by Rose Pressey
I ran my hand through my hair and let out a deep breath. “Did you see a man standing out here when you pulled up?”
She glanced around. “No, why? Did you have another potential guest?”
I stared for a beat. “I’m not sure.”
“You don’t look so well. Your face is a little white. Why don’t you sit down?” She grabbed my arm.
“I’m fine. It’s just that there’s something I have to tell you.” A knot formed in my stomach.
“Oh no. This can’t be good. Are you all right? Is your mother all right?” she asked with panic in her voice.
I nodded. “She’s fine. And I’m okay.”
“You don’t sound confident. Hurry and tell me what’s wrong before I hyperventilate.”
I opened my mouth to answer, but was cut off by Isabeau’s voice. Annabelle’s eyes widened and I turned to see Isabeau standing in the doorway. She slipped through the house like a cat so it was no surprise that I hadn’t heard her sneak up. She had that look a cat got when it ate the canary.
“Hello,” she purred.
Chapter Seventeen
Annabelle looked at me as if to say, Aren’t you going to introduce us?
I reluctantly said, “Annabelle, this is my new guest, Isabeau.”
“Nice to meet you,” Annabelle said.
“Likewise.” Isabeau smiled.
I couldn’t break the news to Annabelle with Isabeau standing right there.
“Are you a guest of the manor too?” Isabeau asked Annabelle.
“No, I’m Hallie’s best friend.”
Isabeau narrowed her eyes. “Oh, well, isn’t that sweet.”
“Are you a guest?” Annabelle asked.
“Yes, I guess you could call me that. But I think it’s just a little more than that.”
“I’m confused.” Annabelle looked from me to Isabeau.
I reached for the doorknob. “Isabeau, if you’ll please excuse me and my friend. We have a few things to talk about.”
Isabeau frowned but I didn’t let that stop me from closing the door in her face. She mumbled something from the other side. Annabelle stood with her mouth wide open.
Finally, she said, “What the heck is going on, Hallie?”
“Let’s sit down.”
I knew I’d scared Annabelle to death at this point. We sat on the veranda steps and she looked at me expectantly. The sun inched toward the horizon. It would be dark soon.
“Did she show up like Liam and Nicolas?” Annabelle asked.
“Not exactly.” I fidgeted with my hands.
“Will you just spit it out and stop being so cryptic?” She wiped her forehead. “You’re giving me a panic attack.”
I let out a deep breath. “Do you remember the spell book that I showed you? It was written in a strange language?” She nodded. “Well, somehow a couple of the spells appeared in English and I did the spells.”
“Why would you do something like that?” she shrieked. Annabelle fanned her face. “Sorry, I panicked.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. It was as if I wasn’t myself. I was compelled to do it. Something strange came over me.”
She stared wide-eyed at me for a second. “So what happened after the spell?”
“Well, nothing right away.” I looked over my shoulder to see if Isabeau had slipped up on us again. She wasn’t back there and there was no sign of the elderly man either. I continued, “But I just found out what happened because of the spell.”
She stared with her mouth open, then she said. “What happened?”
“It appears that…” I twisted my hands again.
She motioned for me to continue.
“It appears that I turned a ghost back into a living person again.” I rushed my words.
Annabelle opened her mouth to speak, but nothing would come out.
I stared for a second, then said, “Are you okay?”
Finally, she managed to speak. “I’m trying to figure out what you’re telling me. How is that even possible?”
“It’s magic, I guess.” I shrugged.
“So let me get this straight, you turned a ghost into a living person?” Her eyes widened even more with the realization. “You mean to tell me that woman was a ghost?” She pointed toward the front door.
I nodded. “Yes, I’m afraid so.”
“Who is she?” Annabelle looked back toward the door.
“Well, all she’ll really tell me is that her name is Isabeau and she claims to be from Enchantment Pointe.” Movement came from my left and I jumped. A bird fluttered from the shrub next to us and flew off into the distance.
“Are you okay?” Annabelle asked, grabbing my arm.
I nodded. “Just a little jumpy, I guess.”
She shivered. “It’s understandable considering our surroundings. So, do you know when and how she died?”
“No, she won’t tell me anything. But she did steal my spell book. You know, the one I showed you earlier.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and peered out across the property toward the tree line.
“What? Why don’t you kick her out of your home?” She sat up a little straighter.
“I can’t do that. Where would she go? She has no money or anything. I’m the reason why she’s here so I feel somewhat responsible. Plus, I don’t want the Coven to find out what I’ve done. Not until I can reverse it at least.” I rubbed my temples.
“How are you going to do that? Does she know you want to take away her born-again status?” Annabelle searched my eyes for an answer.
I glanced over my shoulder again. “No, and I don’t intend to tell her either. She’s not very nice.”
“Apparently. Are Nicolas and Liam real?” Her eyes widened with the thought.
“What? Oh yeah.” I waved off her concerns. “Well, I didn’t do any spells from the book until after they’d already showed up, so I’m pretty sure they are real.”
“Whew. That’s good to hear. So what can we do to find out how to send her back?” She exhaled a deep breath.
“I don’t know. I looked through the book again but none of it was in English again. Poof. It was gone again.” I snapped my fingers.
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Annabelle said.
“None of this makes any sense. The men showing up, then Isabeau, and then…” I bit my lip, wondering if I should continue.
She whipped a look at me. “And then what? Do you have other guests??”
“There was a man who came to the door right before you got here. He said that he wanted me to bring him back.” I glanced around for my ghostly visitor.
Annabelle stiffened. “You mean there are more ghosts roaming around? I told you this place was creepy as hell. But you wouldn’t listen.” She rubbed her arms.
“Okay. I’m listening now. But there’s nothing I can do about it now other than try to get rid of them.” I shook my head.
“Good luck with that. Now that you can bring back the dead, they’ll all hear about it soon enough. This place will be crawling with ghosts.” Annabelle stood, then grabbed my arm. “We need to get out of here.”
“I can’t leave. This is my home.” I waved my arm through the air to showcase the place.
I knew what she really meant was she needed to get out of there. If I went with her, great, but if she had to leave me behind that was just an unfortunate fact of life.
Nicolas’ car inched down the driveway, the pebbles crunching under the weight of the tires.
“I’ll have to worry about fixing this after my dinner with Nicolas. I can’t tell him I have to cancel because I have to cast a spell to get rid of a woman I brought back from the dead.” My stomach was still clenched tight.
“Yes, I can see where that would be a bit awkward. What are you going to do with her in the meantime?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Do you want to entertain her?”
Her eyebrows rose. “A ghost? No way.”
“She’s not a ghost anymore.” I smiled de
spite the uncertainty.
“I don’t know who she is, so unless you force me, I’ll pass.” She adjusted the purse strap on her shoulder.
“You know I’d never force you.” I grinned.
“You forced me to go on that roller coaster one time.” She grimaced, remembering the plummeting to earth, no doubt.
“I did not. I merely suggested that you were a chicken if you didn’t do it.”
Nicolas approached and cut off our conversation. I hadn’t thought it possible, but Nicolas looked even better in the natural light. His charcoal-black hair was tousled in all the right places. He flashed his perfect white smile showing off his high cheekbones. It was next to impossible not to stare with a gaping mouth at this man.
“Not a word of this to him, okay?” I whispered.
“I promise,” she said.
Nicolas smiled broadly. “Hello again,” he said to Annabelle.
She smiled in return and I thought she blushed a little too. He had that effect on women.
“Are we still on for seven?” Nicolas asked.
There was unintentional seduction in his eyes. He couldn’t stop his sex appeal no matter how hard he tried. Not that he was even trying.
I smiled. “Yes, I’ll be ready.”
“I’d better go,” Annabelle said with a wink.
“I’ll call you,” I said.
I wanted her to stay. But what could she do? There was no way she could help me out of this pickle. I threw up my hand to her as she climbed back in her car. I tried to keep the sad look off my face.
Nicolas opened the door and I stepped into the foyer. The cat jumped out and made me scream out.
“Oh, he scared me,” I said, clutching my chest.
Surreptitiously I looked around. Where was she? I had to tell Nicolas about my new guest before she got to him. Hoping that Nicolas wouldn’t pick up on my strange behavior, I hurried over and peeked into the library. Isabeau wasn’t there. I moved over to the parlor door and looked in. Nope. She wasn’t in there either.
I took a deep breath, then released it slowly. Nicolas stared at me, so I knew I had to tell him now.
“Someone else is staying with me here at the manor. She just checked in this afternoon.” I rushed my words.
“Oh, that’s great.” His smile was as intimate as a kiss.
Yeah, that was what he thought.
I searched for the right words. “She’s a bit… well, she’s not shy. So let me know if she bothers you.”
Would she bother him? I mean, what guy wouldn’t love a beautiful woman flirting with him?
Nicolas froze. His body stiffened and I could have sworn his eyes changed colors for a split second. The stress really was getting the better of me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. Nicolas’ behavior had taken a complete turn.
He gazed toward the staircase for a moment, then met my stare. Each time he looked at me with his piercing blue eyes I had to use every ounce of strength I had to look away.
“Nothing. Nothing at all. Everything is fine. So I’ll see you downstairs at seven?”
I nodded. “Yeah, see you then.”
Nicolas climbed the staircase and I decided to find Isabeau. It was real torture having to watch Nicolas’ butt as he took each step. I made my way up the stairs after him, but stopped at the second floor as he continued on toward the third. As soon as my feet touched the landing, I headed straight for her door. It was closed, so I rapped against the solid wood.
After a couple seconds, she answered with a sweet smile on her face. “May I help you?” she asked.
I tried to place a forced smile on my face. “Do you need anything else? Are you comfortable?”
“Well, I am famished. Do you have any food?” She tapped her foot impatiently.
“Oh, there’s plenty in the kitchen. Please help yourself to anything you’d like… in the kitchen,” I added after I realized what I’d said. “I’ll be gone for part of the evening.” I internally slapped myself for that. Why had I told her?
“Oh, do you have a hot date with the other guest? What was his name, Liam?” She wiggled her eyebrows.
No, I didn’t have a date with that hot guest until tomorrow night. Tonight, I had a date with another hot guest. What the heck? How had I gotten myself into this crazy situation? I should cancel with both men. But if I cancelled I might never know what really brought them here. So I had a legitimate reason, right?
“Actually, there is another guest here tonight. I’m going to dinner with him. It’s his way of thanking me for allowing him to stay here.” I smiled to myself as I spoke.
“Is he a paying guest?” she asked with her hands placed on her hips.
“Well, yes,” I said defensively.
“Then you’re not doing him any favors and he doesn’t have to take you out to thank you.” She smirked.
Why was I even telling her any of this?
“He’s being polite. That’s something you might consider trying,” I said as I turned around and walked over to my room.
She scoffed. We’d definitely gotten off to the wrong start.
After making sure that the book was still in the spot where I’d hidden it, I pulled a red dress from my closet. I only had a few dresses, so it wasn’t hard to pick which one to wear. Since I never went anywhere nice enough to dress up, there was no reason to spend money on clothing I could never wear. This one had a scooped neckline, a fitted bodice and a Fifties-style full-circle skirt in a stunning red jacquard fabric with pretty gold paisley print.
Even though my anxiety increased at the thought of being alone with Nicolas, I jumped in the shower, slipped into my dress and heels, then attempted to do hair and makeup. It would have been easier to say no to him and forget all about dinner. But I couldn’t be rude, right? I looked at my reflection in the mirror. Well, this was as good as it got. I hoped Nicolas approved. I spritzed on perfume, then stepped out into the hallway and locked the door behind me.
Isabeau was standing in her doorway staring at me. As she leaned against the doorframe, she studied her fingernails, then looked up at me again.
“Have a nice time,” she said with a fake smile.
I knew I wouldn’t have a nice time. Because I’d worry about what she was up to the entire time. She’d managed to ruin any chance of me having a nice time.
“I will,” I said through an equally fake smile.
As I was making my way down the stairs to meet Nicolas the doorbell rang again. Things were quickly spiraling out of control. Was it the elderly ghost again? If Nicolas was already waiting for me down there, how would I explain that to him?
When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I let out a sigh of relief to see that Nicolas wasn’t there yet. The only sound was the ticking of that darn grandfather clock. Even the cat was nowhere in sight. It was just as well that he hid after scaring the life out of me earlier. I glanced at the time. It was exactly seven. What if Nicolas decided not to show up? My heart sank a little at the thought. It was probably for the best though. After all, I didn’t even know him.
I reached the door and eased it open, fearing the worst.
Chapter Eighteen
My fear soon turned to relief, then happiness. Nicolas stood in front of the door, looking more handsome and dashing than ever. Okay, I’d said that about him earlier in the light, but now he was wearing a dark suit with a red tie and that made him look exceptionally debonair.
“What are you doing?” I asked with a laugh.
“I’m picking you up for our date.” He stretched his hand out and I took it in mine.
Technically, I’d never called it a date. I thought it was more like a thank-you dinner. Was it a date? I supposed people would consider it a date. His skin was tan against the contrast of his white shirt. He flashed his white smile and my stomach did a flip.
Nicolas held out his hand to me. “Are you ready?”
I nodded. “Um, sure. Where are we going?”
“A place where w
e’ll have the best seat in the house.” There was excitement in his voice.
The evening was unseasonably warm and the sun had just disappeared. I stepped off the veranda and walked toward Nicolas’ car. He took my elbow and guided me in the opposite direction.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“I told you it would be the best seat in the house.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “Yes, but technically it’s not in the house.”
Nicolas directed me around the house. The soft night air was quiet except for the occasional rustle from tree branches. When we made it to the back, I noticed a table and chairs near the river.
I looked at him. “How did you do that?”
He shrugged. “It wasn’t easy. I thought for sure you’d notice me going out there and setting everything up.”
I had been a little distracted with my new guest and the ghost at my front door, so it was no surprise that I hadn’t seen him. A white tablecloth topped the table and flowed in the breeze. Dishes sat atop the table. When we reached the chairs, Nicolas pulled one out and helped me sit. The bright full moon smiled its approval over the intimate setting. Moonlight cascaded down, highlighting Nicolas’ handsome features. The soothing sound of the water lapping against the river shore lulled me into a trance.
“I couldn’t find a better view at any restaurant in town.” He pointed at the river, then at the sky. “So I decided why not a picnic under the stars?”
I smiled. “That’s a great idea.”
Wait until Liam found out about this. How would he top this? I knew he’d have to try.
“What are we having for dinner?” I asked.
“Well, unfortunately I couldn’t cook. Although you know I’m an excellent chef by my French toast.” He winked.
I nodded with a smile.
“So I ordered food from the Italian restaurant. I hope you like pasta.”
“I love pasta,” I said.
My mind was a bit distracted though. How would I eat with so many thoughts on my mind?
“Thank you for doing all of this.” I pointed at the dishes.
Nicolas poured the blood-red wine into my glass. “It was nothing. It’s the least I can do since you allowed me to come into your home.” He held up his glass for a toast. “To you,” he said.