Chapter 20
Chapter 20 — Eleanor's Terms
Alex wakes to find Eleanor waiting for him at his cabin door. They walk to the creek and have a conversation where Eleanor, the commune's eldest member, lays out her terms: she wants Alex but only on her own timeline, not in competition with the other women. She reveals she's been watching him all summer and that his honesty with Maya the night before is what convinced her. Alex spends the afternoon finishing the cedar towel cabinet and helps Jessica organize supplies in the nurse's station. Jessica mentions that several of the women have been talking about the hot tub's completion and the gathering JJ is planning. Gene calls to tell Alex the special-order hot tub shell has arrived at the lumberyard. Alex drives into town to pick it up and Gene offers him a proposition: a full apprenticeship starting in the fall if he stays. On the drive back, Alex thinks about the three offers now on the table — JJ's invitation to stay, Gene's apprenticeship, and Eleanor's quiet terms. He returns to the commune as dusk falls and finds the hot tub pad clean and the women gathered around the firebox, waiting. Eleanor is among them.
Alex woke to knocking. Not loud. Patient. He opened his eyes. Gray light. Early. The owl was gone. The creek was loud. He sat up and pulled on his jeans. He opened the door.
Eleanor stood on his porch. She was wearing a blue robe. Her hair was down. It fell past her shoulders. She was older than the others. Fifty, maybe more. She had gray at her temples. Lines around her eyes. She looked like she'd been standing there for a while.
"Good. You're up," she said.
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