Page 6 of Snowed In With the Maverick
“Everything looks amazing,” said Andrea, scanning the menu. “I’ve been living off grilled cheese sandwiches and soup for the past few weeks.”
A woman in her mid-sixties with dark silver-streaked hair pulled back in a ponytail and a bright flower-printed blouse approached the table. “You ladies decided on anything yet?”
“Hi, Yolanda,” Nina said. “Andrea, this is Yolanda Castillo. She and her husband, Pablo, are the owners.” She turned back to Yolanda. “Andrea moved to town recently.”
“Nice to meet you,” said Andrea. “I’ve heard great things about this place. I’ll go with the enchiladas.”
“Good choice,” said Yolanda, grinning. She took the rest of the table’s orders, collected the menus, then disappeared into the kitchen.
“I heard you’re fixing up the ranch,” Angela said. “How’s it going?”
Andrea could almost feel the blisters on her hands and the ache in her back as she thought of the next daunting list of tasks waiting for her. But there was satisfaction in the work, in every board she sanded and nail she hammered. She straightened a little, letting that thought bolster her. “Slowly but surely,” she said. “One step at a time, I keep telling myself.”
Renee looked impressed. “And you’re doing it yourself?”
Andrea nodded. “As much as possible.”
“Well, you’re a busy woman, then! We’d better not take too much of your time,” Angela said. “Should we talk about the event?”
Andrea nodded and pulled a notebook and pen from her purse.
“As Angela said, one of the things we’ve been tasked with doing is organizing the community fundraiser that takes place the evening of the hoedown,” said Renee. “We do a 50/50 draw, as well as a silent auction. All the items are set up in the auditorium of the Town Hall, where the dance is.”
“Most of the local businesses are willing to make donations,” added Nina. “A gift card, or a complimentary service or something like that.”
“We’re hoping you can solicit the donations,” said Angela. “It used to be my job, but I’ve got a hip replacement scheduled in two weeks’ time and I’m not getting around as easily these days. I could easily make phone calls, but I think people appreciate a face-to-face ask.”
“It’ll also be a good way for you to meet people,” said Renee.
“I think I can manage that,” Andrea said. Her pen was poised over her notebook. “Any particular places you’d suggest I start?”
Angela, Nina and Renee started naming off some of the local businesses, and for the next ten minutes before their meals arrived, they discussed plans for the fundraisers and logistical details, then put aside their conversation when their waitress returned with lunch.
“This looks unbelievable,” Andrea said, taking in the steaming platter of enchiladas in front of her, topped with gooey melted cheese and freshly sliced jalapeños.
As they ate, Andrea glanced around the table, their laughter mingling with the hum of the diner. The women were warm and friendly, and as they chatted easily over their meals, Andrea congratulated herself on accepting the invitation to join the committee. This was exactly the type of work that would ingratiate her to the community, help her make some acquaintances and get to know some other businesses in town that she could potentially work with, and start to form a genuine connection with her new home by helping to bring in some funds that could be used to improve the community.
Tenacity’s sitting on a gold mine,she recalled Seth Taylor saying.
He seemed pretty certain about that, but Andrea had enough experience to know that in the meantime, this fundraiser stood a better chance at bringing in some money than that guy’s pie-in-the-sky dino dig.
These women were also, unlike Seth, unaware of her past. To them, Andrea was just a new member of their town, pitching in to do her part for the community and setting down new roots.
The fresh start felt good.
Chapter Three
Andrea’s shoulders ached, and her grip strength was waning. Now that the drywall was down, she was working on pulling the rest of the debris outside to the rented dumpster sitting off to the side of the ranch.
Tenacity had almost everything she needed to get by, but there was one thing it was missing: a good massage therapist.
She’d already had someone in to ensure the wall she was planning to tear down wasn’t load bearing, and needed to find a contractor to remove the studs to open up the space. Then, she’d get to work on insulating and drywalling the remaining walls.
Andrea shook out her hands and was about to pick up the last trash bag when a knock sounded at the front door.
Strange. Save for Nina’s visit, this was the first time since she’d moved in that anyone had been by unannounced. Back in the city, an unexpected knock on the door usually meant someone collecting for charity or trying to sell a cable package. But here, fifteen minutes outside town, a visitor wasn’t just passing by—they’d made the trip to see her specifically.
Andrea put her tool down on the workbench and dusted her hands off on her jeans. She was certain she looked like a hot mess, covered in dust and sweat, but that’s what you got when you came by unannounced.
