Page 57 of The Ghost of You

In the year I’ve lived in Asheville, I’ve only made it out to the mountains a handful of times to hike and I stayed mostly near the bottom.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

I turn to Noah and see the same awe on his face that I have on mine.

“I grew up here, yet somehow the view never gets old.”

I smile thinking about all the Taylor brothers running around in the woods causing trouble. “What was it like growing up here?”

“Isolated. I hated it when we first moved here. But after a few years, I grew into the peace and quiet. The ability to do whatever we wanted, well until Dad found out. But this land became ours. Like it was the Taylor Kingdom with brothers fighting for the throne.”

“And who was usually king?”

He looks at me and smirks. “Me of course. Although Hunter gave me a run for my money a few times.”

“How old were you when you moved up here?”

“I was ten. Mom was pregnant with the twins, so they wanted more room for all of us. And Dad’s business was doing so well, they could afford to build their own castle.”

“What does your dad do?”

“You know the Taylor Farms Grocery chain?”

I bug my eyes out. “That’s your family business.”

Noah nods. “Yeah. Dad started it before he met Mom. He grew up on a farm and always ate farm to table. He wanted that same quality as he got older but found it hard to find. So he started a small grocery store out near Charlotte, not far from where he grew up. He met Mom and she helped him with the business. Eventually they opened ten stores around the area before the demand became so large, they were able to open stores in all the major cities. Dad always loved Asheville. I think it’s because it’s where he met Mom so they moved their headquarters to Asheville fifteen years after they started the business and bought the house soon after.”

“Wow. That’s amazing. To start from nothing and grow so large.”

He grips the back of his neck. “They wanted me to take over the business but math was never my thing.”

“Are any of your brothers going to take over for your dad when he retires?” I ask curiously.

Noah shrugs. “That’s the tough part of it all. No one really wants to. We are all on our own paths. It’s kind of a sore subject for my parents. So it’s best if you don’t bring it up.”

I gesture, locking my lips shut with a key. “What about your mom? She still work for the company?”

“No, after she had Carson and me she went to part-time and then when Hunter was born she became a housewife. But her passion was always cooking. She went back to school a few years ago. She could probably get a job at any restaurant she wants but she prefers cooking for the family.”

“Ahh, so that’s why you said I didn’t need to bring anything,” I say as I point back to the dish in the backseat.

“She is meticulous in her meal planning. But she will always be glad when someone brings a dish.”

We slow down as Noah pulls into a gated driveway. He must have a sensor in his SUV because the gate opens as he gets close to it. The woods clear out to a small, but well-manicured lawn that sits in front of an enormous log cabin.

“You grew up in this house?” I shriek.

Noah chuckles beside me. “Part of my childhood.”

“It’s huge.”

“It’s not that big. I mean it’s six thousand square feet but it never felt excessive. You’ll see when you walk in.”

I look at him sardonically. “Never felt excessive? I grew up in a ranch with the tiniest back yard.”

“There were six kids. We needed the space.”

I mumble to myself as I take in the property. It takes me a minute to realize Noah parked the car. In fact, I don’t realize the car is off until he opens my door and asks if I am coming in.

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