“Am I okay? I’m great!” She danced around me like I was a goddess to worship and chanted, “My friends are famous. My friends are famous!” A second later, she burst into tears.
“I have no idea what’s happening,” Christian sighed.
“I’m just so happy,” Sienna said thickly. She drew all three of us into a group hug. “You guys deserve the best life. I’m glad you’re finally getting it.”
Keith came down the stairs as we were all wrapped up together. He awkwardly waited until our embrace naturally pulled apart.
“What’s up, Keith?” I asked, wiping happy tears from my eyes.
He drew two envelopes from the back pocket of his jeans and handed one to me and the other to Sienna. “I wanted to invite you all to the first-ever, all-inclusive Holiday Ball, sponsored by the good people of the Silver Creek Community Club.”
Since the Gentlemen’s Club had been disbanded after Boyce’s disappearance, Silver Creek needed a new group to support its welfare. Keith had stepped up to the plate and created the Community Club. The Club met at the library weekly. It was open for anyone to join, and the locals jumped at the opportunity to take the future of Silver Creek into their own hands. Despite Boyce’s predictions that Silver Creek would fail without him, the town blossomed. Employment opportunities skyrocketed, the schools had new roofs installed to stop melted snow from leaking in, and the population had almost doubled in the last two years.
Best of all, Keith had learned the value of friendship and hard work. Instead of buying his mother a bigger house, he built an addition to hers. Simon helped, of course, and it became our tradition to go to Keith’s house for Thanksgiving every year.
“We would be honored,” I told Keith, holding the invitation against my heart.
“Free food?” Christian said. “I’m in.”
Keith grinned. “Perfect. I’ll be in the kitchen if anyone needs me. Marcy’s teaching Bubbles and me how to cook!”
As Keith disappeared through the swinging doors, Lily started fussing.
“That’s her sleepy cry,” Simon said. “I got her.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. “I can put her down.”
“You stay,” he said, kissing my cheek. “Enjoy the day. The guests love having you around.”
Simon made sure Lily’s parka was zipped all the way up, tucked her against his chest, and headed outside again.
“Uh, where is he going?” Sienna asked. “Don’t the two of you live here?”
“We built a cabin on the edge of the property,” I said. “To separate home and work. It’s perfect for the three of us.”
“I want to see!” Sienna clung to my arm. “But Lily had the right idea. I need a nap first. Babe? Shall we check out our fancy room?”
Christian linked his arm through his wife’s. “We shall.”
“See you at dinner,” I called as they headed upstairs.
I flinched as a huge crash echoed from the kitchen, followed by the sound of Keith swearing. I rushed into the back. A huge mixing bowl spun on the floor, spraying pasta sauce all over the room. Keith stood in the corner, covered in the stuff, while Bubbles and her mother attempted to tame the wayward bowl.
“What happened?” I asked, stepping aside to avoid getting pasta sauce on my pants.
“I’m sorry!” Keith said. “I didn’t mean to.”
“Just an accident,” Marcy said.
In the years since Boyce’s disappearance, she had gained a healthy amount of weight. It turned out she was an amazing chef, so amazing that we had hired her to work at the Lodge.
Her pink cheeks glowed as she smiled at Keith and patted him reassuringly on the shoulder. “We can always make more.”
“Keith has butterfingers,” Bubbles informed me. “He dropped the bowl while he was mixing the sauce.”
Marcy lightly swatted Bubbles with a dishtowel. “Don’t make him feel bad. He’s learning. Come here, Keith. I’ll teach you the easiest way to peel garlic.”
“Can I borrow Bubbles for a minute?” I asked Marcy. “I’ll have her back to you shortly.”
“Keep her,” Marcy joked.
Bubbles followed me out of the kitchen and down the first-floor corridor. I led her to the last room. It was bigger than before. We’d removed the massive safe door and included the secret room in the renovations. Simon and I concluded that the best way to hide the intersecting ley lines was in plain sight. No one would suspect that my work office was situated over one of the most powerful points on the earth.
I sat behind the desk and drew something out of the drawer. “I have an early Christmas present for you.”
Bubbles, who had grown four inches since her fourteenth birthday, rewarded me with a wide grin. “What is it?”
I handed her the wrapped gift. She held it in her palms and pressed it to her chest.
“Is this what I think it is?” she asked.
“Open it and see.”
She ripped the red-and-white paper off and squealed happily when she saw what was beneath it. “An advance copy of Rebel Queen: Volume Four!” She kissed the cover and spun around. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
As she suffocated me with a hug, I said, “You have to keep that to yourself. No posting spoilers online. No one knows you have it, and if my publisher finds out I gave it away before the release date, he’ll kill me. Got it?”
She stuck out her pinky for me to shake. “I promise.”
“Get out of here, punk.”
As Bubbles pranced off, I shook my head and sighed. Sometimes, it was hard for me to believe my life right now was real. It all seemed too perfect. When that feeling hit me, I made a point to sit back and enjoy it.
I scooted my chair back and propped my feet up on the desk, facing the window so I could watch the snow lazily drift from the sky. A soft pulse of energy flowed up from the floor and warmed my body, a sweet reminder of more good things to come. In it, I felt the presence of Lily, Earl, and the other spirits who had helped us make this place beautiful again.
All was right with the Silver Creek Lodge.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story!
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The Haunting of Silver Creek Lodge Page 24
