Tis the Season

by Jill Sanders

  She nodded. “I had planned on starting in your office. I should be able to have it in order in a few days.” She smiled.

  “When you’re ready for Parker to start on the flooring, just let him know. He is starting on the hardwood in the main section of the house soon. For now, the bedrooms are the only one’s not getting flooring, since the carpet will be last to install, after painting and whatever else you have planned for the walls.”

  “I was going to start that this week.” She smiled, anxious to get started. “The main rooms first. I can paint in the main rooms after they install the flooring. I’ll start in here.” She glanced around and frowned at the wallpaper, then up at the popcorn ceiling. “You may have to move to a different bedroom for a few nights.”

  He nodded. “I’m going to leave you my truck keys. For severe weather. It has 4-wheel drive. Use it,” he said, lowering his head. “I took a look at your truck. No 4-wheel drive, and you really need new tires.”

  She sighed. “What are you going to drive?”

  “I’ll be fine in the Jeep. It has 4-wheel as well. If you need anything big delivered, ask Parker if he can spare a man to help with the heavy stuff. But use my truck instead of yours.”

  “I will. I barely made it up the hill today,” she admitted.

  “Good.” He walked over to the bedroom door. His hand reached for her and she willingly walked into his arms. “Good night.” He kissed her softly. “If you need anything, I’ve left a list of numbers for my office and my family. Any of them would be happy to help out.”

  “Thanks,” she said and stepped into the hallway. “Night.”

  Walking down the hallway towards the stairs, her mind was on that last tender kiss. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she glanced up and froze.

  She hadn’t realized she’d screamed, but suddenly Matt showed up at her side.

  “What?” He gripped her shoulders.

  “There.” She pointed to the top of the stairs. “A figure.”

  He glanced up and shook his head. “I don’t see it.”

  “It was… there.” She blinked a few times.

  “Was it a woman?” he asked.

  “I… I don’t know.” She frowned, trying to remember. “It was too see-through to tell.”

  He reached over and flipped on the lights. “I’ll walk you up.” He took her hand.

  Her feet felt like lead and her legs were Jell-O as they climbed the stairs. Matt turned on all the lights along the way and when he opened her bedroom door, she relaxed as the feeling that had been tickling her disappeared and Butters greeted her.

  “Feel better?” he asked. She nodded. “I’ll check all the other rooms, just in case.” He smiled down at her. “I did warn you about the place being haunted.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “You said it was supposedly haunted. Besides, I wasn’t too sure I actually believed you. But, it really is haunted,” she countered.

  He chuckled. “I guess now that you’ve seen her, you don’t think I’m nuts.”

  She tilted her head. “I still think you’re nuts.” She smiled and shut the bedroom door, with him laughing on the other side.

  She heard him moving around the floor, checking each room. He called out, “All clear, heading down. Night.” She smiled and leaned against the door as Butters wiggled his way around her legs.

  Picking him up, she walked into the adjoining Jack and Jill bathroom. She flipped the lock that led to the other room and relaxed slightly. Then she chuckled at the absurdness of trying to keep a ghost out with a simple lock.

  She walked back into the bedroom and unpacked her things. There wasn’t a dresser in the room, so she hung her clothes in the closet and put her bathroom items in the drawers under the sink.

  When she was done, she plugged in her phone and iPad, then changed into her Harry Potter pj’s and climbed into the queen-size bed.

  Butters jumped up and took the pillow next to her and quickly fell asleep while she read on her iPad.

  She hadn’t realized she’d fallen asleep until she started flying over the water. She smiled, as this was a dream that she’d had before, and she’d always enjoyed it. This time, however, her aviation skills disappeared, and she started hurtling towards the ground. No matter how hard she flapped her arms, she couldn’t regain any altitude.

  Just before she hit the ground, her dream changed suddenly. Now, she was standing in a field filled with fog. She blinked a few times, unsure of where she was. Turning slowly, she assessed her location. Seeing lights in the distance, she started moving towards them.

  Looking down at herself, she realized she was wearing a long cream-colored silk gown. Picking up the long hem, which caught on the tall grass surrounding her, she continued towards the lights.

  The warm night air soothed her, and she could hear crickets all around. There was a light coming from the sky, and she guessed that above the layer of mist that hovered over the field, a full moon lit up the night.

  She could see three large dark crosses as she approached the house. Then she realized she was standing outside of the main living room, looking through the large windows into a bright room, filled with people.

  She started walking towards the light, moving faster now, as if it was important to get there quickly. She saw a dark figure cross the window of the master bedroom, and she screamed.

  Blake woke, sitting straight up in the bed, dislodging Butters from her chest. The cat meowed at her, then curled on the pillow next to her again. Blake’s breathing was erratic, and she had to flip on the light and tell herself to calm down. Getting up, she walked into the bathroom and cupped her hands to get a sip of water.

  Feeling a little more stable, she crawled back into bed and stared at the ceiling. A few minutes later, frustrated that she couldn’t sleep, she pulled out her iPad again and started going over the list of things she was going to accomplish that week.

  When the sun finally came up, she was already dressed for the workday.

  She made herself a cup of coffee in the kitchen. There was a note from Matt telling her that Parker would be delivering breakfast for her and he hoped she had a good day, and to call him if she needed anything.

  The kitchen walls were prepped and ready for her to paint. She’d organized her schedule with Parker’s. The hardware store had delivered the paint and supplies she’d ordered with Matt’s approval.

  The kitchen walls were going to be a soft cream color, which would set off the white distressed cabinets. The marble countertops had been installed already and the only items left to be delivered were the appliances, which would be set up after she was done painting and the new floor was installed.

  She pulled the can of paint marked kitchen out of the laundry room, which had been turned into a makeshift supply storage area, and spent some time laying down the tarps and covering the countertops and cabinets with tape and plastic.

  She had worked up a sweat by the time Parker and his men arrived.

  “Morning.” He smiled at her and set a box from the local bakery, Sara’s Nook, on the cabinet. “Matt suggested I bring something each day for you. I see you already made coffee.” He set a container down next to the box. “I hope you like cinnamon rolls.”

  She smiled. “He mentioned you’d be bringing something along. And that you’d be happy to pick up lunch for me as well each day. I can give you my lunch order. It would really save me on time if I don’t need to head into town myself. Thanks.”

  “No problem. It’s coming down out there.” He nodded to the windows and the heavy snow falling fast out in the gray day.

  “Yes, it looks great from in here. I wouldn’t want to be stuck out in it, though.” She smiled. “He left me the truck keys.”

  Parker nodded. “Starting in here?” he asked.

  “Yes. I know you’re starting on the flooring. Matt mentioned you were going to be in the living room. I should have the kitchen and formal dining room painted by the end of today.”

  Parker’s eyeb
rows shot up. “That quick?”

  She smiled. “I’m pretty fast.”

  He glanced around and nodded. “I can see that. We’ll get out of your hair.” He nodded towards the doorways that led to the other rooms. “You might want to hang up some plastic in the doorways. We’ll be cutting the flooring inside, since it’s snowing.”

  “I’ll get on it.” She pulled out some more plastic and hung two large strips that overlapped in each doorway so that they could walk between them without sawdust getting onto her freshly painted walls.

  Then she opened the box of goodies Parker had brought and sat to sip the coffee and eat the rolls. After fueling up, she opened the paint, plugged in her earphones, and got to work.

  She was working on finishing the last wall in the room when she felt someone behind her. She jumped and twirled around quickly. The loaded paintbrush splattered Ivory Keys paint all over Matt’s dark suit.

  “Oh!” She gasped and instantly tried to wipe the paint off with the wet cloth she had in her hands. Instead, it smeared the color in more, and she groaned. She pulled out her earbuds. “Sorry,” she kept saying.

  He chuckled. “Don’t be, it’s my fault.” His eyes laughed at her. He took her hands and stopped her from trying to wipe it again. “I’ll drop it off at the dry cleaners. I’m sure they can get it out.”

  “I’m so sorry.” She frowned at the spot on his suit, which probably cost more than her truck.

  He smiled down at her, then glanced around the room. “This is looking amazing.” He nodded and dropped her hands, which she hadn’t realized he still held.

  “I’m almost done.” She turned around and assessed the space. “The color is perfect.”

  “Nice and open feeling.” He walked in further.

  “You’re going to get more paint on your clothes,” she warned him, and he stopped where he was.

  “How about we head into the dining room. I brought lunch.” He nodded.

  She glanced down at her watch and smiled. “Give me five minutes to finish this and clean up.”

  He nodded. “I’ll go see how Parker is doing, and change.” He glanced down at his suit, then he disappeared.

  She finished painting and then cleaned up the brushes and rollers in the laundry room utility sink. She took a moment to use the jungle bathroom to clean herself up before heading back into the dining area.

  Stacks of pizza boxes from Baked were sitting on the built-in bar area and the men gathered around, using paper plates and sitting on upturned buckets.

  “Grab some while you can,” Parker joked.

  She took a plate and a slice of the cheese pizza, then a can of soda. “How’s the flooring coming?” she asked, nodding towards the other room.

  “It’s coming,” the men said all at once, causing her to laugh.

  “Matt’s in looking at it.” Parker nodded. “Go on in and check it out.”

  She set her soda down and took her pizza with her as she moved to the next room.

  The living room floor was done, and the room was empty. Making her way out into the hallway, she found Matt there, standing outside his bedroom door. He’d changed into another suit jacket and was just looking into the room.

  She moved beside him and gasped. There, in the bay window, stood a translucent figure, looking out the windows.

  “You can see her?” he whispered.

  Blake nodded and realized that her pizza had almost slipped off the plate, so she straightened it and gripped it with both hands.

  “Do you think if we called Parker in, he’d be able to see her?” Matt asked.

  She nodded again. As she turned to call Parker in, she saw the figure disappear out of the corner of her eye. Matt’s hand went to her arm.

  “Don’t,” he whispered. “She’s going.” They both watched as she turned towards them and disappeared, leaving only the sunlight coming in the windows.

  She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath and released it in a whoosh.

  “Wow,” she finally said.

  “Yeah, so it’s not just at night.” Matt sighed and turned to her. “Is that what you saw, upstairs?”

  She thought about it, but then shook her head no. “It was… bigger.”

  “A man?” he asked, and she shrugged.

  “Maybe.” She glanced towards the windows again. “I’m painting this room when you’re around.”

  He chuckled and nodded. “Come on, pizza’s getting cold.”

  Chapter 7

  Matt found it hard to focus on all the work he had to catch up on since he’d been gone. Traveling was a joy but a pain when you returned. It was part of the job; his grandfather and father had both dealt with it as well.

  Since his father had retired, he’d enjoyed taking over the position. He’d been training his entire life for that moment, and he loved every minute of the job, except for the paperwork.

  He’d rather be back at his house, working on installing the floor or, better yet, helping Blake paint. She’d finished the kitchen and had started on the dining room before he left. At the rate she was going, the entire inside of his house would be painted by the end of the following week.

  Parker and the guys would have the flooring done by the same time, which meant they’d be out of his house in a few weeks when the last of the carpet upstairs was finally installed.

  The rest of the work would be on Blake.

  His mind snapped to the figure they’d seen in his bedroom and a shiver ran down his back. He’d often thought about telling his parents about the woman he was seeing, but something kept holding him back. Yet, he hadn’t questioned telling Blake. That gave him something to think about. Was it just because she was staying with him?

  The workday seemed to drone on and on. The truth was, since he was the boss, he could clock out anytime, but he’d followed his father’s advice.

  “Son, when you’re the boss and everyone under you sees you leaving early, they wonder why they can’t do the same. Soon you’ll have an office full of people angry that the boss gets to leave early, and they can’t.”

  So, when he was in the office, he worked standard hours. Of course, when he was traveling, he tended to work double that. He worked from home when he could, and several people at the office were set up to telecommute as well.

  He finished sending the last email of the day and realized it was an hour after normal business hours. Rolling his shoulders, he logged out of his computer and pulled out his cell phone to text Blake.

  -What can I pick up for you for dinner?

  A few minutes later, her reply came as he was unlocking the Jeep.

  -Burger and wine, something red

  -Sounds good, see you soon

  He pulled into the parking lot of the Oar, walked in the back door, and stopped dead.

  “Does your husband know you’re here?” He slowly put his hands on his hips and gave his sister a look of disappointment.

  “No, and if you tell him…” Sara started to say then sighed. “I’m leaving. I was actually here because I wanted ice cream.” She waddled over and picked up a carton of ice cream that she’d set on the counter. She’d probably put it there and then had gotten distracted with checking the schedule and reviewing the nightly orders. She picked up the spoon.

  “I’m sure you have plenty at your house,” he replied, earning a glare from his sister.

  He nudged her over to the chair, and she groaned as she sat down and spooned up the ice cream.

  “Not peanut butter chunk.” She motioned to the carton.

  He rolled another chair over to her and she propped up her feet and relaxed back.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked between bites.

  “Burgers, wine, and maybe some dessert.” He glanced around and waved to Carrie, who waved and then came over. He relayed the to-go order to her and she smiled at him.

  “How’s the haunted house?” she asked.

  He stilled and nodded. “Haunted.”

  “Seriou
sly?”

  He glanced down at his sister and sighed, knowing she’d tell his family.

  “Yeah, appears so.”

  “Wow.” Carrie shook her head. “Spooky,” she said as she keyed in his order. “That should be ready in about ten.” She disappeared into the front.

  “Okay, talk,” Sara said when they were alone again.

  He nudged her feet up, and then sat and put them in his lap, rubbing her swollen ankles as he told her everything. By the time he was done, she had finished off the ice cream.

  “Who do you think it is?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know, but everything I can find says that only one person died up there, and it wasn’t a woman.”

  His sister nodded. “Yeah, the doctor. Have you asked Patty? She knows everything about Pride. She may have a clue.”

  He hadn’t thought of asking the woman who ran the local grocery store. “No,” he admitted. “But I needed to swing by and pick up a few things.” He thought about making the stop before heading up the hill.

  “Matt, your order’s up,” Carried called out to him before heading back out front.

  “We’re short tonight,” Sara added. She moved her feet off his lap.

  “Which is why you’re heading home.” He helped her up, then hugged her. “When is my nephew getting here?”

  “Any day. If he doesn’t come on his own, we’re scheduled to go in next week.” She rubbed her belly.

  “Then you should be at home.” He grabbed the to-go bag and tossed in some paper plates, silverware, and napkins from the to-go area.

  “You wanted wine?” she asked, motioning to the wall wine rack.

  He nodded. “What goes good with burgers?” He was more of a beer guy, but knew a little about wine, enough to know that he liked some of it.

  Sara walked over and took a bottle down. “This.” She smiled. “So, how’s Blake working out?”

  He tilted his head. “She finished painting the kitchen and dining room today.”

  “In one day?” Sara asked. She shook her head. “We may have to hire her to paint our new place.”