Page 49 of Two Hearts Reunited

She grimaced. “I guess I need to figure out where to have them install the new modem.”

“I don’t think that Jake would object if you had your office wired as well as your temporary living room out here,” Eric said.

“Okay. I’ll see what these guys have to say, I guess. You probably know more about these things than I do.”

“I doubt it,” he said, grinning. “We’ll just have to handle it together. Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out.”

* * *

Instead of ordering food, they finished all the Christmas leftovers, and by the time Ashley showed, it was after twoo’clock. The two crews were still busy at work outside, but they appeared to be through with the property alongside the road at the back of the cabin, and they were currently working on the lakefront.

Ashley smiled when she walked inside the cabin. “You’ve sure got it cozy in here. That fireplace insert was a great idea.”

“Thanks for coming to take a look, Ashley. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it,” Anya said.

Staring into her eyes first, Ashley gave her a quick hug. “I’m sorry for everything you’ve been going through. I’m here if you ever need a friend. Brian knows a lot about what’s been happening since we were in on the capture of the two men arrested last year since I was kidnapped.” She grimaced. “And Jake just gave us a call and filled us in about what you’ve been going through since we live so close to the cabin.”

“I’m glad,” Anya admitted. “It’s going to be difficult when Eric has to leave.”

“I know,” Ashley said, sighing.

After tugging off her coat, Eric handed her some coffee and they sat and talked for a few moments about what kind of improvements Anya was looking for before getting ready to head into the other part of the house.

“You’ll probably need your coat,” Eric said, pulling on his as Anya reached for a fleece lined sweatshirt.

After slipping her coat back on, Ashley dug into the large bag she’d brought along, bringing out a clipboard along with a monstrous size tape measure. “I came prepared.”

“One thing I had done was to install a second breaker box since the original wiring was so old. One of Cal’s electricians came by and wired in some new heavy duty ground fault boxes for me when I had my washer and dryer put in and needed sturdier wiring for my electric fireplace insert.”

Ashley nodded, obviously approving. “That was a good move. The wiring should all be replaced, I’m afraid, and that will come with a hefty price tag for a place like this.”

“Yes.” Anya grimaced. “He gave me a rough estimate for a roundabout number of dollars when he was here.”

“You’re going to have my income to work with too, you know,” Eric said gruffly, guiding her along.

“But…” Anya cleared her throat, noticing the look of determination on his face. “Okay, already. I won’t argue.”

Ashley grinned, her eyes going wide as they entered the monstrous size living room with its towering ceiling and soaring stone fireplace. “I’ve always wondered what this place looked like inside. What’s its history, Anya?”

“It was built in the late eighteen hundreds as a small resort by my great great grandparents. Back in those days, the town of Crystal Rock was a destination point for wealthy vacationers during the summer, but then they closed the place up for the winter. Imagine what it was like when the original boathouse was built across the water below. There used to be a framed drawing hanging on the wall somewhere around here picturing the wide patio overlooking the lake that ran the whole length of the cabin. I’ll have to look for that image. It was so picturesque with the tables and umbrellas. I’m thinking there was an entire series of drawings hanging upstairs on the walls between the rooms.”

“How many rooms are upstairs?” Ashley asked.

“Sixteen, I think. My grandparents’ apartment is here on the ground level across the room, past the staircase,” she answered, pointing toward the hallway at the opposite end of the massive cabin.

Ashley looked surprised. “Well, right now, I don’t think it would be practical to heat the whole place of course. I guess whatI need to come up with is a way to heat or cool each space by zones.”

“What worries me is the fact that I’m probably going to eventually need a new roof,” Anya admitted. “But for now, I can patch.”

“Well, if we convert to four seasons, we’re more than likely going to need to replace the roof,” Ashley said, grimacing.

Anya groaned.How could she ever afford that?

“Don’t worry about it now,” Eric urged, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and gently squeezing. “We’ll figure things out. Right now, you just need to concentrate on finding your sister. The only way for us to move forward is to try and solve the mysteries from the past.”

“I agree,” Ashley said. “Why don’t you walk with me, so I can take some measurements, Anya. Eric? I wouldn’t mind more coffee. I might be here for a while.”

Eric smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”

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