Page 102 of The Shop on Royal Street
Beau’s eyebrows rose. “Money?”
I rolled my eyes. “Love. She might have really loved your grandfather. Or thought she did. Maybe she needs to know that he loved her like a daughter and would want her to find peace.”
He looked at me with a quizzical expression.
I shrugged. “I’m pretty intuitive about love and matters of the heart from watching Melanie and Jack over the years. Trust me—it was a learning experience.” Quietly, I added, “And I read romance novels in secret.”
“Wow. So thereissomething I didn’t know about Nola Trenholm.”
“Funny. What I wanted to say is that I think Charles is here because she is like a daughter to him. He wants to make sure that she crosses safely before he can.” I looked at my phone. “Oh, great. It’s midnight.”
“The witching hour.”
Nodding, I gritted my teeth and stepped up onto the porch. The wind chime swung violently, much harder than the breeze warranted. I put my hand on it, making it stop.
“Do you have the key?” Beau asked, just as the door opened on its own, the hinges conspicuously squeaky.
We looked at each other. “Do you know what to do?” I asked.
“With the ghosts, or with Michael?”
“I can handle Michael. I was just wondering if you want me to FaceTime with Melanie so she can walk you through this.”
This time he was close enough that I could definitely see his eye roll. “That won’t be necessary. Just as long as there aren’t any hangers-on who want to follow me home afterwards, I’m good to go.”
He stepped over the threshold and I hurried to squeeze through the doorway at the same time. “You shouldn’t go first,” I explained when he sent me an annoyed breath expulsion. “We’re in this together. Besides, it’s my house.”
Floorboards above us creaked as stealthy footsteps moved across the floor upstairs. Beau held a finger to his lips as he grabbed a hammer that had been left on the bottom step.
“Is that really necessary?” I whispered loudly.
“Not if whoever is up there is only armed with a water gun.”
“Good point.” I flipped on my phone light, partially hiding the bright beam with my hand and aiming it in the direction of the staircase, knowing I wasn’t going to be particularly thrilled to see any one of the three candidates. I couldn’t help remembering the odd smile on Jeanne’s face when I’d seen her in the flash of a lightning strike.
I headed toward the stairs, but Beau grabbed my elbow. “I really should go first.”
I hated to admit that he was right, but whether the intruder was flesh and blood or... not, Beau was better equipped to deal with all possibilities. Reluctantly, I stepped aside and waited until he’d climbed two steps before following close behind. We’d reached the middle of the stairs before I noticed the drop in temperature, goose bumps marching like tiny mice down my arms and back. My lips stung fromexhaling, my tongue dry and sticking to the roof of my mouth. The nearly overpowering smell of pipe tobacco suddenly descended on us, making me cough.
“He’s here,” I whispered. “Charles.”
“I know. He’s been watching us climb the stairs from the upstairs hallway. Jeanne’s here, too. Watching him.” He climbed another step and stood silently for a long moment, his face partially illuminated by the house lights across the street shining in through the dormer. “He’s heading toward the other room.”
Beau ascended to the top of the stairs, with me only one step behind. He quickly walked in the direction of the large room that was slated to become two bedrooms. Eventually. I took a step behind him, but stopped at the soft sound of an exhale coming from the closet. I wanted to call Beau back, but he’d disappeared into the dark room and I didn’t want to shout and alert whoever it was in the closet that I was alone. I moved my shaking fingers off the flashlight on my phone and shone it into the blackened chasm of the closet.
I opened my mouth to scream as the outline of a man emerged from the back of the closet. Clutching my chest and wondering if I was too young to be having a heart attack, I stared at Michael.
“Nola,” he said, reaching a hand toward me.
I took a step back, my emotions riding a roller coaster and hitting every curve. I was sure only that I definitely didn’t want him to touch me. As usual, I selected the most random question of all of the ones I had floating on the tip of my tongue. “How did you get in here?” Even I wanted to shake me.
He held up a key. “It was Jeanne’s.”
I glared at him. “I imagine you’ve been laughing at me behind my back this whole time. Why, Michael? Why did you lie to me?”
He lifted his hands again, but, on seeing the look on my face, immediately dropped them. “I’m sorry, Nola. I know that’s not enough. All I can say is that it wasn’t meant to go so far. I was just supposed to get to know you. I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with you.”
“Don’t say that. I can’t believe anything you tell me anymore. You lied to me. This whole relationship was a lie. Why would you do that?”
