The Ghost Next Door

by Ginny Baird

  “Good thing you’re a newspaper woman,” Nathan said. “Otherwise, I might have bored you.”

  Claire and Elizabeth laughed.

  “Mind if I skip dessert?” Claire asked her mom. “I’ve got a ton of algebra.”

  “That’s one subject I can’t help her with,” Elizabeth confessed to Nathan.

  “Let me know if you get stuck!” he called after the girl as she walked away.

  Claire stopped and glanced over her shoulder with a pleased expression. “Thanks, Nathan.”

  “I can’t believe it,” Elizabeth said once Claire left. “You’re good at math too?”

  “Good enough,” he told her. “Algebra’s no problem anyway. I’ve had a recent refresher.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Melody had some trouble with it. I asked the school for an extra book so I could review and help her at home.”

  Elizabeth studied him with surprise.

  “It’s been a few years for me.”

  “No. I mean, I’m impressed that you’d do that, actually. You’re a great uncle.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You’d make a great father too.”

  Elizabeth hung her head with a blush. “I mean…”

  “I know what you mean,” he said, “and I appreciate it.”

  “But you never…?”

  “Married? No.”

  “Ever come close?”

  Nathan appeared distant a moment, then met her gaze. When he did his eyes were full of emotion. “No one ever moved me in the right way.” Her heart pounded. “The way that you do, Elizabeth.”

  “Nathan, I didn’t mean to—”

  He stepped toward her.

  “It’s all right to say what you feel. I’ve always believed too many folks don’t.”

  Elizabeth felt caught up in his heat, as if she could barely breathe. When he stood this close, it was impossible to think straight. Hard to consider anything but being in his arms. “Maybe we should get some air.”

  “Now?” he asked, puzzled. “But it’s raining cats and dogs.”

  “I was thinking we could have coffee on the porch. It’s covered.”

  He glanced out the window and saw the rain had let up.

  “I think coffee on the porch is a fine idea.”

  They sat and talked for a while in the darkness, the light pitter-patter of the rain keeping them company. The more Elizabeth learned about Nathan, the more she wanted to know. He was such an interesting man, and keen at offering insight. She valued his opinions on things, and he seemed equally engaged in hearing hers. She told him about her day and how the two interviews had gone. Janet had seemed in a particularly plucky mood, and she’d had a fresh flower tucked behind one ear. Nathan concealed a smile, then confessed that she and Bernie had been at odds the night before. They must have had one heck of a good time making up.

  Elizabeth loved hearing the small-town lore and learning more about the fascinating people who lived here. Everyone had a story to tell and was connected to each other in one way or another. The one thing Elizabeth found stunning was that nobody she’d talked to or had heard of appeared to be a native. All seemed to have arrived in Blayton from somewhere else.

  “Is there no one in this town who was actually born here?”

  Nathan rested his mug on his knee and stared at the house next door. “Mrs. Fenton was.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. That was an old farmhouse. And all this here,” he said, casting his gaze over the cemetery, “was original acreage.”

  “Her farm, you mean?”

  “That’s right.”

  Elizabeth heard a creaking sound and turned toward the house, startled to see one of the rockers suddenly tilting forward.

  “The wind’s picked up,” Nathan explained.

  That didn’t excuse the slight shiver that ran down Elizabeth’s spine. She took a sip of coffee to warm herself. “Right.”

  “You’re not still spooked by that place?” he asked her.

  “Not most days,” she told him. “But Halloween’s coming up.”

  “Ah, Halloween.” He smiled in the shadows. “Ghosts, goblins, and such.”

  “You’re not afraid of anything, are you?”

  He studied her a beat. “I wasn’t until recently.”

  “What are you scared of now?”

  Instead of answering, he reached out and took her hand. He waited a long time before answering. When he did, his voice was raspy. “Don’t go anywhere, all right?”

  A lump welled in her throat because she knew what he really meant. He’d never been afraid of much, and the only thing that troubled him now was the prospect of losing her. She squeezed his hand, thinking she didn’t want to lose him either. Not when it had taken her a lifetime to find him. The mood hung heavy with the moment, so neither one spoke. They just sat there together listening to the rain and watching the haze across the way.

  Chapter Eleven

  A few days later, Elizabeth and Claire were invited to dinner at Nathan’s house. It was the least he could do, he said, after the hospitality they’d extended him. Elizabeth pulled into the drive of the small cottage hedging the orchard. It sat high on a hill and was ringed by mountains. Far on a distant ridge, she saw the first hint of snow, dusting tall pines in white powder.

  “Nice, huh?” she said to Claire.

  “Sure beats the heck out of our view.”

  It was twilight, the sky turning a purple-gray hue in the setting sun.

  “Is it snowing up there?” Claire asked.

  “Looks like.”

  “Cool. Wonder if we’ll get any here?”

  The temperature had dropped quite a bit, and both were dressed in jackets. Still, Elizabeth thought it was premature for snow where they were. “Probably not yet.”

  They strode toward the house together, Elizabeth carrying a bottle of wine.

  Claire held a loaf of pumpkin bread that she’d made from scratch. “I won’t mind it when it comes.”

  “Me either,” Elizabeth said.

  Nathan opened the front door before they got there, apparently having heard them drive up.

  “Ladies… Well, what have we here?” he asked, accepting Claire’s foil-wrapped package.

  “She made it herself,” Elizabeth informed him.

  “Did you now?”

  “Pumpkin bread. With raisins. Hope you like it.”

  He smiled at Claire with appreciation. “I’m sure I’ll love it. Can’t think of any kind of sweet bread I love more.”

  He let them in and took their jackets, thanking Elizabeth for her bottle of wine. “Something smells delicious.”

  “Brunswick stew. I thought it would be good with it getting colder out.”

  “Sounds great,” Elizabeth said before Claire chimed in.

  “We saw snow up there!”

  “Snow?”

  “In the higher elevations,” Elizabeth explained.

  “That’s not unusual, I suppose. But we likely won’t get any here yet.”

  Claire’s face registered disappointment.

  “Don’t worry, young lady,” Nathan told her. “Once the winter sets in, you might be singing a different tune.”

  “I doubt it.”

  “Claire loves the snow. We didn’t get much in Richmond.”

  “Well, you’ll get plenty here.” Nathan led them to the cozy kitchen, where he’d set the table for three. It stood before a big bay window overlooking rows of apple trees.

  “All that yours?” Claire wanted to know.

  “The land is. But I’ve deeded the trees to Dan. He works them with the rest of his orchard, so I don’t have to worry about it.”

  “Do you get anything in exchange?” Elizabeth wondered.

  “All the apples a man could ask for.” He laughed and opened a pantry door, exposing row upon row of preserved applesauce.

  “Did you do all that yourself?” Elizabeth was impressed.

  “I’ve had some lon
g, lonely winters in Blayton.” He met her eyes, and she flushed and turned away.

  “You can take some home with you if you’d like. Mighty tasty heated up with pork chops.”

  “Or bacon and eggs?” Claire suggested.

  “Those too.”

  “Can we, Mom?”

  “Sounds like an offer we can’t refuse.” She glanced around the kitchen, spotting a large pot simmering on the stove and a tossed salad already made in a glass bowl on the counter. “Can we do anything to help?”

  “Just eat like you appreciate it.” He motioned for them to sit.

  “Are you sure?” Elizabeth asked. “At least let me open the wine.”

  “Okay,” he said with a wink. “If you insist.”

  They enjoyed a lovely meal as the sun went down and the landscape out the windows settled in shadows. Before long, it became dotted with flecks of white. “Guys, look!” Claire shouted happily.

  Elizabeth eyed the scenery in awe. “Beautiful.”

  “Don’t get too excited,” Nathan said, standing to clear their plates. “Doubt it will last.”

  And, much to the women’s disappointment, it didn’t. By the time they’d helped clean up and stood saying good-bye, it had already stopped. Elizabeth had been having such a good time she didn’t want the evening to end. The meal had been exquisite and the conversation among the three of them natural and easy. It was like one of those wooden puzzles with the different-shaped pegs and carved-out holes. Each of them fit in their own space, yet somehow they all worked together to complete a whole. Elizabeth was liking Nathan more and more, and she could tell Claire cared for him too. She never would have thought to make him pumpkin bread otherwise. She arrived at the idea all on her own.

  “Thanks for the treat,” he told Claire as they said good night on his front porch. “I can’t wait to have some for breakfast.”

  Claire smiled happily, and Elizabeth met his eyes.

  “Thank you,” she said, “for everything.” She had her jacket buttoned up against the chill and held two jars of applesauce.

  “Good night, Elizabeth. I’m awfully glad the two of you could come.”

  “We’ll have to do it again.”

  “When I don’t have so much homework,” Claire added.

  The three of them laughed.

  “Yes,” Nathan said. “We’ll work on that.”

  Elizabeth had already turned to leave when she spun back around.

  “Halloween’s this Friday,” she began with a hopeful gaze.

  His smile was sweet yet resigned. “Bernie and I are working. Busy night, even for this town. It will take the two of us to keep it running straight.”

  “Of course,” she said, feeling disappointed nonetheless.

  “We’ll be making our rounds,” he continued. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t check in on you during the night.”

  “We’ll be home handing out candy,” Elizabeth said.

  They were nearly to the SUV when he called out to Claire. “Save some candy bars for me!”

  He watched them drive away, a sudden melancholy in his heart. Nathan knew it made no sense to feel it, but he did just the same. Things seemed right when he was with the two of them. In some strange way, it was like they were always destined to be. One short month ago, he never could have imagined it. Now, it was hard to think of his life going forward without them. Elizabeth was extra special to him, but so was Claire. Nathan had never really known what it meant to be needed like a father. Though with Melody, he’d come close, he understood that he filled a different role for her. That of the loving uncle, which was just what Melody needed. Yet Claire didn’t have any uncles in the picture, from what Elizabeth had shared. She didn’t even have a surviving grandfather. Perhaps that was why she’d taken to Nathan the way she had. Even in becoming her mother’s friend, he’d filled some sort of void. If things were to deepen between him and Elizabeth, he might close a still-larger gap. Nathan swallowed hard as he realized what he was thinking. And what he was thinking of was a future with Elizabeth and Claire.

  “You could have kissed him good-bye, you know.”

  “What?”

  They followed the winding country road over a one-lane bridge, Elizabeth’s headlights leading the way.

  “Come on, Mom. It’s not like I don’t have eyes.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “I mean, you and the sheriff have been spending an awful lot of time together… Hanging out.”

  Elizabeth felt her cheeks color. “That doesn’t mean that—”

  “How old do you think I am, anyway?”

  “Fifteen.”

  “Sixteen, next month.”

  “Granted.”

  “That means I know.”

  Elizabeth glanced at her daughter. “Is this the voice of experience talking?” she asked, redirecting.

  “I might have kissed a boy…once. No, wait, hang on a minute. Make that two times.”

  “Claire Victoria!” Elizabeth exclaimed “Perry?”

  “Oh, Mom,” she said in a dreamy way. “Do you think it’s possible to fall in love at my age?”

  Elizabeth thought hard about this. “I think people fall in love at all kinds of ages. From the young to the very old.”

  “How about people your age?”

  Elizabeth pursed her lips a beat before answering. “I won’t lie to you and say I don’t care for Nathan.”

  “That’s good.”

  Claire settled back in her seat and offered nothing more.

  Elizabeth was too stunned to say much herself. There she was, unable to admit her true feelings to herself. And her fifteen-year-old daughter had nailed them.

  They drove the rest of their way home in silence, but there was a happy new camaraderie between them. Mother and daughter, both sharing their confidences. Each having an inkling of how the other one felt.

  Perry angled his body toward Claire and planted his palm against her locker. It was only nine in the morning, but already it couldn’t have been a better day. She’d never known a cuter boy. She’d never kissed one either. Fact was, she’d never kissed anybody before at all. And when Perry had done it, he’d rocked her world.

  “So,” he told her, “I was thinking I might stop by later. You know, to hear the rest of that song you’re writing for me?”

  “You’re such an egomaniac.”

  “I thought you liked that about me. The idea that I have confidence.”

  She repressed a grin but knew there were stars in her eyes. “Yeah, I do.”

  “And I,” he said, leaning closer, “like that about you.”

  “Two minutes!” Mrs. Carole said, striding past them. She clutched her teacher planner to her chest and walked in brisk steps.

  “Aye, aye!” Perry said, saluting her as she strode away.

  Claire giggled.

  “How is it that all the teachers here like you?”

  “Most of the teachers,” he confessed, “are female.”

  “What a player.” She gave an exaggerated sigh. “Don’t tell me you’re into cougar territory?”

  “Not a chance.”

  Joy and her friends passed by, and he waved to them.

  “Only one girl at Blayton’s caught my eye.”

  “So,” she said in a flirty way. “I was wondering about Friday…?”

  “That’s Halloween,” he said, growing serious.

  “I was thinking maybe you could come over? Help me give out candy? I know it sounds lame, but—”

  Perry dropped his hand. “I’m sorry, Claire. You don’t know how sorry I am. But we’re into full harvest time at the orchard, and I promised my uncle—”

  “I understand.”

  “If there was a way—”

  “No, really.”

  She met his eyes but still suspected her gaze was melancholy.

  “Tell you what,” he said, nudging her chin. “What if I drop by Saturday morning? Take you out for the day?”

  Clai
re’s mood brightened. “Where?”

  “Anywhere in the world you’d like to go.”

  “That leaves things wide open.”

  “Just think about it,” he said as the first-period bell rang.

  Janet stared at Bernie agape when he walked in the Dollar Store. “What are you doing here?”

  “Visiting.”

  “You never visit when I’m working.”

  “I know.”

  He began surveying the aisles as if he was searching for something, but Janet knew differently.

  “Bernie, what’s going on?”

  “I made a decision this morning,” he said, “and I wanted you to know about it.”

  “Huh?”

  “I think we should have kids.”

  Janet turned fifty shades of pale. “Were you out drinking last night?”

  “No! I had the night beat. You know that.”

  She glanced around the store. Only a few patrons were there, and they were way in the back, sifting through the sales bin. Two for a dollar. That was a deal.

  “Then what’s this all about?”

  Bernie walked right up to her and set his hands on the counter. “I’m done messing around.” She blinked but he kept going. “I mean it. I know I haven’t always been the best husband. I mean, I’ve supported you when I could—”

  She reached out and touched his arm. “Did you take your morning supplements?”

  “Yeah, yeah.” He shook his head. “Are you even listening to me?”

  “I’m listening.” She looked at him askance. “But forgive me for saying you’re coming off a little weird.”

  This was a new one, Bernie thought but didn’t say. Instead, his voice rose with emotion. “Baby, I realize what I’ve been doing wrong.”

  She fingered the crystal hanging on a hemp chain around her neck. “Huh?”

  “It’s true,” he said with earnest eyes. “I haven’t valued you the way I should. But I understand it all now. I get you.”

  Her beautiful eyes widened.

  “You’re a little bit quirky, a little bit out there—”

  “Hey!”

  “But, darling, there’s nobody on this earth I’d rather be with. Nobody I know who would make a finer mom. That’s why I threw out my last cigarette last night.”