A Secret in the Attic (Mystery/Suspense/Romance)

by Samantha Jillian Bayarr

  The car was already warm when she got in. Jazz music played quietly from the rear stereo speakers, and Amy felt safe as Jake crept along the slippery roads.

  “Do you want to hang out at my apartment until the road crew has a chance to salt the roads?”

  Jake didn’t take his eyes off the road. “I think that would be best. I’m having a tough time keeping traction, and I’m only going twenty. I’m afraid if I go any faster than that I’ll put us into a tail-spin. It’s a good thing we only have to go three blocks.”

  Amy did a mental check of her apartment, hoping she hadn’t left it messy. She wasn’t a messy person, but she didn’t want Jake to see anything that would make him wonder how she would keep house after they were married. As far as she knew, even her bathroom was free of dirty laundry.

  Jake pulled his Mercedes into the alley behind the bookstore and parked near the door. He squeezed Amy’s hand before they exited the car. Once upstairs, Amy scurried to her room to get out of the dress and into some sweat pants. Unable to locate her sweatshirt, she opted for a long-sleeved white pullover, knowing it would keep her warm. She pushed her feet into her fuzzy slippers before exiting the room with a shiver.

  Jake examined her attire. “You look nice and comfortable.”

  “I’m freezing. Are you cold? I can turn the heat on. I can’t believe how quickly the weather turned cold. What was it? Sixty-five degrees this afternoon, I think.”

  Jake sat on the sofa, agreeing that a little heat would warm up the apartment. He looked warm enough in his suit jacket, but a little uncomfortable at the same time. Knowing he’d spent the entire day in his suit, Amy flicked the lever of the thermostat until the furnace kicked on. The smell of warm air filled the apartment while Amy brought her down-filled blanket to the sofa to cuddle with Jake. He removed his jacket, tie and shoes, then, cuddled up under the blanket with Amy. He pulled her closer, cradling her hips with his, warming her with his body heat. When his lips touched hers, she thought she might melt from the heat between them. Passionate kisses, followed by shallow breaths took away the chill in the air, while Amy felt a stirring of love for Jake she’d never felt before. His gentle kisses and strong arms around her made her want more from him.

  Jake sat up, nudging Amy from him. “I think we should save something for the wedding night, don’t you?”

  Amy looked into his solemn eyes and smiled. “You’re serious.”

  He sat facing her, pulling her hands into his. “Yes I’m serious. I love you, and we will have the rest of our lives to explore each other. But for now, I want to take my time getting to know you. I want to learn all there is to know about Amy Lucas. Besides, I haven’t even had time to get you a ring and propose properly.”

  Amy couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You really are a gentleman.”

  He smiled, exposing his dimples. “I’m just an old fashioned guy. I want a relationship like my parents had. I want my mother to look down from Heaven and be proud of the man I’ve become, and I want us to raise a family like my parents did—a family with values.”

  Amy kissed him. “How can I help but love you? I want all those things too.”

  Jake pulled her back into his arms and rested his head against the arm of the sofa. “Let’s cuddle because I have to leave soon. I have a long drive ahead of me tomorrow.”

  She rested her head on Jake’s chest, picking up the beat of his heart with one ear, and listening to his voice with the other. Before long, his voice began to drift to muffled tones, as his beating heart became the forefront of her thoughts. She slowly drifted off to sleep in his arms.

  ****

  Amy winced as she felt movement beside her. With a slightly stiff neck, she stretched, then, opened her eyes when she realized she’d fallen asleep on the sofa with Jake. The sun barely illuminated through the drapes of her living room, but it was just enough to see that Jake’s eyes were still closed. His slow, steady breathing let her know he was sleeping soundly. She hated to disturb him, but she wasn’t sure what time he needed to leave for his trip.

  She leaned up and placed a soft kiss on his cheek, jiggling him slightly. “Jake, baby. We fell asleep on the sofa. It’s morning. You need to wake up.”

  His blue eyes opened just slightly as he pulled her close to him. “I’m not ready to get up yet. Let me stay here for a little while longer with you. I’m going to miss you terribly while I’m gone and I just want to savor this feeling.”

  Amy didn’t object. She placed her head back on his chest, listening to the rhythm of his heart that was already familiar to her.

  ****

  Amy paced the floors waiting for her grandmother to show up. Jake had been gone for two hours, and she missed him already, but she was eager to find out if her relationship with him was in jeopardy because of the strange book in the attic. Just when she thought she couldn’t wait any longer, her grandmother pulled into the alley behind the bookstore. Amy opened the back entrance and exited after yelling for Cindy to keep an eye on the store.

  Amy practically jumped in her grandmother’s arms when she stepped out into the parking lot. “I’ve missed you, Grandma.”

  Her grandmother placed a quick kiss on her cheek and a smack on her backside. “I’ve missed you too, but it sounds like you’ve gotten yourself into quite a predicament. Let’s go take a look at the book and get this over with because I know you won’t give me a moment’s rest until we get this thing settled.”

  Amy led the way up the stairs to the apartment above the bookstore. “Do you want a cup of tea before we begin?”

  She was being polite, but hoped her grandmother would decline so they could get to the business at hand.

  The woman smiled. “Judging by the look on your face, I think I’ll wait to get that tea.”

  Amy felt guilt tug at her heart. “I’m sorry Grandma. I don’t mind putting on a pot of tea. I can grab the book from the attic while we wait for the water to steam.”

  “That sounds reasonable.”

  Amy was quick to fill the teapot and light the gas burner of the stove. “I’ll be right back. Take off your coat and get comfortable.”

  Amy practically flew up the stairs and back down again with the book. She felt a knot form in her stomach when she looked into her grandmother’s eyes. She could see the distress in them as her brow angled downward at the sight of the book. She ran a finger along the crack that separated the doves on the stone medallion imbedded into the leather cover.

  Her eyes became misty. “I can’t believe I’m about to rehash this again.”

  Amy laid a comforting hand on her grandmother’s arm. “Just start from the beginning and don’t leave anything out.”

  The distressed woman wiped a tear from her eyes, then, began the story. “Alison and your great Grandma Ellie were best friends, but they were both in love with the same man. It was my mother that ended up winning his heart, and that put a wedge between her and Alison. She was to be the maid of honor, but she backed out at the last minute, saying she couldn’t’ go through with it on account of her feelings for this Robert fellow here in the book.”

  Amy didn’t dare blink, for fear she’d miss something. “Sounds like a woman scorned.”

  “That she was. Alison had wrapped up the book like a wedding gift and presented it to your great Grandma Ellie. It wasn’t until some months after the funeral that she’d opened it. The stress of it caused her to miscarry the child she conceived on her wedding night. She carried that baby as long as she could, but he was still-born in the sixth month.”

  Amy felt tears rush to her eyes. “How awful for her.”

  Grandma Annie handed her a tissue. “By then, Alison had disappeared and no one has ever heard from her again.”

  Amy set a serious look to her face. “What about my daddy? Tell me the truth. Did he die because of this curse?”

  She looked at her granddaughter thoughtfully. “I’m afraid he did. Only your momma was lucky enough to have had you from that union. Soo
n after you were born, she met your stepfather, and the rest is history.”

  Amy wiped fresh tears from her cheeks. “That still doesn’t explain how mine and Jake’s names ended up in the book.”

  “You said you wore the dress to Jake’s party. Did anything special or unusual happen that night?”

  Amy blushed. “We kissed. And then we declared our love for one another, and he might have asked me to marry him and I might have said yes. All this happened while I was wearing the dress.”

  “Well did you or didn’t you?”

  Amy cringed. “Yes. We’re engaged.”

  “Oh Amy. I’m afraid you set the curse in motion when you declared your love with that dress on. I don’t know whether the curse is on the dress or the family. All I know is that’s what happened with Henry and me. He kissed me when I was having the dress hemmed. The very next day our names appeared in the book.”

  “Oh-my-gosh Grandma. You’re Annabelle?”

  “Yes, I’m afraid so. I haven’t gone by the name Annabelle since the day I said goodbye to Henry. I knew I couldn’t risk marrying him. I couldn’t bear to lose him.”

  “But you lost him anyway, Grandma. And he still loves you.”

  Her grandmother frowned. “I had a good life with your grandfather, rest his soul, but I have always carried Henry in my heart.”

  “Then go to him and tell him you still love him.”

  She wiped a tear before it fell. “I can’t. Our names remain in that book for all eternity unless the curse is broken, and I don’t know how to do that.”

  Amy grabbed the book. “It says here a selfless act can break the curse. Surely we can think of something.”

  She swiped the book from Amy’s hands. “Don’t you think I’ve tried? I thought if I gave up Henry it would break the curse, but all it did was break my heart.”

  “Does that mean I will have to give up Jake? I can’t give him up, Grandma. I just can’t.”

  “If you want him to live past your wedding night, you’re going to have to.”

  Amy choked on her tears. “But I don’t want to give him up. I love him. Maybe if we just live together and don’t get married then it will all be okay.”

  Her grandmother looked at her sternly. “Do you want to take that chance? You’d be risking his life. And every day you spent with him you would wonder if that would be the day. It would drive you mad.”

  “That would be an awful lot of stress. But how can I give him up when I love him so much.”

  Grandma Annie lifted her chin, forcing her to meet her gaze. “The longer you wait, the harder it will be. Before you met Jake, you planned to marry Jonathon. Marry him and have a good life with him. Put Jake out of your mind. You don’t have to remove him from your heart.”

  “I don’t know that I love Jonathon enough to marry him. I know I always planned to marry him, but that was before I found my true love in Jake. There has to be a way out of this.”

  Amy couldn’t control her sobs anymore.

  Her grandmother shook her head. “I’ve tried burning the book and the dress, but they are indestructible. I don’t’ see any other way out for you.”

  Amy scowled. “You should have told me this sooner so I could have guarded my heart from this pain.”

  “You were the only child born from the one true love. Maybe you have the power to break the curse. But unless you know for certain, you have no right to put Jake in harm’s way.”

  “I know what you’re saying is right, Grandma, but that doesn’t make this any easier. I know I haven’t known Jake long, but our feelings are real or our names wouldn’t be in that damn book.”

  “The sooner you tell Jake, the better it will be for his sake.”

  “He’s going to think I’m crazy, Grandma. He already wonders about Henry’s senility the way he goes on about you and how he lost you to the curse. It’s going to break his heart. He’s going to think I’m using his grandfather’s story against him. He’s going to hate me.”

  “That isn’t true Amy. He’s your one true love, and for that reason alone, he will always love you, and you will always love him.”

  “Then it will haunt me until the day I die. I don’t know if I can live with that. There has to be a way around this. Has anyone in the family tried to locate Alison or any of her descendants? Maybe one of them can undo the curse. This woman has to still be alive. How else could our names appear in the same handwriting? She’s probably hovering and laughing at us as we speak.”

  Her grandmother put a hand to her chin as though deep in thought. “That does make some sense. Unless, of course, the names appear by magic.”

  Amy was growing impatient with the conversation. “Surely you don’t believe in magic, Grandma.”

  The older woman chuckled. “I didn’t believe in curses until I met up with this one. It’s all part of the spell or voodoo, or whatever that crazy woman did to our family.”

  Amy blew her nose. “I don’t know how I’m going to tell Jake.”

  “Just do it quickly. Like ripping off a bandage.”

  Amy ran to her room, unable to make sense of the situation. She threw herself on her bed and sobbed so hard it made her head hurt. Reaching up to grab a tissue from the box on her nightstand, Amy noticed the little red light on her Blackberry blinking. She hit the center mouse, noting she had a text message. It was from Jake.

  Just arrived in Chicago. I miss you already. Will try calling later tonight after my meeting. Luv u.

  She tossed the phone back on her nightstand and cried even harder. How could she talk to Jake over the phone without giving away her mood? This was not news you delivered over the phone, but how could she wait until Sunday night to tell him? It would be cruel to continue to lead him on until then. She couldn’t avoid him for five days—or could she? Maybe if she sent him a text later telling him she was coming down with the flu? She hated the thought of being dishonest with him, but she didn’t relish the idea of breaking up with him over the phone either.

  I can’t break up with Jake. I love him too much. There has to be a way out of this, and I’m going to figure it out if it’s the last thing I do.

  ****

  Some time later, she woke up, not realizing she’d fallen asleep. Momentary panic set in when she became aware that she’d been away from the bookstore the entire day.

  A missed call from Jake brought her some relief as she struggled to wake up with some strong coffee. She hadn’t planned on sleeping the day away, but she was stressed and she hadn’t slept very soundly on the sofa with Jake. She would text him later and tell him she was asleep when he called. At least today she wouldn’t have to lie to him.

  ****

  Amy woke early with an idea. She made plans to meet with her grandmother for lunch, but she also called Henry and invited him. She hoped the three of them could put their heads together and come up with a solution. At the same time, she hoped her grandmother wouldn’t be angry with her for tricking her into seeing Henry again. She knew it was a selfish thing to do, but she knew that if they could find a way to break the curse it would benefit the four of them.

  She and Grandma Annie arrived at the diner early so Amy would have enough time to prepare her for Henry’s visit. She sat facing the door so she could see him before her grandmother did, and hoped the element of shock and happiness would smooth over her deceptive behavior. There was no easy way to do what she knew she had to do, but meeting in a public place served to lessen the chance of a strict scolding from her grandmother. At least she hoped it would.

  When Amy heard the jingling of the bells at the front door of the diner, she made eye contact with Henry, who was as unaware as her grandmother of what was about to take place. Guilt seared through her with every thump of her heart as he walked closer to their booth. Amy stood; ready to face the consequences the moment her grandmother realized she’d been duped.

  Her grandmother turned in time to see Henry approaching; the expression on her face softened with disbelief. Hen
ry’s face lit up at the sight of his beloved Annabelle, and he approached the booth with a smile.

  He took her in his arms. “I would know my sweet Annabelle anywhere.”

  They both cried and laughed at the same time, while neither of them let go of the embrace. Amy felt tears well up in her throat as she watched her grandmother’s and Henry’s love reignite before her eyes. She knew then that there was no way she was going to let her life with Jake slip past her as these two had done.

  After several minutes of hugging and crying, Henry turned to Amy. “How did you find her?”

  Amy cleared her throat. “Funny thing. Uh, Henry. This is my grandmother, Annabelle Gerard.”

  Confusion settled on Henry’s face. “I thought you said her name was Annie.”

  Her grandmother took his hand. “Maybe you should sit down so we can explain everything to you.”

  By the time her grandmother explained everything to Henry; including the part about Amy’s and Jake’s engagement, she was growing weary of hearing she could never be with him. How she would end up like her grandmother, never being able to marry the one she loved.

  Henry placed a consoling hand on Amy’s. “Your grandmother and I both married our second choice, and we had a good life with them. If we can’t find a way to reverse this curse placed on the women in your family, you will have to surrender to the same fate. I know it won’t be easy, but it’s for the sake of saving my grandson’s life.”

  Amy realized her plan had backfired on her. She didn’t want Henry to side with her grandmother; she needed him to agree with her. After all, it was him that still longed for—no ached for his Annabelle—his one true love. Surely he understood her pain.