Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Essie woke up with her face smashed against her tablet.
Pushing herself up on her elbows, she groaned at the time displayed on the screen.
Five a.m. She didn’t miss waking up early to beat the traffic on the way to her downtown office.
Today, she’d meet with the lawyer before figuring out what to do with herself.
Her stuffed penguin laid perfectly content on the pillows. Jealous of his ability to snooze, she muttered, “Sleep on, Tux. No one should be up at this hour.”
Rolling out of bed, Essie dragged herself to the attached bathroom.
She flipped on the light and heard the distinctive pop of a bulb breaking.
The final lightbulb, because she’d ignored the other two that had given up over the last week.
In the dark, she used the bathroom and splashed water on her face. She’d have to shower later.
The results of her investigations the previous evening rolled around in her brain.
Essie had read a lot of completely intriguing information on the internet.
Probably nothing that would help, but the number of reports from people who regularly talked to ghosts astonished her.
Reading all those accounts had reassured Essie that if she was losing her mind, at least she had a lot of company.
She dragged on her old, battered robe and stepped into her equally abused slippers before heading for caffeine.
The newfangled coffee maker she’d brought with her when she moved here would provide her with delicious caffeine to at least energize her day.
Essie opened her bedroom door to find Marmalade staring intently at her and took a step backward.
“Hi, kitty. Were you waiting for me?”
Doors didn’t seem to lock Marmalade out of any room he wanted to get into.
She’d woken several times to find him curled up on the pillow next to hers.
With a silent meow, Marmalade stood and walked down the hallway.
When she didn’t fall into place behind him immediately, the orange tabby looked back to scowl at her.
“I’m coming.” Essie forced herself to move faster.
She followed him to the last corner into the kitchen and stared at the empty room. Turning in a circle in the room, she tried to spot where he was hiding. “Treat?” she offered, trying to lure him out.
When long seconds passed with no reappearance of the furry creature, Essie shook her head and walked toward the shiny coffee maker. Why had he led her down here? Silly cat.
With ease stemming from practice, Essie ground the coffee beans and steamed some milk. The fancy device cranked out a fragrant brew that she could taste without inhaling a sip. Breathing in deeply, Essie lifted the cup to her lips.
“I’ll take one of those,” a familiar voice growled.
A shriek burst from her lips as she slammed the cup back to the counter. Deep brown liquid splashed onto the countertop. Whirling, Essie stared at her early morning visitor. His lips twitched in amusement.
“Not expecting me?”
“For fuck’s sake, Zander! Of course, I wasn’t expecting you. The sun isn’t even up yet,” Essie said in exasperation as she pressed a hand to her chest to calm her thudding heart. “How did you get in?”
“Your aunt gave me an emergency key.”
“A caffeine craving isn’t an emergency, Zander.”
He didn’t argue as he scanned her, and she closed her eyes in embarrassment as she tugged the edges of the garment together at her throat.
The thin flannel robe probably clung to every roll on her body.
The slippers her neighbor’s Rottweiler had chewed on, clung to life by a few threads.
Darn dog. He’d stolen them off her feet one morning at the mailbox.
Wrestling them away from Killer had taken several minutes.
Essie lifted a hand to her hair. Was it sticking up more on one side than the other? Kill me now.
To give herself a chance to pull herself together, Essie repeated her brewing process to create a fresh cup.
She carried both to the table and sat down across from the man she refused to notice seemed well-rested and still too handsome for his own good.
“Why are you here, Zander? You haven’t talked to me since our mothers decided our friendship wasn’t appropriate. ”
“Did you miss me at all?” he asked.
Did he sound like he regretted losing their relationship? She’d always figured he’d easily moved on. Essie squashed the burst of hope that blossomed in her chest. “Of course not. Besides, you were too busy dating Mary Lou Jenkins.”
“Oh, yes. She was the head cheerleader.”
Was he trying to piss her off? Essie hadn’t attended school in this town. With her lack of coordination and aversion to short skirts that revealed her chubby thighs, she couldn’t have been a cheerleader even if she’d wanted to join the squad. And she hadn’t.
“Your love life survived just fine, I’m sure, Zander. I’d think you’d be ready to thank me for interrupting your teenage fling. Mary Lou has nine children, and each of them is worse than Nelson ever was.”
“True. The poor woman runs the children’s choir. She never had that nervous twitch when we were young,” Zander said.
Delighted laughter exploded from Essie’s lips. When the sound died out, Essie couldn’t help but notice that worry lines creased Zander’s forehead. “Why are you here, Zander?”
“Your aunt promised to sell me her property and land. I came to find out if you’ll honor her word.”
“Zander….” Essie struggled to figure out what to say. In her heart, she was positive Ferguson’s Folly was where she was supposed to be. Not for a short time but for her life. Whatever claim he thought he had wouldn’t change her mind.
“That’s what I was afraid of,” Zander muttered, shaking his head.
“I haven’t had my final meeting with Mr. Woods or read the letter my aunt left me. Can you understand I can’t… I can’t figure out what my aunt wanted me to do until I see everything through.”
He stared at her hard before nodding. “You aren’t saying no immediately. I’m going to take that as a win.”
“I’m not saying yes either, Zander,” Essie warned.
“But that’s still not a no.” Zander set his hands on the tabletop and pushed himself up to stand. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“That’s not much time for me to make any decisions, Zander.”
“That’s all I have.”
“What does that mean?” Essie searched his face, concerned by his statement. Was he ill? In trouble?
“I have a herd and crops planted on your land. I’ll need some notice to move the cattle somewhere. Tomorrow, Essie.” He stopped and scanned her face. His lips twitched at the corners. “I’d come later, but I wouldn’t want to miss this excellent coffee.” Zander drank deeply and set his cup down.
The door closed behind him before she could come up with a snappy response. Why couldn’t she ever think fast enough to say something amazing? Essie took a sip of her coffee. She couldn’t look that bad. He would have commented on her appearance.
“Thanks for dropping by. Call next time,” she announced to the now empty room. That’s a pretty good response.
“You want me to call before make you breakfast?” Sara asked, walking into the room. She stopped and stared at Essie. Her eyes grew larger as she spotted the second coffee cup on the table. “You entertained company?”
Self-conscious, Essie lifted a hand to smooth her hair. “Is it that bad?”
“Oh, honey,” Sara said. “Did you sleep standing on your head? Esther ordered some fancy satin pillowcases one year. I’ll have to remember where I stashed those when Esther decided the wrinkle-preventing, hair-protecting silky fabric wasn’t worth picking her pillow off the floor each time it slipped off the bed while she slept. ”
“I have wrinkles?” Essie said in horror.
“Of course not, Essie.” Sara leaned in closer to peer at Essie’s skin. “Well, not too many at least. You’re only twenty-eight. Let me make you something to eat, and you can get ready for your appointment with Mr. Woods.”
“That’s several hours from now.” Essie pointed out.
Sara didn’t comment but simply bustled around the kitchen. Soon, the entire room smelled amazing. As Essie devoured the delicious meal, she gathered her courage. She needed to read the letter before she met with the lawyer.
Remembering the burnt-out lightbulbs, she asked Sara, “Do you have any bulbs in the house? The last one in my bathroom died.”
“Oh, that explains everything,” Sara muttered. “I’ll bring some up for you.”
“Thanks, Sara.”
Halfway back to her room, Essie snapped her fingers in annoyance. Crap! She’d forgotten to confiscate Zander’s key. Shaking her head at the number of things that had gone wrong in one morning, she dragged herself back up the stairs.
Once back in her room, Essie climbed onto her messy bed with the envelope.
She opened the flap, pulled out the missive inside, and smiled at her aunt’s beautiful handwriting filling the page.
A few shaky spots caught Essie’s eye, cluing her in that her aunt had written this recently.
Esther had always had the most elegant scrolling penmanship.
Essie had tried for years to copy her graciously looping script.
My beloved Essie,
Thank you for being such a cherished part of my life. I would have loved to have had a daughter just like you if Edmund and I had been blessed with children. I’ll admit I secretly imagined you were my own.
Thank you for coming to stay with me when an old lady needed you the most. Your love and companionship made my last years so happy.
Essie paused to wipe the tears from her cheeks. She missed her aunt so much. Swallowing hard, she continued.
Ferguson’s Folly is yours. I hope you will adore our home as much as I have all these years. I’m guessing by the time you read this letter, Edmund will have started talking to you. Heed his words, but remember there could always be a secondary meaning.
Essie looked up from the letter and replayed her conversation with Edmund. Nothing had seemed secretive, but her aunt would not have mentioned that without a reason. Essie would pay more attention.
Here’s the bad news. Maintaining an estate the size of Ferguson’s Folly is expensive. After the expenses of taking care of Sara’s future and buying off Nelson’s plans to contest my Will, you may struggle with the finances. I am so sorry, Essie.
To give you an out, I did entertain Zander Templeton’s offer to buy the property.
Take a few days to go over the finances and make the wisest decision for yourself.
I will share that no zoning laws rule what can and cannot be done with the estate.
The building and the land can be used for whatever purpose suits you.
Essie had trusted Zander wasn’t making up his arrangement with her aunt.
Would Esther have allowed him to think the sale was imminent?
Probably. She hadn’t enjoyed dealing with the nitty grittiness of business.
Mr. Woods always handled the details for her.
Essie could see her speaking to Zander about the possibility of the purchase without committing to it.
On the other hand, Zander was efficient and concrete.
If Esther spoke to him about selling, he might very well conclude it was a done deal.
If I could give you a small nudge in one direction, I’d remind you how much fun we had together doing special activities: tea parties, dances for your friends, birthday parties in the garden—even weddings for your stuffies.
You are an extremely creative and brilliant young woman.
Perhaps now is the ideal time for you to explore that wish you had to plan events.
Ferguson’s Folly could become the perfect setting to create happiness for so many.
What? Essie reread that paragraph. How had her aunt suspected she’d fantasized about putting together elaborate celebrations? That had literally been her dream since childhood.
Desperately missing Esther, Essie raised her eyes toward the ceiling and sent love toward her aunt in heaven.
Of course Aunt Esther had known. Her insight had astonished Essie on so many occasions about people’s intentions and motivations.
If Esther liked someone, they were trustworthy and good to the core.
Her mind raced with the possibilities. Ferguson’s Folly was a gorgeous location with the manor house and gardens. Some details remained to iron out, like parking, expanding restrooms, adding an event kitchen. Ooo! And an outdoor dining area.
The paper crinkled in her hands as she pulled the letter to her heart without thinking. “Oh, no!” Essie rushed to uncrumple the stationery and finish reading.
By now, you’ve either wadded this letter up for the trash, or you’ve started making the most delicious plans. I wish I could be there to help and celebrate as you make your dreams come true.
Aunt Esther
She stared at the familiar signature, mind boggled by the contents but sad she’d finished her aunt’s last message to her. Essie carefully folded the letter and slid it back into the envelope.
“Essie! Shouldn’t you leave for your meeting in a few minutes?” Sara’s voice called through the door.
“Oh, crap! Thanks!”
Essie skyrocketed into action and pulled on clothes before racing into the bathroom to put on makeup.
With sunlight now flooding the room, she came to a screeching halt as she glimpsed herself in the mirror.
Unable to process that anyone had seen her like this, Essie refused to replay Zander’s expressions as she tamed her wild hair sticking out in all directions on one side while smooshed on the other and removed the smears of makeup from her face. She’d never be able to face him again.