After handing the paper to Maria, she took a sip of coffee and pondered how best to break the news that she might be putting the house on the market. “You’ve lived on the estate how many years now?”
Maria cocked a shaggy gray brow at her. “Twenty-three. You were just starting kindergarten and were quite the actress even then. I believe you were playing a princess by the way you barked out exactly how you liked your room done.”
She laughed at the memory. “I’d forgotten about that. Guess I was preparing, without even knowing it, for the role I’d land years later as the ‘Queen of Mean.’”
It was Maria’s turn to chuckle. “Aw, I didn’t think Sophie was that bad.”
Laurel shot her a look of total disbelief. “She kidnapped her sister and held her hostage in a barn knowing she was allergic to hay, while slowly poisoning her boyfriend with arsenic.”
The housekeeper burst out laughing and had to wipe the tears from her eyes. “You’re right. She was awful. That just proves what a wonderful actress you are.”
She looked away, then took another sip of coffee. Maria was right. Laurel was nothing like the character she’d played, but there was a part of her that could be selfish at times, and it had led to tragedy. As memories of the past threatened to flood her mind, she fought hard to push them away. She couldn’t go there…to that dark place…not now.
“Have a seat,” she said, pointing to the chair next to her. “I have something to discuss with you.”
Maria cast her a look that told her she knew something was up that she wouldn’t be happy about. The old woman sank down in the seat, resting her elbows on the table.
She took a deep breath and tried to relax. “A real estate broker is coming over this afternoon to take a look at the property.” She became increasingly uneasy under Maria’s scrutiny, and awkwardly cleared her throat. “I wanted to give you as much notice as possible so that you could make your arrangements.”
Tears glistened in the housekeeper’s eyes, and the knot in Laurel’s stomach grew. “I’m sorry. This is something I’ve been wanting to do, but have been putting off. I can’t any longer, though. My life, what there is of it, is in New York.”
Maria reached over and patted her hand. “I know that, sweetheart. You have to do what you feel is best. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I’ll talk to Dory and see if I can stay with her, at least until I find another job.”
She swallowed hard and bit back tears. Laurel hadn’t seen Maria’s daughter in years. Not since Laurel moved to New York to attend NYU right after high school. But they grew up together, and Dory was a sweet girl. Laurel couldn’t imagine she’d refuse her mother a temporary home. “And it’s not like you’re going to have to leave immediately. I mean, this place may not sell all that quickly…”
Maria nodded, but there was no missing her slumped shoulders. “Don’t worry about telling Jack. I’ll talk to him.”
They’d been a couple ever since Maria’s divorce fifteen years ago. Laurel wondered if they’d ever get married, but after all this time, it seemed unlikely. Apparently, their arrangement worked just fine for them. Although how the sale of Bronson Manor would affect their relationship, she didn’t know. And that was another thing that weighed heavily on her mind.
After Maria left for the grocery store, Laurel took her bags upstairs, which were still in the hall from yesterday, and deposited them in her bedroom. Nothing had changed. The walls were the same pale pink, perfect for a teenage girl. There was the same canopied bed with the antique white bedframe, the floral comforter, and a mountain of throw pillows with her favorite stuffed white rabbit sitting up on top. It was as if she’d only been gone a week, not ten years.
Memories of high school came flooding back, and Ashley was at the forefront of them. She could almost feel his lean body pressed up against her, and the way his kisses would bring butterflies to her stomach.
All the emotions she’d hidden for so long threatened to break free. She sank onto the bed and covered her face with her hands, hoping to block them out, but image after image ran through her mind like a deck of cards being shuffled in front of her eyes… Dancing at the junior prom and inhaling the sweet musky scent of his cologne as she put her head on his shoulder, walking hand in hand on a chilly October night with the moon as their only light. One after another, brief moments in time were relived again for a split second, but plenty long enough to leave her feeling tortured.
She couldn’t spend the day like this, though. Lucas would be here in the afternoon to look at the house, and she hadn’t even bathed yet. Mustering all her willpower, she got up off the bed and trudged into the bathroom.
Chapter 5
Laurel felt a little more clearheaded once she’d showered and dressed. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, letting a few stray tendrils curl around her face, then hurried downstairs to neaten up the library. Her script was still scattered over the floor, and the chenille throw was balled up at the end of the sofa.
When she entered the room, it smelled like someone had been smoking a cigar, and not just any cigar, but a top-quality Cuban cigar. She couldn’t mistake its spicy aroma. Her father used to love to sit by the fire after dinner with a glass of red wine and smoke one of the classic Habanos. The memory brought tears to her eyes, and for some inexplicable reason, she felt like she wasn’t alone.
“Dad, are you here?” she whispered. Part of her listened intently, wondering if she’d hear his deep, rich voice, and the other part couldn’t believe she’d even asked that question. Of course he isn’t here. But what about last night? Had that been real, or was it a dream? She couldn’t answer that, just like she couldn’t answer why the library smelled like smoke. Something was happening… and the most logical explanation was that the past was getting the best of her. All the more reason that she needed to sell the place and finally try to move on with her life.
She quickly gathered up her papers, then neatly folded the throw and draped it over the back of a wingback chair. After that, she went into the kitchen to make sure there were no dirty breakfast dishes left in the sink.
She needn’t have worried. Maria left everything spotless. She’d apparently come back while Laurel was upstairs getting dressed, because there was plenty of food in the refrigerator now.
By the time Lucas arrived, she was confident the house was presentable. He wanted to look at the exterior of the property first, so Laurel slipped on her winter jacket and snow boots and walked around the manor with him, while he scribbled notes on a yellow legal pad.
“The roof looks okay. Although it’s hard to say for sure with the patches of snow covering it. But it’s evident some of the windowsills need work. Are you willing to fix them?”
“Of course. Whatever it takes.” Over to her right, she caught sight of Jack leaving Maria’s house, and her chest tightened.
“Everything okay?” Lucas asked, his gaze scanning her face.
She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I told my housekeeper this morning what my plans were, and she said she’d tell Jack. He handles the maintenance around here.” She bit her bottom lip. “Guess she just did that.”
“It’s always more difficult when others are involved.” His tone was sympathetic.
“Yep.” She lowered her lashes so he couldn’t see the guilt in her eyes at being the reason they were losing their homes.
“Do you think they’d mind if we took a quick look at their places?”
Laurel hesitated a moment, considering telling him now wasn’t a good time, but decided it might just be better to get it over with.
As if sensing her uncertainty, he added, “It’ll be quick. I promise.”
Lucas kept his word, and they were in and out in a flash.
As they walked around the rest of the property, he continued to take notes. “You have what, forty acres here?”
“I see you’ve done your homework.”
“Have to stay on my game. Competition is fierce.” H
e flashed her a crooked, boyish smile, and for a moment, she caught sight of the old Lucas, and she found it charming.
A few minutes later, they went inside, and she gave him a full tour. When they finished, he said, “Everything’s just as I remembered it. Nothing’s changed.” His gaze traveled up the spiral staircase, and she knew exactly what he was thinking. “How was your first night here?”
“To be expected. Full of memories and…” She trailed off, not sure if she should mention the strange occurrences. But by the way he was peering at her, she felt certain he could sense her unease. “Normally, I wouldn’t say anything, but since we’ve already had a conversation about ghosts and your sister is into the paranormal, I think it’s safe to tell you.”
He raised his brows. “Tell me what exactly?”
She clasped her hands together in front of her. “I smelled smoke, cigar smoke, in the library this morning. No one was there that I could see, but my dad used to smoke cigars in there.”
He regarded her quizzically for a moment, then simply said, “Is that it?”
She frowned, wishing she could say yes and just brush the rest off as nothing, but she couldn’t do that. “I saw Ashley.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
She watched him warily, and for a moment wished she hadn’t opened up to him. But when he reached out and took hold of her shaking hand, she knew she’d made the right decision. She felt a strange numbed comfort from his touch.
“Why don’t you have dinner at my place? We can go over the comps and decide on a listing price for your house. And you can talk to Chloe about what’s been going on. It just so happens she makes a mean beef stew too.”
She was surprised he was so calm, considering what she’d just told him. “So you don’t think I’m crazy?”
“Well, I don’t know about that.” He grinned. “But I know you need someone to talk to who’s much more knowledgeable than I am about that stuff. So what do you say, should we head next door?”
She might as well. Maybe Chloe could shed some light on this and then she might be able to settle in and do what she came here to do—learn her lines. “Yes, let’s do that.” She was about to take a step toward the door, when she looked down and realized he was still holding her hand.
He must have noticed at the same time, because he suddenly let go, looking extremely embarrassed as he did so.
Laurel grabbed her keys and followed Lucas out the door, locking it behind her.
* * *
Normally, Lucas wouldn’t spring a guest on his sister without any advance notice, but considering Chloe loved to discuss what she called the spirit world, he knew she wouldn’t mind. And he was right. During dinner, she listened intently while Laurel explained what had been happening at her house.
“Let me just make sure I have this all straight,” Chloe said, setting her fork down on her plate. “You were on your way upstairs, and you heard violins playing and then voices, as if there was a party going on somewhere in the distance.”
Laurel leaned back in her chair. “Yes, that’s right.”
“Does that particular music have any meaning to you?” Chloe asked.
“My parents used to have a Christmas party every year…” Laurel paused, and Lucas could tell this was difficult for her to talk about. “They had musicians—violinists— playing throughout the evening.”
Chloe’s eyes grew wide. “It was at one of those parties that Ashley—”
Lucas had been anticipating what his sister might say, so he kicked her under the table a little harder than he’d planned.
“Ow,” she cried, shooting him a dirty look.
Laurel’s face had gone pale. “Yes, he died at my family’s party.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just wanted to see if there was a relationship between the music and seeing Ashley’s ghost.”
She twisted her napkin. “So you do think that’s what it was, his ghost. Not just a dream.”
Chloe shook her head. “Not with everything else that you’ve been experiencing, unless the past few days have been nothing more than one long dream. I mean, first you thought you hit someone with your car in the very spot a man was killed, and then this morning you smelled cigar smoke in your father’s library. That’s an awful lot to be nothing.”
“But I’ve never had anything like this happen to me before, so why now?”
Chloe shrugged. “You said Ashley had spoken to you. What did he say?”
She hesitated a second before answering. “That he’d been waiting a long time for me.”
Chloe drummed her fingers on the table. “You need to ask him why.”
Fear crossed Laurel’s pretty face. “Are you sure?”
“Heck, yeah. It must be important. He’s been hanging around for years waiting to tell you something. Obviously, you need to hear what it is, and I’ll bet that’s why you’ve opened yourself up to the spirit world.” Chloe crossed her arms over her chest. “To be very blunt, there’s something in your past that needs to be resolved.”
“Thanks. It’s good to know you don’t think I’m losing my mind.”
Chloe laughed. “Of course not. This stuff that’s been happening to you is pretty tame. Now if you’d told me that you’d been levitated up to the ceiling, I might have had my doubts.”
Laurel’s eyes were round as saucers. “Does that stuff really happen?”
Chloe shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen it.”
“That’s good.”
Lucas could tell that the conversation had shaken Laurel up some. “How about we go over those numbers now?”
She shook her head and followed him into his office down the hall. When they were alone, he said, “Sorry about that. Chloe can get a little carried away sometimes.”
“No, no. She was very helpful.”
“Good, I wanted you to leave here feeling better not worse.”
“Oh, I do.” However, the way her hands trembled had him not quite believing her.
It didn’t take them long to decide on a listing price and go over the paperwork, but by the time they were done, the circles under her eyes were darker. “I hope you get a good night’s sleep tonight.”
She smiled. “Oh, don’t worry. I plan on it.”
A few minutes later, Lucas drove her home. Before she got out of his car, she looked at the house, and he sensed her hesitation to go inside. “I’ll walk you to the door.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
He winked at her. “Maybe not, but I want to.”
He got out of the car and walked around to the passenger side to open her door, then gave her his hand to help her, as a patch of ice had formed on the driveway where she was about to step. She slid her hand into his, and he held on to it as he walked her to the door.
After she put the key in the lock, she turned to him. “Well, good night. Thanks again.” Her breath came out in little puffs from the cold.
Before she went inside, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a business card. “My cell phone number’s on there. Call me if you need me tonight. Anytime.”
She stood so close, he could see little flecks of gold reflected in her eyes from the exterior lights. She took the card from his hand. “That’s sweet but unnecessary. I’m sure I’ll be asleep in minutes.”
Her lips were just inches away from his, and for a split second, he contemplated kissing her, but a moment later realized how stupid that would be. “Sleep well. I’ll get your house up on the MLS right away.”
She smiled and opened the door, waiting for him to get back in the car before closing it, then waved and disappeared inside.
For the rest of the night, Lucas couldn’t get Laurel off his mind, and not because he’d make a nice fat commission when he sold her home—part of him hoped it would sit on the market a long time—but because the crush he had on her during high school was back tenfold.
Chapter 6
As Laurel walked up the spiral staircase, h
er eyes and ears were primed for any little noise or musical note, or for a flash of white light and then the translucent image of the handsome boy she’d loved. When she reached the top step, she stood there for a minute, waiting.
When nothing happened, she took Chloe’s advice and said, “Ashley, can you hear me? Please come back. You said you’ve been waiting for me. Why?”
She scanned the hall, but it remained silent and dark. Disappointed, yet a little relieved at the same time, she trudged into her bedroom. Exhaustion dragged at her. It had taken more out of her than she’d expected to sign the listing agreement. It wasn’t that she didn’t think Lucas would get her a good price for the place. She was very impressed with his knowledge of the market. No, there was still that nagging doubt about whether she was doing the right thing.
With a sigh, she got ready for bed, and as expected, as soon as she closed her eyes, she was asleep, but it wasn’t a restful sleep. She was plagued by dreams. A fiery airplane crash made her shoot up in bed, beads of perspiration covering her hairline. As soon as she calmed down and fell back to sleep, another dream emerged. In this one, a homeless Maria and Jack begged family and friends to take them in, but door after door slammed on them, and somehow that segued into her parents’ annual Christmas party.
Her friends were hanging out around the tree, sipping her mother’s delicious holiday punch, while waiting for the horse-drawn sleigh that would take them to see the holiday lights in town. When the jingle bells rang, alerting everyone that it was time to go, Ashley ran upstairs to get their coats while she stayed and chatted with her friends. But a couple of minutes later, everyone went outside, and Ashley still hadn’t come down.
Laurel stood at the bottom of the stairs, calling up to him. “Ash, hurry the sleigh’s here. We don’t want it leaving without us. What’s taking you so long?”
Spirits of the Season: Eight Haunting Holiday Romances Page 9