Her perfectly arched brows shot up in surprise and she set her food down on her plate. “You could tell that by looking at the back of my head?”
He smiled. She always did have a quick wit. “The truth is I hate eating dessert alone.” He opened the menu and pointed to a picture of apple pie. “This is my favorite. Nobody makes it like Bell does. You should try it.” She looked down at her plate full of food, and he added, “Well, after your dinner, of course.”
“I don’t remember you being this pushy in school.”
“I’m surprised you remember me at all.”
“Obviously, I remember you. You were one of Ash…” Her voice trailed off and she swallowed hard, making it apparent she still had trouble talking about him. A moment later, though, she repeated what she had attempted to say. “You were one of Ashley’s best friends. You didn’t look anything like you do now, though. That’s why I didn’t recognize you earlier.” Her gorgeous green eyes held his gaze.
“I hope you meant that as a compliment.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m pretty sure you know I did. Your confidence has increased a thousand percent.”
“Maybe not that much, but, yeah, I’ve changed a lot. You, however, look exactly as you did twelve years ago.”
Her perfect lips curved up into a slight smile. “Thanks, I think.”
“I’m sure you know that was meant as a compliment.”
She dropped her gaze and took a bite of her food. When she finished chewing, she said, “I don’t remember if I thanked you for helping me earlier. That was the craziest thing I’ve ever experienced. And there was definitely something in the road. I’m sure of it. I wasn’t hallucinating.” She narrowed her eyes, and her pointed stare bore right into him. “I never would’ve guessed you to be a Forever Young fan.” Her laugh sounded like music to his ears.
“I’m still trying to cope with it having been canceled.”
“I doubt that.”
“Seriously, I used to DVR every episode. I was a huge fan of the show…and of yours.” He was surprised to see a rosy flush cover her cheeks. She’d won two Daytime Emmys and had been a fan favorite. Surely she was used to people telling her how much they enjoyed her character. “So if you weren’t hallucinating,” he said with a chuckle, “then what do you think happened?”
“I have no idea.” Laurel tucked a long, auburn curl behind her ear and took another bite of her sandwich.
“My sister, Chloe, thinks it was a ghost.”
Laurel nearly choked on her food. She took a quick sip of her water to stop her coughing. “A ghost? Oh, I don’t believe in that stuff.”
“I don’t either, but Chloe, on the other hand, is quite knowledgeable when it comes to the paranormal. And someone was hit by a car a few years ago in that very location.”
Laurel’s eyes grew wide as saucers. “You’re kidding.”
“Sorry to say I’m not. I’ve heard stories that people have seen his spirit there, but I never believed it. Now, though, after what happened to you…well, I’m not so sure there might not be something to it.”
Looking at her pale face made him regret saying that, so when the waitress came by a moment later, he was happy for the reprieve. “I’ll have the apple pie and some coffee,” he said, handing her the menu.
“I’ll have the same.” Laurel handed the waitress her dinner plate.
“I like a woman who’s not afraid to eat,” he said with a grin.
“Well, I have to find out if what you said about the pie is true.”
“I’d be very surprised if after trying it you didn’t think so.” He unzipped his jacket, slipped it off, and then folded it on the bench beside him. “So what brings you back to town? Are you here just for a visit or long-term?”
“Neither, really. My apartment in New York is being renovated, so I needed a place to stay while that’s being done—a quiet place, I should add, so I can study my lines for the new show I’m in.”
“Congratulations on the part. Is it as spicy as Sophie?”
“No, I’m playing the good girl this time.”
“You shouldn’t have any trouble with that.”
“Hmm, I don’t know. Tragedy seems to follow me.” She smiled, but there was an underlying sadness in her eyes, making him wonder if she might really believe that.
She couldn’t be blaming herself for Ash’s death, could she? This wasn’t the time or place to bring up such a delicate subject, but he would find out and then set her straight.
The waitress came by with their coffees, and after blowing on it for a minute and then taking a small sip, she went on to say, “And while I’m here, I plan to put the house up for sale.”
“Really? Are you sure you want to sell Bronson Manor? It’s been in your family for generations.”
A faraway look crossed her face, and again, a distinct look of sadness. “I’m the end of the line. No more Todds to inherit the place.”
Since he’d been following her career, he knew she wasn’t married. “But what if you meet the right guy and decide to have kids?”
“Not going to happen.”
The fact that she responded so quickly and firmly told him her mind had been made up about that a long time ago.
“Besides, what would I want with such a monster?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I happen to like big houses, but if you’re sure you want to put yours on the market, I can help you with that.”
“That’s right. Kensington Realty. I’d forgotten that your dad was in real estate.”
“Not just my dad. I have an office on Main Street, and Chloe works there too.”
“It must be nice having the people you love around you all the time.” She looked down so that her lashes fanned her cheeks, but not before he caught a glimmer of tears in her eyes.
His heart went out to her. It had always seemed like she had it all. Beauty, wealth, fame. He’d never thought with all that, that she might be lonely. “You know, Christmas is only six days away, and it’s going to be just Chloe and me this year—my parents are going away—so why don’t you come over for dinner? I’m not cooking. I promise you, I wouldn’t make you endure that.”
She laughed, but her eyes remained sad. “Thanks for the invite, but I haven’t been much into celebrating for a long time.”
He could tell by the look on her face that she was thinking of Ash and back to that sorrow-filled Christmas, and was glad the waitress set two big pieces of pie with a heap of whipped cream on top in front of them. Before taking a bite, he said, “If you change your mind, the invitation is still open.”
A small smile curved the corners of her mouth. “Thanks.” She stuck her fork in the pie and tried a piece. “You were right. This is the best apple pie I’ve ever had.”
While they ate, Lucas made sure to keep the conversation light and away from any reference to Ashley. When they were through and the waitress came by with the check, he paid the woman before Laurel could even get her wallet out of her handbag.
“Thank you, but you didn’t have to do that.”
“Of course I did. It was my pleasure. Besides, it was way more enjoyable than if I’d eaten dessert alone, so thank you for letting me intrude upon your dinner.”
“I enjoyed it too. Why don’t you come over tomorrow sometime and take a look at the house?”
Tomorrow was Sunday. He had an open house from noon to two, but after that, his day was clear. “How’s three?”
“Perfect.”
When they walked outside, it was snowing again. Without thinking, he linked his arm through hers to help keep her from slipping as they made their way over to their cars, and she didn’t object.
After she unlocked the BMW, he opened her door. “Are you going to be okay driving in this?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“No more slamming on brakes for ghosts in the road, because I’ll be right behind you.”
“Don’t worry. That won’t be happening again.”
“A
ll right. Good night, then.”
“Good night.”
He waited for her to slide into the seat before getting into the Land Rover. If his crush on Laurel had faded any over the years, tonight it had been reignited big-time.
Chapter 4
As Laurel drove home from Bell’s, she was glad that Lucas was behind her. The last thing she wanted was another mishap on her way to Bronson Manor. She couldn’t get over the change in him—and not just physically, although that was huge. Who could’ve guessed that scrawny teenager with the big glasses would turn into such a good-looking guy? He must have women falling all over him. But it wasn’t just his appearance that had changed. He’d really come out of his shell. Gone was that shy boy. In his place was a confident, outgoing man who would be perfect husband material, if she’d been looking for one, which she wasn’t.
She was at the point where she no longer even wanted to date. Why bother? It wasn’t going to lead anywhere, and it wasn’t fair to start a relationship with someone when she had no intention of taking it any further than a couple of dinners and maybe a movie.
To get involved with her was toxic. After all, she’d lost everyone she’d ever loved. Her thoughts drifted to her parents. They might have been traveling to the Bahamas when their plane went down, but it was her fault that they’d decided to go there when they had. They’d wanted to come visit her first, but she’d been too busy to fit them into her schedule. Too busy for her own parents… And then there was Ashley. She couldn’t let her mind go there. It was still much too painful, which was exactly why she’d made the decision to remain alone.
She had her career, at least. Especially now that she’d resurrected it, so it would have to be enough. There was no way she would be responsible for something happening to someone else.
Shortly after turning onto Stoney Brook Lane, Lucas tooted his horn, and she watched in the rearview mirror as he pulled into his driveway. A minute later, she did the same. She’d left all the first-floor lights on, as well as the exterior ones. Quite a difference from when she first arrived and it was pitch-black. The house should be nice and toasty now too from having cranked up the heat.
She was just about to put her key in the lock when the front door swung open. Laurel let out a little scream of fright before spotting Maria and the maintenance man, Jack, in the entryway.
“We came over to make sure everything was okay. The house was lit up like a Christmas tree,” Maria explained.
Laurel stepped inside, closing the door behind her. “I’m sorry. I should have let you both know that I was coming, but it was a spur-of-the-moment thing.”
“We thought someone had broken in.” Jack pulled out the baseball bat he’d been holding behind his back.
“We thought it might be you when we saw the luggage, but one can never be too careful these days. Burglars can be very inventive,” Maria added.
Laurel gave her housekeeper a kiss on the cheek. She’d been like a second mother to her while growing up. “I’m glad you came over to check on things. I would have been upset if you hadn’t. It was my fault for not calling you.”
“I could have gotten the house ready for you.” The lines on the older woman’s face deepened when she frowned. “Is there anything I can do for you now? I can put fresh sheets on your bed. Oh, and there’s no food in the house. I made a stew for dinner. I can bring some over.” She wrung her hands in distress.
“Don’t worry. I’m fine. I don’t need a thing tonight. I just had dinner at Bell’s and now all I want is to go to sleep. It’s been an exhausting day.”
Maria seemed to relax some knowing that Laurel wasn’t starving. “I’ll go to the grocery store first thing in the morning.”
Laurel smiled. “That would be wonderful. I’ll put together a list, and you can stop by tomorrow to get it.”
“Will you be here long?” A hopeful gleam twinkled in her faded hazel eyes.
“A few weeks. I’m having work done on my apartment.”
Maria’s disappointment showed on her face. “I was hoping for longer, but at least you’ll be here for the holidays.”
“Yeah, it’s been a long time since I spent Christmas in this house.” She glanced at the elaborate spiral staircase and then quickly looked away. “I need a quiet place to study the lines for my new role.”
“Well, we’ll be no bother to you at all.” Maria glanced over at Jack, who was leaning against the wall with the bat propped up by his leg, and he nodded his agreement.
Laurel kissed them both on the cheek before saying good night. After they left, she slipped off her down jacket and hung it in the hall closet, then headed up the stairs with her luggage in hand. Halfway up, though, she froze. An image of Ashley standing at the top, smiling down at her, flooded her mind. It seemed so real, it was hard to believe he wasn’t actually there. She blinked quickly to make it go away and took another couple of steps. This time what she saw made her heart beat so quickly, she became light-headed. She set her bags down on the step in front of her and grabbed on to the bannister so she didn’t tumble down the stairs like the vision of Ash just had.
Maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to come here. What if facing her guilt didn’t make it go away, but made it worse? She shook her head as if shaking off the demons that haunted her and decided to put off going upstairs for a while.
She set her bags back in the hall, then took her script out of her handbag and headed into the library. There was something about the wainscot paneling, the plush leather furniture, and the wall of stacked windows with the little alcove that made it the perfect place to curl up and read.
She took a chenille throw off the back of the sofa and draped it over her shoulders then settled in and began to read over her lines. At some point, she must have dozed off, because she woke with a stiff neck. When she checked the time, she was surprised to learn it was 3:00 a.m. No wonder her neck hurt. She had to have been asleep for hours. Still groggy, she staggered into the entryway and was about to head up the stairs, when the sound of violins playing stopped her. She heard the dull hum of people talking and laughing, as if at a party—a party like the one her parents used to throw each year the week before Christmas. It was twelve years ago at one of those parties that Ashley had fallen down the stairs.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and beads of perspiration broke out along her brow. Could she be sleepwalking and this was simply a dream? Or was she hallucinating, as Lucas had sarcastically suggested when she’d thought she’d hit a man?
Slowly, she started up the stairs. When she reached the top, she thought she caught sight of something black and shadowy out of the corner of her eye, but she blinked, and it was gone. Her heart raced, and her fingertips tingled.
“I’ve been waiting a long time for you, Laurel.”
There was no mistaking his voice. “Ashley?” Although her lips moved, she couldn’t be sure whether she’d spoken his name aloud or just did so in her head.
When she didn’t receive an answer, she spun around, her gaze scanning the darkened upstairs hall.
“Ashley!” This time she shouted his name. The music grew louder, as did the voices of the partygoers, and she felt like she was being dragged back in time or into another dimension. She cupped her hands over her ears trying to block it out. She didn’t want to go there. She didn’t want to remember. But the music and voices grew even louder. She squeezed her eyes shut.
“Stop it! Stop it!” she screamed as tears ran down her cheeks.
The area where she stood grew cold as if she’d stepped into a walk-in freezer, and her entire body began to shake. What was happening? She tried to move, but she couldn’t. Sheer terror rooted her feet to the floor.
“Don’t be afraid.” Ashley’s voice wasn’t as deep as it would’ve been if he’d matured into a man, but it was exactly as she remembered it.
She opened her eyes and a bright white orb hovered in front of her, then it dissolved into hundreds of tiny particles of brilliant spa
rkling light. They began to take shape, and when fully formed, although with a milky transparency, Ashley stood before her, as handsome as he’d been the last time she saw him.
“Is that really you?” she whispered. But when she reached out to him, she felt nothing.
“I’m so glad you’ve come back.” He lifted his arm as if to meet her outstretched fingertips, but his vision was fading, and she could barely see him anymore.
Her emotions whirled and skidded. “No, don’t go,” she cried, but it was too late. The orb shot past her and disappeared, taking the music and voices with it so that she was left with nothing but the silent dark hall.
* * *
When Laurel woke in the morning, it was to sunlight streaming through the library’s stacked windows and to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. She was curled up on the sofa with the chenille throw over her and the script sprawled out on the floor. She must’ve dropped it when she fell asleep. Everything about last night was a blur. Had she really seen Ashley? She wished she could say for sure, but she couldn’t.
Footsteps clattered across the parquet floor outside the door, and she looked over to see Maria standing there. “I fixed you some breakfast. Scrambled eggs and bacon.”
She sat up and stretched her arms wide. “Thank you. That sounds heavenly.”
“I changed the bedding in your room too, so you don’t have to sleep on the sofa again tonight. And I put together a grocery list, but you should look it over in case I forgot anything.”
Laurel went over to the older woman and gave her a hug. “What would I do without you?”
Maria’s gaze scanned over Laurel’s wrinkled clothes. “Let’s hope you don’t have to find out. Come eat your food before it gets cold.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Laurel looped her arm through Maria’s and they headed into the kitchen.
“This looks fantastic,” she said, taking a seat at the table. However, she was still upset over what happened last night and not ready to dig into a huge breakfast. She tried taking a few small bites, but the eggs stuck in her throat, so she set her fork down. Maybe she’d have better luck with the grocery list. But she struggled to focus because she couldn’t stop thinking about Ashley’s ghost, wondering if she was losing it.
Spirits of the Season: Eight Haunting Holiday Romances Page 8