2 The Haunted Fixer-Upper

by Rose Pressey

  “You two must be tired after the long trip and then the truck breaking down.” Frank maneuvered the truck over the bumpy gravel.

  We’d only arrived in Bay Point that morning. There had been barely enough time to unpack and grab lunch before we had jumped in the truck and headed toward the reunion.

  “Yeah, it’s been a long day,” Reed said, then let out a deep breath.

  “You never should have left Georgia in the first place, then you wouldn’t be so tired now.” Frank shoved the truck’s gear into park. “Of course, then you wouldn’t have met Alabama.”

  Maybe I was imagining things, but I thought he had said my name in a mocking tone. Was he making fun of me? I couldn’t help it if my parents had named me after the state I’d been conceived in. Whatever. The faster we got this reunion over with, the faster I could find out the status of the old plantation.

  Reed hadn’t answered, which was probably for the best. He was tired of people criticizing him for leaving home. He was a grown man and had to do what he felt was best for himself, not what everyone wanted or expected out of him.

  I pulled my sticky body from the leather seat and jumped down from the truck. Reed grabbed my hand as if he thought I might take off running in the opposite direction. He might be right. My stomach flipped at the thought of all of his relatives scrutinizing me. The white house had a wrap-around porch with rocking chairs flanking the front door. Loud chatter sounded in the distance, but not another soul was in sight.

  “Everyone’s around back,” Frank said as he started across the yard and around the house.

  “You ready for this?” Reed asked.

  I was sure he felt the tension in my grip.

  I nodded and tried to flash a genuine smile. “I hope they like me.”

  “They’ll love you. How could they not?”

  I could list a few reasons, but I wouldn’t get into that right now.

  Reed and I made it around to the back of his cousin’s home and was introduced to people I would never remember the name of. Too many faces in too short a time-span. I looked around for lemonade and spotted a picnic table with several pictures of lemonade and a cooler full of sodas. There was a group of trees to the right and I planned on easing my way over at my first chance. Maybe I could hide under their branches and no one would notice.

  Reed introduced me to more people and I longed for a chance to slip away. I’d rather just watch the action from afar. There was one person missing though.

  “Is your uncle here?” I asking, scanning the crowd of relatives.

  I hadn’t met his uncle, but I had seen his picture. As far as I could tell, Reed’s uncle was MIA. His uncle had been like a father to Reed when his dad died.

  “Apparently he had to leave early.” Disappointment laced his words.

  “That’s too bad,” I said, not knowing what else to say.

  “We’ll catch up with him later.” Reed grabbed my hand. “Come on, there’s a few people I want you to meet.”

  After being introduced to another handful of cousins and an aunt, Reed went to retrieve drinks and food for us. Thank goodness, although I wasn’t sure about being left alone to my own devices.

  At least Reed’s aunt seemed nice just like his other aunt who lived in Rosewood. She had used her psychic ability to help me figure out the ghosts in the old house I’d bought and I’d help save her from the crazed realtor who had tried to kill her too.

  I’d just finished my burger and was enjoying my second glass of lemonade when a pretty blonde approached. She wore khaki shorts and a pink T-shirt.

  “Hi, my name’s Melody.” She stuck her hand out toward me. “I’m Reed’s second cousin.”

  “It’s a pleasure to me you,” I said, shaking her hand.

  “So, I heard y’all had some problems with the truck on the way here.” She flashed a wide, white smile.

  “Yeah, it broke down. But it wasn’t so bad. We did a little sightseeing as we walked here.” If it hadn’t been for the sightseeing it would have been bad.

  She quirked a brow. “Oh, yeah? Not a lot to see on that old road.”

  “We discovered a place called McKeeley Plantation. We went in and looked around.” I took a sip from my glass.

  Her eyes widened. “You went in there?”

  Uh-oh. Her expression told me that maybe there was something I didn’t know about the place. She looked as if she’d seen a ghost.

  “Was I not supposed to go in there?” I asked cautiously.

  She didn’t answer the question, but instead said, “My husband’s boss owns the place.”

  Her gaze studied mine as if she wanted to gauge my reaction. What did she want me to say? This reunion was definitely looking up. Talking to her was making up for the fact that the lemonade wasn’t that good.

  “Really?” I stood up a little straighter.

  She nodded with a sly smile. What was wrong with her boss?

  Reed was across the lawn playing horse-shoes. Which was fine with me, I’d get more information about the plantation that way. I got the impression that he wasn’t that excited about the place. He seemed to think it needed a ton of work. But I’d never let something like that stop me before. Besides, he didn’t have to be excited about the plantation. As long as I loved it, that was enough for me. I didn’t need him to buy the house. Although if I signed on to restore the place it would mean staying in Georgia for a while? Would he be willing to do that with me? And if not, would he be okay with being apart for a while. What was I talking about? I didn’t even know that the place was for sale.

  “What do you know about the place?” I asked.

  “Well, I’m not sure about the history, but he bought it with the intention of restoring it. I guess he’ll eventually get around to it. But right now he’s been consumed with restoring a place he bought in town. He got this old house and fixed it up to use as his business.”

  “Well, that’s great. What type of business is he in?” She still hadn’t told me who her boss was. It seemed so mysterious now and I just had to know.

  “He owns a car lot,” she said.

  Well, that wasn’t so mysterious. Why did she look like a cat that’d caught a mouse?

  “You’d think him restoring the old house would be a good thing, right?”

  I nodded, eager to hear where she was going with the statement.

  She glanced around like she was looking for someone, then said, “That’s not the case though. He’s made a lot of people in town unhappy.”

  “How so?” I asked, taking another sip of my watered-down lemonade.

  “Apparently, he made a ton of changes to the house and the town’s historical society isn’t very happy with the changes. He took this fantastic-looking federal-style house and made it look like some kind of weird castle. Not to mention there are cars parked in the big parking lot that he had paved all around the place.” She shook her head. “But he’s a nice guy though.” A little grin spread across her face with the statement.

  “A castle? I noticed there were some things like that inside the plantation. I guess he plans on doing the same thing with that place too.” I glanced around to see if Reed was still playing. He was tossing the horseshoe, so I knew I had time to continue the conversation.

  She shrugged. “I guess. He’s a little strange, but loveable. But he has some kind of obsession with castles.”

  The man sounded a little creepy. He probably had a dungeon in his house. “Have you worked for him long?”

  Her blue eyes sparkled. “A few years. He’s a good boss. He’s just a little eccentric and a little bit of a flirt. He’s always asking women around town out, but I know he’s only a flirt.”

  I bet none of the women wanted to chance being locked up in his secret torture chamber.

  “I guess he’s a nice man then, huh?” I plastered a smile on my face.

  She nodded. “Yeah.”

  We paused for a moment. She seemed to be lost in thought. Daydreaming about her boss maybe? A
fter a few more seconds, I wanted to ask about the house again, but I wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. I’d just have to come out and ask.

  “Do you think he’d be interested in selling the McKeeley Plantation?” I looked over my shoulder to make sure Reed hadn’t slipped up behind me.

  “I think he’d sell his soul if someone paid him enough money.” She giggled.

  “Oh, he’s that type of guy, huh?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “Like I said, he’s eccentric.”

  A woman holding a baby waved at Melody from across the yard.

  “Oh, I need to help her with the baby. It was nice meeting you, Alabama. I hope to see you again before you leave town.”

  Little did she know that if I had my way I’d be in town for quite a while.

  “Definitely. It was nice meeting you too.”

  She waved over her shoulder as she made her way across the lawn toward the woman. Now I just had to find the man who owned the planation and convince him to sell the house. Not just sell it, but sell it at a dirt-cheap price. That would probably be the hardest part. Yeah, there was a slim chance of that ever happening.

  Chapter Five

  My mind was a million miles away when Reed approached a few seconds later. His spicy scent tickled my nostrils long before I even spotted him standing next to me. For several seconds it didn’t register with me that he was there. My thoughts were preoccupied with the plantation. What was wrong with me?

  “Looks like you are having fun.” He kissed my lips lightly, then flashed his perfect smile.

  I nodded. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but how much fun could I have with people I didn’t know? I’d had some awkward conversations about the weather and what I’d done in my short time since arriving in Bay Point. I was making the most of the situation though.

  “I met your cousin Melody,” I offered.

  “Ah, Melody. She’s a sweet girl. A little flighty, but sweet, nonetheless.”

  I left out the little details of my conversation with Melody. I’d tell Reed about it when the time was right… if the time was ever right.

  I swatted a fly away from my head and asked, “So your uncle left before we got here? I’m beginning to wonder if I’ll ever meet him.”

  Reed looked off, distracted. Finally, he met my stare. “Thanks for coming again. I don’t think I’ve thanked you enough.”

  Hmm. Why was he avoiding the topic? I’d always thought he’d gotten along with his uncle, but I was suspecting that something was amiss. I’d let the subject go for now because it was obvious Reed didn’t want to discuss it, but sooner or later he’d have to come clean.

  “Hey, I’m having fun.” Could he tell I was lying? I hoped not. If I couldn’t ask about his uncle, then I might as well mention the news I’d discovered about the plantation. Okay, so I couldn’t wait to tell him any longer. I was a weak woman. “Listen, guess what I found out?” I said with a little too much enthusiasm.

  Reed frowned. “Have you been talking to my Uncle Calvin?”

  I furrowed my brow. “No, but I’m making a mental note to do that later. Anyway, your cousin Melody knows who owns the plantation.”

  His eyes widened. “What planation?”

  “The one we just spent a half hour roaming around,” I replied, trying to hide the disappointed tone in my voice. Wasn’t he as excited as me?

  “Really,” he said, trying to pretend he hadn’t known what I was talking about. Reed was a terrible actor, though, because a sexy little smile played at his lips.

  “Yeah, I think we should go talk to him.” I wiggled my eyebrows.

  I held my breath waiting for his answer. But he might as well say yes because he knew I’d do it with or without him.

  “You know I’m a sucker for old houses. How can I say no?” Reed ended with a smile.

  I grabbed his hand. “You can’t say no. That’s why I love you.”

  After talking to what I believed was every single person at the reunion and a million mosquito bites later, Reed and I jumped back in Frank’s truck. As he drove us home, I was thankful that Frank and Reed were so engrossed in their discussion of the Atlanta Braves game that I was free to daydream the whole ride back.

  We pulled down the long gravel road toward his uncle’s home. The brick ranch home sat next to a small lake and was surrounded by many tall trees. Moonlight glowed across the lake as we pulled up to the house.

  On the other side of the water, there was a cozy cabin. That was where we were staying. Why we weren’t sleeping in the house with Reed’s uncle was beyond me. Regardless, the surroundings were peaceful and serene, just the stress reliever I needed right now. This had been where Reed had spent a lot of his childhood. I couldn’t imagine growing up there, or ever wanting to leave for that matter. Frank wasted little time backing up and taking off after we’d hoped out of his truck.

  “Well, I guess now you’ll get to finally meet my Uncle Lou.” Hesitation lingered in Reed’s voice.

  “I’m looking forward to it,” I said, grabbing his hand.

  We walked up the path toward the door and I found my anxiety mounting again. What if he didn’t like me? All I could do was be myself, though. If that wasn’t good enough then there was nothing I could do about that. Reed rapped on the door, but before he finished the knock, it swung open. A tall man stood before us. It was obviously Reed’s uncle because they looked just alike.

  “Come on in here.” He waved his arm wildly. “You must be Alabama. I’m glad I finally got to meet you. I thought my son never would bring you here.”

  Wow. It sure didn’t seem as if he was upset about anything.

  I giggled. I might’ve been blushing. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m really sorry about your truck.”

  “Don’t worry about it. That old thing was ready to go anyway.”

  “Alabama, this is my Uncle Lou.”

  Lou didn’t waste time by shaking my hand. Instead he reached out and wrapped his arms around me, then squeezed me a little too tightly. Finally he released his hold and I smiled at Reed. My gaze traveled across the room. Pictures of Reed’s aunt and uncle lined the built-in shelves on the far left wall. The feminine décor let me know that his uncle hadn’t changed things since Reed’s aunt had died. It looked like a woman had decorated and then a bachelor had moved in. Newspapers littered the coffee table and clothing was draped over the side chair.

  “Would you like something to drink?” He gestured toward the kitchen with a tilt of his head.

  “No, thank you. I had a lot of lemonade at the picnic. I’m sorry you had to leave early.”

  I searched his face for a reaction. I was really just fishing for an answer for why he left early. Yeah, I was being nosy.

  “Well, I gave up on you all showing up.” Lou stared at Reed.

  I glanced at Reed. He had a frown on his face.

  “It’s been a long day.” Reed stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I think we’re headed to bed.”

  I faked a yawn for Reed’s sake. “Thanks for letting us stay in the cottage.”

  Reed’s uncle nodded, but his frown deepened. The silence was growing more awkward by the minute. My cell phone rang loudly. I should have put the thing on vibrate. When I saw the number displayed on the screen, I forced back a groan. I knew I’d better answer that call or my mother would dial my number nonstop until I picked up. Reed and Lou looked at me as if to say, Aren’t you going to answer that?

  “I’ll just slip outside and take this call.”

  Reed looked as if he wanted to grab my arm and beg me not to leave him alone with Lou. There was nothing I could do to help him out of the situation. I had my own parental issues to deal with.

  As I stepped out into the warm night air to speak with my mother, I overheard Lou ask Reed what had happened to the truck. That tension between them was still hanging around. Something was definitely going on between them. But I could tell they were just a like. They were stubborn and it would be like pulling teet
h to get any info out of them.

  As soon as I answered, my mother Sylvia’s voice bellowed from the other end of the line.

  “Baby, why didn’t you call me when you got there?”

  “Mama, it’s been a long day. We had truck troubles.”

  “How is his family? Were they nice to you? They’d better be or I just might have to come to Georgia and explain to them how they’d better treat my baby.”

  “They were fine.”

  “What about his uncle? Is he as handsome as Reed?”

  “As a matter of fact, yes, he is.”

  “You’ve got a good catch with Reed. Don’t you mess it up.”

  “I’ll try not to. Listen, Mama, I’m really tired. I promise to call you in the morning.”

  “Bama, I need to tell you something…”

  It was too late. My finger had already been on the button to hang up when I heard her. Whatever she had to say I was sure could wait until tomorrow.

  Reed came out the door in a hurry. I rushed my mother off the phone and walked over to where he stood.

  “Are you ready to get some rest?” he asked.

  “Yeah, but are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Just tired.” He grabbed my hand. “Come on. Let’s go to the cabin.”

  We walked the short distance around the lake to the cottage. Gravel crunching under our feet as we moved along the path and crickets chirping in the darkness were the only sounds. Reed didn’t mention the conversation he’d had with his uncle.

  I still wasn’t sure why we weren’t staying with his uncle in the main house. It was like we were banished outside. The place was quaint and cozy but I was surprised his uncle didn’t want us in the house with him. My mother would have been trying to sleep in between us in the same bed. The cottage had just one bedroom, but had a living and dining area with a small kitchen.

  While Reed took a shower, I slipped off outside to get a look at the lake and the moonlight. The glow from the moon highlighted the tops of the tall pines and shimmered across water like a thin layer of ice. But the night was thick and sticky. Fireflies danced in the trees. Beneath the immense canopy of tiny silver lights, I felt small and insignificant—cut off from everything in this quiet corner of the world.