by Rose Pressey
Chapter Nineteen
There was a constant whispering in the woods. I had figured it was the farewell of the leaves as they fell to the ground, but now I knew better. The elderly man was hiding behind the big oak tree, watching us. I’d seen his little head peek out. How was I going to get rid of him? Nicolas must have recognized my tension because he pulled away slightly.
“Is everything okay?” He caught me looking over his shoulder.
“I’m fine.” I plastered a smile on my face. Would he see through my charade?
He looked over his shoulder, but fortunately, the man had retreated behind the tree again. Nicolas frowned, but didn’t say anything about what he’d seen. We continued dancing, but after a couple seconds, the man popped out again. Movement on the right caught my attention and I looked over to discover a woman hiding behind another tree. She looked to be younger than the man, maybe in her fifties. She had the same blurry appearance though. Her dark hair was cut in a chin-length bob and she wore a green sweater and black pants. Was he bringing his dead friends now?
An eerie white glow surrounded the ghosts, shining brightly in the darkness of night. I swallowed hard, fighting off the panic that was about to set in. What was the worst that could happen if I told Nicolas that there were ghosts hiding behind the trees? I could never again share a dance with him? That was the worst that could happen. I was afraid that my date with Nicolas was now officially over.
The man ghost stepped forward and a tree branch popped. I hadn’t thought a ghost could make that kind of noise. The ghost zipped behind a tree. I didn’t know that an elderly ghost could move that fast either. Nicolas whipped around.
“What was that?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. It was probably just an animal. My cat is probably chasing a mouse. Or it could be a bird,” I said casually.
Just then the old man peeked out. It didn’t go without Nicolas noticing this time.
“Who was that?” he asked. Before I answered, he called out, “Who’s there?”
Of course the man didn’t answer.
“I didn’t see anyone,” I said.
Like that would keep Nicolas from looking for the ghost. Would the female ghost come out too? Nicolas walked toward the tree.
“I saw you. There’s no reason to hide now,” he called out.
Silence filled the night air and the distant cloudscapes shifted slowly across the sky. Maybe Nicolas had scared the ghost away. I might as well tell Nicolas the whole story. Isabeau would probably tell him everything the first chance she got anyway. She’d probably embellish the story too. I’d stand a better chance if I told him first before he heard her skewed version. Nicolas made his way around the tree and I followed along, preparing my story in my mind. The man had vanished and was no longer hiding behind the tree.
Where had he disappeared to? I glanced to my right and spotted the female ghost. She watched us, but Nicolas hadn’t noticed her yet. I tried to avoid making eye contact but it didn’t work. Nicolas walked all the way around the tree, the branches popped and crunched under each step. The man was still nowhere in sight.
“Where did he go?” he asked. “I know I saw someone. You didn’t see him?”
I shook my head. “No. Maybe it was a shadow that looked like a real person,” I offered.
It was bad of me to lie to him.
“No, I definitely saw his face. He looked like he was around eighty years old and he wore a suit with a Fedora hat.” Nicolas spoke with his hands, showing his anxiety.
Yeah, that was the man. Another noise sounded from the right where the woman stood. She had disappeared this time too. Were they playing a game of cat-and-mouse with us? Maybe this was payback since I wouldn’t bring him back to life.
“I know I heard something that time.” Nicolas moved over to the tree where the woman had been.
How long would he search for them before he gave up?
“Come on. I don’t think it’s safe out here anymore. We should go inside.” Nicolas packed the dishes into the basket quickly, then grabbed my hand. “I’ll get the rest in the morning.”
I grabbed Nicolas’ hand. As we neared the house, I felt eyes on me. I looked up at the upstairs window and saw Liam looking down at us. He had a look of determination in his eyes. He turned around and walked away. Where was Isabeau? I was surprised she hadn’t been spying on us too.
Nicolas held my hand as we walked across the grass and around the house. The touch of his skin against mine set shivers through my body.
Nicolas opened the front door and gestured for me to go first. “After you, gorgeous.”
My cheeks probably turned bright red as I flashed a shy grin his way.
Once we’d entered the foyer, I asked Nicolas, “Would you like some coffee?”
“Sure, I’d like that,” he said as he sat the picnic basket down.
The house was quiet, which made me suspicious. No footsteps sounded from upstairs. Nicolas followed me into the kitchen, but I stopped on the spot when I crossed the threshold. Water dripping from the faucet played out a steady rhythm against the sink basin. Broken eggs and their shells covered the tabletop. Empty wrappers were strewn about. Flour covered the floor with footprints tracked through it. Dishes were tossed everywhere with food containers.
“It looks like someone was hungry.” Amusement flickered in his eyes.
“Oh, no. I didn’t do this.” I waved my hands.
“Liam made this mess? I’ll straighten this out,” Nicolas said as he spun around.
I grabbed his muscular arm. “No, Liam didn’t do it either.”
His expression eased. “Oh, well, who did it then?”
“I guess I made a mess, huh?” the sweet voice said from over Nicolas’ shoulder.
Isabeau even looked stunning in my old T-shirt and sweats. Her blonde hair glistened and her skin looked flawless under the soft glow from the light.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us?” Isabeau wiggled her eyebrows at Nicolas.
I tried to focus on what Isabeau was saying, but I felt the pull from that darn book again. The book was the giant piece of metal and I was the tiny magnet. It felt as if I had no control over my body. I had to go to the book soon. What did it want this time?
Nicolas looked at me. “This is your new guest?”
“This is Isabeau. She’ll be staying with me for a while. Isabeau, this is Nicolas.” I half-heartedly gestured toward Isabeau.
“Well, well, well, you’re just as handsome as the other one.” She drank in every inch of him with her eyes.
Nicolas frowned. I knew he didn’t like being compared to Liam.
“Did you find what you were looking for?” I asked, pointing around the kitchen.
Isabeau stared straight at Nicolas with a devilish grin on her face. “I sure did.”