“So, do you think you got through to him?” Kate asked once he’d told her everything.
“I think so,” he replied, but there wasn’t a lot of confidence in his tone.
“You sound hesitant.”
“The thing is, near the end, he almost seemed to take it too well. I had to talk in circles trying to convince him that moving on wasn’t the same thing as abandonment. He got so upset every time I even hinted that Joanna might not be here anymore. And then, just like that, he seemed to accept it.”
“It must have been something you said right at the end.”
“The only thing I said then that I didn’t say before was that I knew what it was like to love someone.” He looked down at her with his big, dark eyes and she felt herself begin to blush.
“Maybe that’s what did it,” she told him. “You empathized with him. You let him know that he’s not alone. Maybe connecting with him on that level finally convinced him that he could trust you.”
“I hope so. Except...”
“Except what?”
“Well, if he’s accepted it, then there’s a good chance he’s moved on.”
“And what’s so bad about that?”
“If he doesn’t show up, Luke doesn’t get his investigation, and then he’ll be complaining about it the entire way home,” he griped playfully.
Kate cast him a sidelong glance. He looked back, a cheeky grin on his handsome face. Kate tried to maintain a straight face, but he was too cute.
“You’re never going to give poor Luke a break, are you?” she asked.
“You think I’m joking, but I’m telling you, we’ll never hear the end of it!”
Kate just laughed.
~*~
They spent the remainder of their day exploring the small coastal village of Cape Porpoise. First, they stopped for lunch at a local bar and grill called The Ramp. They ate outside in the small patio, set right on the shoreline, and decorated with strands of big, colorful light bulbs and surrounded by driftwood piers and oars and paddles of all colors and sizes. Kate decided that it was easily one of her top five favorite restaurants.
After lunch, they took a walking tour of the area, which resulted in a recommendation that they visit Goat Island Lighthouse. The lighthouse, it turned out, wasn’t accessible by land, so they decided to rent a couple of kayaks and paddle out to see it.
It was a small lighthouse, no bigger than two stories or so, but it was quaint and beautiful, and it reminded Kate of stories she’d read growing up about mermaids and pirates and ships lost at sea. She wished she could have seen it at night when it was all lit up, but she knew they’d be back at that dreadful mansion by then.
Maybe it won’t be so bad, she told herself. Be positive. You are having one of the best days of your life and you’re going to ruin it if you start to dwell on the house and things you can’t control.
Having decided to stay optimistic, Kate called back to Michael, whose feeble kayaking skills had left him trailing a few meters behind her, “Isn’t this great?”
“My arms are about to fall off!” he yelled back.
Kate tried not to laugh, but it was difficult. Out there on the water, with the wind in her hair and a breathtakingly beautiful sky above her, she felt happier and more alive than she’d felt... well, since waking up from the accident, if she was being honest. She’d felt joy and love and laughter, especially in the days since she’d met Michael, but something about that moment there on the waves of Cape Porpoise, she felt what she’d always craved above everything else, and that was freedom.
Finally, she felt as though she’d really moved on from what had passed and as a result, she felt confident enough to fully embrace the future. It was a lot to get out of one short kayak expedition, but if there was one thing she’d learned in the last year, it was that life didn’t like to teach lessons directly. It preferred to throw you an experience and let you learn for yourself.
By the time they made it back to the mainland, Kate was wiped out and already hungry again, but every moment had been worth it. Michael tried to complain about how much his arms hurt, but Kate could tell by the suppressed smile on his face that he’d had just as much fun as she had.
Eager for food, a shower, and comfortable clothes, Kate suggested heading back to the mansion. She wasn’t eager to return to the eerie feelings or the haunted hallways, but Michael’s revelation earlier had left her feeling hopeful. Maybe, just maybe, Stanton Hall Manor had finally been fumigated. Or perhaps the more appropriate word was exorcised.
“So, what do you think our chances are of Luke having that fancy dinner ready by the time we get back?” she asked Michael.
“I’d say even worse than the chances of Luke even being there when we get back.”
“Darn it.”
Sure enough, Michael was right. They were the first ones back. Too hungry to wait for the crew, Kate grabbed a snack out of her secret stash for her and Michael before each of them returned to their respective rooms, Michael for a nap, and Kate for a shower.
When Luke and the crew returned about an hour later, Kate emerged from her bedroom, clean and dressed in the nicest outfit she’d brought: slacks, a low-neck sweater, and pearls. As tempted as she’d been to wear sweat pants and a comfortable T-shirt, she wanted to look pretty for their last night and the thank-you dinner for Mrs. Drake and Emily.
However, no one at all (except for Michael) even noticed the extra effort she’d put into her appearance. Everyone, even Luke, seemed agitated and on edge. Gavin came in last, hauling a case of what was probably really expensive equipment, which he promptly dropped.
“Hey, how was the -”
“Not now, Kate,” Gavin snapped as he stormed past her. Gail followed shortly behind. Moments later, Kate heard two separate doors slam.
Kate felt her temper flare. She thought about marching after her brother, smacking him upside the head, and demanding to know what the hell his problem was, but Michael’s voice brought her back to what remained of her feeble senses.
“What was that all about?” he asked.
“Don’t ask,” Peter murmured, grabbing the case that Gavin had dropped.
“No, I’m going to ask,” Kate told him. “If my brother is acting like a spoiled brat, then I want to know about it.”
“He’s not being a spoiled brat, it’s just...”
“What?” Kate asked. “It has something to do with Gail, doesn’t it?”
Peter sighed. Getting involved in his coworkers’ tiff was clearly the last thing he wanted to do, but maybe he figured that it would be better coming from him than someone more emotionally involved because he explained, “Look, Gail’s a good person, but whenever she finds a new guy, she likes to flaunt it. And knowing that she’s not supposed to be with your brother made it even more fun for her.”
“Oh, no...”
“I don’t even remember how it all started, but Gail ended up telling everyone about last night, which made Gavin angry and-”
“Whoa, whoa, wait. Back up. What happened last night?” Kate asked.
“Um...” Peter trailed off, but Kate knew exactly what he was trying to tell her.
“Oh great. That’s just perfect,” she growled. Of course this would happen. She’d been having what was turning out to be one of the best days of her life and her stupid brother had to go and ruin it. That settled it. She was never bringing him to anything that was supposed to be fun ever again. Turning swiftly to Michael, she said, “You know, maybe you should have just let Trevor drain the life out of him.”
“So why is Gail upset?” Michael asked.
“Where do I even begin? First, she was upset that Gavin was upset. I guess she thought he would want to brag about it, but he apparently thought it was something special just between them and he wanted to keep it private. Then Luke lost his temper and yelled at her and she started yelling back, so JT and I just sort of went off and did some filming while they all screamed at each other. Finally, Luke got sick
of it and made them go after us while he went to the supermarket and... The rest is history.”
Well, at least the home-cooked meal was still on. Not that it would be all that enjoyable if tensions were still running high. Hoping to make amends for her brother, Kate slipped into the kitchen, where Luke was chopping up vegetables.
“Hey,” she said.
Her voice startled him, and she realized that, for the first time in their friendship, she’d caught him off guard.
“Hey Beautiful,” he smiled. “Boy, you got some sun. Did you and Mikey have fun today?”
“Oh yeah, we had a blast. From what I hear, it was a lot better time than what y’all had.”
“Yeah well, that’s show biz for you. You never know when someone is going to go completely off their rocker.”
“Actually, I think that’s any biz,” Kate remarked.
Luke grinned. “You’re probably right.”
Kate was relieved that he didn’t sound too angry. At least, not with her. “Listen, I just wanted to apologize. I’ve been trying to get it through Gavin’s head all week that Gail is off limits but, he’s a stubborn jackass and he does want he wants.”
“Kate, you don’t have to apologize. I do not blame you in the slightest.”
“I know, but he’s my brother and I -”
“Nope. I am going to stop you right there. You are not allowed to apologize to me. You are, however, more than allowed to give me a hand chopping up these carrots,” he offered with a broad smile and clearly hoping she’d take the bait.
“Just as long as you don’t Tweet about it. I don’t want the world suddenly thinking I can cook.”
“Why not?”
“Because then people would actually expect me to cook.”
Luke chuckled. “Fair enough.”
Chapter 24
Dinner that night was excruciating.
Well, not dinner itself. The food was great. In fact, Luke hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d said he could prepare the best filet mignon any of them had ever tasted. Not that Michael would ever admit that he thought so. After all, how hard could it really be to prepare a filet mignon?
No, the excruciating part was the horrible tension that hovered over the entire table. Gavin, Gail, and Luke were all still clearly ticked at each other. The rest of them, JT and Peter who’d witnessed the whole event and Kate and Michael who hadn’t been there but still knew what had happened, were left in the awkward position of being forced to pretend everything was fine despite knowing that that wasn’t true at all.
Carolyn and Emily seemed to enjoy themselves though, and that was really all that mattered.
“You really didn’t have to do this, Luke,” Carolyn said.
“It was my pleasure, Carolyn,” he assured her. Even though he was clearly still upset with Gavin and Gail, Luke was trying his best to act his normal loud and cheerful self. “Are you enjoying it, Emily?”
“Yes. Thank you,” the teen replied politely. Then, she stole a quick glance up at Michael. He couldn’t be sure if she was trying to communicate with him or if she was still wary of his presence. Maybe she knew that her mother had confronted him earlier that morning. It seemed like ages ago.
“It’s a shame we didn’t get to spend much time with you,” Luke continued.
“That’s alright. You’re busy,” Emily told him.
“That’s a pretty lousy excuse on our part. Tell you what. We’re doing one final investigation tonight to see if we can get in touch with Sterling Hall. You could join us if you want. Be on a TV show. Make all your friends jealous.”
Emily’s eyes widened, as though she’d never dreamed such an exciting thing could happen to her. But the more Michael observed her face, the more he realized that the look on her face was one of genuine terror.
“Oh, no!” she exclaimed. “I mean, no. No, thank you.”
“Are you sure? We’d be happy to have you.”
“Luke,” Gail hissed.
“What?” he snapped.
“She doesn’t want to, okay? Just drop it.”
Luke looked like he wanted to strike back with a bitter comment, probably pertaining to what had happened earlier that afternoon, but he kept his mouth shut, probably for the sake of Carolyn, Emily, and the dinner. Again, the table descended into an uncomfortable silence.
Their agenda after dinner played out very much like their first night at the manor. Kate, Michael, and JT all tended to the dirty dishes in the kitchen while the rest of the crew set up for the final night of filming.
“So do you think we’ll actually make it through the night without any of them tearing at each others’ throats?” Kate asked as she dried the dishes that Michael and JT scrubbed.
“Hard to say,” JT replied.
“You seem pretty unfazed by all the drama,” Kate observed.
JT gave a mirthless chuckle. “I’ve been hanging around with them for years. Trust me, this isn’t the first time I’ve seen something like this.”
“So, this isn’t Gavin’s fault?”
“Oh, no. It’s just what happens when people with big personalities are around each other for prolonged periods of time. Occasionally, they clash.”
“Does Luke have a thing for her?” Kate asked outright.
Michael wished he could have said that he’d never cared to know anything less in his life, but the sad truth was he was really curious. He hoped his face didn’t project any signs of interest whatsoever while he waited for JT’s answer.
“No,” JT said, but he sounded unsure.
“Really? It sure seems like he does,” Kate said.
“Trust me, it’s not like that with them. Luke is just a huge perfectionist when it comes to this job and Gail... she can be a bit of a loose cannon.”
“You don’t say,” Kate scoffed.
“I mean that in the most complimentary of ways, of course. She’s a great addition to the team. She’s passionate, she’s a hard worker, but she’s also a free spirit who doesn’t like being told what to do, and Luke loves telling people what to do.”
“You don’t say,” Michael echoed Kate with the same sarcastic bite. Kate snickered.
Luke must have felt his ears burning or something, because moments later, he appeared and announced that they were ready to begin filming. This time, however, instead of sitting in a room and waiting for the ghost to come to them, they were going to turn out every light in the mansion and search for him.
“Why do we have to turn the lights out?” Michael asked. That was something he’d never understood about those ghost shows. Did they honestly believe they were more likely to find Sterling in the dark? The ghosts that found him never seemed to care what time of day it was or if it was dark or light, rain or shine.
Of course, he expected Luke to go into some longwinded speech about how lighting affects the visibleness of the spirit’s ectoplasm or that the magical veil between portals is thinnest between the hours of midnight and 3 AM. But to his surprise, all Luke said was, “For effect.”
Oh. Well, for a ghost show trying to get ratings, he guessed that made sense too. Unfortunately, if the first few hours of exploring the dark and empty manor were any indication, the ratings for that particular episode weren’t exactly going to soar. Michael realized, as Luke led them through the upstairs hallway for what must have been the dozenth time, that while he’d told Kate all about his earlier conversation with Sterling, he’d never mentioned it to Luke or the crew. He’d intended to, but with all the hurt feelings and relationship drama that had gone down, he’d forgotten to bring it up. Now that he thought about it, he really wasn’t sure they were actually going to find anything.
“Come on, Sterling. I know you can hear me right now. Please, just do something. Slam a door, talk to us, anything,” Luke begged.
Listening to his friend pleading with a ghost that might not even be there anymore tugged at Michael’s conscience. He should have told him about his encounter down at the gravesite as soon as it had
happened. But he hadn’t been thinking, and now he’d let all of them go on this wild goose chase for a ghost that he may have very well encouraged to move on.
But then, if he had moved on, why was he still apprehensive about what they might find in that manor? They hadn’t encountered any spirits yet, but Michael still felt off, like something was waiting to happen.
It’s the setting, he told himself. It was late at night, dark as all hell, and he was tired and not thinking straight.
“It doesn’t make sense. It just doesn’t make sense,” Luke began muttering. “Mikey, are you sure you haven’t seen or heard anything?”
“There’s nothing,” Michael told him honestly. “And you know, now that I think about it, there might be a reason for that.”
“What are you talking about?” Gail asked, sounding listless.
“I saw Sterling this morning, down by his tombstone.” Michael briefly recounted their talk for the second time that day.
“Wait a minute, what are you trying to say?” Luke demanded. “Are you saying that you think he might have crossed over?”
“I don’t know,” Michael admitted. He hadn’t actually seen Sterling move on to the other side, but that didn’t mean that it hadn’t happened in his absence. In fact, he’d only seen a ghost cross over once before, three months earlier in his hospital room.
Trevor had come to thank him before disappearing into a flash of golden light. “Maybe.”
“You’ve known that this entire time and you didn’t say anything?” Luke asked. “Geez, Mikey. Look, I know we’ve had a rough couple of days, but you could have told us that before we wasted hours of our time and film for nothing!”
“Luke, calm down,” Gail told him.
“Gail, just stop it. I do not need you telling me what to do.”
“Why not? You tell us what to do all the time!”
“Gail,” JT spoke softly. “Not now.”
“JT’s right,” Peter said. “There may be a time and a place for this confrontation, but it’s not here. Now we’ve all had a long couple of days. It seems pretty obvious that we’re not going to get anything tonight. We have plenty of good footage to work with. I suggest we all take a deep breath, bid each other a goodnight, and go to bed. Besides, our flight leaves tomorrow at eleven and I don’t know about all of you, but I still have packing to do.”
Between Worlds (Cemetery Tours Book 2) Page 18