I wasn't wrong earlier, acknowledging that I was in deep already. Over my head, probably. But having her here, I didn't care.
This felt right. Like it was meant to be.
The question was, would she ever feel the same way?
10
AYLA
Dinner was amazing. The fact that I'd crashed into this man's world with no warning didn't seem to upset him at all. Oren hadn't hesitated to help me when I needed it. But even more than that, he'd shown care and concern I hadn't experienced from people I'd known far longer.
Allowing me to stay in his home, keeping me safe, and making me dinner. It was one night, but it was also a representation of who this man really was.
And I liked it.
A lot.
We cleaned up together, washing and drying the dishes side by side. It was comfortable. Comforting.
"Tomorrow, we'll get the door hung and start cleaning up inside."
I hesitated, my mind rapidly calculating how much the repairs might cost and how little money I had in reserve.
"Hey, Ayla." I looked up at Oren, catching the way he watched me with concern. "What's bothering you?"
Trying for a smile, I focused on the dish in my hands. It was dry, but I kept rubbing the towel over it, needing to do something with my hands as worry rose up.
Oren's fingers closed around mine, halting the movement. This time, our eyes locked, and my heart stuttered for a second. Without saying anything, Oren took the plate from me, then the towel and set them on the counter. With a gentle touch on my lower back, he led me over to the couch and sat down beside me.
"Talk to me. What's got you so worried?"
His question was so earnest that I didn't feel the need to pretend that everything was fine.
"It's just, there's a lot of work to do there. And I don't have a lot of money." Shame at my limited resources made my stomach twist. Part of me felt stupid for even thinking I could make this change in my life without having more saved. That I should've been more prepared for things to go wrong or saved smarter. I hadn't considered that I might arrive at my new home, the gift left for me by my grandmother, and that I couldn't just move right in.
Oren leaned back against the cushions, and smiled. This was a real smile, the first I'd seen. It transformed his face, gentled some of the sharp planes. He was handsome and hot when he was growly and focused. But this man smiling at me, well, that made it hard to breathe because he was gorgeous.
"Well, then it's a good thing I'm not planning to charge you for any of the work."
I shook my head. "That's so nice of you, Oren, but I can't take advantage of you like that."
His eyes darkened, and he reached out to lay his hand over mine. The warmth of him spread into me, through my fingers and into my thigh where my palm rested. "You're not taking advantage of me." His voice was gravelly, and this time, when my stomach twisted, it was with excitement inspired by thattone. What would it feel like to have that intensity focused on me, intimately? "Around here, we help each other, Ala. We take care of our neighbors. It can be hard at first to accept that, I know, because life has taught us that different rules apply. But that's one of the reasons I love living up here. There aren't a lot of people around and the ones that are, well, they know we can't survive without each other. When bad things happen, we band together."
I thought about the woman in town, the way she'd instantly offered to have someone drive me up to the cabin. Not for a fee, not even a request for gas money. Just a need recognized and a solution provided.
"But you've already done so much for me. I don't want you to think I don't appreciate it."
He chuckled, surprising me. "It's not completely unselfish. I've liked having you around." He held up a hand when I tried to interject. "I'm just being honest. Spending time with you today has been ... nice. Really nice. And I wouldn't be okay if I had to think of you up at that cabin alone without a front door to protect you. So, think of it as you doing me a favor. You're grandma always told me I spent too much time alone. You're being here just means she's getting what she always wanted."
I drew my feet up under my butt, twisting to face him. He watched me, and it was the most relaxed I'd seen him.
"Okay, then we're doing each other a favor. But do you need to work tomorrow. Am I interfering with other things you need to do?"
"I work for the resort. I'm their resident lumberjack." I laughed at that and he smiled again. Which was fast becoming my glaring weakness. If I was standing up when I saw that, I was sure my knees might buckle. "I'm the woodsman. Keep an eye on the forest, checking for signs of disease or wild fire threat. I mark the trees that need to be cleared, coordinate with localbusinesses that might buy the wood. It's a pretty flexible kind of schedule."
Reassured, I nodded. "Okay. So you won't lose your job for taking the day off to help me. That makes me feel a little better."
"Good. I'm glad we cleared that up." I picked up the teasing tone in his voice and it warmed me through. I might just love every way this man spoke.