Page 22 of Cordelia Manor
My worries were tempered by a small thrill tucked under my ribcage. Was I an idiot for thinking I had a chance with Cary? For thinking about him in that way? Probably. But what’d be the harm in spending the day with a strong, confident man who actually listened to me and seemed to enjoy my company? Especially, since I’d feel a hell of a lot safer taking a scenic driveto go eat ice cream with him well clear of here than I would being in my house of horrors.
18
Cary
Itexted Christie, toldher I was bringing Evan for breakfast, and immediately received a thumbs-up emoji. They actually had a breakfast menu, mainly because Christie poured a lot of time and energy into making their business as unique and accommodating as possible. Before she and Al married, Christie had run a large restaurant chain in Sacramento, and it showed in the food they offered.
It’d been interesting watching her over the years adapt to living in a small town and running their small bed-and-breakfast. At first, I thought it’d been really good for her, but lately, I could feel her growing restless. A restaurant closed a couple of years back in town, and Christie had wanted to take it over, but she and Al were still working to establish the bed-and-breakfast at that point, so she backed out. Now, I thought she regretted it.
I saw Evan come out of his room and spot me sitting in the car. When he climbed into the front seat, I smiled. “So, this should be fun. Christie has a gift with food, and I think today she’s doingsome strange mushroom dish. All local mushrooms, of course, and Al said they’d bought some local salmon too.”
“I’m sure it’ll be yummy,” Evan said, but I could sense his distraction. I decided to shut up and just let Christie work through her own mess. My rambling certainly wasn’t going to fix anything.
Christie was shy when we arrived, which was strange. I looked over at Al, who cocked an eyebrow when Christie said something about how nice it was of Evan to visit again.
“Thank you for having me,” Evan said, only mildly succeeding in an attempt to sound gracious. We all sat around the dining table amid an awkward silence, just staring at one another.
Wow, this is painful,I thought, then Al surprised me. “Cary, I need you to come to my office.”
I nodded and stood to go, knowing she just wanted to give the two a little privacy to work things out.
“So, what do you think about the advice we got this morning?” Al asked as soon as we sat down in her crafting room.
I shrugged. “Well, it seems we’re on the right path. Evan told me he’s been having dreams and visions of his ancestor, Inez, since he arrived. She even told him what Drew advised us earlier, that he has to face the entity.”
“Interesting,” Al said, and turned to look out at the ocean through the great windows that flanked this side of the house. “So, that’s something, I guess. Before you take him back there, though, I want to secure that basement. In fact, I think we should do that soon. Can you meet us over there this afternoon?” she asked, and I shook my head.
“No, we’re going to drive up to Tillamook to meet my high school buddy, Deke. I know Evan’s worrying about what to do with the estate, and the way he came into possession of it hasn’t given him much insight. I figure if he’s less stressed about it, maybe that will help us keep his anxiety energy under controla bit. No sense feeding the negativity that already exists at the manor.”
“Oh, that’s smart,” Al said. “Do you think he’ll want to reopen the hotel and restaurant?”
I turned to her and could feel her wheels turning. “Honestly, I don’t know. We just met, but all indications are that he’s broke. He’s going to need funds, and the empty manor will cost more to maintain the longer it sits there.” Considering all that’d happened recently with Christie, I felt the puzzle pieces fall into place. “Al, do you think Christie might—?”
“Shh, don’t put energy out in the world that isn’t ready to be harvested,” Al chastised, then winked at me. “Wasn’t it Drew who said this morning that we need to continue living our lives and not let these things interfere?” I nodded, and Al smiled. “Let’s let things work out the way they’re supposed to. Meanwhile, I’ll call the coven together and manage the energies in the old manor. We can build a boundary, as you suggested, around the basement entrance that should help keep him contained for the time being.”
“Shouldn’t I be there?” I asked, feeling disappointed I wouldn’t be included.
“No, he attacked you, which means there’s unresolved issues. It’s best if a fresh group of people, neutral to the situation, handle this. You take Evan up to Tillamook, and we’ll handle the rest for now.”
I nodded. She was right, of course. If I got anywhere near the basement right now, the only thing I’d accomplish would be to piss the entity off even more.
Best to keep things as neutral as possible.
19
Evan
Icould’ve crawled outof my skin when Cary left me alone with Christie. I had no interest in being subjected to her mind tricks again, let alone be made to feel infatuated with a woman. It just felt wrong.
Christie left the dining room, returning a moment later with a small dish and placing it on the table. Then to my horror, she sat directly across the table from me. “I should never have done what I did, not without your knowledge or consent. I, well, I thought you were friends with Cary, and even then, it was wrong of me. I’m sorry.”
I didn’t move or respond, just sat there. If she had that kind of power, what else could she do? Maybe she was manipulating me right now in some way. She looked up at me then and sighed when she saw my skeptical expression. “I really screwed this up, didn’t I?” she asked.
“It wasn’t the best first impression, no. I also don’t understand all this. How did you do it? I mean, I’m totally gay, yet I was ready to worship the ground you walked on.”
She chuckled. “Honestly?” she asked, looking around to make sure we were alone, then she whispered, “All I had to do was tap into your natural attraction to Cary. Your brain did the rest for me.”
“Oh, ooh,” I said. “You have the power to do that? Like, tap into other people’s emotions?”
