Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
MAGGIE
A WEEK AFTER MOVING IN…
In the span of a week, I’d given up on the list of contractors Alice had given me.
It quickly became clear that everyone I’d contacted possessed little to no experience in restoration work.
In the very least, not the kind I wasn’t able to perform myself.
I needed a properly functioning kitchen, and stat.
To dispel my mounting frustration, I set about what I could do myself: a sort of feel-good project.
I was going to restore that room I planned on using as my home office and writing den, starting with refinishing all the wood in the space.
Then I would head back to that home improvement store I’d been in a few days ago, when I’d rented the drum sander and a few other tools, and I’d purchase that beautiful wallpaper I’d spotted as well as some paint.
The project made sense to me, since I knew it wouldn’t be too long before my editor came calling, asking about my latest pitch on a new manuscript.
Even though I’d recently begun to come up with my next idea, I hadn’t even begun plotting.
Luckily, I’d have at least another week before Eleanor returned from an overdue family vacation.
I’d just finished giving the molding in the parlor its last coat of polyurethane when my staunchest supporters and best friends came walking in.
“We’ve got treats!” Serena called out, walking to the makeshift table I’d created in the middle of the foyer with two sawhorses and an old door I’d found up against a wall in one of the upstairs rooms. She deposited her purse and box of pastries on it as Alice did the same with the cardboard drink carton she carried.
“Still unaccompanied by help, I see,” Alice observed, her tone holding no judgment.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I huffed my frustration as I studied my friend. “I can’t be helped when those I contact just aren’t qualified for what I need them for,” I told her.
“Did you work your way through the whole list?” Serena asked as she grabbed one of the coffees and handed it to me.
I shook my head, accepting the drink while Alice pilfered her own.
“No. I sorted them all out by trades because I know I’ll be able to use some of them at some point.
The kitchen’s my biggest concern right now,” I told them, taking a sip of my drink and sighing. “This is fantastic. Thank you, ladies.”
“Don’t mention it,” Serena winked, nodding her head toward the box of goodies that remained next to the empty drink tray. “Before you delve into the sugar part of your diet, why don’t you tell us how the office/library is coming?”
“I figure I’ll be able to start with painting the ceiling and do the wallpaper by tonight,” I announced with a big ol’ grin on my face. The sense of pride was almost overwhelming. “Come and check it out, but shoes off because I haven’t sealed the floors yet,” I warned.
After the oohs and ahhs, Alice was the first to ask, “So, how long before we get to shop for the furniture for this space?”
Serena elbowed our friend but nodded as excitedly as I believed we all felt to see the first room in my new place come to completion.
“Well, after the paint and wallpaper, I’ll have a final coat of sealer to apply to the floor. Barring touchups, it’ll be a couple of days for that to cure before I can even begin to move furniture in. I already have a few items, but how about Friday afternoon?”
“Perfect,” Alice said, and Serena grinned and added, “And I’ll even cook you a meal after all of that shopping so you can feel like you’ve had a taste of home instead of all this takeout you’ve been complaining about.”
“Deal!”
JAMES
It had been a week since I’d discovered the unfortunate news about the Sterling estate. I’d given the old place a wide berth this entire time because it stung even when I thought about having lost out on such an amazing place.
Imagine my dismay when my truck aimed itself in that same old direction as if it were old muscle memory, while I daydreamed after a job interview for a foreman position I didn’t even want. This happenstance was ultimately made worse when my wheels decided to stall out on me.
After trying the ignition a couple of times, not wanting to flood the engine, I slammed a hand onto the steering wheel, unclasped my belt, pulled the hood release, and threw the driver’s side door open.
“This is all I fucking need, dammit!” I spat my grievance, throwing the hood up, and began my search for the offending part that now had me stuck in a lost dream.
UNKNOWN
“I was wondering when I’d see you two again,” I said, standing on the road’s edge, knowing that if I took another two steps further, I’d be met with that elastic band snapping feeling, jolting me back into my old bedroom.
It was some odd cosmic thing that kept me chained to my property.
I supposed it could be worse; I could be stuck in the house only and unable to commune with nature.
The woman’s eyes widened when she realized I was looking straight at her and not the man she was with. “You can see me?”
My brows furrowed as I felt my confusion mount. “I think I should be the one asking you that question, sweetheart.” I grinned. “You can see me?”
The woman nodded, glancing over at Jamie, and an air of sadness crept over her demeanor. In that moment, I understood.
“I’m sorry, doll.” I bit my lip. Realizing I was most likely the first ‘departed’ she’d come across since her death, I decided a formal introduction would be best. Sticking out my hand in her direction, I smiled. “I’m Robert. Robert Sterling, but some people call me Bobby.”
She hesitantly reached out. “Emelia Sullivan.”
“Ms. Sullivan…” my voice trailed to a stop the moment I wrapped my hand around hers.
I wasn’t the only one to feel the shock the moment our hands made contact, judging by her gasp.
The jolt dissipated rather quickly once I released her.
Clearing my throat, I bowed my head respectfully.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Sullivan. ”
I hadn’t been on the receiving end of a giggle like that in far too long. “Just Emelia, please.”
“Very well then, Emelia.” Taking a step back and sticking my hands in my pockets, I let my curiosity get the better of me. “Can I ask why it is you two are always stopping here?”
The mischievous grin that spread onto the woman’s face had me wondering if I should have kept to myself instead of meddling.
“Let me do you one better, Mr. Sterling,” she whispered conspiratorially.
“I’ll even let you in on helping me make my big brother’s dream come true.
The only thing I need right now is to facilitate an introduction between your home’s owner and him.
” She nodded her head toward Jamie, whose hands were on his hips as he shook his head helplessly.
“Gonna have to call a tow,” he muttered to himself.
The man pulled a flat object that lit up from his back pocket. I recognized it as being a modern-day telephone thanks to seeing Maggie walking around and talking at or into it over the last week.
“Let’s see if this works,” I said as Jamie proceeded to walk toward me, and I waved my hand over the device as he tapped on numbers. The device’s screen went black.
“What the fuck?” Jamie cursed.
“What a mouth, brother,” Emelia scolded her sibling. “You kissed your mama with that thing?” That garnered a chuckle from me, which gained me her attention. “What did you do?”
“You know those ghost television shows people seem to be addicted to?” I began explaining.
Emelia’s gaze went wide, and she began to jump with excitement. “You mean that actually works, you sucked the energy out of it?”
I nodded, smirking.
“Mister, you’re going to have to show me how to do that, and sooner rather than later,” she demanded playfully.