Under a Summer Sky--A Savannah Romance

by Melody Carlson

  Together they played house for a couple of hours, moving some of the furniture items and arranging and rearranging. Slowly Nicole could see that they’d made improvements.

  “Wow, it’s getting late,” Ryan said. “It’s past ten.”

  “Time flies when you’re having fun.” She brushed her dusty hands on the legs of her jeans.

  “Really?” he asked. “You had fun?”

  “Absolutely. I think maybe I’d like to be a stager.” She grinned. “Well, not full-time. But it is fun. I can see that there is an art to it.”

  “I should get you home. You probably have to work tomorrow.”

  “The gallery’s closed on Tuesdays.”

  “Oh, right.” He nodded. “So are you busy tomorrow?”

  She shrugged. “I thought I’d do some painting.”

  “Oh, yeah, that’s a good idea.”

  “But did you have something in mind? You need help?”

  “Well, if you wanted to continue helping me stage this, that’d be awesome.”

  “I’d be happy to,” she said. “And I have an idea.”

  “What?”

  “I just remembered all the stuff in your parents’ attic. I barely saw it when we found Bernie up there, but it looked like some—”

  “You’re a genius!” Ryan grabbed her in a bear hug. “That’s perfect, Nicole!”

  She couldn’t help but giggle like a schoolgirl as she enjoyed this unexpected embrace. She stepped back, recovering her composure. “It looked like a lot of antiques and interesting stuff up there.”

  “They’re family pieces—things my mom won’t part with. Most of it is pretty old. But cleaned up a little, some of that stuff would be fabulous in here.”

  “Would your parents mind?”

  He laughed. “They’d be glad for me to do whatever it takes to sell this place. Dad’s been worried all along that I bought a white elephant. And since he helped with the financing, I’d say he’s got a vested interest.”

  “Well, I’d love to help you,” she said as they went outside. “I think it’s fun doing this. And as much as I’d like to paint, I wasn’t looking forward to being sequestered in my room all day tomorrow.” She sighed. “It’s funny, when your mom first showed me the house, I imagined myself rattling around and maybe even getting lonely. Just me and the cat. You know?”

  “And instead you’ve got Bernie and Gina and Alex to contend with?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, if you need a quiet place to hide away in when you’re not at work, feel free to hang here. I’ll loan you a key and show you how to work the security system tomorrow.”

  “I bet that conservatory has great light for painting,” Nicole mused as they got into his pickup. “And maybe the ghosts will provide some creative inspiration,” she joked.

  “Most definitely,” he said. As he drove her home, they put together a plan for the next day, agreeing to meet to go through the attic at eight.

  “Maybe we can get Bernie and Gina to help us,” Nicole suggested. “Although I’m not sure they’re awake that early.”

  “If we make enough noise moving stuff out of the attic, maybe we’ll rouse them.”

  As it turned out, the noise in the attic did wake up the girls—they were both certain it was a ghost. “Kind of like payback for the time you scared me,” Nicole teased Bernie when both girls peeked into the attic, where Ryan was scooting a buffet cabinet across the floor.

  “What’re you doing?” Bernie asked.

  Nicole explained about staging Ryan’s mansion for an open house this weekend.

  “If you girls want to help, I’ll treat you to an all-you-can-eat breakfast,” Ryan offered.

  “It’s the McMunster Mansion,” Bernie told Gina. “It’s haunted.”

  That was all it took to get Gina on board, and before long the four of them were moving various pieces down the stairs and into the moving van that Ryan had rented. Nicole and the girls followed him in the SUV, which she’d loaded up with a few borrowed pieces from the lower levels of his parents’ house. Things that Ryan assured her his parents wouldn’t miss while they were cruising on the other side of the globe.

  Nicole had felt a tinge of sadness at seeing his parents’ beautiful home somewhat stripped, but since it was only temporary and Ryan seemed unconcerned, she decided not to worry about it either. She did inquire as to his insurance situation for the mansion, and he assured her it was completely covered.

  It was nearly eleven by the time they’d unloaded everything, and since Ryan wanted to return the borrowed truck before noon, they agreed to pick him up and then go to a nearby all-day breakfast place that he claimed had the best grits in all of Georgia.

  “I’ve never really been a fan of grits,” Nicole confessed after they enticed her to go for a totally Southern breakfast, including biscuits and gravy and grits. “But these are actually pretty good.”

  “So maybe there is a Southern girl hiding beneath that Seattle exterior,” Ryan teased.

  “You’re from Seattle?” Gina asked, obviously impressed.

  Nicole nodded.

  “That is so cool.”

  “Yeah, they have Starbucks and good music and the Space Needle and all sorts of stuff.” Bernie parroted some of the things Nicole had recently told her.

  “Seattle is a nice place,” Nicole conceded. “But so is Savannah. I’m surprised at how much of this city seems to agree with me.”

  After breakfast, Gina and Bernie wanted to go back to the “McMunster Mansion” with them. “Only if you really want to work,” Nicole warned them. “We’re not there to ghost hunt.”

  “We want to help,” Bernie assured her.

  “Great.” Nicole nodded. “Trust me, I’ve got a long list of stuff that needs to be done.”

  “If we get tired, we’ll just walk home,” Bernie said as they drove through the historic district.

  “Hey, look.” Nicole pointed to a house where workers were hanging red, white, and blue bunting. “Is that for July 4th?”

  “Savannah does Independence Day up big,” Ryan told her.

  “The whole town gets into it,” Bernie said. “All kinds of stuff to do.”

  “And the fireworks show is the best,” Gina added.

  “I guess that makes sense,” Nicole said. “After all, Savannah was involved in the Revolutionary War. That’s a pretty good reason to pull out all the stops.”

  “Yes, we do have the Revolution. That’s something Seattle can’t boast about,” Ryan teased.

  “That reminds me,” Bernie said as they pulled up to the McDaniel Mansion. “Dad is having a Fourth of July party.”

  “Where at?” Ryan asked, sounding concerned.

  “Grandma and Grandpa’s,” Bernie said as they got out. “Gina and I get to invite some of our friends.”

  “Sounds fun,” Nicole told her.

  “Hopefully Alex will remember to invite a cleaning service too,” Ryan whispered to Nicole as they walked up to the house.

  She laughed. “Afraid he’s all out of baseball cards?”

  For the next couple of hours, Bernie and Gina made themselves fairly useful washing windows, sweeping, and helping to move things around. But Nicole could tell they were getting bored. “You guys have been troupers,” she told Bernie. “I’m sure your uncle will think of some way to repay you for all your help.”

  “Maybe we can do another ghost tour,” Bernie suggested. “And Gina could come.”

  “I’ll be sure to mention that to him.” Nicole walked the girls to the front door, pausing to tweak a pair of potted trees that Ryan had just set on the front portico. These heavy pots were from his parents’ house, but the life this greenery brought to the main entryway was well worth it. Hopefully these improvements would help to sell the place.

  She went back into the house, still playing with various pieces, moving stuff around, trying to get it just right. Certainly, the house wasn’t truly staged, because it wasn’t as if someone could just sit
down and make themselves at home in here. But it definitely looked more inviting.

  She carried a big vase of realistic-looking silk flowers into the conservatory. So far this was her favorite space. She had put the antique wicker furniture in here, along with a few pillows she’d borrowed from the Grahams’ sunroom. Then she’d added a few other touches that made the sunny room look almost ready for occupancy.

  “This looks great,” Ryan said as he dropped a rolled-up carpet onto the marble floor. “I thought this rug might be nice in here.” He pushed it open with his toe, revealing what had probably once been jewel-tone shades, but which were now nicely muted from age and sun.

  “That’ll be perfect.” She moved the wicker furniture to make room for the rug, helping him to get it positioned just right, then put the other pieces back in place. “I love this room.”

  “So do I.” He gingerly eased himself down onto a wicker chair. “Will this hold me?”

  “They’re sturdier than they look.” She sat in the rocker across from him.

  “I don’t even know how to thank you for all your help.” He sighed. “I really appreciate it.”

  “Well, for starters, the girls would like you to take them on another ghost tour,” she said with a grin. “I guess that works for me too.”

  His eyes lit up. “I’d love to.”

  “Cool. I’ll let them know.”

  “I thought maybe I could thank you by taking you to dinner,” he said in a shy tone.

  “Sure,” she agreed. “That’d be great.”

  “I can’t do it tonight. Already have plans. I was thinking maybe later in the week.”

  “Yeah,” she said casually. “Whenever it works . . . for both of us.” What she didn’t say—what she really wanted to say—was, “What about Cassidy?” She wanted to ask Ryan if the plans he had for tonight were with Cassidy, and what Cassidy would think about him asking Nicole out for dinner. Or perhaps he wasn’t asking her out on an actual date, like she assumed. Maybe he figured it was just friends sharing a meal. Whatever it was, she really wanted to know. She needed to get to the bottom of it. If it meant humbling herself to ask him . . . well, she was just about ready to do that.

  25

  “Dad’s in a total snit,” Bernie informed Nicole later that afternoon.

  “What’s wrong?” Nicole paused at the foot of the stairs.

  “He thought the house had been robbed.”

  Nicole blinked. “What?”

  “You know, all the missing stuff.” Bernie smiled mischievously. “He thought burglars had been here.”

  “Oh dear.” Nicole grimaced. “I guess we should’ve told him.”

  “I did tell him,” Bernie declared. “But he’s still mad. He even made Gina go home.” She frowned.

  “He really is in a snit, isn’t he?” Nicole patted Bernie’s shoulder. “Sorry about that. I’m sure he’ll let Gina come back eventually.”

  “She needed to go home anyway,” Bernie said. “But I asked her to come back for this weekend. For the Fourth of July party and everything.”

  “Your uncle has agreed to take you guys on another ghost tour. But I’m guessing it won’t be until after he has his open house. He’s still got a lot to do there. Landscaping and finishing up some stuff. It’s a big job.”

  “I love that house,” Bernie declared. “If I was a millionaire I’d buy it myself. Gina and I were talking about how cool it would be to turn it into a ghost hotel.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, you could tell everyone it was haunted, and then you could do stuff to make them feel like there were ghosts there. It’d be pretty cool.”

  Nicole nodded, remembering how some of her high school students had been fascinated with ghosts and other unexplainably weird things. “It’s not my cup of tea, but I’m sure some people would enjoy being too scared to sleep.” She started up the stairs.

  “Hey, I wanted to ask you, since Gina’s not going to be here for the next few days, I thought maybe I could go to work with you at the gallery.” Bernie looked hopeful.

  “Yes!” Nicole agreed. “I totally need you this week. I put out some help-wanted ads but haven’t had a chance to interview anyone yet. And we’re definitely shorthanded now that it’s getting busy.”

  The next couple days were even busier than Nicole had predicted. So busy that Nicole made no apologies to Amyra when she started to interview potential employees on Thursday. One young woman named Marcie really seemed to stand out. Sure, she was young—only twenty-three and barely out of college. But she seemed intelligent, energetic, and impressively capable. Plus she had an innate understanding of art, and during college, she’d worked summers in one of the local tourist shops. What more could one ask for?

  “I’d like to hire you,” Nicole told Marcie on Thursday afternoon, shortly after conducting the young woman’s second interview.

  Marcie let out a happy squeal, then immediately apologized. “Sorry, but I was getting worried I’d started looking for a job too late in the summer.”

  “Well, you’re just on time for us.” Nicole shook her hand. “I’d love you to start as soon as possible.”

  “Whenever you want. I’m ready.”

  “I know it’s a holiday weekend, but we’re shorthanded.”

  “I don’t have any big plans,” Marcie assured her.

  “Great. Let’s start you tomorrow morning. We need to get ready for First Friday, and there’s plenty to do.”

  Marcie thanked her again and started getting ready to leave.

  “One more thing,” Nicole said quietly. “You met Amyra . . .”

  Marcie frowned slightly.

  “She can be, uh, difficult. She’s not thrilled about hiring more help, so if she does or says anything out of line, don’t be too surprised. But be sure to let me know.” Nicole sighed. “I’ll deal with her.”

  Marcie nodded. “I understand.”

  Feeling like she’d made a smart hire, Nicole handed Marcie some paperwork to fill out. “See you tomorrow,” she said.

  As expected, Amyra was not pleased. But honoring her promise to Nicole, she didn’t make too much of a stink about it. Nicole reminded her that business was picking up. “With First Friday tomorrow and the holiday weekend, Marcie is a necessity.”

  Amyra just shrugged. Fortunately, she kept her comments to herself, and Nicole felt more optimistic. Maybe her recent lecture to Amyra had actually sunk in. She could only hope.

  All four of them were at the gallery on Friday, and there was so much to do. But giving everyone the proper time to take their breaks, Nicole felt the day seemed to be running fairly smoothly. By midafternoon, Bernie and Marcie were in the back room arranging fresh flowers and getting refreshments ready for the First Friday celebration. Amyra was waiting on customers. Nicole was trying not to create too much of a disturbance as she moved things around and made room for Harriet Porter to paint and show her works.

  By five o’clock, when First Friday officially began, all was in order at the Graham Gallery. The refreshment table, manned by Marcie, looked lovely. Harriet was all set with her easel and work in progress. Amyra, dressed immaculately, played hostess with customers. And Nicole made sure that all was rolling smoothly.

  For the first couple of hours, the traffic was constant and congenial. The refreshments were regularly being refilled by Bernie. They’d even made a few sales, including one of Harriet’s seascapes. But as it got closer to eight o’clock, business seemed to slow down some. Still steady but not crowded. To Nicole’s delight, she sold another Harriet painting. This one was of an old fishing boat—actually a Maine fishing boat, but the buyer felt it looked like a boat he’d seen in Savannah as a child.

  “Congratulations,” Nicole whispered to Harriet after she concluded the sale. “That’s two for you.”

  Harriet beamed at her. “Thanks so much.”

  At eight thirty, Alex came into the gallery. He was picking up Bernie and they were going to get Gina to take home with the
m. She politely greeted him, but she felt the coolness in his demeanor as he waited for Bernie to get her things. Nicole suspected he was still disgruntled over the way their “romantic” dinner had ended so abruptly. Plus she’d been avoiding him all week.

  “Did you get the payroll all figured out?” he asked a bit gruffly.

  “Yes,” she told him. “Thank you so much for your help. It all made perfect sense.”

  “And the commissions and the bills and everything?”

  “Yes, I’m pretty sure it’s all done.” She smiled. “Hopefully they won’t be turning off our lights anytime soon.”

  He frowned as if that wasn’t funny.

  “I also hired a new employee.” She nodded over to where Marcie was chatting with a customer at the refreshment table. “It’s her first day, but she’s doing just fine.”

  He nodded.

  “I heard you’re having a Fourth of July party at the house,” she said, wondering what was taking Bernie so long.

  “Yeah, I invited everyone before Ryan ransacked the place.”

  “He just borrowed a few—”

  “I know what he did,” Alex snapped. “I’m sure he wouldn’t have done that if Mom and Dad were home.”

  “Well, of course not.” She suddenly felt defensive. “But your parents did put me in charge of house-sitting their place. I didn’t see that it was a problem for Ryan to use a few things. Then again, I wasn’t planning any big parties either.” She looked squarely at him. “As a house sitter, I would never dream of planning a big party anyway. Seems a bit presumptuous to me.”

  “I’m ready, Dad.” Bernie came out with her backpack and phone in her hand, telling Gina she was on her way.

  “Let’s go,” he said gruffly.

  “Thanks, Bernie,” Nicole called. “You were really helpful today.”

  Bernie waved, hurrying to keep up with her dad, who was clearly not in a happy mood. Just because Ryan had removed a few things? Or was it because of her? Or perhaps he was just grumpy at times. Nicole wasn’t even sure she cared. More than ever, she was determined to be somewhere else while he had his Fourth of July get-together. Hopefully it wouldn’t be like the party he’d had when Ryan and Cassidy had been forced to clean up after him. Fortunately, his parents weren’t due home for a couple of months. Still, it was irritating to feel like she was sharing a home with an adolescent—and she didn’t mean Bernie!