My Inherited House Might be Haunted

Eighteen

Calix

While Rhett and Chelsea cleared the house of ghosts, I skedaddled back to my apartment. I had two goals: pack an overnight bag so I could stay (and sex up) Rhett and make sure Pepper was fed and okay. It had been over a day since I’d seen her, after all.

Rhett had said I could bring Pepper over with me, if I wanted, which I thought was a fine idea. I was sure she’d love a whole house to clean and putter around in. Sometimes I think she got a little bored up in my apartment because it was on the small side and she just didn’t have a lot to do to keep her occupied.

I opened the door, calling as I came in, “Hey, Pepper, I’m home! I’m actually home only for a few minutes. I’m heading back to Rhett’s. Would you like to—”

I rounded the foyer area and into the main room and that’s when I realized Pepper was not home alone.

Brownies.

Yes, plural, because in the single day that I’d been gone, I’d somehow acquired more Brownies. One…two…three…four more in fact.

The hell?!

Pepper squeaked out a hello and hopped off the window bench, running for me with her face shining in excitement.

I caught her up in the crook of my arm automatically, balancing her with my other hand, as she was only palm sized. “Uh, who…? Is this your family?”

She nodded eagerly, still beaming, then she turned her head and gestured toward the Brownie with a long grey beard.

“I am Grey,” he introduced with a bow. “My granddaughter was lost from us when she found your shop.”

“Oh! Uh, Calix. Nice to meet you.” This now made much more sense why I’d found her in such a desperate state. A lost child—it was obvious in retrospect. “I called her Pepper, but what’s her name?”

“She is too young for the Naming yet, so Pepper is fine.”

I had a feeling there was a whole cultural/procedural thing with naming a Brownie, and you know what, I wasn’t getting into it. Maybe later, when I had spare processing power.

“Sure, thanks. Um. So are you here to get her, or…?”

A Brownie with equally grey hair up in a bun and a ragged dress on stepped closer to me. “We were searching for a safe house when we lost our granddaughter. She assures us this place is very safe, and we are welcome here, but…”

“You are more than welcome,” I assured her. “Trust me, you’re a delight to have here.”

All four of them relaxed immediately, smiling in return.

“Who else do we have here?”

The old woman gestured toward herself first. “River. This is my daughter, Willow. My son-in-law, Woods.”

“Nice to meet everyone.” I could see in a glance the family resemblance. Pepper looked very much like her father, just more delicate in features. “Um, when you say safe house, do you mean any house safe to go to?”

Grey shook his head. “We were told of a grand witch’s house in this town, but we’re struggling to find it.”

Call me crazy but I had a really good hunch which house they were looking for.

“Big black Victorian house that’s famous for passing ghosts along, by chance?”

They lit up with eagerness, crowding around my legs.

“You know of it!” River tugged at my jeans. “Please, where is it?”

“Oh, I know exactly where it is. The owner’s a technomage. His great-aunt was a witch, hence the rumors of it being owned by a witch. Tell you what, why don’t you come with me? I’m packing a bag so I can stay overnight with him. I’ll introduce you all, and you can bargain with him to claim the house as your own.”

“That sounds splendid. Pepper, come down. We must help him pack.”

I set her down, then led the way into my bedroom. Let me tell you, five Brownies can pack you in a minute flat. I barely got a word in edgewise. Then I gathered everyone up and loaded them into the car. I debated calling Rhett to give him a heads-up, but this was one of those moments where I really wanted to surprise him. His reaction was sure to be kodak gold.

I drove back to his house, slinging my duffle bag over my shoulder and carrying Pepper in because if she had a history of getting lost, I wasn’t leaving any opportunities open.

Myst opened the door for us—now when did he learn to open doors?—and we waltzed right in like we owned the place.

“Rhett!” I called. “I bring visitors!”

Rhett popped out of the study, his great-aunt’s instruction manual/journal in his hand. He must have been reading while I was out. His eyes flew wide at the sight of five Brownies, jaw dropping. Dammit, I should have had my phone in hand. It really was priceless seeing how stunned he was.

I gave myself a second to enjoy the sight before explaining.

“This is Pepper’s family. She was separated from them while they were looking for your house. They’d heard it was a safe house to be.”

“Oh! Oh, right, sure.” Rhett came in closer, going down on one knee and offering a hand. “Hi, I’m Rhett.”

Grey reached up to clasp a finger and shake. “Grey. This is my wife, River. My daughter Willow and my son-in-law, Woods. Calix said you knew our Pepper.”

“I sure do. Well, I know of her. She helped me with my familiars once. Hi, Pepper.”

Pepper gave him a shy wave and smile.

Grey straightened, turning very businesslike. “Sir Mage. We would like to offer our services.”

Oh wow. He wasn’t wasting any time.

I opened my mouth to coach Rhett on how to respond, but he wasn’t looking at me.

“I believe I understand what you’re offering. As long as I provide room and board, you’ll clean and maintain the house, is that right?”

“That is correct.”

“That’s an amazing offer. Honestly, this house is a bit big for me to manage on my own, especially when I have the shop, too.”

“You have a shop?” Willow stepped up next to her father, sounding intrigued.

“I sure do. Right next to Calix’s shop, actually.”

The Brownies all looked at each other, a silent conversation going on between them. Then Grey nodded, like he was in agreement, and turned back to Rhett.

“We will clean and maintain your shop as well. Calix’s apartment and shop are already under contract with us, so it won’t be hard.”

“That seems like…a lot. Even with five of you. It actually feels unfair, in a way.”

Rhett glanced up at me, and I encouraged him with a silent wave of the fingers. He was doing fine. I clearly did not need to give my input.

“How about this? You can choose which bedrooms you want as your own upstairs. Mine is the back bedroom, the one overlooking the garden, but the others are yours to do as you like.”

Grey did a double take. “You’ll give us a whole room?!”

“Room s ,” Rhett corrected, emphasizing the s . “Two married couples with a child? I’m sure you want space from each other at times. You can decorate them as you like, just move whatever furniture you don’t like to the basement or attic or something. Plus you have free range of the kitchen, and I’ll give you five hundred dollars worth of spending money every month. Just tell me what you want, and I’ll buy it for you. Deal?”

Grey latched on to Rhett’s hand before he could even finish that last syllable. “Done.”

Wow. He’d been generous by Brownie terms. No wonder Grey was latching on to him. Hell, I would have too, in his shoes.

Myst came over, nosing at the Brownies, tail wagging. Woods reached up to pat him, seemingly entranced by this giant beast.

“Your familiar is offering to show us around. May we?” he asked in a surprisingly deep voice.

“Please do. This is home now. His name is Myst, by the way. I have another familiar, Lucy, a fluffy black cat. Oh, and don’t mind the ghosts, they’re mostly passing through.”

“We will handle it,” River assured him. “Thank you, Master Rhett.”

“Pleasure having you.” Rhett beamed back at her.

I set Pepper down and she moved off with her family, who were obviously giddy about exploring this huge house they could now call home. I was relieved my apartment and shop weren’t going to be abandoned because I’d be sad to go back to cleaning. Pepper had clearly told them of our agreement and the family chose to honor it. I was glad.

Rhett threw his arms around my waist, hugging me, his eyes warm and tinged with laughter.

“I thank you for bringing me a live-in cleaning crew. God knows I need them.”

“You’re welcome. Honestly, I got the surprise of my life when I came home to find a whole family of Brownies.”

“I bet.”

From somewhere in the back of the house, River’s voice rose in a sharp command.

“GHOST! DON’T YOU DARE LEAVE THAT WINDOW OPEN! I WON’T BE CHASING FLIES BECAUSE OF YOUR CARELESSNESS!”

Rhett and I both started laughing, hanging off each other.

“Well,” Rhett choked out, “one thing’s for sure. With Grandma River around, the house will be kept in immaculate condition.”

“And the ghosts don’t stand a chance against her,” I agreed, still laughing.

If nothing else, the Brownie vs. Ghost wars should be entertaining.