, damp floor.
“Fucking hell.” I slapped my palm against my head. “Not now; this is the last thing I need.” I could have done without this, not on such an important day.
I was absolutely freezing cold, which probably did a better job of waking me up than any caffeine would have done. Now I needed to shower... or at least wash before I met this guy. I had to at least attempt to look professional, like I knew what the hell I was doing.
What was his name again? I probably should have remembered that. Martin? Mark? Something with an M... I would just have to hope that he said it again as we met up.
By the time I jumped into my car, I felt frazzled, not how I’d wanted to be feeling, at all. I had hoped that by getting an early night, I would have woken up fresh and prepared, but, of course, back then I wasn’t exactly banking on a burst pipe.
“Fuck,” I spat out again, just for the hell of it. “Fucking apartment.”
I’d tried to contact my landlord, but as per usual, he hadn’t answered, so I would just have to wait for him to get back to me when he deemed it necessary. It was a fucking nightmare. I needed to get out of there... as soon as I could afford it.
Oh... My... God.
I instantly spotted a very flashy car sitting outside the cabin, which meant the guy had gotten there before me. It was only quarter to seven; I’d hoped that I would have some time to check over the place again and to maybe smarten myself up a bit, but that wasn’t going to happen now.
Deep breath in... deep breath out... now go.
“Hello, there,” I said in a friendly tone of voice, all the while racking my brain to attempt to figure out his name. “It’s nice to meet you in person.”
“Yes, Eliza, right?”
As he neared me, I noticed that he wasn’t what I had expected at all. Yes, he was tall with dark hair, but he was brooding, rather than moody. He had bright-blue eyes that seemed to suggest a twinkle of something, a sense of humor, maybe? He looked more fun than I’d been expecting, and it sent a bolt of... something racing through my body. A weird thrill of anticipation, an unexpected sense of... Well, I wasn’t sure what, really.
“Yes, erm... Yes, I’m Eliza.” Ugh, why do I sound like a nerdy school girl with a crush? I was supposed to be a professional businesswoman here. And, I certainly didn’t feel anything for this man; he just wasn’t what I was expecting.
That was all.
“I’m Milo.” He gave me a crinkly grin before quickly rearranging his expression back to a steely one. “And this is my dog, Veil.”
I hadn’t been too keen on the idea of a dog, but as I caught sight of the most beautiful husky that I’d ever seen, I felt my icy shell thaw. He was adorable, and I desperately wanted to hug him. As he raced over to my side for some petting, I couldn’t help but give him what he wanted.
“Hello, there, beautiful,” I cooed, tickling behind his ears. “Aren’t you adorable? How do you like the cabin, huh? Plenty of room to run around. I bet you’ll have all sorts of fun.”
“You talk to dogs like my cousin,” Milo said.
“Oh, I...” I started to feel a little silly. I jumped backward and tried to return to the mode that I needed to be in. Ignore your red face. Just get this over with... think of the money. “Well, why don’t I take you inside and show you the place?”
He followed behind me, a little too closely, which made me very aware of him. I felt small and silly next to him, like he could already see right through me and already knew I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t want to bomb my first booking, not when it could boost my hairdressing business – especially when I considered how much money this was going to make me.
I needed to lighten the atmosphere. I needed to make him smile, to try and get him to see that I wasn’t a terrible person who had no idea what she was doing.
“So, how was the journey?” I started lamely. “Much... traffic?” Shit, this is awful. What a terrible start.
“Yeah, you know.” He shrugged, proving he wasn’t much of a talker.
“Erm, yeah, so here is the living room-slash-kitchen, and the bathroom is through there...”
I admired him, without even meaning to, as he walked in front of me to check out the facilities. He had a cute butt, the sort I might actually like to grab...
Nope, stop it, that is ridiculous.
“Erm, and then there are two bedrooms and an outside area...” My ears were buzzing; I could barely hear the words that were falling out of my mouth. I was just saying things to distract myself from those untoward thoughts, just to keep myself going.
“Yep, I think I got it.”
Why were his eyes so fierce and penetrating? Why did I feel like he could see right into the pit of my soul? Why wasn’t he smiling? Was I that unpleasant to be around?
Ugh, I needed to wrap this thing up now. “So, if there’s anything that I can do for you, let me know. I left a list of numbers on the side of the fridge for you.”
“Thank you, and the same goes. If you need me—”
“You don’t happen to know how to fix pipes, do you?” I knew that it wasn’t professional, but he did just offer, and I was pretty damn desperate.
“No, sorry,” He shook his head and the edges of his mouth crept up a little bit. “Why, what’s going on? Is there a leaky pipe in here?”
“No, in my apartment.” I sighed sadly. “I honestly have the most useless landlord around.”
“How bad is it?” He was looking too interested now, making me feel like telling him was a massive mistake. I should have just kept my mouth shut.
“Well, my kitchen is flooded, but I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
“You know, there are two rooms here, and this is your home,” he replied carelessly. “If you need somewhere to stay, then you can.”
My heart leaped up into my throat. Is he serious? That was nice, making me think that there was so much more going on underneath the surface, but I couldn’t possibly take him up on that offer. The thought was just silly.
“Oh, erm, thanks,” I stammered. “But I’m sure it’ll be fine. I don’t want to impose on your trip.”
“Well, the offer is there if you need it,” he told me gravely. I got the distinct impression that this was the sort of man who never said anything that he didn’t mean. “And you have my number from when I called you the other day if you change your mind. I wouldn’t mind the company.”
“Thank you,” I gasped, everything burning inside of me. “I appreciate it.”
What the hell was that? I thought to myself as I drove back home. That was insane. He actually offered me a room in the cabin that he was now renting from me – and paying me good money for. Who did that? It was nice, but strange, too.
And the way that he’d mentioned having some company... That would stick with me.
Anyway, it didn’t matter. I would call my landlord until he answered and demand that he fixed it. Today. No matter what.
***
“You can’t?” I replied miserably, twisting my hair around my finger in dismay. “So, when will it be?”
“I don’t know,” my landlord replied in a pissed-off tone of voice. “I will let you know, okay?”
This guy was a dick. I wanted to yell at him and tell him as much, but there wasn’t any point. It wouldn’t change anything.
“Right, okay, goodbye.” He couldn’t get the off the phone quick enough; he probably felt exactly the same way about me as I did him. I didn’t care. I just wanted things to happen. The things that I paid my rent for!
As I hung up the phone, I let out a deep breath of sad air. This was a nightmare; it was starting to become clear that I didn’t have any choice. I couldn’t ask Laynee, since she still lived with her parents, which only left me with Milo. I was going to actually have to take him up on his insane offer.
Oh, God, this is happening.
I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to imagine how this call was going to go, and it wasn’t pretty. Still, it was either that or sleep in an apartment where the water was seeping into the other rooms, making the carpets smell awful. I couldn’t stand it; it was already making me gag – there was no way that I could sleep in this nightmare.
I gripped my cell phone tightly, feeling like I was in another universe entirely, then I hit the call button and waited for him to answer.