Chapter 9
“What is that?” I mumble as I reach down into the dark space without a second thought.
Jameson leans down beside me.
It’s a large old jewelry box and a few loose items around it. Hidden in an attic. It must have been something important. Obviously things someone didn’t want found.
But as I pull the items out, nothing seems nefarious.
There’s a locket with no picture inside.
A very old-fashioned hairbrush. An old, rusty key—the kind you saw as a kid and thought must unlock some secret door that leads to a magical hidden garden.
Or was that just me who watched The Secret Garden too many times?
I pull out a few old photos of the same young, beautiful woman, probably from around the sixties.
She looks late teens, maybe early twenties. No name, no date.
“Hmm.” Jameson crouches beside me, observing as I sort through it.
“What do you think? Nothing crazy. No bones or murder weapons.”
“You really are a horror fan, huh?”
“Hey, I like a fluffy, cozy romance just as much. It’s all about balance,” I retort.
“If you say so.”
He’s looking at me. I’m looking at him. And he has really dark eyelashes. Suddenly, the air seems thicker in this eerie attic.
“Where is your accent from?” I ask quietly. An urge to know more about him washes over me. He’s a huge mystery, and for some reason, it feels like he’s been flirting with me since we met up this morning.
“You can hear it?” He rubs a hand along his jaw. “Most people don’t notice.”
“It’s very subtle.”
He nods, looking down. “My parents were from Ireland.”
“I’m…sorry.”
He shakes his head. “Don’t be. They were a little older.” Then he rises, holding out a hand to me. “Want to get out of this creepy house?”
“Yes.” I’m about to take his hand and stand, but I gaze back down at the box. After a moment’s hesitation, I snatch it up, stuffing the loose items in there, and slide the floorboard back into place.
Jameson raises an eyebrow.
“What?” I smirk and shrug.
“You don’t find that box creepy?”
“No. It doesn’t feel creepy like the house. Besides, I like old things.”
“Okay then. Noted.”