A Diva in Manhattan

by Aubrie Dionne

  Alaina nodded as her cheeks burned. She felt like she was in high school all over again. Since when did limo drivers act as chaperones?

  Since they were paid for the trip and not by the hour. When she got back, she’d have to call her old driver and apologize.

  As they walked back to the limo, she waited until the driver was out of earshot and slapped Lance on the arm. “You brought me here to steal a kiss.”

  Lance laughed and stared at her hungrily. “It’s not stealing if you want it, too.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Bumps in the Night

  Excitement rose in Brett’s chest as the limo crested the ridge and the White Mountain Lodge stood out among the pines like a wooden fort perched on the top of a foothill. Four red roofed turrets surrounded the six storey structure. Red flags waved in the breeze.

  As they rode nearer, he could make out rows and rows of shuttered windows and a two storey covered porch stretching around the foundation. Giant beams, as thick as trees, held up the porch at even intervals, each one decorated with hanging baskets of wildflowers. The resort had the elegance of the White House merged with the rustic backdrop of the mountain.

  He loved every inch of it.

  Alaina pointed to a sign. “Look, its Oktoberfest this month. The sign says they have a haunted hayride, a ghost hunt, and a resident medium giving workshops.” She raised an eyebrow. “Are you frightened by ghosts?”

  Oh no, she had an overactive imagination- which could be good and bad. Brett gave her an exasperated look. “I don’t believe in them.”

  “You might after this weekend.” She wiggled her finger. “Let’s see if I can get you scared.”

  “Want to wager?” Brett raised an eyebrow. There was no way she could so much as worry him. He’d grown up in the woods, and he’d grown accustomed to the rustling of leaves in the wind and the trees creaking at night. The scariest thing he’d ever seen was Bianca walking through his construction site.

  “Yeah, I’ll bet one kiss you’ll be spooked by the end of the weekend.”

  “One kiss?” That sounded like she had more to gain than loose. Boy did Alaina know how to use any topic to flirt. He liked that. “And what if you win?”

  “Then you’ll be the one doing the kissing.”

  If it was anything like back on the covered bridge, they’d both kiss each other, but who was he to argue? “Done.”

  “Good.” Alaina leaned over and spoke in a hushed tone. “You should come with me sometime to my grandparents’ house in Syracuse. Built in the eighteen hundreds; every room seems alive. You don’t even want to go to the bathroom alone in that place.”

  Brett smiled. “Is this another invitation for another date?”

  Alaina shrugged. “Maybe.”

  He stretched his arms and yawned as if bored. “If you’re trying to scare me with ghost stories from grandma’s house, you’ve got your work cut out for you.”

  “And if you’re trying to act all macho, like nothing will scare you, then you’ve got something coming and you’re not gonna like it.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I think I’ll like it a lot.”

  She slapped him. “Watch your mouth.”

  He rubbed his arm where she’d hit him and smiled. “With you around, I should be watching my back.”

  They carried their bags into a grand foyer. A giant, bearskin rug covered a polished hardwood floor. Tapestries of woodland scenes hung from the walls beside a massive stone fireplace roaring with flames.

  They checked in and hauled their luggage up two flights of stairs to a room overlooking the foothills of the mountain in a misty green landscape. One enormous bed covered in furs stood at the other end.

  Desire rose inside him, along with apprehension. “One bed?”

  Alaina winked. “We’re all adults here.” She set her bags down on a velvet padded bench by two dressers. “But, if you prefer, I can go back down and-”

  “No, this will be fine.” He didn’t want Alaina assuming he didn’t want her or that he was some strange, private man who couldn’t share a room with a pretty lady. But, she didn’t even know his true identity. He couldn’t go any farther with her while pretending to be Lance. It wouldn’t be honorable. Besides that, he still couldn’t get over the fact that she was just too good for him; like a goddess to a servant.

  “What do you think?” She strutted across the room, her long, shapely legs showing off a mean pair of red hiking boots, matching her blazer and her hair.

  Brett blinked in surprise. “You look magnificent.”

  “Well, I don’t know about magnificent.” She laughed and grabbed his arm. “You might want to save that one for my Pamina gown- after Catherine fixes it.”

  “Pamina?” Was he missing something?

  “She’s the character I play in the opera.” A suspicious look crossed her face. “Haven’t you ever seen The Magic Flute before?”

  Uh oh. The magic what? His chest tightened. Should he know? “Remind me.”

  “It’s the opera I’m getting you tickets for.”

  “Of course.” As soon as he got back, he’d look it up on Phil’s phone. By the time of the performance, he’d be an expert. He hated having to hide his classical music delinquency, but Lance DeBarr wouldn’t have such a hole in his music history knowledge and he had to keep up the snobby appearance, at least until Mrs. DeBarr found enough money to fund her research to save her husband.

  Alaina tugged on his sleeve. “Come on, if we go to the tavern for dinner, we don’t have to dress up.”

  “I brought my tux just in case.” He gestured backwards as they left the room.

  “I see that.” She slipped the key in her pocket. “But, what good will that do on our haunted hayride?”

  “You mean we’re going tonight?”

  “Mmhmm.” She squeezed his arm. “Prepare to be scared.”

  Brett shook his head in resignation. “Oh I’m prepared all right.” Prepared to laugh.

  After a dinner of roasted butternut squash, glazed chicken, and pumpkin pie, they walked out back to the barn where a middle-aged man harnessed four Clydesdale horses to a wagon which was full of hay.

  “Take a seat. My name’s Elmer, and I’ll be your guide for the night.”

  He gestured toward the wagon. Another young couple already sat inside.

  The sun had set, and stars twinkled in the sky overhead. Pretty soon, it would be pitch black. Brett glanced at Alaina. “You sure you want to do this?”

  She narrowed her eyes as she petted the lead horse. “Are you sure?”

  He nodded in exasperation. There was no playing chicken with her.

  Brett helped her into the wagon and they sat opposite the other couple. Felt blankets were folded in the corner, and he grabbed one and laid it out over their legs. Alaina nestled against him, hugging his arm.

  This was perfect. The outdoors, the smell of the hay mixed with her rosy scent, her glowing, auburn hair cascading down his shoulder. He couldn’t ask for more. Well, maybe for her to know his true name and identity, but that would have to wait until another day.

  The driver gave the horses a command and they started down a long trail leading into the woods. Alaina held onto him through the bumps, and he settled into the rocking of the wagon, feeling the crisp night air on his skin and their combined warmth under the blanket. He was thankful for the other couple’s presence- they kept him from getting too far. If it was only him and Alaina under that felt blanket, it would be difficult to restrain himself.

  The only light came from two hanging lanterns on either side of the driver. He turned his head back toward them, trusting the horses to lead them forward on the path. “Have any of you heard the ghost tale of the White Mountain Lodge?”

  Both Brett and Alaina shook their heads, as did the other couple. Brett resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Great, here we go.

  Elmer paused, as though thinking how to start. “The man who owned this property was Sterling White. He inhe
rited the land from his father, Casper White, a successful oil tycoon. You know- rich as can be- the kind of man who shined his shoes with hundred dollar bills. Anyhow, so he gave his son this land, and his son decided to build a great estate in honor of his new fiancé, Hilda Sweeten. So he and Hilda get married in the lobby, right in front of the old stone fireplace way back in…”

  He counted on his fingers, “Nineteen oh two.”

  Alaina glanced at Brett and smiled. Did she believe this crap?

  Elmer checked on the horses, then turned back to them. “So they get married, and everything’s going well until she comes down with this fever and gets real sick.”

  His tone turned solemn. “Sterling has all the doctors in the county come up and treat her. But nothing’s helping. The last quack suggests she get some fresh air, so they carry her outside and up this small foothill where she can see the mountain. In fact, I think they took this very trail.”

  “Oh no, not this trail.” Alaina whispered in amusement.

  Brett shushed her. “Let Elmer tell the story.”

  Elmer gave them an admonishing look. “So, she asks for water, and the doc and Sterling go down to the brook, just a few feet from this very spot. When they carry the pitcher up to her, she’s gone.”

  He paused. Brett assumed it was for effect. This guy was good. Must have a lot of practice with these hayrides.

  Concern crossed the face of the woman across from them. “Did they find her?”

  Yup. Played right into his hand.

  Elmer’s voice dropped low. “So they look all around the area, organizing search parties and what say you. But, they never find her. Some say she’d only pretended to be sick- that Sterling was holding her captive and this was her only chance to get away. Others say she wandered off a cliff or met a huge, black bear and her remains are still here somewhere. They say her spirit walks these woods at night, her nightgown all muddied and frayed, and her face dripping sweat from the fever, looking for her way home.”

  “Often, tourists see a woman in a nightgown crossing the trail. They say once you get too close, the fever comes over you, and you’re sick for days. I, myself, only saw her once, many years ago when I was hiking in these woods. Saw her just over there, by that old pine, standing behind the tree and weeping, her hands covering her eyes.”

  Elmer turned back to the trail. “Hold it just a sec. I see a fire up ahead.” He brought in the reins and the horses stopped. Without the creaking of the wagon, the silence felt empty.

  He gave them a wicked grin. “Be right back.”

  Elmer left the reins in his seat and jumped off the wagon. He disappeared down the trail.

  Alaina glanced over the horses. “I don’t see a fire.”

  The other couple shifted uncomfortably. The woman shivered. “Is he just going to leave us here?”

  “I’m sure he’ll come back, hon.” He husband smoothed her hair.

  Alaina turned to Brett. “What do you think about that story?”

  Brett shrugged. For some reason it reminded him of Mrs. DeBarr. The part about Sterling seeking every doctor in the area, and having them all fail was like Mrs. DeBarr trying to find a cure for her husband. The likeness made the hair on the back of his neck rise up. But, it didn’t mean there were ghosts out there in the woods.

  One of the horses neighed. Another tapped his hoof on the ground.

  “The horses are getting skittish.” Alaina didn’t realize how hard she gripped his arm.

  Brett smiled to himself. This was all part of the White Mountain Lodge’s plan. He was sure of it. Elmer told the story with just the right timing to end here and leave the wagon. Pretty soon, something was going to jump out at them. Maybe even Elmer himself.

  Should he tell Alaina?

  Watching her fret over the horses was too much fun. Maybe it was better she got a taste of her own medicine. She was the one who wanted to come on this crazy hayride in the dark- to scare him.

  The other couple glanced with worry over the edge of the wagon.

  “What if he doesn’t come back?” The wife pulled the blanket up to her chin.

  “Then we walk back.” The husband patted her hand. “We couldn’t have traveled far.”

  A branch cracked in the woods beside them and Alaina jerked up. “What was that?”

  Was that fear in her eyes? Guilt rolled over him. He should at least give her a clue about the prank, but he didn’t want to spoil it for the other couple.

  A low deep moan echoed through the woods. Alaina clung to his arm, her fingernails digging in.

  Brett sighed. “It’s probably just-”

  “Look over there!” The woman across from them pointed at a figure about seven feet from the wagon.

  Brett had to give Elmer credit. The lady standing in the woods in the muddied and tattered white nightgown looked pretty darn real. She approached them slowly, her arms outstretched.

  Gimme a break.

  Alaina jumped to her feet. “We have to get out of here.”

  Brett scrambled to hold her down, but she wiggled out of his grasp. She grabbed his arm and tried to pull him up. “I’m not leaving you here.”

  At least he knew if there was a catastrophe, she’d take the time to rescue him. He burst out in laughter.

  Alaina stared at him like he was crazy. Then, the other couple started to laugh as well. She glanced around wildly. “What the…?”

  Hilda’s ghost stopped a few feet from the carriage and put her arms down. At this distance, the white make-up of her pale complexion was obvious. Elmer stood in front, leaning on a tree.

  The ghost smiled, looking more like a girl in a costume. “Welcome to the Haunted Hayride.”

  Surprise, then anger flashed on Alaina’s face. “You!” She slapped Brett’s arm. “You knew all along!”

  Brett couldn’t stop laughing. An enormous sense of freedom and released trickled through him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had so much fun.

  Alaina pulled away and sat in the corner of the carriage shooting daggers at him with her eyes.

  He reached over and grabbed her hand. “Come on. Please forgive me. I didn’t want to spoil the surprise.”

  She snapped her hand away. “You wanted to see me freak out.” She looked so sexy when she was mad. He resisted the urge to smile.

  Brett raised both hands in defeat. “You’re the one trying to scare me.”

  Elmer whipped the reins, and the horses turned around a bend and headed back for the hotel. Brett gave her space, hoping she’d come around. It wasn’t like he’d planned the whole thing.

  The other couple chatted up a storm across the wagon naming all the scary movies they’d seen as kids. He checked their hands- yup. Two marriage rings. Maybe someday he’d take his wife on a haunted hayride.

  After the fire, he’d stopped dating. If it wasn’t for meeting Phil, he would have stopped living and become a zombie- walking to work and home every day in a grind. Imagining a future without his parents and their logging business had been disrespectful to their memory. How could he move on after such tragedy? Now, he could see a life without them and it was still worth living. Alaina gave him hope.

  That’s if she ever forgave him. Was she the type to hold a grudge?

  The wagon pulled up to the front of the hotel, and Brett jumped down and offered his hand. She pursed her lips as if considering it, then slid her hand in his and allowed him to help her down.

  “So I guess you’re not mad anymore?” Brett led her behind the married couple, envious of the fact they were holding hands.

  “Not as much.” Alaina crossed her arms over her chest. “To tell you the truth, I would have done the same in your shoes.”

  “Aha.” Brett raised a finger. “A trickster at heart.”

  “That’s not such a surprise, is it?” She smirked. “But, I had no idea you had a sneaky side, too.”

  Too sneaky. Brett swallowed a load of guilt. He’d gotten so good at fibbing these past few days, he co
uld have grown a Pinocchio nose the length of a pool net. He pointed to a bar at the end of the lobby. “Come on, I’ll make it up to you with a drink.”

  He ordered a beer, and she ordered a lemon-flavored margarita the size of a dinner plate with salt along the rim.

  “You gonna drink that whole thing?” He took a seat at the bar.

  “Watch me.” Alaina raised both eyebrows in a challenge. She tugged on his sweater. “How about we sit in front of the fireplace?”

  Brett paused. He didn’t like getting too close to fire these days. It wasn’t fear keeping him back. He just didn’t trust it.

  “Please?” Alaina sipped her margarita. “We can stretch out our legs.”

  Brett reminded himself a fireplace was hardly a raging forest fire. If he was ever going to learn to move on, then he had to take the first steps, and with Alaina, he could do that. “Okay.”

  They walked to the fireplace in the center of the lobby and sat down on a giant leather couch.

  “So this is it.” Alaina glanced up at the fireplace.

  “Is what?” Brett sipped his beer. It had a dark, frothy taste perfect for a cold, autumn night.

  Imagination sparked in her eyes. “The place where Sterling married Hilda.”

  “Oh come on, don’t tell me you still believe all that.”

  Alaina shrugged. “I’m sure there’s some truth to it. I’ve always been a sucker for crazy stories. That’s one reason why I love opera.”

  “What about your own story? Is it crazy?” Lance played with a lock of her silky hair.

  She glanced up at him. “Bidding on a date with a mystery man, riding on a haunted hayride…you tell me.”

  He shrugged. “I hope it’s crazy enough to keep you interested.”

  She threaded her hands through his. “You’re the craziest thing in it.”

  They finished their drinks, and she cuddled up next to him on the couch. He watched the fire as he listened to her breaths grow deeper. Holding her made him complete. Sure, he was incredibly attracted to her, but he also enjoyed spending time with her. She was witty, sarcastic, alluring, bold- so different than the snobby diva he thought she might be. She challenged him in ways he needed to be challenged and comforted him with the truest of hopes.