2 The Ghosts Upstairs

by SUE FINEMAN

  “Okay. I told her I’d pay him. Are you still in my apartment?”

  “Yeah, I was waiting for you, but if you ain’t coming back—”

  Was she going back home or staying here? Right now, she wasn’t sure what to do. She wanted to stay with Billy, but he needed a whole woman, one who could give him the family he wanted. Still, it wasn’t the right time to be in Memphis, and Georgia needed her here. She might as well stay where she was for now. The one thing she knew for sure was that she didn’t want to go back to Leonard.

  “I’m not coming back, at least not right away. Can you box up my personal stuff and pictures and Granny’s sewing machine and ship it to me?” She gave him the address. “You can keep the furniture and dishes and stuff. If I need more, I’ll buy it here.”

  “Well, hey, if you got extry money—”

  “Don’t you dare ask me for money, Leonard Blanton. You stole all my savings and left me without enough to pay the rent, you sorry snake oil salesman. What happened to your blonde bimbo? I thought you were expecting a baby.”

  “She lied. She wasn’t expecting nothing but a handout. I ain’t got nothing left.”

  “Tough. You can send my stuff collect, but I’m not giving you another dime. It took me years to save that money.”

  “Yeah, okay, I’ll send your stuff.”

  She hung up, wondering whether or not she’d ever see Granny’s sewing machine again. That and the family pictures were the only things she really wanted.

  So Norma made a deal that would keep her out of prison. She’d probably give her baby up for adoption and then find herself another boyfriend who’d treat her poorly. Norma didn’t know any better. Neither did Leonard.

  What had she ever seen in him?

  He didn’t even ask about Buford.

  <>

  Charlie and Andy planned a huge birthday party with at least a hundred kids, making Billy wonder what he’d gotten himself into.

  On the morning of party day, the rental company delivered round tables with chairs and umbrellas. The band came just after lunchtime, and Mom and Dad brought enough food to feed a small army. Andy helped get the tables set up while Charlie tasted the food. Mom smacked his hand. “Save some for your guests.”

  The guests started arriving at three, and at four, Trevor lit the barbecue grill. By five, the kids were rowdy and out of control. It was all Billy and his father could do to keep a lid on things. Two boys tried to smuggle in beer, and Billy called their parents to come and get them. Another was stoned. He wasn’t there long either.

  The girls were, in some ways, worse than the boys. One girl kept throwing herself at Andy, until he shoved her in the pool, clothes and all. If there was anything Andy couldn’t stand, it was aggressive girls. Charlie didn’t mind the aggressive girls, but the twins were different people with different personalities and temperaments. Billy figured any girl who’d throw herself at Andy hadn’t been paying attention to those differences.

  Georgia stayed upstairs in her rooms. Her baby was due in three weeks, and she was sorting through the baby things yet again. Hannah and Kayla went upstairs to talk with her, leaving Dad and Trevor and Billy alone to handle crowd control. Pop was sleeping soundly in the family room again. Pop could sleep through nearly anything.

  It was after midnight when Billy chased the last kid home. He’d had enough of their loud music and wild behavior.

  After Andy and Charlie cleaned up the mess around the pool, Billy handed Charlie a key. “You get my old pickup. If you can make it last through college, I’ll buy you a new car for college graduation.”

  Charlie let out a whoop. “Thanks, Billy. This is awesome.”

  Billy handed Andy another key. “You get Dad’s old car. I’ll buy you a new car when you graduate from college.”

  Andy hugged Billy and thumped him on the back. “This is the best birthday present ever. Thanks, Billy.”

  “You’re welcome. Your car insurance is covered for one year, but you’re only getting liability insurance, so if you wreck it, the insurance won’t pay off.”

  He glanced over to see Kayla smiling at him, and he knew he’d done the right thing. Maybe she’d sleep with him tonight. And maybe she’d agree to marry him. He’d give anything to hear her say she would.

  <>

  A week later, Georgia went into labor. Billy and Kayla drove her to the hospital, and an hour later, Hannah arrived.

  Kayla held Georgia’s hand. “Do you want me to call your mother?”

  “No. She’d just give me another lecture. I don’t want Dustin here either. I don’t need them.”

  Kayla exchanged a glance with Hannah. The last thing Georgia needed right now was a lecture, and Dustin had only seen her twice all summer. But she wouldn’t have to go through this ordeal alone.

  Over the next few hours, Kayla and Hannah stayed with Georgia. Billy wandered in and out of the room. Finally, at one in the morning, Kayla said, “I forgot to feed Buford before we left, and I’ll bet he has to go out.”

  “I’ll go home and take care of him,” said Billy. “Don’t have this baby without me.”

  Georgia gave him a weak smile and grimaced at another contraction. Kayla asked, “Do you want something for pain?”

  “No. I don’t want to take anything that’ll hurt the baby.”

  Kayla kissed Billy goodbye and sat with Hannah at Georgia’s bedside. The contractions came faster and harder. Finally, the doctor said it was time to push. Kayla’s eyes filled with tears when the baby popped out and cried for the first time. “You did it, Georgia. Look at him. Isn’t he the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?” She’d give anything to be able to give Billy a beautiful little baby boy like this one.

  The nurse handed her the scissors and Kayla cut the cord, but it was hard to see what she was doing through her tears. Minutes later, the baby had been weighed and measured and wrapped. Kayla put the baby in Georgia’s arms and kissed her forehead. “You did such a good job, Georgia.”

  “You sure did,” said Hannah. “What are you going to name him?”

  “Jonathan William, after my grandfather and Billy.”

  Although it was three in the morning, Kayla left the room and called Georgia’s parents. Her mother answered. Kayla identified herself and said, “Your grandson was born about five minutes ago. Georgia did it natural, and the baby is fine. So is Georgia. It was a long labor and she’s worn out, but happy.”

  “Which hospital?”

  “Good Sam.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  Hannah went home to sleep and take care of her family, but Kayla couldn’t leave until Billy came back. He’d gone home about one o’clock and hadn’t returned. She assumed he was catching up on his sleep.

  Billy came in a few minutes later. “Did she have the baby?”

  “Yes, a six-pound baby boy. He’s gorgeous. Were you sleeping?”

  “No, I caught Steve Sullivan in the house, so I called the police. He was looking for the pictures. Buford had him cornered in the study when I got there. The jerk was so scared, he wet his pants.”

  She laughed.

  “It’s not funny. I had to pull the rug out to the garage. It stinks.”

  She laughed harder, infecting Billy.

  “Does Donovan know?”

  “Not yet, but I’m sure someone will tell him in the morning.”

  <>

  Georgia came home two days later with the baby. Billy carried the sleeping infant inside and lay him in the crib.

  Eleanor said, “Mine?”

  “It’s a boy, Eleanor,” said Billy. “His name is Jonny, but he’s not yours. He belongs to Georgia.”

  “John?”

  “Jonathan William, after her grandfather and me. Isn’t he beautiful?”

  Eleanor cried, deep racking sobs everyone in the room felt.

  Billy turned to Kayla. “Can you do anything?”

  “It’s all right, Eleanor,” Kayla said softly. “Your John is in heaven, with Magg
ie. William, are you here?”

  For the first time, Billy saw William upstairs.

  Kayla said, “William, it’s time for you and Eleanor to join your children in heaven. Take Eleanor’s hand and show her the way. God will take care of her and restore her mind. He’ll take care of both of you. Take her hand now and walk into the light together.”

  “Goodbye,” said Billy. “I won’t forget you.”

  A bright light opened on the ceiling and as William and Eleanor rose into the light, it closed around them.

  “That was awesome,” said Georgia. “Are all the ghosts gone now?”

  “Yes, they’re all gone,” said Kayla. “Poor Eleanor. She didn’t mean to be like she was any more than Maggie did. It was the sickness that did it.”

  “She and William still love each other,” said Billy. “They were divorced, yet—”

  “Monique did that to them. Somehow I don’t think Monique will be going the same place as her daughters.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  After Georgia and the baby went to sleep that night, Billy sat on the family room sofa with Kayla.

  She sipped her tea. “Jonny is such a beautiful baby.”

  “Yes, he is. Maybe we could find a baby like him and adopt.”

  “I thought you wanted your own babies.”

  “I thought so, too, but this little guy is easy to love.”

  Kayla leaned into his shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around her. It felt so good to hold her again. She looked up at him and smiled, and one gentle kiss ignited the passion he’d been holding back all these weeks. He brushed his lips over her cheek and took possession of her lips. She melted in his arms, and he knew she was his tonight.

  Kayla nuzzled into Billy’s neck and kissed him there. “We made a good trade today, didn’t we? Eleanor’s ghost for a sweet little baby boy.”

  “Yes, it was a good trade.” An excellent trade, but Billy wasn’t thinking about the baby or Eleanor. His mind was on Kayla, on the smell of her hair, her silky skin, and her shapely body.

  “Georgia told me if she was gonna give him up for adoption, she’d give him to us, but she loves him so much, and I know she’ll be a good mother.”

  “Yes, she will. You’ll be a good mother someday, too. I know there are kids out there who need a mom like you. We’ll find them.”

  “What if we don’t?”

  “Then we’ll look harder. Right now, I have something else on my mind.”

  Her pretty mouth curved into a warm smile and he felt her hand on the front of his pants. “If you mean this little ole thing—”

  “Little?”

  She laughed softly and reached inside, and seconds later, he had her clothes loosened and his mouth on her breasts.

  “Billy, not here. Georgia could come downstairs.”

  He pushed himself to his feet and pulled her up, and they walked into the maid’s room, where Kayla had been sleeping, and rolled on the bed together. After so much time apart, he couldn’t wait long, and from her frantic movements, she couldn’t wait either.

  She pulled his zipper down and pushed his underwear back to expose his penis. Wrapping her fingers around him, she said, “You’re right. He’s not so little.”

  “That’s because he wants you so much.”

  “I want you, too, Billy. Right now.”

  Still wearing his clothes, he rolled her onto her back and plunged inside her. Moaning his name, Kayla almost immediately tightened around him, milking every last drop from him.

  If only he could convince her to marry him, so he could love her like this every night.

  Kayla gazed into Billy’s eyes and knew he’d changed his mind about marrying her. But she wasn’t sure he wouldn’t change his mind again, like Leonard had. Everything in her said to marry him and be happy, but she didn’t want him to have any regrets down the road. And he would. Billy looked so much like his daddy, but she couldn’t give him a little boy who looked just like him.

  Billy wiped a tear off her cheek. “Why the tears?”

  “Happy tears,” she whispered. “I love you so much.”

  He pulled her body tighter against his and held her as if she were the most precious person in the world. In that moment, she knew he loved her. Billy wouldn’t cheat on her like Blake and Leonard, and he wouldn’t walk out on her when things got tough. But would he be happy?

  Why hadn’t she waited for a man like this instead of marrying men who couldn’t love her? Who couldn’t be faithful to her? If she’d waited for Billy, she’d be able to give him a baby of his own to love.

  But she could only give him herself.

  <>

  Billy worked off and on as a substitute teacher in the public schools, but it wasn’t regular work, and he didn’t feel like he belonged anywhere. He knew one way to guarantee himself a permanent teaching position, but he might have to spend a whole lot of money.

  After talking with his accountant to determine how much money he’d have left after taxes, he called his attorney. “Mr. Clapp, can you find out how much Elizabeth Banning and her husband have invested in the River Valley Academy?”

  “I can try. Any special reason?”

  “If I can afford it, I want to buy them out.” Owning a piece of the academy would give him a position on the board and influence over school policy. And it would guarantee him a steady income, so he didn’t have to live off his investments.

  “If they won’t sell, do you want to buy someone else out?”

  “No. I don’t want any part of the academy as long as Elizabeth Banning is involved.” If she wouldn’t sell, he’d look for other places to invest his money.

  Later that afternoon, Mr. Clapp called with news. “Mrs. Banning invested ten million dollars in the academy four years ago, and the value of the school and therefore her investment has increased since then.”

  “Interesting.” Ten million. Could he afford to invest that much in a school?

  They talked for several minutes about the pros and cons of owning a piece of a private school, then Mr. Clapp asked, “How would you like me to proceed?”

  “Is Mrs. Banning the biggest investor?”

  “Yes, she is. Mr. Stanton and Mr. Daly together own as much as Mrs. Banning, and there are several other minor investors.”

  “Do they get paid for serving on the board?”

  “Yes they do. As Chairman of the Board, Mrs. Banning is paid a handsome salary.”

  A salary Billy could pay himself after he took over.

  “Offer Mrs. Banning ten-and-a-half million and make sure she understands this is my first and only offer. Leave my name out of it. If she knows who’s making the offer, I know damn well she won’t sell.”

  <>

  Friday afternoon, Mr. Clapp called Billy. “Mrs. Banning called about your offer. She wants twelve million.”

  “Then the offer is dead.”

  “She’s expecting a counteroffer.”

  “I’m not paying more than it’s worth.” He may be a wealthy man, but if he didn’t invest carefully, he wouldn’t be wealthy for long.

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Nothing. Let me know if she contacts you. Otherwise, let it slide. I may make another offer down the road, but not right now.”

  He’d let her stew for a few weeks and then repeat the offer. If she still didn’t take it, he’d look for other investments.

  And another job.

  Now that he’d found William’s money, Billy didn’t have to work to pay the bills, but he couldn’t sit around and do nothing. He wanted to lead a productive life, maybe get his Ph.D.

  And he wanted to teach.

  <>

  Leonard had still not sent Kayla’s things from her apartment, which meant he couldn’t be bothered. There was no way around it. If she wanted those things, she’d have to go get them herself.

  After dinner one evening, Kayla said, “I’m leaving for Memphis Monday morning.”

  Billy’s mouth opened in shock
. “No!”

  “Yes. I need to get my things from my apartment. Leonard said he’d send them, but he didn’t, and I don’t want to lose my family pictures. It’s all I have left of my family.”

  “Then I’ll go with you.”

  “What about Georgia and the baby? And Buford? Who’ll take care of them?”

  “You’re not taking the dog with you?”

  “No. I don’t plan to stay there. I just want to get my stuff before Leonard throws it all away. It’s a day there, a day to pack, and a day back. That’s three days, four at the most.”

  Kayla didn’t tell him she’d be moving out when she returned. It was time to cut her ties, so Billy could get on with his life. The longer she stayed, the harder it would be to leave him.

  <>

  Monday morning, after a tearful goodbye, Kayla left for Memphis. Buford sat in the living room window and whined, and Billy knew exactly how he felt. It felt like they were being abandoned, like she didn’t love them anymore.

  Three days. She said she’d be back in three days. Or four.

  She had a reliable car this time, but he worried about that crooked cop who’d harassed her before. Tremont. Billy knew Kayla would do her best to avoid him, and she wouldn’t be there long. She should be okay.

  Georgia fed the baby and handed him to Billy. Lifting the baby to his shoulder, he gently patted him on the back. What he wouldn’t give to have a couple of these little creatures of his own. With Kayla. But that wouldn’t happen. He couldn’t have both unless they adopted, and there were so many couples on the adoption lists now, by the time they reached the top, they’d be too old to adopt an infant. Dad had a lot of connections in the city. Maybe he knew a good adoption attorney, someone who could arrange a private adoption. It might cost a lot of money, but that shouldn’t be a problem now that he had William’s money.

  Mr. Clapp called Billy that afternoon. “Mrs. Banning called me a few minutes ago. She’s ready to accept your offer of ten-and-a-half million dollars for their portion of the academy. Do you want me to accept?”

  “Deduct your fee for handling the transaction and make the offer again. Tell her the offer is contingent on her retirement from the board.”