by Ellie Danes
“And then what?” I cried. I couldn’t stand the idea of leaving my mother at loose ends while I traveled the world in luxury with Storm.
“I don’t know, Cora. That’s life. Haven’t you learned by now that plans don’t always pan out? So, I’m just skipping that step and dealing with whatever happens next.”
“So, you’d leave Murtaugh?” I don’t know why the question bothered me so much, but the tears blurred my eyes again.
“I could always come and stay with you,” my mother said quietly. She walked a thin line between needing me and reminding me I was her daughter.
“What if I’m going to do some traveling?” My voice squeaked. Was I really still thinking about going?
My mother raised one elegant eyebrow but swallowed her huge smile politely. “Well, if the trip with Susie Q gets weird—”
“When,” I prompted her.
She laughed. “Fine. When the trip gets weird, I’ll house sit for you. How’s that? All wrapped up in a neat little bow for you?”
“And just leave all this behind?” I couldn’t believe she was so calm in the face of momentous change. I was so jealous of her calm, and my voice rose. “Just like that?!”
“I’d never leave you behind, Cora. Or keep you back. Does that help?” she asked in a soothing tone. “Or do we need to fight it out until you just yell it at me?”
“Yell what?” I asked, gaping.
“Whatever it is you haven’t said since you came home for this little visit,” my mother said. Her eyebrow raised again, and she waited, expectantly tapping her toe.
Did I really think I could just take off with a rock star and not admit to the mess I’d made of my life?
I cringed as reality crept in. My mother needed me, and I couldn’t possibly run off and expect Storm to support me. I needed a new job, and it would take all my mother’s charm and connections to help me find another position. That meant I had to tell her I had been fired. No recommendations. A total and complete failure.
Or I could just pretend it was all in the past and run off with Storm. Why couldn’t I start over, too? He would encourage it. And my mother, of all people, would understand. It would all work out in the end.
For a minute, I thought I could, but my mother would never buy even the best lie.
And she deserved the truth.
“I messed up at work. I have no idea how it happened, but it was all on me. Millions of dollars. I’m lucky to have escaped without a lawsuit, or so they tell me.” I clasped my hands together and held my breath.
“So that bridge is burned, huh?” My mother’s smile couldn’t be contained. “Oh, darling, you never do anything by halves, do you?”
“I’m old enough to admit we’re more alike than I ever thought possible.” I hugged her.
Caroline laughed. “And the big fancy apartment?”
“Gone. And all the furniture. I tried to keep up like nothing was wrong…” I squeezed my mother’s hands. “I wasted everything right when you really needed me.”
“And what if you are actually what I need?” my mother asked. “What if seeing you find a way to be really, truly happy is all I need?”
I shook my head and tried to reason with her. “Mother—”
“Do you know what kind of boost that would give me? I could, I don’t know, master that whole YouTube thing,” my mother said.
I hugged her again, believing with my whole heart when I said, “You’ll be an instant star!”
“And we can keep in touch while you’re on your trip?” she asked.
I stopped as my chest throbbed. I wanted to be with Storm. I knew I had to see where we would end up or I would regret it for the rest of my life. I also knew that the Storm I loved was the one right here in Murtaugh. I didn’t need some flashy jet-set trip. And I didn’t think he did either.
“What if I would be happy staying here?” I asked.
“Then you need to talk to Storm. Show him everything he’s got right here,” my mother said.
I had no idea what I was going to say to convince Storm to stay, but I was buzzing with ideas by the time I got to the mansion. Storm had said he would pick me up, but the front door was open, and he was clearly still inside. My body hummed with excitement, and I almost shrieked when an unfamiliar man came out of the front parlor.
“I’m sorry, miss? What was that you were humming?” he asked.
I blinked at the sixty-ish man with short, white hair, an impeccable goatee, and a very expensive suit. “I was humming?”
“The same song I heard one of the movers humming,” he said encouragingly.
“Tall guy, clean-shaven? Tattoos here and here?” I asked. The man nodded, and I laughed as I realized he meant Storm. “It’s a new song the owner of the house was writing.”
The man stumbled back with one awestruck hand over his heart, displaying a glinting Rolex. “He’s writing music again? I mean, I’m sorry. My name is Thomas Talbot. I’m buying the property.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m, ah, Cora.” I hoped he wouldn’t ask for any further explanation.
“The photographer? The property manager was looking for you earlier,” Thomas Talbot said. “Could you possibly tell me about this painting here?”
It happened to be one of the very first pieces that Storm had shown me the night I didn’t actually know who he was. I bit back my smile and explained its origins to the buyer, all the time hoping I had half of my mother’s charm.
“Did that help?” I asked, punctuated with a perky smile.
His eyes twinkled. “Is it true you’re from town? I mean, you grew up in Murtaugh?”
I didn’t like the way he spoke about it as if I was some sort of lab specimen, but I had to get him to back out of the sale. “Spent my childhood watching tourists up and down Main Street.”
That hooked him, and he leaned against the doorjamb. “I was one of those lucky pilgrims once.”
“Then are you sure you want to live here?” I laid a concerned hand on his arm. “The tourists have slowed to a trickle and all the places here that were so lively and unique are dying off. I don’t think I can bear to stay and watch it much longer.”
He straightened his tie with a pained expression. “My wife warned me that coming here would ruin the nice memories I have.”
I clutched his arm. “Just think! Storm is writing music again. There really is something in this mansion.”
“If he stays, he might be inspired to play again?” Thomas Talbot asked.
I wished for all the world I had been able to record the distinguished man’s hopeful face. He was a long-time fan, a pilgrim, and a music patron. The only other way I knew to sell it was to give the man another experience of a lifetime.
I pulled him slowly down the hallway and dropped my voice to a whisper. “Plus, I never thought the curse of this place was real until I came here to take those photographs.”
Thomas Talbot looked delighted. “A curse?”
“They don’t tell you it even on the most exclusive tours, but I’ve known enough tour guides to have heard the real story.” I warmed up to my story and hoped it would work. “Hardly anyone can get out of here without humming a tune they’ve never heard before. Sounds innocent, right? But have you ever heard of an ‘earworm?’”
“Those songs that get stuck in your head?” the quickly exiting buyer asked.
“Exactly. They can drive you mad. It drives Storm mad every once in a while, and he tries to sell the place. The only difference is he’s got talent. Can you imagine if you lived here and could never satisfy these insistent songs?” I opened the front door for Thomas Talbot.
“Marvelous. A haunted house,” he breathed.
“And, to think, you almost bought it!” I was about to shut the door on him when Storm appeared.
“There’s no haunting, but there is something strange going on.” His gray eyes pierced mine and searched for an explanation.
I was caught, and my last lie was out.
Something strange was going on. I couldn’t understand why Cora was rushing my buyer out the front door. And I couldn’t bear to see that she had not brought a suitcase, backpack, or even big purse along with her.
“Are you all packed already?” I asked her.
Cora slid her eyes to the buyer and back to mine. “Sorry, Mr. Talbot was just leaving.”
“It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Morris,” Thomas Talbot said.
I shook his hand and ignored his open staring. I turned back to Cora. “So, do you travel light or is there a stack of steamer trunks on the driveway?”
“Don’t worry. We can talk about that later,” Cora said.
“Why is it that ‘don’t worry’ makes me more worried?” I asked her and the buyer. “How about now? I’m sure Mr. Talbot won’t mind waiting in the parlor but let’s not keep him long.”
“No, I might start humming a new song,” Thomas Talbot said. He stood rooted to the foyer, still awestruck.
I shook my head then shrugged. “Now what am I not worrying about?”
“I’m just not sure, um, what to pack.” Cora bit her lip and wouldn’t look at me.
“You’re not coming.” My voice fell flat.
“I’m staying; there’s a big difference.” Cora reached out to grab my arm. “Storm, just let me explain! Um, later.”
Thomas Talbot was openly gawking at us like we were a live reality television episode right in front of him. I gestured for the daft man to go into the front parlor, but he just shook his head and stuck to the front door.
“You’re right, Mr. Talbot. This conversation is over, and there is no reason why we can’t conduct our business right here,” I said.
Cora was livid. “Wait, now we’re not going to talk about it?!”
“I’m going. You’re staying. What more is there to say?” I turned to Mr. Talbot. “I’ll just grab the paperwork for us.”
“No, Mr. Morris. Thank you, but that won’t be necessary.” Mr. Talbot seemed to come out of a trance. “I can see there are many reasons why the house should stay in your possession.”
The knowing look he shot Cora made me furious. “You’re backing out of the sale?”
It was louder than I intended, and Mr. Talbot scrabbled to open the front door. “I’m afraid I don’t have the artistic bent to, ah, thrive in such a place.”
“Well, at least let me give you a private tour of the place first,” I said.
Mr. Talbot couldn’t resist. Whatever nonsense Cora had gotten into his head was not powerful enough to overcome his fandom. His eyes immediately roved all over the curving banister my father’s rock ballad had once featured. It thrilled people to know how close to reality my father’s songs were.
“I was here once before; did I tell you that?” Mr. Talbot gushed.
Cora refused to leave and dogged us down the hall. Mr. Talbot was lost in his own awe and nostalgia, and she tried to pull me back as he wandered.
“So, that’s it?” she whispered. “Just go our separate ways?”
“How are we supposed to avoid that when you won’t come with me?” I hissed. I then faked a smile for Mr. Talbot and ushered him down the hallway. “Up ahead is the library with the original fireplace.”
“And you won’t stay,” Cora said. “You won’t even listen to why I’m staying!”
I whirled around and crossed my arms. “Fine. Why are you staying?”
“I don’t have a job, I wasted everything…” Cora paused as Mr. Talbot gushed his way into the library. Then she dropped her voice and, in a pained whisper, said, “I can’t pay for a cab ride out of Murtaugh much less a trip around the world.”
“This is about money?” My voice raised again.
“Oh, no, Mr. Morris. The money is no problem. In fact, to be honest, I would have gone higher,” Mr. Talbot called from the library.
“I have pride, too, you know,” Cora snapped. “And so does my mother. She’s losing the gallery and everything. How can I leave her?”
Mr. Talbot rejoined us. “I guess it’s really about the history of this place. I thought buying it would preserve it, but Ms. Cora pointed out that it’s more.”
“She did, did she?” I balled my fingers into fists.
Mr. Talbot didn’t notice the tension and continued to reassure me the selling price was not too high. “I would have paid more to see this place remain the same, but it needs you. The town of Murtaugh needs you.”
I was at a total loss. “The town of Murtaugh?”
“You know, the place just down the road,” Cora snarked.
“Yes,” Mr. Talbot interjected. “The quaint little Main Street with all the shops. Cora told me the tourist trade dried up when the ‘for sale’ sign went up here. All those truly unique places that cropped up in the glow of the Morris magic.”
He trailed off with a nostalgic smile and left me in the cold void of realization. It had never occurred to me before that the local businesses depended on the mansion and my family to bring in tourists. I cringed to discover I was guilty of such a gross oversight.
“The record store,” I muttered. Rick had never once said anything to me about how my family and legacy affected his business.
“Yes, exactly! You know how many formative albums I bought at that store on my short visit? It looks the same, and it holds the same magic, I swear!” Mr. Talbot said.
“I’ll be sure to tell Ricky you said so,” Cora told him.
Mr. Talbot was delighted to connect with the locals and clapped his hands. “See? I should spend my money there instead. I hope you understand.”
“And Caroline’s art gallery?” I choked out.
“Another sublime legend!” Mr. Talbot cried.
Cora swallowed hard and said, “She’s losing everything.”
“And how can you leave her at a time like this?” I finished for her.
A cold quiet filled the hallway, and Cora looked ready to cry. Then she shook herself off and took charge. Regaling Mr. Talbot with stories about her mother, Cora lead him off down the hallway. There was no convincing him, so I didn’t even try. I didn’t even move.
Cora shut the front door behind Mr. Talbot and walked slowly back down the hallway to me.
I couldn’t move. It felt like the entire weight of the mansion was crushing me into the ground. Then each of the quirky old buildings up and down Main Street stacked on top. It was suffocating.
And it was inevitable.
I knew even when I had received the offer from Mr. Talbot that the sale of the house would never go through. It had all been a reckless daydream, and I was finally awake, back where I was in the first place.
Except for Cora.
My head spun even after she stopped in front of me. That morning, I had imagined us across the globe, cuddled close for photos in the most fantastic places. It had felt so free, so exhilarating, and now I wasn’t sure what I felt.
“I didn’t mean for you to find out like this,” Cora apologized.
I rubbed my chest and was immediately on high alert. Find out what? I had been taken advantage of and seen master manipulators hunt my father like a big game trophy. Had I missed Cora’s real motives all along?
“Find out what? That you scared off my buyer?” I snapped.
The hallway was too confining, she was too close to me, and there was real concern in her eyes. Or so I thought. I strode back to the foyer so quickly I had to stand and wait for Cora to reappear.
She didn’t hesitate, but she didn’t rush, walking straight-backed and focused until she was again two feet in front of me. “I want to stay because I think you should stay, too. And not just for the town.”
“Oh, so that’s it? You’re a sacrifice sent from the town in the hopes of keeping me here?” I edged backward to the foot of the grand staircase.
“What are you running away from?” Cora asked.
I scowled at her and stood my ground, towering over her. “I’m starting over. I thought we were starting over together.”
I yanked my hand away and had to go up a step or stumble over. From even higher, I told her, “You’re the one who’s afraid. Afraid the world will fall apart if she’s not there. What if nothing happens, Cora? What if nothing ever happens?”
“You call this nothing?” Cora yelled.
I marched back down the steps and strode past her, yanking open the front door. “Why would I listen to anything else you have to say? You only came here to manipulate me.”
“Storm, wait.” Tears streamed down Cora’s cheeks. “It’s not like that. And I’m telling you, this is something. That’s why I want to stay and build on it. On equal footing.”
I couldn’t stand it anymore. My head was spinning, and her tears were making my stomach clench and twist. I left the front door open and strode off, really living up to my name.
Tyson appeared in the hallway and blocked me. “Why not just start with a weekend trip?”
I was in no mood for his patronizing style of compromise. “Aren’t you the one always telling me to keep a lookout for cons and fakes?”
“I’m not fake!” Cora cried. “And I’m not trying to con you. I’m just hoping you’ll do the right thing for the town.”
“Spoken like a master manipulator,” I spat.
My head hurt, and I couldn’t make sense of any of it. The whole day had been a roller coaster, and I was in no mood to sort it all out. I bullied my way past Tyson and made it to the kitchen before I realized I was cornered.
“Stop panicking,” Tyson said. He held out both hands.
“I’m not panicking.” I grabbed a bottle of whiskey out of a cupboard. “I’m clearing my head. And I don’t need you telling me how to do it!”
“All she’s asking you to do is slow down, Storm. Just slow down and think about things before you sell the house. And especially before you tear out of here,” Tyson said.
I dodged past him and was furious to find Cora still in the foyer. So stubborn! She opened her mouth to talk it out again, and I couldn’t stand it. I kicked over my suitcase and left through the front door of my own mansion.