Chapter 6 #2
Avery took in Jesse’s devastated, worried expression for a moment, then added, “I’m sorry, Jesse.”
“Well, at least I have some idea of what I’m dealing with here,” Jesse said. “So far Lucy hasn’t seen him since that night. If we’re lucky, he’ll just go vanish and leave everybody alone.”
“I hope so. I really do,” Avery said. “Let me know if there’s anything else I can do.”
Jesse smiled gratefully. “Thanks, Avery.” He had to fight the natural, friendly urge to clap his friend on the back. Even as a former ghost himself, it was easy to forget the rules. “I really appreciate all your help. Well, I better get back. See ya soon.”
Avery nodded. Jesse followed his gaze as Avery watched Remy in the distance as she guided her tourists onto the bus. He stared at her with an agonized look of longing.
I know, man, Jesse thought as he walked away. I know exactly how you feel.
Jesse climbed aboard the bus and looked at Remy. She sat in the front seat staring out the window.
“Remy? You all right?”
Remy glanced up at Jesse. He could swear she was close to tears.
“I don’t think Avery’s interested in me after all.” She shrugged, pretending it was no big deal. He could see the pain and disappointment in her eyes.
Oh Remy, I’m so sorry, Jesse thought. This is all my fault.
So much for protecting the women in his life.
* * *
Avery waited until no one was looking and then went invisible. He knew he had completely blown his talk with Remy today, and he wanted to sulk in private. He sat down in front of the big, stone monument where he usually spoke with her and looked out across the battlefield.
Remy.
Avery pictured her sweet smile and bright blue eyes. Though he loved talking with her, those brief moments during the day only seemed to increase his desire for her. He wanted to spend as much time with her as he could, but he was running out of things to say.
He was angry at himself for being so awkward and tongue-tied today.
He was nothing like the man Remy met that first time, when he’d managed to charm her with sweet words in Irish.
There was so much he wanted to say, but his entire past was off limits.
She had no idea who he really was, so he couldn’t talk about his family, the war, or anything else that happened before he met her.
He couldn’t talk about his current life, because he wasn’t even alive.
He wasn’t employed as a tour guide like she thought he was, and a ghost hardly has any hobbies to discuss.
Avery was at a loss. He didn’t know what to say to Remy, but he couldn’t bear to leave things the way he had this afternoon. He needed to see her again. And he wasn’t about to wait until tomorrow’s tour.
* * *
Though Remy normally enjoyed giving ghost tours, tonight her heart wasn’t in it. She smiled and put on a brave face as she stood before her excited tourists, determined to show them a good time. She knew it wouldn’t be easy.
She was tired after being on her feet all day with the daytime tours, but that was nothing new.
Now she was also emotionally exhausted. She couldn’t help but be angry at Avery for leading her on.
He had been so sweet and charming when she first met him, and he seemed to show genuine interest in her.
Now Remy felt like a fool for fantasizing that he might be her first real boyfriend.
Sure, he seemed to go out of his way to talk to her, but he never took it further than casually chatting.
Remy was angry at him, but she still wanted to be with him. She couldn’t help it.
Well, he doesn’t want me. At least not in that way. We’re friends, and that’s that.
“Welcome, everyone! Let’s go ahead and get started.”
Remy’s smile became less forced and more genuine when she looked out at the enthusiastic faces before her. She really did want her group to have a good time. She enjoyed her work as a tour guide, and she realized that working tonight would be a welcome distraction.
As per her routine, she scrutinized her group. She needed to size them up in order to determine which type of tour to give them. A crowd of teenagers would get the scarier tour, whereas a group of younger kids would get the toned-down version. There was a fairly even mix tonight.
“Okay! So here we are standing in front of the legendary Farnsworth House Inn.” With that, Remy gestured toward the house just behind them.
The small, brick building now served as an inn with a restaurant attached next door.
“The house was built in 1810 and is now notorious for being one of the most haunted inns in America!”
People turned around to look, some taking pictures.
“The attic upstairs housed Confederate sharpshooters during the battle,” Remy continued. “And it is believed that the bullet that killed Jennie Wade, the civilian woman who was shot in her kitchen while baking bread for the soldiers, came from that very attic.”
Remy always felt a kinship with Jennie, mainly because she spent so much time dressed as her during the bus tours. She always felt bad for Jennie, who was only twenty when she died. Remy was only twenty-two, and she couldn’t imagine the tragedy of such a short life.
“There are at least twelve ghosts that are known to inhabit the Farnsworth grounds,” Remy informed her group. “Two of the most beloved are Mary and Jeremy. Mary is a motherly type who likes to care for the guests staying at the inn whether they want her to or not!”
Gentle laughter came up from the crowd. It was a good group tonight. They seemed engaged, listening, rather than being distracted by their cell phones or talking among themselves.
“When you smell the scent of roses, you know that Mary is near.”
Remy stifled a giggle when she saw most of the group members drawing in deep breaths, hoping to catch a whiff of Mary’s floral scent.
There was something to the power of suggestion.
It amazed Remy how frequently guests claimed to smell roses, pipe smoke, or even the stench of rotting bodies left over from the war.
People also cried out in surprise, terror even, claiming that someone or something had touched them in the dark.
Though Remy didn’t believe for one moment that any of these things had really occurred, she knew that her guests believed.
And, since this was a ghost tour, after all, Remy encouraged such experiences.
“Mary has been known to put a cool, soothing hand on the foreheads of guests at the inn who are feeling ill. She has even pulled up the covers over shivering people in their beds!”
Remy usually got lots of smiles on that story. Oh, yes. People wanted to believe.
“As for Jeremy, he’s a lovable little scamp! He’s a little boy who was killed in a tragic carriage accident in the 1860s.”
Remy felt a twinge of sorrow every time she told that story.
It didn’t matter how long ago the boy had died.
It was still terribly sad. Legend was that Jeremy’s father also haunted the house.
Naturally, Remy didn’t believe a word of that.
The real, historical story alleged that his father was so heartbroken that Jeremy’s body had to be forcibly taken from him because he couldn’t bear to let go.
It brought tears to Remy’s eyes whenever she thought about it.
“Jeremy loves to play with visitors, and many guests of the inn leave toys for him. There’s even a special drawer in the house where we keep his toys. They rarely stay in the same place for long. Jeremy frequently moves his things around during the night.”
Remy enjoyed the nods and wide-eyed looks for a moment, then turned on her heel. “Okay, the next stop is the Grove, which is just behind Gettysburg Middle School. This way,” she said as she led her group forward.
She began walking, then gasped when she saw Avery. Remy wondered how long he had been standing there, watching. She had to keep walking because the group was following her, but Avery fell into step with her.
“D’ya mind terribly if I join your group for a bit? I don’t have a ticket,” Avery said with a grin.
Remy glanced back at the ghost tour headquarters building. As long as her boss wasn’t around it was okay.
“Of course!” Remy said, a ripple of excitement going through her. She couldn’t believe Avery was here. Just when she had given up on him.
Avery glanced at the black, knee-length dress she always wore on ghost tours. “You look different without your clothes. I-I mean, I didn’t mean….”
Remy laughed softly. He was adorable when he was nervous. “I know what you mean,” she said kindly, doing her best to put him at ease. “You mean you’ve never seen me dressed as Remy Waters as opposed to Jennie Wade.”
“Yes. ‘Zactly,” he said.
Remy glanced at Avery’s Confederate uniform. “So did you not have time to change after work, or do you just like being dressed like that?”
“A bit of both, I suppose!” Avery said.
Remy glanced back and did a quick head count, making sure she had everyone with her.
“You ever been on one of these ghost tours?” she asked him.
“Nope. Seen them around, but I’ve never officially been on one. Woulda joined one much sooner if I’d known they had such lovely guides,” Avery said.
Remy smiled. “Each tour varies depending on the tourists. I have different stories I tell based on who’s in my group.” She glanced back at the group and said quietly, “Okay, see that blonde lady all the way on the left?”
Avery nodded.
“She’s afraid. I figure that guy with her dragged her on the tour, but I don’t think she wants to be here. Plus, I have some younger kids here tonight. So I’ll give this group the more family-friendly version.”
“That’s very kind of you, Remy,” Avery said.
She shrugged, but she was thrilled with his compliment.