The Ghost of Christmas Secrets

by Anna J. McIntyre

  “Sure, what?”

  “What your uncle just said in there, about trying to manage your estate. I thought they contested the will and tried to take it away from you completely.”

  Chris glanced briefly toward where his uncles were, and then looked back to Adam. “A little historical revisionism. You know how it is, some people do things they’re later ashamed of, and it’s easier for them to try tweaking the memory—to make it more palatable. Yeah, they did try to sue me for the entire estate, but now, well, now they are insisting I misunderstood. To be honest, I think they’re just old and finally realized I’m the only family they have left. It’s their way of mending fences.”

  After Chris said goodbye to Adam a few minutes later, he returned to his uncles and Heather. The three were already eating their sandwiches, and he found his lunch sitting on his desk, still encased in wax paper. He sat down and started to unwrap it.

  “I hope you like your sandwich,” Heather cooed from where she sat at her desk. “It’s roast beef. I had them make it just like you like it.”

  Startled by Heather’s tone, Chris looked up and found her staring at him. What he failed to see was his uncles staring at her.

  “Is something wrong?” Chris asked.

  “Oh no. I just want you to know what a wonderful employer I think you are.”

  Chris frowned. “Ummm…ah…okay…”

  “And if you don’t want me to go out with that electrician again, you just say the word, and I won’t.”

  “Umm…why wouldn’t I want you to go out with him?”

  Heather smiled at Chris and fluttered her eyelashes. “I’m just saying you come first. If you want me here to do anything—and I mean anything—just ask.”

  Adam’s next stop was Marlow House. Eva had already taken off by the time he arrived, yet his grandmother was still there.

  “Ho ho ho! I come bringing Christmas cheer!” Adam said when Danielle opened the door and found him holding a holiday tin.

  “That doesn’t look like wine,” Danielle said as she opened the door wider to let him in.

  “I think I created a monster with you and that wine,” Adam said as he walked into the house.

  Just as Danielle closed the door, Walt stepped out of the parlor. He looked at the new arrival and said, “Hello, Adam.”

  What Adam didn’t see was his grandmother’s ghost standing next to Walt.

  “Afternoon, Walt. I just dropped by to give Danielle some of my grandmother’s Christmas candy.”

  “My Christmas candy?” Marie tittered.

  “I’ll let you two visit in private. I’m going to go upstairs and work a little on my new manuscript,” Walt said before he headed toward the staircase.

  “So that book wasn’t a one-shot thing?” Adam asked when Walt was out of earshot.

  “I don’t think so. Let’s go in the living room so we can enjoy the Christmas tree.” Danielle snatched the tin from Adam and led the way, Marie trailing behind them.

  By the time Danielle reached the living room, she had pried off the lid. She peeked inside. “Don’t tell me this is your grandmother’s divinity and peanut brittle.”

  Adam shrugged. “I tried. They were her recipes, but the divinity doesn’t come close to hers. I suspect the recipe I found wasn’t the one she used.”

  “You made my candy?” Marie cooed. “Oh, Adam, that’s so sweet.”

  Danielle plopped down on the sofa with the Christmas tin, while Adam sat next to her. “Divinity is hard to make.” She picked up a piece.

  “Tell me about it,” Adam groaned.

  Danielle nibbled at the piece of candy. “It’s good, but you’re right, it doesn’t taste like Marie’s. She made killer divinity.”

  “Why, thank you, Danielle.” Marie beamed.

  Next, Danielle tried the peanut brittle. “That one was spot on!”

  Adam smiled. “Yeah, the peanut brittle turned out pretty good.”

  Danielle offered Adam the tin to take a piece.

  He shook his head. “No, I think I’m sugared out. I probably sampled two pounds of divinity trying to get it right.”

  Danielle chuckled.

  Adam let out a sigh and leaned back in the sofa. “I really miss her, Danielle.”

  Danielle placed the lid back on the tin and looked at Adam. “Your grandmother?”

  He nodded. “I can’t believe this will be the second Christmas without her.”

  “Oh, Adam, I’m still here.” Marie reached out to touch him, but her hand moved through his.

  Twenty-Four

  “I don’t need all this drama,” Danielle whispered to Walt as they made their way up the staircase Wednesday evening.

  “Now you don’t want drama?” Walt asked with a chuckle. “Since you walked in my front door, it’s been nonstop drama.”

  “That may be true. But I’m over it,” Danielle said with a sigh. “I just want us to enjoy a nice quiet Christmas together.”

  “I wish I could take you on a dream hop—an escape from reality.”

  Danielle flashed Walt a soft smile. “That’s okay, in spite of the drama, even the best dreams aren’t as good as some realities. I’m rather grateful for my current reality, in spite of my griping.”

  “I understand what you’re saying.”

  When they reached the top floor, they found Simon walking out of one of the upstairs bathrooms.

  Simon greeted them with a smile and asked, “You two calling it a night?”

  “Yes, how about you?” Walt asked.

  “Yes, I already said goodnight to my brother and took a shower.”

  “Have a good evening,” Danielle said.

  “You too. And, Danielle, Walt…” Simon stopped in front of his bedroom door and turned to face them. “Danielle, thank you for welcoming us into your home. And both of you, thanks for being such a good friend to my nephew. He speaks highly of both of you. Loyd and I are so proud of him.”

  “Well, Chris is one of the good guys,” Danielle said.

  “Yes, he is. You have no idea how blessed my brother and I feel now that Chris is giving us this second chance. Especially when we realize this means as much to him as it does to us. Family is so important. Thank you again.”

  “Umm…yes…family is important,” Danielle muttered.

  She and Walt wished Simon another good night and then started down the hallway toward their rooms. When the two reached her bedroom door, Danielle glanced down the hall. Simon continued to stand by his doorway, his eyes watching them. She flashed him a smile and then looked to Walt and wished him a goodnight.

  Once in her bedroom, she locked the door and then removed the baby monitor from the dresser drawer, set it up, and turned it on. Hastily she undressed and then tossed her clothes in the hamper. Before heading upstairs, she slipped on her robe, intending to take a shower in the new attic bathroom. Danielle walked to her closet and opened the doors. Pushing aside her hanging clothes, she slid open the back panel and started up the hidden staircase to Walt’s room.

  “What took you so long?” Walt greeted her when she entered the room.

  “I had to take my clothes off.”

  Walt arched his brows. “I could have helped you with that.”

  Danielle chuckled and swatted him away. “I’m going to take a shower.”

  “Go ahead. I took mine earlier. Would you like me to pour you a brandy?”

  “Oh, yes, that would be nice.” Danielle started for the bathroom and paused when Walt called her name. She turned to him.

  “What do you think all that I’m so proud of my nephew was really about back there?” Walt asked.

  “So it wasn’t just me; it didn’t sound sincere to you?”

  Walt shook his head. “No. It sounded scripted.”

  On Thursday morning Danielle kissed Walt before heading back down to her bedroom. After dressing, she applied her makeup and combed her hair. She then unhooked the baby monitor and shoved it back in the dresser. Danielle paused a moment an
d looked down at the closed drawer.

  “Okay, this is getting dumb,” she said aloud. “I think we need to come out of the closet.” She giggled at her choice of words and added, “Well, so to speak.”

  The next moment she opened her bedroom door and glanced down the hall—first to her left, which led to the other two guest rooms—one currently occupied by the Bishops and the other bedroom empty—and to the staircase leading to the attic. She then looked straight ahead down the section of the hallway leading to the stairs to the first floor and to the room she had given Simon. No one was in sight.

  Danielle was about to shut the door when she realized she had left her cellphone sitting on the table next to the door, just inside her room. She paused, turned back to her room, and snatched her cellphone off the table. When she turned back to the hallway, closing the door behind her, she saw Zara standing in front of Simon’s bedroom door, her back to Danielle.

  The moment Danielle closed her door, Zara turned abruptly in her direction and stared at Danielle with wide eyes. Zara blinked several times and then stammered, “Good morning, Danielle. I was just heading downstairs, thought I would take a little walk on the beach.”

  “Umm…have a nice walk. Will you be joining us for breakfast?” Danielle asked.

  “No, thank you, I’m not a breakfast person.”

  The door to Simon’s room started to open.

  Zara glanced to the opening door and said hastily, “Have a nice day,” before taking off in a sprint and heading down the hallway to the stairs leading to the first floor.

  “I thought her husband said she wasn’t a morning person?” Walt asked as he poured Danielle a cup of coffee. The two stood alone in the kitchen.

  Danielle shrugged. “Maybe he just meant she wasn’t a breakfast person. Either way, I swear she was coming out of Simon’s bedroom.”

  “I can’t imagine why she would be in his room. I find the idea of those two having a tryst preposterous. Not to mention, I don’t believe they’ve even met yet.”

  Danielle cringed. “That idea didn’t even cross my mind.”

  “You did say you thought she was sneaking out of his room. When a woman sneaks out of a man’s room so early in the morning, that’s a logical conclusion to jump to.”

  “Speaking from personal experience?” Danielle teased.

  Walt grinned. “Only with you love.”

  Danielle picked up her cup and took a sip. “All I know, when I looked out in the hall, no one was around. And the next minute, there was Zara, standing in front of Simon’s door. She said she was on her way downstairs, which would mean she would have walked right by me. But I know she didn’t.”

  “She obviously stopped at the bathroom on the way downstairs. When you looked out the door the first time, that’s where she must have been.”

  Danielle shook her head. “If that was the case, then she had to have run from the bathroom door to Simon’s door to get there in the short time I looked away.”

  “You did say she raced down the stairs, didn’t you?” he reminded her.

  A knock came at the kitchen door. Just as Walt and Danielle looked that way, Lily came walking in the house, waving her key. She wore tight-fitting blue jeans, knee-high boots, and an extra-long bulky red sweater. Gold snowflake earrings dangled from her ears, while her hair was tied back in a green bow.

  “The door was locked. I had to use my key,” Lily explained.

  “Morning, Lily, you look Christmassy,” Danielle greeted her.

  “Thanks. I feel Christmassy.” By the time Lily reached the counter, Walt had already poured her a cup of coffee.

  “Thanks, Walt.” Lily picked up the cup. “Although I do miss your old flair.”

  The next moment the coffee pot floated up off its burner and into the air. “You mean like this?” Walt asked.

  “Stop that!” Danielle scolded, reaching for the airborne pot.

  Lily giggled and sipped her coffee.

  Walt took the pot from Danielle’s hand. “Careful, you could have burned yourself grabbing it like that.” The next moment he dropped a quick kiss on Danielle’s lips.

  Lily’s eyes widened. “You just kissed her!”

  Walt set the pot back on its burner. “You’ll have to get used to it.”

  Zara was sitting quietly on the edge of Loyd’s bed when Simon walked into the room.

  “Took you long enough,” Zara said. “Danielle about caught me coming out of your room. Just how would I have been able to explain that? You could have waited a few minutes before leaving your room. That would have been an awkward conversation if Danielle had us both trapped in the hallway at the same time!”

  “It would be a lot easier if Danielle had us on the same floor,” Simon said.

  “Easier for whom? I can’t climb those stairs,” Loyd grumbled.

  “It’s always about you, isn’t it, Loyd?” Zara muttered to herself.

  “By the way, I did what you suggested. Last night I ran into Walt and Danielle before going to bed, and thanked them for being such good friends of Chris’s. But I do worry this entire thing is too complicated.”

  “Pshaw. Everything is falling into place. Heather jumped faster than I expected. I was right again. She’s more perfect for this than Danielle.”

  “Should I wave a white flag?” Heather teased Chris when she walked into the office on Thursday morning.

  “I still wish you’d let me say something to my uncle,” Chris grumbled.

  “Don’t you dare. He’s up to something,” Heather warned.

  “I agree with Heather,” Eva said when she materialized a moment later.

  Heather pointed to Eva and said, “See, even poor Eva is worried about what your uncles are up to; she’s so upset she forgot to glitter!”

  Eva let out a dramatic sigh and flopped down on the sofa, crossing one leg over the opposing knee, sending the long skirt of her gown fluttering. “That’s not the reason for the absence of glitter. It was no longer obtaining the desired effect. I need to find a new entrance.”

  “What was your desired effect?” Heather asked as she took a seat at her desk.

  “It certainly wasn’t to annoy—and apparently glitter is not particularly popular.” Eva waved one hand—a flurry of snowflakes fell from the ceiling, vanishing before hitting the floor.

  “Hmm…nice touch. Also fitting for the season,” Heather noted.

  Eva nodded at her and smiled. “Thank you.”

  “If you ladies are done discussing glitter and snowflakes, can we get back to my uncles?”

  “When are they leaving?” Eva asked.

  “Apparently not soon enough,” Chris grumbled. “I just wish I knew what Loyd was up to.”

  “I told you what I thought,” Heather said. “He doesn’t like me, and he figures if I start coming on to you, you’ll get annoyed and fire me.”

  “What are you talking about? You annoy me constantly, and I haven’t fired you yet,” Chris smirked.

  “True. But your uncle doesn’t know that,” Heather reminded him.

  Eva waved her hand dismissively and said, “Wait a minute. I don’t understand. After all, you did invite Heather to dinner with you the first night your uncles were in town. Why would they assume Heather making advances at you would turn you off? She is an attractive woman…in her own way.”

  Heather frowned at Eva. “Umm…thanks…I think.”

  Chris shrugged. “I don’t know. Which is why Heather’s theory doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.”

  The next moment Chris’s cellphone rang, and he answered the call.

  When he got off the phone, he said, “That was Uncle Simon, they want to take me out to lunch.” He turned to Heather and asked, “You want to go with us?”

  “I would rather stab myself in the eye with a fork.”

  “I take that as a no?”

  Twenty-Five

  Chris had suggested Pier Café for lunch. His uncles were already sitting at a booth when he arrived.
/>   “That waitress has purple hair,” Loyd told Chris when he sat down at their table.

  “Yeah, well, that is Carla. She’s also had pink hair and green hair…and, well…she’s a regular rainbow.” Chris shrugged, picked up a menu, and started looking through it.

  “I believe a confession is in order,” Simon announced.

  Chris set his menu on the table and looked at Simon. “Confession?”

  “You know we hired an investigator to see how you were doing. I know it wasn’t right, but to be honest, I can’t truthfully say I wouldn’t do it again. We only want what’s best for you,” Simon told him.

  “Yeah, that’s what you keep saying,” Chris said wearily.

  “According to the investigator, you’ve made Danielle Boatman the executor of your will.”

  Chris’s eyes widened. “Wow. I guess you got your money’s worth.”

  “We just want to make sure she’s worthy of the faith you’ve put in her. After all, we don’t know anything about her.”

  “Didn’t your investigator tell you all you needed to know?” Chris smirked.

  “That’s not what I mean,” Simon said.

  “All you need to know, Danielle is someone I trust with my life. I know she would never discuss my business with anyone. She isn’t after my money. Like I said, I trust her.”

  “Alright, if you honestly believe that, then that is good enough for us.” Simon reached across the table and patted Chris’s hand.

  “We just want you to be safe, son,” Loyd told him. “A young man in your position needs to take precautions. You can’t always trust people.”

  “I can trust Danielle,” Chris repeated.

  “It’s not just the people you get close to we worry about. It’s people who force themselves into your life. You have a lovely office, but I do wonder how safe it is. I noticed it has an alarm system. I assume it has security cameras?” Simon asked.