Eleos (Book two in The Empaths series)

Chapter Nine

The cottage looked completely different.

It was so much brighter now, more alive.

The dilapidated mess that it had been in when they arrived had very obviously been miraculously fixed, and in its place was a warm and inviting home.

Scarlett had indeed been busy. All the dust had been swept away, and the broken windows were repaired and currently flung wide open, letting the fresh air wash through the cottage – bringing with it the wonderful smell of wildflowers growing along the river.

The little path leading up to the front porch had been cleared of all the weeds and the front door was no longer hanging off its hinges

"How..." Lucy mumbled before she heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"You're here!" Scarlett cheered, skipping the last step with a small bound and wrapping her arms around Lucy's neck. "Is Jared with you?" she asked, stepping back to look over Lucy's shoulder.

"He'll be here soon," Lucy replied with a laugh, surprised by this new, exuberant version of her aunt. "He's just helping Rachel with her things."

"Well," Scarlett continued, rubbing her hands together. "I've already started working on the house for you and Jared. You'll be taking mine and your mother's old room and I've started setting up my parent's old bedroom for Jared."

"Sounds great," Lucy replied, before she really heard what Scarlett had said. "Wait," Lucy said, taking her aunt by the hand. "Where will you be..." but she drifted off as Lucas walked in, sheepishly tucking his hands into his pockets.

Scarlett stepped over to him and wrapped an arm around his waist. "Why don't you and Tristan take a seat in the dining room. I'll make some tea and we'll talk about what's happening as soon as your brother gets here."

Lucy looked at her aunt, who was smiling up at Luke, and suddenly she understood. With a nod of her head, Lucy dropped the rest of her bags by the door, took Tristan's hand, and they followed Lucas and Scarlett into the little kitchen.

"This looks amazing, Scarlett," Lucy said as stood in the dining room, gazing around at the cottage.

Now that the dust had been cleared, all of the white wood kitchen cabinets, the dark wood bench tops, and the carefully handmade table and chairs – also painted with white wash – made the little cottage feel even more homely than their house back in Blackwood.

Everything had a touch of sentiment, like a piece of their family was etched into each and every item in the room. Years of family history, right there in each pot, pan and cup.

Lucy ran her hand over the dining table, feeling the imperfections in the wood and she smiled.

"Your grandfather made that table," Scarlett whispered, crossing the room to stand beside Lucy. "In fact, he made almost all of the furniture you see here." She looked around with a loving gaze. "He was so talented," she added with glistening eyes.

"Scarlett has been working hard to make sure the cottage felt as comfortable as possible for you and your brother," Lucas added as he filled a teapot with water and put it on the cast iron stove. He waved a hand and flames sprung up under the teapot.

Once again, Lucy looked around the room.

The pretty floral curtains hanging over the windows were pulled back and waving gently in the breeze. The sun drifted into each room, its warm rays of light streaming across the floors. As the wind shifted the trees outside, shadows moved lazily across the furniture in a mesmerizing rhythm that gave Lucy a wonderful sense of comfort.