Page 15 of Secrets That Bind Us
“They’ve… seen… things.”
“It’s an old house, Will. Of course they’veseenthings.” I scoff, failing to keep the irritation from my voice. But I know they’ve seen things. The ghosts that haunt here are nothing more than memories – they’re etched into the very walls, the floorboards… this house held darkness. Not evil, per se. But cruel, unadulterateddarkness. Memories of picking my mother up off the floor want to flood me- there, in the recesses of my mind, but I keep them down. I keep it all down. Just like I have for the past thirteen years.
“Look, Verity, I don’t know if Zoey told you this, but when she was looking to hire, my crew was the only one that would take this job.” She did not. “It’s a good paying one, and it’s helping me out. Remodeling a house this old - it’s a good way for me to get my name out there,reallyout there. Especially being attached to yours. The fixtures we’ve picked out, the color schemes, keeping some of the original pieces while modernizing it – trust me, I’m grateful-“
“Hire the extra workers.” I interrupt, already sick of hearing excuses. “My kids are staying at ahotel, Will. They’re having to eat take out for every single meal. We’re a family of three staying inoneroom. Granted, it’s large– but I can’t even write because it’s so goddamn loud all day, every day. I haven’t typed inweeks, because I’ve been dealing with this, and that, going through my mom’s things I had to put in a storage unit that has no fucking centralized AC, and having to run all over town so much so that I won’t be able to meet my deadline. My kids start school intenweeks. I have to register them insix. Knowing this fucking town it'll be some Queen Bitch that tortured me in high school who will somehow, magically, I might add, find a reason to make that difficult for me.
“So do me the favor, Will, and hire people thatdon’tscare easily, and hurry on. The basement is spooky.Everybasement is. Especially with them being so rare in Texas. Give me the list of extra supplies you’ll need. If you need me to bring Reverend Bishop to bless the goddamn thing, I’ll get Bishop here. But do your job so I can do mine so we can both be paid.” I pant.
The room is silent, my cheeks are flushed, and I’mbreathless. The anger in me dissipates just as quickly as it had risen. Will’s open mouth stare snaps me out of whatever daze I was in.
I take a step back and clear my throat, blinking rapidly. “I’m sorry, I… don’t know what got into me. It’s the heat, I think.” I swallow, my trachea dry and scratchy.
Will shakes his head. “No, you’re right. Your kids deserve to sleep in their own beds and walk around in their own space. I know my kids drive each other bonkers when we’re on vacation for three days. I can’t imagine three weeks. I’ll get ten guys on each level. We’ll tackle the basement last.”
I nod slowly, my hands still shaking slightly. “Thank you,” I rasp, “I’ll be here tonight to clean out the attic when it cools down some. Give the kids a chance to get out of the hotel for a night.”
“You still want to go over the plans for the barn?”
Considering that’s where the reception will be held? Fucking duh. “Yeah, please.”
He goes over the farming equipment in the barn, estimating I could still sell some of the more antique ones as scrap metal– stating some people may use them as rustic props. I just nod along, reminding him I want it all gone. Every trace of him, my father, gone. I don’t exactly say that bit, but I think he knows by the way his gaze softens. The embarrassment from earlier slowly goes away as we go over every blueprint, and the cost of paving the driveway, creating a concrete one instead of gravel.
“She’ll be a fine house when we’re done with her.” He reassures me.
I’m about to agree when a creakinggroanfrom upstairs is heard, reverberating from the ceiling above us to the walls behind us. I watch a shiver go down his spine, the hairs on his forearms standing on end.
Will chuckles nervously. “Maybe get a plumber out here as soon as possible.”
“On it.” I reply, whipping out my phone from my back pocket, pulling up the local businesses in town, skipping over Carson & Sons Auto Shop.
“It’s Lily.”
“Huh?”
“Lillian Suarez. She’s the admin lady for the schools. But she’s Lily Kilgore now.”
I groan. “Fuck.”
“I’m really sorry, by the way.” My eyes snap up to his. Will shrugs sheepishly, heavy shoulders go back, and he does some weird motion with his hands. “We were dicks to you after Dean broke up with Tiffany for you. You didn’t deserve it.”
“Who deserves getting chocolate pudding poured down their pants, just to be pantsed in front of the entire cafeteria and then be pointed to and laughed at?” I ask rhetorically, still scrolling for a plumber.
“Tiffany was really-“
“I don’t care, Will. Tiffany bagged my groceries last night after she tried hiding that she was reading my last book down at the local Walmart.”
“She really took a tumble after her daddy died a few years ago.”
Oh, that’s new. Mayor Myers died. Hmmph. I search within for an ounce of empathy or a fuck to give. Oh, none currently available. Imagine that. “Yeah, parents do that.” I reply, gesturing to our surroundings. “Not to mention some disappear altogether.” I gripe.
He chuckles. "Well, look at you with a backbone.”
“I’ve learned a lot of things being away from this place, Will. You can either let what happens to you drag you down and become a victim, or you can push forward until you’re the victor. Never looking back– unless it’s to see how far you’ve come. It’s exhausting being resilient. And yet, here I am. I’m still here. I’m still standing.”
The wrong pair of pale blue eyes peruse me. “What did you go through, Verity?”
I shrug, tearing my eyes away from him before finally tappingdialon Vega’s Plumbing Co. My stomach grumbles and sweat rolls down my back. “Mrs. B said, ‘Write what you know.’” And right before Vega’s answers, “Get more men. I need to be in here within the next five weeks.”
