Page 48 of Two Hearts Reunited

“I’m not telling Anya,” Eric said grimly. “At least not now. First we’ll try to find Shanna. Jake’s going to provide Anya with a security clearance and a criminal database. Plus, she’s going to get paid for her efforts. And—what I’m most relieved about—he’s going to provide security and surveillance at the cabin just in case. Due to what Shanna said in her message, they’re exhuming their mother’s body to be sure that she died from natural causes.”

Brian shook his head in obvious disbelief. “Now you’ve got me worried.”

“Yes. Promise me you’ll keep an eye on things when I’m gone?”

“You’ve got it, Eric,” Brian answered firmly.

At that moment, Ashley walked into the kitchen, hauling Arielle in her arms.

Ashley looked from Eric to Brian. “What’s going on?”

When Mom popped into the kitchen behind Ashley, Eric winked. “Brian will fill you in when the two of you are alone. But Anya would love for you to take a look at the cabin and give her your advice on converting it into a four-season log home.”

“Great. Maybe I should do it while I’ve got both sets of parents here to babysit. How about tomorrow?”

“That would probably be as good of a time as any, since she’s got security being installed at the cabin, courtesy of Jake Loughlin. She’s going to be earning some extra money doing some research for him, so she might be able to afford to do things more quickly.” Eric cleared his throat. “Especially if I’m pitching in.”

Mom looked at him knowingly. “That was a beautiful ring she was wearing.”

“Yes,” Eric admitted, grinning. “That was from me, and of course, you knew that, Mom. It was more of a promise that we would be engaged soon. I need to reevaluate my career so I can be here in Crystal Rock too.”

Mom came over to the table, kissing him gently on the cheek. “I’ve loved that girl since the first time you brought her home for dinner. She’s always seemed so lost, except for whenshe was there with us at the house when the two of you were dating. I’m so glad you two found each other again, Eric.”

“We have our new beginning, Mom. That’s for sure,” he agreed.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Eric showed up at the cabin bright and early the following morning. He’d checked in with her multiple times the night before, but Ashley’s parents had needed to leave a little sooner because of some kind of problem associated with their new real estate business that they’d opened in North Carolina, so everyone was going to be having a very early breakfast before her parents took off on their long drive home. Eric had decided that he’d better be there, although he’d still head over to Anya’s place as soon as the Mitchums were on the road since they would be eating at six.

She smiled when she saw him parking his truck through the window. Anya had ended up taking the afternoon off, because Jake had obviously talked with Penny, who knew that they were installing security at her house.

Something she hadn’t known was that Jake wanted her to work at least a half day every day if possible, so they could start investigating each and every name once Anya had narrowed down those who matched her own parameters.

“How about we leave you with your manager title, Anya, and you can work weekdays from two until five? Maybe you can make yourself available for any emergencies, like if multiple funerals are booked. I still feel most comfortable with you incharge, because you’ve worked with me for so many years. Jaynie is a great designer, but you know how to manage people. Could you still do your accounting and handle the bank deposits with those kind of hours?” Penny had asked earlier when they’d spoken on the phone.

Of course, she could, Anya had decided. Anyone could handle the counter. What she was best at was keeping track of inventory and the books, which she could easily do at home. Jaynie would get a trial run as the manager, but Penny would hire a third person to manage the sales counter and answer the phone if Jaynie had trouble taking charge with double duties when Anya wasn’t there.

“I have the day off today,” she said to Eric as he walked into the cabin. “In fact, Penny shortened my hours because Jake has supposedly talked with her about my research. He wants me to work at least a half day every day if I’m able.”

“Really?” he answered, cupping her chin and giving her a lengthy kiss on the lips. “How do you feel about that?”

“I think I can manage the books at home. An hour a day is about right, and then I’ll still be going into work from two until five and handling the bank deposit after making sure everything is running smoothly. Plus, Jaynie will get a much-deserved promotion.”

“I was going to surprise you with some ideas from Ashley about converting the cabin for you, but it will be better if you’re here when she comes to look at the cabin this afternoon while my mom spends some time with the baby.”

“That’s so nice of her. I wonder if she could recommend anything I might be able to do right away in the office? It would be nice to work out of that larger space again since I’m going to have to spend a lot of time on a computer. I can handle sitting at the kitchen table for an hour or two every day, but I have afeeling that I’ll have trouble if I sit there longer. Spring is a ways away.”

“She seems to know a lot about construction and what it takes to build a new home. She was talking to someone on the phone at Callahan Construction the other day about solar heating, and it sounded like she was advising them. I think it was their branch that she worked at in Eau Claire before returning to Crystal Rock.”

“I admire her for that,” Anya admitted. “She’s the last person I thought would become interested in construction.”

“I hear you. I wasn’t sure what to think when I heard that she and Brian got married. I knew Brian always had a crush on her, but all they did was fight. I always thought she hated him back in high school,” Eric said, grinning. “But I guess there was more going on there than I knew.”

Anya laughed.

Until she noticed a couple of large trucks arrive in the driveway, one appearing to be loaded with equipment while the other had a lift, much like the local power company used.

“Well, this is probably going to take all day,” Eric muttered.

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