Off the Grid

“Okay.” She bounced on the balls of her feet. It struck him how different he felt with her here.

He led her inside and tried to view the space from her perspective. “This is the seating area.” A small brown leather couch rested against the far wall with the new Aztec cream and turquoise throw rug in front of it. The ruffled turquoise pillows stood out in the minimalistic space, along with the Mason jar full of flowers on the long white pine end table. She turned to him with a small smile.

“You’re a far better housekeeper than my brothers.”

He released the breath he’d been holding. Bullet dodged. She wasn’t going to ask him about the feminine touches. He remembered the Fehr boys. Levi, Gideon, and Oren were legendary when it came to pranks, mischief, and their protection of Lilac.

“I’ll take that as a compliment. When I’m in the mood I watch movies on my laptop, and I’ve got a few board games for when company comes over.” Beside the couch was a small bookcase he made to keep his science fiction, how-to manuals, and horror books contained.

“Read a lot?”

“I do when I have the time.”

He moved toward the kitchen area. A small square table was pushed against the wall with two straight back wooden chairs. Against the wall, he’d built a counter with a stainless-steel sink beside a burner. Overhead cabinets and additional storage space below were made of the same white pine wood he collected from the trees on his property.

“Is the water cold?”

“No, I built in a heating option. It gets damn cold in the winter. My main goal was to be as comfortable as possible.”

“It feels like you’ve accomplished that.” She craned her neck to take in the high ceilings instrumental in making the space feel larger.

“Thank you. Cabinet space above your head holds all the plates. Below and to the side here are used for the pantry.”

“And the wood burning stove?”

“It can be used for cooking, but more than anything, it’s the best way to heat the cabin for the lowest price.”

“And it works out?” she asked.

“Trust me. What you see now is an upgrade from when I first lived out here. Come on, I’ll show you the loft.” He guided her up the winding wooden steps to his spacious sleeping area. A king-sized mattress placed on a built-in platform stood front and center with its black and gray comforter and matching pillows.

“It looks cozy.”

“It is. Let me show you the shower, and we’ll get started.” They retraced their steps down to the main floor, and he took her to the farthest corner blocked off by a shower curtain. “This is my latest labor of love. I just finished tiling it in and figuring out how to perfect the heating mechanism for the water. It’s a lot more enjoyable when you don’t have to heat the water up yourself and pour it over your head caveman style.”

She giggled. “Oh, I’d imagine so.”

Pulling back the curtain, he showed her the gray slate tile. “It’s pretty straightforward, nothing fancy.” The space had enough room to sit on the built-in ledge he’d added, stand and shower and dry off. He’d been meticulous in the measurement of the towel rack. It was far enough away to keep the towel dry and give a person room to towel off before they stepped into the cabin onto the soft rug he kept outside of it.

“And that’s my place.”

“It’s really fantastic, Thorn.”

He studied her face for signs of dishonesty and found none. “I appreciate the kind words.”

She shifted her weight from one leg to the other. “I want to thank you for taking me on and allowing me to report on this. I’ll do my best to properly represent this lifestyle.”

He believed her.

“That’s all I can ask. I agreed to this mainly because I want people to see it’s completely possible to do, and not as crazy as they think. A lot of us have forgotten our roots in this town. Many of our forebears lived like this not too long ago.”

“I think my Gran would have approved,” Lilac whispered. A sad expression stole the light from her eyes and turned the corners of her full lips downward.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“It was recent, so it’s still fresh.” She cleared her throat and stood straighter. “Sorry about that.”