She hadn’t considered the source of the cottage’s water supply. Never in her life had she needed to. But if she had, she would’ve known not to flush the toilet and fill her water bottle, because now the well was empty, and without electricity, the pump couldn’t refill it, and that meant no water until the power came back.
If some parts of town had electricity, perhaps the Lamberts had heat and running water. Even if they didn’t, maybe they had a generator or a fireplace with a raging fire in it. The last time Holly’s mom stopped over, she’d once again reminded her to call if she needed anything. You could consider heat something, and she needed it right now. Juliette exchanged her e-reader for her cell phone.
Instead of hearing Mrs. Lambert’s voice, Juliette got the woman’s voice mail after a few rings. Without leaving a message, she disconnected the call. Unfortunately, Holly had left town on Monday and returned to New York, so there was no point in trying her. That reduced the number of people Juliette knew in town even further, and three of them were in Boston for the weekend. Since the home was on the same property, it wouldn’t have power either, but it had a woodstove. More importantly, she’d seen the log rack full of firewood next to it. She didn’t doubt that everyone up there, except for perhaps Tiegan, knew how to get a fire going safely.
She didn’t have Aaron’s phone number, but she could call the office line. If he didn’t answer, she could drive up to the house. But then what? While he was polite whenever she saw him, they weren’t exactly what you would call friends. Asking a friend to let you hang out and warm up was one thing. Asking a relative stranger if you could come inside until your place had heat again was entirely different.
Before she decided either way, someone knocked on the front door. As if her thoughts had conjured him up, she found Aaron standing on the little porch when she peeked out the window.
“Come on in.” As she moved away from the door, she pulled the comforter more tightly around her.
Stepping inside, he closed the door before any more chilly air could make its way inside, as if it really mattered all that much at this point. “I wanted to see how you were doing.”
“A little cold.” Would he consider it rude if she asked to spend some time at his house? At this point, did she care what he thought of her if it meant her fingers were no longer numb?
His eyes darted toward the woodstove and the empty log rack before he focused on her face again. “You’re welcome to come to my house. I don’t have power either, but it’s warm there.”
If it didn’t require unwrapping herself from the blankets, she’d hug the man.
“I talked to Robby, a buddy of mine who works for the electric company. Much of the state is out, so it will probably be a while before the power is back. You’re welcome to spend the night if it doesn’t come back today. I can wait for you to pack a few things, or you can drive up to the house when you’re ready.”
If she took her car, she wouldn’t need him to drive her back once the electricity returned. “I’ll meet you up there.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you in a few minutes. I’ll leave the front door unlocked. Just come in when you get there.”
She’d rather not have to stay the night. If the power didn’t come back, though, she didn’t want to sleep here with no heat or water either, so she tossed a few things, including her toothbrush and e-reader, into one of the reusable shopping bags Mrs. Lambert had left behind and headed out.
The scent of wood burning and Clifford greeted her when she stepped inside Aaron’s house. She’d never owned a pet. It wasn’t so much because she didn’t like animals but more that she didn’t want the responsibility of caring for one. She enjoyed being able to come and go as she pleased without having to worry about boarding a furry friend or finding someone to watch it. That being said, she liked Clifford. The mutt—at least she thought he was a mutt because he didn’t resemble any breed she was familiar with—was one of the friendliest dogs she’d ever met. And according to Candace, the dog was also protective of Tiegan.
“Hello,” she called out as she ran her hand across the dog’s head and down his neck.
“Make yourself at home. I’ll be right there.” Aaron’s voice came from the vicinity of the kitchen.
She didn’t need to hear his suggestion twice. Juliette left her bag by the door and headed straight for the woodstove. Stripping off her gloves, she held her hands toward it. Ah, heat. She closed her eyes and let the warmth roll over her.
“If you sit on the sofa, Clifford will cuddle up next to you. He’s almost as good as an electric blanket.”
Opening her eyes, she found Aaron standing there, a mug in each hand. He’d ditched his jacket and wore a dark green flannel shirt over a black thermal undershirt. The flannel shirt amplified the color of his eyes, while the fitted undershirt showcased his chest and trim waist.
“When I left the cottage, you looked like you could use something hot to drink.” He handed her one of the steaming mugs. “I didn’t know if you liked anything in your tea, so I left it black. But help yourself to the milk and sugar.”
First, the man invited her to his blissfully warm house, and now he made her tea. If it wouldn’t either make things incredibly awkward or get her kicked out, she’d kiss him. Who was she kidding? She’d been thinking about kissing him all week. Actually, this morning before the phone had so rudely woken her, she’d been about to do more than kiss him in her dream.
“Thank you.” Even though she preferred her tea with a splash of milk, she took a sip before setting the mug down so she could remove her jacket. The hot liquid coursed down her throat, warming her insides much like the way the fire was warming her skin. “I hope this doesn’t affect the ballet. When I was here Thursday, it was all Tiegan could talk about.”
“I got off the phone with my sister right before you got here. They never lost power in Boston.”
The words “lucky them” sat on the tip of her tongue. But before she uttered them, she reconsidered. If not for the storm and the lack of electricity, she wouldn’t now have an opportunity to get to know Aaron better, something
a part of her had wanted to do since she first saw him in the woods. “That’s good. I’ve never seen anyone quite so excited as your niece when she told me about the tickets you got her for her birthday.”
When Aaron had been in high school, he’d worked at the campground in the summer rather than at Gorman’s Shop and Save or the fast-food restaurant in Ashford, the two most popular places for teenagers to get part-time jobs. He’d done whatever his dad or the maintenance personnel his parents employed during the season told him to do. They’d never sent him to check on the welfare of a guest. As far as he knew, it wasn’t something his parents or any employee ever did either.
Until today.
Although used in the winter, the cottages weren’t as well insulated as his house, so whatever heat had been in the cottage before the power went out would quickly escape. Thanks to its size, the woodstove could heat Juliette’s whole cottage, making it comfortable. When Juliette had checked in, Mom would’ve told her she could get firewood from Valley Landscaping. She told everyone who stayed at the campground regardless of the time of year about the company because a lot of people liked to have campfires and they offered the best prices. He hadn’t known if Juliette had bothered to call them. And even if she had, he’d doubted the woman would know how to get a fire going.
At first, he’d told himself Juliette and the conditions she found herself in weren’t his problem. She was a grown woman and should be able to take care of herself. His conscience disagreed. And throughout the morning, images of her sitting on the sofa with blue lips shivering kept popping up in his head. By lunchtime, they were no longer popping up from time to time but instead stuck there. Even still, when he got in his truck, he hadn’t planned on inviting her to stay with him. Instead, he intended to check on her and give her the firewood he’d thrown in the bed of his truck as well as a quick lesson on how to use the woodstove before returning to the comfort of his house.