Steve held up his hand. “You will be lucky. Give me ten minutes.” He dashed from the deck back into the cabin. “Get your ass in here in ten,” he called over his shoulder.
Steve stood in a rustic bedroom. The queen-sized bed sported a purple patchwork quilt and was flanked by matching oak cabinets. A small wardrobe and a dark throw rug finished the furnishings. He stacked the two suitcases beside the wardrobe and checked his watch.
He had completed the preparation in exactly twelve minutes and smiled to himself as anticipation thrilled through him. This was going to be a great night, a night for them to reconnect and to start anew. He had plans that would bring in some more money and allow Lauren to relax more, and who knew if her cooking book took off—anyhow, they would be fine. He checked the room again. It looked great. Now where was Lauren?
I bet she’s fallen asleep. Just my luck.
He left the room and walked down the short, dark hallway to the kitchen. The rustic room looked homely, a table and four chairs surrounded by rough oak units, a range cooker, and an old fridge. The sides were minimal and clear. He grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge and two glasses. Quickly, he poured the drinks.
With the glasses in his hand, he walked out of the cabin. The sight took his breath away. Lauren was relaxing in the rocker, bathed in moonlight. Her eyes were closed and her golden curls cascaded around her shoulders as she rocked serenely. Beautifully. Steve’s love for her was written all over his face as she rocked blissfully, unaware of his presence.
He stepped forward, a smile on his face and a lump in his throat. He swallowed, trying to talk, but his throat was dry at this vision of perfection, at least to him.
The chair rocked slowly, languorously backward. A vicious gash appeared on her forehead. Blood spurted from the wound and poured down her face. A black eye and bruised cheek were quickly hidden by the slickly spreading liquid which dripped from her face to the floor. Lauren’s hair was subtly different, a tad shorter with fewer curls.
Steve felt a knife in his heart and the glasses smashed to the deck. He rushed forward but felt as if the world had stopped; everything was in slow motion and the second seemed to last forever. A scream formed in his throat as the chair began to rock forward.
Lauren turned toward him, startled by the sound of breaking glass. Her eyes pleaded through her bloody curtain and then she was normal again, unharmed, his perfect wife.
Steve stumbled toward the chair. “Oh my God, Lauren.”
Lauren jumped up. She was fine, uninjured and perfect as she rushed towards Steve, a look of concern marring her face.
“Steve, what happened? Did you have ...?”
He gathered her into his arms and felt the warmth of her against him, pulling her head into his shoulder. He was shaking slightly and just wanted to hug her and know that she was fine.
“Steve, are you all right? What happened?”
He held her close, willing the vision to go away, but if he closed his eyes, he saw her bleeding. “Nothing,” he said. “I must be tired, that’s all. Fancy a glass of wine?”
Lauren extracted herself from his embrace and kicked at the broken glass. “That’s two less to pack,” she said with a laugh in her voice.
They lay naked next to each other on the bed. The patchwork quilt had been kicked off and their bodies were covered with a fine film of sweat. Lauren leaned down, pulled the covers over them, and snuggled her head onto Steve’s shoulder. She closed her eyes and relaxed. “That was nice,” she said.
“Nice. Ha ...” Steve pulled her close. It had been so long since they had made love and this was just what they needed. To rediscover each other, to remember what they loved about each other, and to relax without the pressures of the outside world.
“I love it here. I just love it,” Lauren said.
Steve sighed. If only they could stay here, but they couldn’t. Still, at least they would have memories from this last holiday.
Chapter 5
Steve watched Lauren as she slept. A single curl had fallen across her face and her eyelashes twitched to the beat of her dreams. He had been awake an hour but had kept still, not wanting to disturb her. She put on this tough persona, but he knew how tired she was. Tenderness and love squeezed his heart as she mumbled incoherently.
She stirred, her blonde curls falling across her face. Instinctively, he reached out a hand and smoothed the hair away, smiling at the curve of her face, the lips he loved to kiss, and her elegant neck that she loved for him to nuzzle. Gradually coming awake, she smiled up at him. He returned the smile, enjoying the sight as she luxuriated in the filtered sunlight.
“I feel close to my parents here, even to Mum,” she said, her eyes only just open.
Steve felt a little nervous. They never mentioned her mum, and he laughed subconsciously. “Me too,” he said. “In fact, I think I saw a ghost last night. Maybe your mum’s playing tricks on me?”
Lauren sat bolt upright. “Outside?” she said a little nervously.
Steve misread her nerves. Was she making fun of him? Well, he could play that game too. He put on a spooky voice. “On the deck,” he said.
“I felt something too, a presence. It was weird.” There was something about her expression that spoke of vulnerability.
“Really?” Steve was unsure now. He thought what he had seen had been fatigue, or maybe even a symptom of his meds. Was she humoring him?
Lauren leaned toward him, a strange look in her eyes. He could see she wanted to speak but was nervous.
“Go on,” he urged.
“I felt evil, and yet at home. Then you dropped the glasses and I thought you had collapsed. I was so scared ...” Her words trailed off and she avoided his eyes, looking down at her hands.
“I’m fine ... I’m fine, honest.” Steve took her hand and held it, waiting until she looked up and he met her sky-blue eyes. They were so blue that he could fall into them and bask in their glory. They always reminded him of the ocean, and he could lose himself in their depths. He smiled and held her gaze to reassure her all was well.
“So what was it?” she asked.
Steve wanted to lighten the mood; he wanted to forget the feeling he had had last night and to prevent the shudder that threatened every time he thought about it. “Like you said, it was just fatigue and memories of your mum and her cookie ideas.”
“That’s not fair,” Lauren snapped.
Steve hadn’t expected that reaction. Lauren was tense, snapping a lot because she was so tired and worried, but still, the venom in her voice took him by surprise. Once more, he tried to lighten the mood. “The ghost of too much stress and a long drive came to haunt us; it was nothing.”
“Just mock me, won’t you.” Lauren pulled her hand from his and turned away. “So much for a fresh start and trying. Maybe we should just end this?”
Steve felt a fear threaten to swamp him. “Are you serious?” He stared at Lauren’s rigid back. He stretched out a hand to touch her but pulled it back when she remained quiet. “Are you saying you want a divorce?” he asked, his voice close to breaking. Despite all the arguing, it had never crossed his mind that they would separate, that his marriage could be over.
“You do,” she snapped back at him.
His world was tumbling down the rabbit hole, tumbling away from him just out of reach. How could he stop this? “No, Lauren. No, I don’t. Look, I ...”
She cut him off. “You’re so damn lazy. We’re losing the cabin because you lost your job, and now you mock my dead mum. How could you?” She straightened her back even more and started to shake slightly.
He wanted so much to reach out to take her in his arms and tell her everything would be okay. He put a hand on her shoulder. For a second she swayed away, and then she leaned back against it.
“I’m so sorry … I just don’t want to sell,” she said.
“I know.”
“Then we can keep the cabin?”
The hope in her voice cut deep into his heart a
s did the unshed tears that glistened in her eyes. Steve was used to giving in, and he desperately wanted to say yes, but they needed the money, so he had to stand his ground. “We have to sell. You should work less.”
“Or you more,” she snapped.
Steve took his hand off her back and leaned back against the headboard. He crossed his arms, both frustrated and sad. Lauren’s moods had been getting worse and worse of late, driven by fatigue, anger, and the fear that they would lose their house. But even so, she was acting irrationally. Her face usually looked like she was barely holding on. Right now, it looked mean.
Then it changed and she looked like his loving, caring wife once more.
“I’m sorry,” she said and smiled in apology before cuddling up close against him.
Steve held her tight in his arms and felt her warmth give him strength. They would get through this.
“What did you sense last night?” he asked.
“It was nothing,” she said.
Steve wondered if she was telling the truth, and yet surely what he had seen couldn’t have been real.
Chapter 6
Steve left the bedroom and walked down the small hall to the bathroom. His vision from the previous night wouldn’t leave his mind. The more he went over it, the worse it became, so much so that his head was spinning. He had seen something last night and if Lauren had felt something too, then what was it?
As he approached the bathroom, the door moved slightly open and then closed again. He didn’t see it; he was too busy in his own thoughts. Were they both just stressed and suffering from emotional fatigue? Would that cause them to see things? If it had just been him, he could have blamed it on his health, but as it was both of them, what had happened?
A shadow moved behind the bathroom door. With his head down and deep in thought, Steve passed by it without noticing. His slippers slapped on the wooden floor, echoing off the paneled walls and hiding the whispers that emanated from within the room.
He pushed the door and it moved slowly away from him. He walked into the small, all wooden bathroom, still wondering about the previous night. As he pushed the door closed, something leaped from behind the shower curtain.
A pain lanced into his chest and fear shocked him backward. In his haste, his ankle turned and he fell to the ground, banging his hip as he went down. Fear spiked through him, causing his heart to pound and a prick of adrenaline that raised the hairs on his arms and neck.
He let out a sigh of relief as Lucy and Chase jumped all over him, squealing with delight that their surprise had been a good one. With one hand over his heart, Steve pulled them close and hugged them tight.
Lauren was busy making breakfast, her back to the door as Steve walked into the kitchen. He looked a little worse for wear. The shock in the bathroom had shaken him and left him with pain in his left arm and an ache in his chest.
He kissed Lauren’s cheek and stepped back to admire the woman he loved. Her golden curls cascaded around her shoulders and she looked great in a T-shirt and tight jeans. “You look good enough to eat.” He nuzzled Lauren’s neck.
“Dad, that’s gross,” Chase said from the table.
Steve spun around to see the kids waiting patiently for their breakfast. Chase had his head in a book and Lucy was fidgeting with her cutlery, pretending they were people. She was having a game with a knife and fork man, walking them across the table and back again.
“Gross, is it?” Steve said. “Well, maybe I should eat you and your little sister up, then.” Steve ran at the table, making monster faces.
Lucy broke out in delighted giggles.
Chase tried to resist. He stared hard down at his book, but his lips started to curl and soon he had to join in the laughter.
Steve ruffled Chase’s hair and pulled out a chair. “Need any help with breakfast, Mum?”
“No, I’m fine. What do you want to do today?”
“Can we play ball?” Chase asked.
“Well, Mum, can we?” Steve smiled at Lauren as he fiddled with his baby aspirin container. One a day, reduce your stress, quit work and your heart will be fine, the doctor had told him. Yet he kept getting these pains. Maybe he should get a checkup when they got back.
She winked back at him. “Yes, you lot go and have a lovely game. Pie for dinner, anyone?”
“Mummy’s pies are the best,” Lucy said, banging her cutlery on the table to emphasize the point.
Lauren laughed and served cheesy scrambled eggs onto plates for breakfast. She handed everyone a portion and took hers outside.
Lauren stepped into a glorious morning of late autumn sunshine. The wind lifted her hair and seemed to caress her neck. The sun was warm on her skin, but there was a chill behind it. She hoped the weather would hold for the trip; it would be nice to do some walking, maybe even go out on the lake.
Gazing out from the cabin, she surveyed a view that filled her with joy. The trees were magnificent; they shadowed the lake, which glinted with reflected sunlight. To the right of the deck was a rowan tree, resplendent with an abundance of red berries that seemed to weigh down its branches, as if they were too heavy for it to bear. In front of the tree, the rocking chair sat alone. It seemed to be silhouetted on the deck. As she approached, it rocked gently, by itself. It stopped to allow her to sit down and then gently rocked again.
She stopped the chair and ate her eggs, marveling at the creamy, fluffy, cheesy delight. It had been so long since she had really spent time in the kitchen, maybe this holiday was a good idea after all?
Lauren placed her plate on the floor and leaned back in the chair. She closed her eyes and started to rock gently, backward and forward. She could feel the cool breeze on her face and hear the trees whispering gently behind her. It was so idyllic. A new beginning.
Inside the cabin, Steve tucked into his eggs with a smile on his face. Already seeing Lauren relax, and sitting here with the children, he felt life was just great. They would put away the sadness and forget the cabin had to be sold. For this one week, they would be happy and make some good memories.
Chase had his head in a book. He would stop every now and again and take a bite of egg, but his eyes never left the page for long. Lucy was bored. She had eaten most of her eggs but was pushing the crusts of the toast around her plate. Her feet dangled in midair, making her look tiny in the chair. She flicked a bit of toast with her knife and laughed as it landed on the other side of the plate.
Chase put down his fork and looked up. “Dad, may I leave the table?”
“Sure, son.”
Without taking his eyes from the page, Chase pushed back his chair and stood. He walked around the table, still reading. Steve felt real pride for his serious boy.
As Chase passed her, Lucy jumped from her chair and grabbed for his book. Her fingers slipped, and she stumbled, pushing Chase backward toward the counter. He bumped his elbow, dropping the precious book, which slapped onto the floor and closed.
“Ouch, damn it,” Chase said, rubbing his elbow.
Lucy pushed him again, a gentle push meant to be fun.
Chase reacted by pushing her back hard. She fell to the floor and sat stunned for a second before bursting into tears. Her face crumpled, and tears streamed from her eyes, partially hidden by her golden curls.
Steve rushed to pick her up and pulled her against him, soothing her with cuddles.
“Come here, pumpkin. It’s all okay.” He rocked her gently against him, feeling the sobs fizzle out as the shock was smoothed away.
From over Lucy’s shoulder, Steve watched Chase pick up his book and try to walk out. “Wait,” Steve shouted.
He put Lucy down, checked her over, and wiped tears from her chin. She was smiling again, the incident already forgotten. “Off you go to play,” Steve said and watched as she skipped outside, her curls bounced as she ran past her brother.
Steve stood and faced Chase. The boy stared him down across the kitchen. Gone was the sweet smile. In its place was something cold. No s
mile curled his lips, and his eyes were hard and mean.
Where did my little boy go?
“What was that?” Steve asked.
Chase lowered his gaze for a moment and then lifted his eyes back to his dad’s. “She pushed me. Hurt my elbow.”
“And?”
Chase looked a little confused. “Dad, she deserved it.”
Steve put a hand to his head and rubbed it through his thick black hair. He needed a moment to decide how to handle this and for a second, he felt old. “You never use force against your sister, or another lady, ever. Are we clear?”
Chase blushed for a second and dropped his eyes. “But why, Dad? The way Mum treats you? Maybe ...”
“Your mum saved this family when I couldn’t. She has worked so hard, and she is worried. You and I will respect that and see that she gets cut a little slack if she’s feeling down.”
Chase blushed even more and looked down at his shoes, shoes his mum had bought for £150. “But she’s so grumpy,” he said.
Steve moved across and pulled his son to him, rubbing a hand through his unruly brown curls. Chase resisted at first but then clung to his dad as if he never wanted to let go.
“She’s worried about the future, about your future. She just wants you to have the best ... Just give her some love and some time, agreed?”
“Agreed,” Chase said, hugging his dad close.
“And, Chase, never hurt a woman. You may be stronger, but the greater strength is temperance.”
“Yes, Dad.”
Chapter 7
Lauren rocked in the chair, serene and happy. She closed her eyes and breathed in the blissful peace. There was no noise from traffic, no sirens, and no phone demanding attention. It was almost heaven.
Lucy sat on the deck near her, an old worn bunny in her hands. She held the bunny upright, not noticing how faded and threadbare his blue fur was. She stood the bunny up and walked him across the deck.
Daddy Won't Kill You- The Haunting in the Woods Page 3