by Mya O'Malley
“Excuse me?”
“Your hair. It’s different.”
“Yes, I straightened it. Do you like it?”
He glanced over at her and frowned. “I don’t know. I think I like it better the other way.”
Maggie didn’t know why he would have even brought up the subject of her hair unless his intentions were to hurt her feelings. Maybe he just opened his mouth and didn’t think before he spoke. Maggie grabbed at her hair, smoothing her locks down.
Moments later, he smiled and rubbed her thigh. It was as if the conversation had never taken place. “I like you, Maggie. I really like you.”
They had arrived at the river. Maggie was anxious to get out of the car. She unbuckled her seatbelt and her hand was on the door.
“Wait, Maggie. Wait.”
Maggie looked into his warm brown eyes. She saw kindness there. All traces of tension were long gone.
“I said I liked you.”
“I like you, too.”
“Maggie, this is crazy, but I think I’m falling in love with you.”
Oh. It was fast.
So fast.
They had only dated several weeks. “I…”
“Don’t. It’s okay. Don’t feel you have to say it back. Right now I just want you to know how I’m feeling. When you’re ready, you tell me. Deal?”
He just assumed it would eventually happen. Before she could respond, he leaned over and kissed her. His kiss was passionate, warming her from inside. He loved her.
Chapter Seven
Naomi
“WHAT WOULD YOU say to a cozy dinner at my house later tonight?” Naomi was feeling romantic, so she had taken a break from her writing to call Ryan. She and Ryan had been busy exploring the town, the cemetery, and discussing her novel. Quality time was in order. Ryan was definitely the most handsome man she had ever met, as well as the kindest.
“Dinner? Um, sure. We need to talk a bit about your plans for researching Maggie’s story.”
Be careful what you wish for. Of course Naomi had wanted a partner in crime, but she was also interested in pursuing this relationship on another level. It seemed their dating relationship was being pushed to the side at the moment.
Ever since Ryan had fallen in love with her house and the surrounding property, she felt as if she was second best. How ridiculous it was to be in competition with a house and graveyard, though. He was just so darn curious and clever. Worried that although their friendship was growing stronger, the passionate side of their relationship was waning, she sighed. She figured she would just have to put forth some effort to change that.
As Naomi considered her next words, a book from her shelf came crashing down. She sat back, grabbing at her chest.
She really needed to get used to these strange happenings. Focusing her thoughts, she breathed deeply. Naomi made a mental note to share her ghostly suspicions with Ryan soon. But for now, she craved some normalcy.
Especially after the latest dream she had experienced the night before. High cliffs had touched the sky, seagulls screeched ahead. She had sat planted to the spot on a large boulder in the middle of the woods. A faceless man had shouted at her, the words muffled, but his mood was evident. She was threatened by this man in her dream. She didn’t feel safe. Naomi had wanted to run and hide. It was the very same scene, thick, hovering woods, closing in on her. There was something else. An etching. A heart with initials carved inside. M and R.J.
What did it all mean?
Wait—wasn’t the setting of last night’s dream by the cliffs? That was where Maggie’s body had been found. It might mean something. But what? Could it be that with her mind on Maggie’s story, her thoughts were just getting jumbled together?
“Ryan, I have a request for the evening.” A break was most definitely in order.
“Of course. What is it?”
“How about we put all of the research and talk of history to the side for tonight, huh?”
There was a brief pause. “Oh. Well, what will we talk about then?”
Good question. He had her stumped. The topics she had requested be laid to rest for the evening were essentially the only things they did discuss lately.
“I don’t know? Work?” But her writing was off limits, so that left his work. Which he wasn’t particularly passionate about at the moment.
“My work? Or yours?” He had her there.
“Yours.” She predicted his sigh before she heard it.
“I know what we could talk about. We could talk a bit more about what really happened with you and Nick.”
Was he kidding? No, she already knew the answer to that. He wasn’t even being a wiseass. His curiosity ran over to the topic of her past relationship with Nick as well.
“Forget it, Ryan. You win. We can talk about research all you want.” It was useless. She knew between the two of them, the topic of her novel was bound to come up somehow.
“I didn’t mean…”
“I know you didn’t. It’s fine.”
She would just have to devise another plan to grab his attention. Naomi’s mind was already wandering over the possibilities of her outfit for the night. She knew just which dress might do the trick. That little black number she wore to a Christmas party last year. It was perfect.
“I’ll pick you up at seven?”
“Sounds great, Ryan. Looking forward to it.”
Her mind whirled with thoughts of their date tonight. Naomi grinned as she imagined his reaction to her appearance later. She had the perfect shoes that would pull off the look. A loud knock jolted Naomi from thoughts of seducing Ryan.
Who could that be?
“Coming!” Naomi hustled to the front door. At this rate, she’d never be able to focus on writing for the rest of the day.
Naomi flung the door open, coming face to face with a man and a little girl. Both of whom she’d never laid eyes on before.
“Hi.”
“Hi,” the man answered back.
“Hi!” the little girl chimed in. The child couldn’t have been more than five or six years old.
“Can I help you?”
A rather large hand extended forward. “I wanted to introduce myself and my daughter. We just moved into the old farmhouse.”
The old farmhouse?
Naomi didn’t even know the historic property had been up for sale. Talk about history. That property was amazing.
“Oh. I had no idea it was for sale. It’s nice to meet you.” She pumped his hand as she glanced quickly at the little girl before turning her attention back to her new neighbor.
Dark brown eyes met her gaze. His shaggy brown hair partially covered one eye. She took in his flannel shirt and work boots. She cleared her throat and looked away when he smiled.
“It isn’t. We’re renting the property for now. The owner is an old friend of mine. Holly and I needed a fresh start.”
The mention of Holly’s name brought Naomi’s focus back to the girl. An innocent smile met her. She was adorable. Same dark hair and dimples as her dad.
“Hello, Holly. Welcome to the neighborhood. Are you registered for school?”
“Of course, lady,” Holly began sweetly. “I’m a big girl now.”
“I can see that.” Naomi locked eyes with Holly’s father.
Those dimples were sure to drive his wife crazy.
“Let me guess… you’re in first grade!”
“No, silly. I might be a big girl but I’m not that big.”
The man chuckled loudly as Naomi covered her mouth with her hand. Her hearty laugh escaped.
“She’s in kindergarten.” The man gazed down at his daughter with pride in his eyes. He ruffled her long hair a bit before returning his attention to Naomi.
“I’m Naomi. It’s nice to meet the both of you.”
“I’m Bryce.”
“Holly and Bryce, it was great to meet you. Anything you need, please don’t hesitate. I’m usually here since I work from home.”
“Oh? Wha
t is it that you do, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I’m a writer. I write contemporary fiction, mostly.”
He smiled widely. “Do you hear that, honey?” He reached for Holly’s hand. “Naomi is a writer. We live next door to a famous author.”
Holly jumped up and down, squealing in delight. “Goody, goody!”
“Oh, no. I wouldn’t say that I’m famous.” Her cheeks warmed.
“But you do make a living from it, no?”
“Well, yes. I suppose.”
“Then you’re a successful author and we’re proud to be your neighbor,” Bryce gushed.
“Yeah. We’re proud,” Holly added with a toothless grin, exaggerating her last word.
“Okay. Thank you.” Naomi felt warmth spread to her cheeks. “What do you do for a living, Bryce?”
“I’m in the electrical union in the city. Pays the bills.”
“Great. Well, it’s nice to meet the both of you. Can I get you something to drink? Water?” Naomi was raised to be cordial to her neighbors.
“No, thank you. We don’t want to take up any more of your time.” Bryce began prompting Holly to say good-bye, but she didn’t require any assistance.
“Bye, Nomi.” The way that Holly pronounced her name made Naomi chuckle. It was very cute.
Before she saw it coming, Holly plowed into Naomi, knocking the breath out of her.
“Wow.”
“Yes, she’s extremely friendly.” Bryce tilted his head and scratched at his cheek.
“I can see that. She’s wonderful. I guess I’ll see you guys around.”
“Don’t be a stranger.” He held her gaze a bit longer than necessary.
What was that about?
Most likely nothing. He was a friendly man introducing himself and his daughter to a new neighbor.
Naomi stood for a moment, watching them disappear before closing the front door.
“THIS FOOD IS delicious.” Ryan closed his eyes with every bite. He was definitely a man who enjoyed his meals, but then again, she already knew that.
“Yes, it is.”
Naomi’s plan to draw attention from any talk of history or research appeared to be working so far. Ryan’s reaction upon seeing her dress when he opened the door earlier was almost enough to get her through the rest of the evening. She just needed to continue her course of action. Mentally reviewing her list of topics she had planned to bring up, she started with the first at hand.
“Do you have dreams to travel?”
“Travel? Now where the heck did that come from?” He almost spit out the piece of bread he had been chewing.
“Yes. I just got to wondering if you had any dreams to travel across the country, maybe Europe even?”
Ryan paused before grabbing another slice of the warm bread. He took his time buttering it before popping it into his mouth. “This is good.”
Naomi fidgeted in her seat. She almost had to laugh out loud at his expression while chewing. The loaf was almost gone and Naomi realized she had only taken one piece.
Ryan signaled the waitress, holding up the empty basket with a wide grin. Naomi caught the woman rolling her eyes slightly. Naomi’s hand went up to her mouth to contain her smile.
“What? What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, Ryan. Back to the question. If you could choose anywhere in the entire world, where would you like to go?”
Naomi imagined that he would respond with a distant location such as Paris or Spain. She shouldn’t have been surprised at his answer, but it still served to do just that, surprise her.
“Now why would I want to travel anywhere when we live in the most historically rich area in the world? With New York a stone’s throw away and the culture here in this county, my God, why would I waste money looking for a place to rival what’s in our own backyard?”
She should have known. “Yes, but…”
Ryan proceeded to share all the sights of the surrounding area. “We’ve got the river, the mountains, the shops, the historical buildings…”
“Perhaps you missed your true calling. You should have been a travel agent.” The words were out of her mouth before she had a chance to think. Luckily her sarcasm was lost on him.
“Not a bad idea. Maybe when I retire from teaching I can be a local tour guide or something. Good thinking, Naomi.” The waitress placed a fresh basket of bread before him. His hand reached into the bread instantly. Wow, there was no stopping him.
Naomi twisted her hands together.
On to item number two on her list of distractions. “You know, I don’t even know what kind of music you enjoy. What do you listen to?’
“Oh, classic rock, some country, even some classical. How about you?”
“I enjoy all of those genres. My taste in music is actually pretty eclectic…”
“Miss? I think we’re ready to order. I’m famished.”
What the heck was going on here?
What was happening to the romance? She was slowly losing this battle. With a deep sigh, she placed her hands on her chin.
“What’s wrong, Naomi?” He stopped with his bread mid-air.
“I just wanted to talk about some other things tonight. You know, concentrate on us.”
“I’m sorry. Sometimes I have a tendency to get carried away. My focus is entirely on you now. What would you like to discuss?” Ryan gazed into her eyes.
That was better. But then her mind went blank. All of the topics she had previously planned on discussing went out the window.
“I don’t know, Ryan.” Naomi gazed at the floor.
He reached across the table, taking her hands in his. “You look amazing tonight.”
She was pleased he had noticed her effort. “Thank you, so do you.” She meant it. He was just her type.
For reasons unknown, a flash of her neighbor Bryce and his daughter Holly came to mind.
Naomi shook her head to clear the image.
Now that all of their most favorite topics of conversation were forbidden, they remained silent. The silence was deafening. Awkward silence wouldn’t do. Not between them.
To hell with this.
“Okay, Ryan. What’s on the agenda for tomorrow? Should we head over to the library or the police station?”
Ryan sat up straight, his smile growing wide. “I thought you’d never ask.”
And they were back.
Chapter Eight
Maggie
SKY HIGH CLIFFS, the serene Hudson River, and blue skies surrounded them. Seagulls screeched overhead as they made their way up the wide, winding path. Maggie jumped out of the way as a cyclist whizzed past.
“Oh!”
He grabbed her waist, holding her tight. “You need to watch out for those guys. They can be relentless around here.”
Didn’t she know it. The local roads were dominated by the cyclists in the warm weather. More than once in the past few weeks, Maggie had to pull over to the side of the road to allow them to pass.
“This is nice.” Maggie followed the sound of the gulls’ cries overhead. Not a cloud in the sky.
“It is, but then again, anything would be nice with you by my side.”
“Thanks.” She snuggled her head against his shoulder for a moment as they walked hand in hand further up the path.
Walking in a companionable silence, Maggie was happy. This was nice, being here with him.
“Would you look at that?” He pointed up toward the edge of the cliff. Maggie could just about make out the tiny figures of two people. She swayed slightly. They had to be nuts to get that close to the edge. They had to be nuts period.
“Yeah, well if you ask me, they’re crazy.”
“Crazy? How do you figure?” His eyes bore into hers.
“Going way up there? They must have a death wish.” Maggie nearly shivered even though the temperature was mild.
He stopped her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “You’re afraid of heights?”
“No, don’t be r
idiculous.”
“You are, aren’t you?” His eyes lit up.
“If I’m not mistaken, it seems as if you’re deriving some kind of sick pleasure from this,” Maggie mumbled, head down.
“No, honey. No.” He wrapped his arms around her as more cyclists scurried by. “I didn’t mean to react that way. It’s just that in my eyes you’re perfect. I didn’t imagine you’d have a fear in the world.”
If only he knew. She had plenty of fears, but Maggie figured most people did.
“Really? That’s nice of you to say. Untrue, but nice.”
“Come on. Say, what’s your greatest fear? Top fear of all time?”
Strange turn in conversation. “Where are you going with this line of questioning?”
He blew out a hearty chuckle. “Come on, it’s all in good fun. I’m just trying to get to know you.”
“Okay. Heights. My top fear is heights.” She wished to change the subject but wondered what his own fears were now that the topic was on the table.
“What about you? What are you afraid of?”
“I guess it would be drowning.” Yes, drowning was also high on her list.
He was uncharacteristically quiet. Now would be a good time to lighten the mood.
“Enough of this macabre talk. Back to the beautiful day before us.” Maggie stepped away from him to spread her arms wide. His face remained serious.
“Yes, it would be drowning.”
A dark look passed over his brown eyes. He had already mentioned the fact.
“Okay. Can we move on? Maybe talk about something else?”
“Since you’re the one who brought it up, I guess so.”
“I didn’t…” He was the one who had pointed out the hikers up high on the cliff.
“Yes, you actually did. But I suppose that’s neither here nor there. I never learned how to swim, did you know that?”
“No, I didn’t.” Maggie took a step away from his reach. She felt uncomfortable with the vibe he was creating. More than anything, Maggie wished he would just stop talking about his fears, her fears.
“Can you imagine that? Being raised without swimming lessons?”
Maggie could almost taste the hostility that was radiating off him. Someone had unresolved issues from his childhood, it seemed.