She paced through the living room and pushed open the double doors leading into the study. The air seemed to grow colder as soon as she stepped into the room, and the hairs on her arms stood on end.
This place definitely hasn’t lost its creepiness factor.
As she reached for the thick drapes covering the window, cool pressure pushed into her shoulder, as if a person were trying to stop her from letting the sunlight in. Her mouth went dry, and she slowly turned around.
Of course, no one was there. I liked it better when I was ignorant about ghosts.
“If there really is a spirit here, please leave me alone.” She rubbed the goose bumps on her arms and yanked the heavy curtains open.
She turned to survey the room. Rows of dusty books lined one wall, and a massive, metal office desk sat in the center. A stack of unpaid bills rested on the corner of the desk. Trent would definitely want to go through all the stuff in here before he trashed anything.
She sat in the squeaky, vinyl chair at the desk and ran her finger across the surface. At least it wasn’t covered in an inch of dust. An intricate pewter photo frame lay face-down on the edge of the desk. From the way Trent described him, Uncle Jack had been a hermit. And a mean one at that. Were there actually people he cared about enough to keep a photograph?
She picked up the frame and gazed at the image. A woman in her early twenties with dark hair and light eyes held a little girl who looked about three years old. They sat in a rocking chair in front of a wall with bunny wallpaper.
Bunny wallpaper? The second-floor bedroom.
She set the picture on the desk and headed upstairs to the room she’d seen on her first visit to the mansion. A child-sized bed sat in the far corner, and a white dresser lined one wall. The same rocking chair from the photo sat near the window. A thick layer of dust covered the bedspread and the surface of the furniture as if no one had been inside the room in years. She padded toward the rocking chair and ran her hand across the arm. No dust covered the chair. And the seat cushion appeared well-worn and torn around the edges.
Could Uncle Jack have had a family? What could have happened to them to cause him to preserve the bedroom this way?
A wave of sadness washed over Tina as she lowered herself into the rocking chair. Pressure mounted in the backs of her eyes at the thought of that poor little girl dying at such an early age. Why else would the room still be decorated for a small child, if she hadn’t died young? What could have taken her? An accident? Disease? A sob bubbled up from her chest, and she leaned her head back and closed her eyes.
She could imagine the feeling of holding her dying child in her arms, rocking her in this very chair. The emotions swirling through her body felt too strong to be her imagination, though. They felt as if they were her own. A sharp ache followed by familiar numbness spread from her chest to her limbs. She had felt this way before. But when? Aside from Allison’s parents, she’d never lost anyone she loved.
She rose to her feet and cleared the thickness from her throat. What was it about this house that had her emotions on a roller coaster? Perhaps she’d done enough for today. Some fresh air would do her some good. She took one last look at the chair and headed downstairs to lock up. She had to be back here at six a.m. to meet the painters anyway. She deserved a break. And hopefully Trent would actually show up tomorrow.
* * *
Trent lay on top of the slate gray duvet in Logan’s guest bedroom and closed his eyes as Allison worked her Reiki magic on him. It was awkward at first to have his best friend’s fiancée hovering her hands above his body, breathing deeply, a soft humming sound emanating from her throat. Hell, it was downright strange.
But after a few minutes, he started to relax. His whole body felt lighter. Healthier. Though it might not help his narcolepsy, whatever she was doing, it was helping something.
“I think that’s good for today.” She sat on the edge of the bed, and Trent opened his eyes.
“What’s the verdict, doc? Am I going to survive?”
She patted his hand. “You’ll live. How do you feel?”
“Better, actually.” He pushed up onto his elbows. “Spending the day in bed had my back aching, but it’s not so bad now.”
“I’m glad I was able to help something.”
“You mean I’m not cured?”
She sighed. “I can’t cure anything. I only help your body with the healing process.”
“Better than nothing.” He didn’t know much about Reiki, but he hadn’t expected an instant recovery. If she could fix a chronic illness that fast, she’d be a celebrity.
“The problem is I can’t pinpoint exactly what’s blocked. Every time I think I’ve found the source of the problem, it moves. I’ve never encountered anything like this before.”
“I’ve always been unique.”
She chuckled. “There’s definitely something strange going on inside your head.”
“Tell me about it.” He was a glutton for punishment, but he had to ask. “Was Tina mad when you told her I wasn’t going to the house today?”
She shook her head. “She didn’t sound mad. More disappointed than anything.”
He shouldn’t read into it. She was probably disappointed because she had to do all the work herself today, but the corners of his mouth still pulled up into a smile. “What do you think I should do about her?”
Allison rose to her feet. “I can’t tell you that.”
“I don’t want to get hurt again.”
“And I can’t guarantee she won’t hurt you.” She sighed and sat on the bed again. “She does have feelings for you. But she’s scared to death of those feelings.”
He pushed back to lean against the headboard. “What did I do to make her scared?”
“Nothing. I don’t think Tina knows what a healthy relationship looks like. Growing up, her parents weren’t the best role models.”
“What happened?”
“That’s her story to tell.” She stood and padded to the door. Resting her hand on the frame, she turned to Trent. “Do you care about her?”
“Too much, it seems.”
“You two have a strong connection. You always have. I think you’d be good together, if she can get past her commitment issues.”
Logan appeared behind Allison and wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling into her neck. “Ready for bed, babe?”
She turned and snaked her hands behind his shoulders, pressing her lips to his. “You know it.”
Thoughts of Tina’s lips pressed against his own flashed in Trent’s mind, and a pang of jealousy shot through his chest. Why had he told her not to kiss him again when kissing her was exactly what he wanted to do?
“Good night, Trent.” Allison’s voice brought him back to the present.
“Night, man,” Logan said as he led his fiancée down the hall.
Trent lay on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. Tina did have feelings for him; he hadn’t imagined it. Now the question was, what was he going to do about it?
Not a goddamn thing.
If he pursued her, he’d only be setting himself up for heartache. She had commitment issues, and he wasn’t looking for a fling. So there could never be anything between them. Tomorrow, he’d lay down the rules. No more flirting. Definitely no more kissing. They’d keep their relationship in the friend zone, and no one would get hurt.
CHAPTER TEN
Trent rubbed his eyes as Allison turned her Prius onto Acorn Street and approached the Victorian mansion. He’d slept a solid twelve hours last night, but his body felt like he’d been up for days. By the time he’d woken and Allison had performed her Reiki treatment, it was ten o’clock. The entire morning wasted.
Logan and Allison had both insisted it was too dangerous for him to get behind the wheel until his sleep attacks were under control. They had a point, but damn, he hated to have to rely on other people. Now he’d wasted Allison’s morning too.
“Thanks again for driving me out here. I’m
sorry to take so much time out of your day.”
She flashed him a warm smile. “It’s no problem at all. There’s a metaphysical store in Ann Arbor I’ve been meaning to visit, so now I’ve got the perfect excuse. Give me a call when you’re done, and Logan or I will come and get you.” She turned into the driveway.
“You can drop me off here. The trees are…” He gazed out the windshield at the willow branches. Rather than scraping the car like the uninviting fingers of death they were two days ago, they had been trimmed into a crescent-shaped tunnel, a good six feet of air between the lowest tendrils and the top of the car. “Never mind. I guess Tina got the contractors she was talking about.”
“That’s a pretty blue. What made you decide to change the color of the house?”
“I didn’t.” He’d been so busy looking at the trees, he hadn’t noticed what Tina had already done to the house. The porch had been completely redone, and one quarter of the front façade was already painted a cheerful blue. “What the hell has that woman done?” Sure, the house was a burden, but it was his burden. She couldn’t waltz in like she owned the place and start making changes.
Allison grinned. “Uh oh.”
“Thanks for the ride.” He slammed the car door and marched toward the house. She had some nerve doing all this work without consulting him first.
Tina stepped onto the porch and waved to Allison before focusing on him. “I was wondering if you were ever coming back. Feeling better?”
He nodded, and her smile disarmed him. Those soft pink lips curving into a perfect bow wiped every thought from his mind, and he stopped in the yard to admire the vision of beauty standing in the doorway. She wore tight jeans that hugged her curves and a pair of sexy black leather boots. Her deep purple sweater clung to her perfectly proportioned breasts, and his fingers twitched with the urge to cup them in his hands.
Damn it, he’d been mad at her a moment ago. Now, he couldn’t for the life of him remember why.
She leaned against the door jamb. “Why did Allison drive you?”
Shit. He hadn’t thought about needing an excuse for not driving himself. He couldn’t tell her the real reason. “My car’s in the shop.”
She stepped forward, resting her hands on her hips, and beams of sunlight filtering through the willow branches reflected off her dark hair, making it glisten. Something about Tina standing on that porch, smiling at him as if she were welcoming him home, seemed so right. “Are you going to stand out in the cold all day, or are you coming inside?”
But this wasn’t her home, and she had no right to start the renovations without him. He stomped up the steps and regarded the sturdy porch beneath his feet. The thick, painted wood didn’t give or squeak with his heavy steps, and the nails were flush with the surface. Overall, an excellent job. He pressed his lips together and narrowed his gaze at her.
“It looks great, doesn’t it?” she said. “My guys trimmed the trees, too, so no one scrapes their cars when they come to look at the house.”
He wanted to be irritated. He tried to be mad, but trimming the trees and fixing the porch were both on the top of his to-do list. And if he’d been here yesterday, he’d have signed off on having them done exactly like Tina had arranged. What could he say?
But the paint. Changing the color of the house without his consent was stepping over the line. “They’re painting it blue.”
Her smiled beamed. “I know. Come look.” She took his hand and pulled him through the door, holding on to him until they reached the kitchen. “I got in touch with the historical society. Since this place is so old, there are some rules about what you can do to it.” She handed him a sheet of paper.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a list of every paint color ever used on this house. It’s been green, purple, and four shades of blue.” She pointed to the top entry. “It seemed right to put it back to its original color. Bring back the glory of the 1800s. It’s a beautiful shade, don’t you think?”
He rubbed a hand across his forehead. “It is a nice color, but—”
“And I’ve rented a storage unit for you. Later today, my guys are going to move out all this creepy furniture, so we can stage it with a more modern look. It’s going to be beautiful.” Her eyes shone as she spoke, her excitement evident in her voice.
Still, her audacity grated on his nerves. “What else have you done?”
“That’s it so far. Oh, I found something interesting in the study I want to show you. Come on.” She reached for his hand again, but he jerked it away.
“What are you doing, Tina?”
“What do you mean? I’m helping you get your house ready to sell.”
He laid the paper on the table. “It’s my house.”
She tilted her head, giving him a quizzical look. “I know.”
“Then why are you acting like you’ve got a claim to it? What makes you think you can make all these decisions without my consent?”
“I…”
“I was sick one day. I come back, and you’ve planned the entire renovation without me.”
She fisted her hands on her hips. “Did I do something wrong? I can go stop the painters. It’s not too late to change the color. You want it the same green as before? I’ll go tell them.”
He pulled out a kitchen chair and lowered himself onto the vinyl seat. “No. The paint color is perfect. It’s what I would have chosen.”
She crossed her arms. “Is something wrong with the porch? Or did they not trim the trees the way you want?”
“Those are fine too.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
Everything she did was perfect. That was the problem. Sure, the fact that she went ahead with all this without consulting him irked him, but he hadn’t exactly made himself available for consultation either. If he’d have answered his phone when she called, rather than having Allison call her for him, she probably would’ve asked for his input. And even without his input, she’d done everything exactly the way he would’ve done it. Almost as if she’d read his mind.
“There’s no problem. But don’t plan anything else without consulting me first.”
She sat in the chair next to him. “You seemed to be in such a hurry to get this place on the market, I didn’t want to waste a day doing nothing.”
He stood and walked behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders. “And everything you did was right. Just check with me first next time.” He squeezed her tight muscles, kneading her back with his thumbs. Her tension relaxed under his touch, and he fought the urge to slide his arms around her and kiss her cheek. “You wanted to show me something in the study?”
“Hmm?” She leaned her head against his stomach and gazed up at him, her bright green eyes pulling him in like a magnet.
Good lord, this woman was perfect.
She blinked as if coming back to herself. “Oh, yeah. Come on.” She jumped to her feet and padded through the foyer, stopping to pick up her coat from the floor. “This coat rack is beautiful, but it’s not very functional, is it? Everything seems to fall off it.” She threw her coat over a hook.
Trent slipped out of his own coat and hung it on the rack. “Stay put.”
Tina giggled. “It kinda grows on you, doesn’t it? It creeped me out at first, but it seems to have a personality of its own.”
“No kidding.” He followed her into the study, where she picked up a pewter picture frame and held it out to him.
“I found this on your uncle’s desk. I think it’s his wife and daughter.”
He took the frame and stared at the happy image of the woman and the child. Goose bumps rose on his skin as a chill crept down his spine at the familiarity of the faces. “He’s got a painting of them in the basement. Though they don’t look nearly this happy. I had no idea he was married.”
Tina stood behind him, resting her hands on his shoulders as she peered at the photograph in his hands. “They died in the 1940s. Her name was Lucy, and the little girl was Emily.�
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Tina’s close proximity had his chest tightening. He stepped away and returned the frame to the desk. “How do you know all this? Did you go through his files?”
“I checked at the county clerk’s office. Marriage and death certificates are public record.”
He raised his eyebrows. Everything about this woman impressed him. When something needed to be done, she did it. When she wanted information, she got it. Tina was more than confident. She was capable. Intelligent. And so goddamn sexy.
“I didn’t snoop through his stuff. I was going to move it all into storage, so you could go through it later when you have more time.”
“It wouldn’t have mattered if you did.” He stepped toward her and ran the back of his fingers down her cheek. Her breath hitched with his touch, and he moved closer, erasing the distance between them.
He shouldn’t have been doing this, but damn it, he wanted to. He wanted her. He might’ve been setting himself up for heartbreak, but at this moment, he didn’t care. He needed to taste her. To feel her soft lips pressed to his, her body melting into him as he held her.
He slid his hand to the nape of her neck and lowered his gaze to her mouth. Her lips parted ever-so-slightly, and her tongue slipped out to moisten them. That was all the invitation he needed. He leaned in, brushing his lips to hers, giving her ample opportunity to walk away from what was sure to be his biggest mistake of the day.
She stepped closer, deepening the kiss, sliding her arms around his waist, and fire shot through his veins. He cupped her face in his hands, a soft moan escaping his throat as his tongue brushed hers. Everything about this woman felt so right. Her taste, her scent, the way she fit in his arms. When she slid her hands down to his ass and pulled his hips to hers, his knees nearly buckled. He could have taken her right here in the study if the entire room wasn’t coated in a layer of dust.
As the kissed slowed, she pulled away and gazed into his eyes. “You said I wasn’t supposed to kiss you again.”
To Stop a Shadow Page 8
