They dried fast over the radiator.
Her phone rang just as she was placing them neatly in a box.
“Hey, Sheila. What are you doing?”
“Can’t tell you. It’s a surprise.”
“For me?” Natalie’s voice rose.
“Sort of. I was getting ready to drive over to your place.”
“You cannotdrive that car on the dirt road. I’ll come get you. I was just heading back from Paul’s house anyway. Be there in a minute.”
“Perfect timing. I’ll be right down.” She packed the birdhouses. It took her two trips to get everything downstairs.
Natalie was walking up the steps when Sheila opened the front door.
“Hey, are you ready?” Natalie asked.
“Yep. Here.” Natalie shoved huge Hobby Lobby bags toward Natalie. “And there’s more.” She carried a box and a bag out to the truck.
“This is way more stuff than I had on the list.”
“Sure is, but I can’t wait for you to see it all. I found some great stuff.”
“I picked up barbecue from the Trout and Snout so we could eat before we go over to the high school.”
“Good. I had sushi for lunch, and that is gone. I’m starving.”
“You are in the best mood.” Natalie looked over at her and then giggled. “Is this still because Tucker thinks you’re cute?”
“It did perk me up. I’m not gonna lie.”
“He’s pretty cute too.”
“Oh stop. I live in Richmond. He lives here. It’s nice, absolutely, but that’s all it can ever be.” But the excitement couldn’t be suppressed, because her heart was already racing. “He is really good-looking, kind, smart. Ugh. I can’t stop thinking about him. I have to stop!”
“Whatever.”
“Don’t whatever me.” Sheila refused to have the conversation and was thankful when Natalie turned down the dirt road. The noise under the truck tires made it nearly impossible to have a conversation.
When they turned toward the cabin, Sheila was delighted to see that Natalie had put pine roping along the bridge railing. “It looks so festive.”
“Thank you. I’ve done a few things.”
Natalie carried the bag from Trout & Snout over the bridge, and Sheila left everything else in the truck. She’d show Natalie that stuff tonight.
At the edge of the bridge, a garden flag with a wintry scene and Christmas cardinals hung from a fancy black wrought-iron hanger.
“That is so pretty.”
“Thank you. I painted it. It’s similar to a design in the note cards I just released last month. I’m in a bird phase.”
“I see that.” She knew Natalie would flip over the wrapping paper she’d just bought. It was so hard for her to keep secrets, though.
“I’ve got a ton of solar lights, but Randy and Tucker dug a trench and ran electricity to the bridge for me over the summer. Ihave Christmas lights draped along the pine roping on the bridge. It looks so pretty at night.”
“I forgot how long the walk was from the bridge to the cabin.”
