Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love (6 page)

Several days earlier

“This feels like déjà vu,” Raven said, as she and Caitlyn passed the road sign welcoming them to Hope Valley. 

“Doesn’t it?” Caitlyn said with a grin. “Ok, so we’re not going into the town, but we need to follow a road on the outskirts, that takes us around to the national park, on the west side of town.” They drove for another twenty minutes. “Looks like we’re not far away now. Have you got Lauren’s instructions?”

Raven pulled her phone out.

“Yes. She says to keep going to the final destination, then look for a track that leads directly off the road. Continue down it for about five minutes, then take the second right. Follow that narrower track for another five minutes, and your cabin is the fourth one along. She’s put a flower wreath on the door as a marker, and the key is under the mat.”

“Neat. Ok, here we go,” Caitlyn said as the satnav announced that they’d reached their destination. They peered at the forest on the right hand side of the road doubtfully. There didn’t seem to be a track at all.

“This can’t be right?” Raven said. “Hold on, I’ll take a look.” She jumped out of the car and stepped into the forest. “Oh, you just have to swing around this tree right here, and the path is just behind it,” she said, getting back in. 

Caitlyn followed her instructions, and the path came into view.

“Weird. It’s almost as if it’s deliberately hidden from the road,” she said.

Lauren’s instructions were good, and they were soon pulling up at a log cabin with flowers on the door.

“Home sweet home!” Raven exclaimed.

They bounded out of the car and Raven lifted the mat and retrieved the key. She unlocked the door and turned the handle with some trepidation. She had no idea what to expect. She was expecting it to be dusty and ramshackle, with more than a few spiders lurking in the corners.
Urgh
. She gave an involuntary shudder. 

“Are you ready for this?” she said as she pushed the door open.

“Wow,” Caitlyn said, walking into the room. It was spotlessly clean, as if it had just been scrubbed. The bed was made up and it looked comfy. There was a wooden table and chairs, which looked handmade, and a soft, furry rug covered the wooden floor. The kitchen was basic, but the counter and the pans hanging from the wall were gleaming. They walked through to the bathroom. It was also in good repair.

“This is amazing. I was expecting a shed, maybe with a moldy mattress on the floor,” Raven said. “I think Lauren made a big effort for us.”

“She sounds like a sweetheart,” Caitlyn said.

As they went to the car and unloaded their things, Raven was practically jumping for joy. She’d been prepared to rough it when she arrived in Hope Valley, as anything was better than living in Russellville, but she’d also been apprehensive, as she wasn’t really an outdoorsy girl. But this was like living in nature with home comforts. 

When they were unpacked, they found out where the nearest supermarket was and went over there to stock their fridge.

When they got back, there was a truck outside their cabin. A curvy woman with caramel-toned skin, a black, elfin crop and big black eyes climbed out of the driver seat as they pulled up.

“Hi, I’m Lauren,” she said in a warm tone, and they introduced themselves.

“Thank you so much for getting this cabin ready for us,” Raven said. “It’s so much more than I was expecting.” Lauren waved her hand dismissively.

“Oh, it was nothing. The cabin’s been empty for a long time, and we couldn’t have you girls living in a shed. That’s no way to start a new life in Hope Valley.”

“Do you want to come in and have coffee with us?” Caitlyn said.

“Oh, thanks, but I’ve got this one asleep here,” Lauren indicated the back seat of the car, where a little girl was fast asleep in a child seat. “Her name’s Willow and she’s two years old, and a little terror right now. I just stopped by to check that you girls had managed to get inside and to tell you where the supermarket is. But it looks like you’ve got it all figured out?”

“Oh, yeah. The wonders of the Internet,” Raven said with a grin.

“Would you like to come over for dinner tonight though? I only live a few minutes away.”

“That would be lovely. If we’re not troubling you?” Raven said, worried about how much Lauren was putting herself out for two people that she didn’t know.

“Not at all. My husband is away at the moment, so I’d be very glad of the company,” Lauren said. “See you at 7.30?” She gave them the directions and left them with a cheery wave.

“She’s lovely isn’t she?” Caitlyn said as she drove off.

“Yeah, she’s amazing. We’re so lucky to have her looking out for us,” Raven replied happily. In that instant she dared imagine a happy future for herself in Hope Valley.

A few hours later, as dusk was falling, making it difficult to see the track among the trees, Raven and Caitlyn drove over to Lauren’s place. It was a very elaborate cabin, made from a cherry-colored wood, with gables and a gingerbread trim. It had two stories and a wrap-around porch. A spicy, tomatoey smell wafted out of the door as Lauren opened it to greet them.

Willow was hurtling around the house, evidently rejuvenated by her afternoon nap, but she stopped to greet them, surprising Raven by giving her a fierce hug.

“She’s always been very affectionate,” Lauren said, looking at her daughter fondly. “And energetic!” she added as Willow took off again. “She took her first step when she was eleven months old, and it’s been non-stop ever since!”

“She’s adorable,” Raven said, looking at the huge-eyed little girl with a flicker of envy. She was so broody, it was unreal. She’d always wanted kids, but had pushed the thought to the back of her mind, thinking that she had enough trouble finding a man, never mind creating a family. But in the past few weeks, the urge to have a baby had risen up in her, from nowhere, and she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Lauren opened the bottle of wine that they’d brought and poured out three glasses.

“Thank goodness I’m not breastfeeding any more,” she said. “I need to relax a little after spending a whole day chasing around after this one.”

Raven took a sip of her wine, but she didn’t like the taste.
Weird
. The same thing had happened when they’d had beers a couple of days earlier. She’d swallowed a couple of mouthfuls of beer, but it had tasted sour and she’d ended up leaving it.

While they were chatting, there was a knock on the door.

“It’s open!” Lauren hollered. A very attractive man walked in, with golden brown hair and eyes almost the same shade. He was tall and well built, and had a commanding presence. Raven thought there was something feline about the way he moved, like a graceful lion or tiger.

“Hey,” he said with a grin.

“Hey, Magnus. This is Raven and Caitlyn. They’ve just moved to Hope Valley.”

“Great to meet you.” He shook hands with them with a confident smile.

“Do you need something, Magnus, or is this just a social call?”

“Well, both. It’s lovely to see you, as always. And I was wondering if I could borrow a cast iron pan? I’m cooking dinner for Andrea tonight, and I can’t find one anywhere.” Lauren flashed him an indulgent look and dug one out of the back of her cupboard.

“Clean it with salt as soon as you’re done with it,” she told him sternly.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied.

“He’s hot,” Raven said when he’d left.

“He looks like a fashion model,” Caitlyn agreed.

“Hope Valley is kind of known for its good-looking guys,” Lauren said, and a secret smile flashed across her face, as if a pleasant idea had just popped into her head.
Maybe it’s time I stopped thinking about Timo, and see what else Hope Valley has to offer,
Raven thought to herself.

The food was ready soon, and Lauren ladled out steaming bowls of chicken pasta arrabiata.

“I hope you don’t mind having a pasta dish. It’s just that Connor is such a meat freak that we end up having roast or barbecued meat every day, and when he went away, I felt like I needed to detox,” Lauren said.

“No, pasta is amazing,” Raven said. And it was – rich, delicious and very filling.

“What does your husband do?” Caitlyn asked.

“He’s a carpenter and a volunteer firefighter for the Hope Valley fire service. A lot of the guys around here do the same kind of thing.”

“Sounds like there’s a real community going on here.” Lauren nodded.

“There is. Hope Valley is a tight community, but there’s also an additional bunch of us out here in the national park. We hang out a lot and look after each other’s kids. I’m sure you’ll meet everybody in the next couple of weeks, and then you’ll be in and out of each other’s houses all the time.”

After dinner, Lauren put Willow to bed, then they settled into her comfy leather couches and chatted for a couple of hours, until they figured that she was tired.

“I can pick you up tomorrow morning and take you to meet Lori at her store, if you want?” Lauren suggested as they got up to leave.

“That’d be great,” Raven replied. “Caitlyn is planning on driving around town all day looking for work, so I’d appreciate the ride, and the personal introduction.”

“Great. I’ll look out for some job vacancies for you as well, Caitlyn. What line of work are you in?”

“Well. I’ve been working in a hardware store ever since I left school, but to say I’m sick of it would be an understatement,” Caitlyn said with a laugh. Lauren shrugged.

“New town, new career. What are you interested in doing?” Caitlyn blushed.

“You know, no-one’s asked me a question like that since I was in junior high, and the careers advisor advised me not to set my sights too high.” Lauren frowned, and her eyes narrowed with sympathy.

“That’s terrible.”

“That’s what happens in nowhere-ville.”

“What are your passions though? What do you care about?”

“I’ve always been interested in the environment. I think I’d like to work on an organic farm maybe, or in some kind of eco business.” Lauren put a finger on her lip, thinking.

“For starters, you could try the organic supermarket. They might have roles in all kinds of things, like buying products or marketing.” Caitlyn nodded.

“That would be great.”

“And Dalton, one of the guys who lives around here has been looking for an assistant in his organic vegetable business. He’s away right now, but I’ll introduce you when he gets back?”

“That would be amazing too.”

“Ok, we’d better leave you in peace,” Raven said. “But I’ll see you at 10 tomorrow? And thank you so much for everything.” Lauren enveloped each of them in a warm hug and said goodnight to them.

“It’s weird, but I feel like I’m home,” Raven said as they drove back, very slowly, along the narrow track in the pitch darkness.

“I know exactly what you mean,” Caitlyn said with a contented sigh.

*

Raven slept deeply that night. There turned out to be two single beds concealed beneath the comforter, and an extra comforter in the wardrobe, so Raven didn’t have to endure Caitlyn’s legendary thrashing about in the bed all night long. But when she woke up, the queasiness that had eased off over the last couple of days was back with a vengeance. She got up early and went to sit outside, hoping that the fresh air would make her feel better, but it was relentless, like sea sickness. Every time she thought it had gone, another wave would roll across her stomach, leaving her weak and shaky. Somehow, she managed to get herself through showering and dressing, and she waited for Lauren to arrive, cursing her bad luck.

“Morning, hon,” Lauren called chirpily as she arrived in her truck. Then her dark eyes widened as she saw Raven’s face. “Hey, are you ok?” she hurried over and sat on the edge of the porch next to her.

“Yeah, I will be in a moment,” Raven said, wiping her hand across her forehead. It was damp and clammy, and her stomach churned again. Then it knotted and lurched and she leapt off the porch and ran into the bushes.

Lauren reached for her hand as she returned and helped her to sit down, then looked into her eyes.

“Honey, what’s wrong? Do you know why you’re sick?” she said. Raven shook her head miserably.
Why do I have to get sick now, when I need to go to a job interview, for the first job I’ve ever wanted in my life? It was so typical
, she thought. “Is it the first time it’s happened?” Raven shook her head again.

“No. It’s been like this nearly every day for a few weeks now. But only in the mornings.”

“How long has it been since your last period?” Raven stared into space.

“I don’t know. A while I guess. I think I might have missed one.” She thought of her old bedroom, where she kept her tampons, and remembered that she hadn’t replenished them for a while. “Six weeks maybe.”

“And, I don’t want to be intrusive, but, are your boobs any different? Like bigger, or more tender?” Raven passed her hand over them. They felt bruised somehow. She’d noticed that recently but hadn’t paid much attention to it.