Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
DANIEL
Skye shifts slightly, like he’s trying to get more comfortable, and I can’t say I blame him. This picnic table wasn’t made for two adults to lie on it side by side. Half my body is hanging off, and my ass cheek is starting to go numb where the edge of the table is digging into it.
I’m not moving, though. Despite the discomfort, I feel calmer and more peaceful right now than I have in a long time, and calm is my standard setting.
There’s something about this moment, in the outdoors I love, under the stars, with the warmth of Skye at my side, that soothes all the unsteady places in me.
“I don’t mind telling you,” he says. “It’s not like it’s a secret.
Pretty much the whole town knows. She always wanted to see the world and ‘do things.’ I remember her bringing home travel brochures for places she couldn’t even pronounce.
She’d talk about how this town was so small and stifling, that she couldn’t breathe here.
” He huffs. “I specifically remember that, because I didn’t understand what she meant.
Why couldn’t she breathe? Was she sick? When I asked, she got mad and stormed off, and Dad had to explain that she just wanted to see new places. ”
What a shitty thing to say in front of a little kid.
“She left right before I turned seven. Said she felt trapped by this town, by the lack of opportunities, and by the life that had been forced on her. I’m guessing that was me and Dad. Which, you know… hearing that your mom never wanted you is a top-five life goal. Does wonders for self-esteem.”
I turn my head to face him, and he does the same. Our faces are less than a foot apart, and even with the starlight gray-washing everything, I can see the open vulnerability in his expression.
“You’re an amazing person, Skye, and if whatever issues she has prevent her from appreciating that, it’s her loss.”
His lips curve in a tiny smile. “That’s what Dad always said.”
The shadows steal the color from his hair, but I know it’s a rainbow array of pastels. When I first met him, it was all-over turquoise, and in that first moment, looking at his warm smile and bright hair, I knew he was my kind of people. A sunshine person. We’ve always had a special bond.
“As long as you know.” I hate to see him sad. Fumbling in the dark, I find his hand and press it firmly. “You’re special and worthy of love.”
His fingers tangle with mine, and air catches in my chest—
“What are you doing here?”
The voice that shatters the stillness is one I know well, and even as Skye and I both jump, I sigh.
“Maisie, what does it look like we’re doing?
We’re stargazing. What are you doing here?
” I sit up so I can see her properly, and beside me, Skye does the same.
Tonight she’s dressed shockingly normal…
for her. And by that I mean that instead of items of clothing from random eras throughout history, she’s instead opted for a Lara Croft-esque black leather style, accessorized with ropes of gems around her neck and at her wrists, a tiara, and long, dangly earrings.
The jewelry somehow sparkles even with the lack of light.
“I’m looking for Skye.” Her tone implies it should be obvious.
“Out here?” Skye folds his arms across his chest.
“Well, you weren’t in your room, were you? Scared the life out of me.”
I congratulate myself on not saying anything about the fact that she’s dead and has no life to be scared out of her.
“I looked all through the house,” she continues. “You’re lucky I decided to check the outbuildings before I raised the alarm. Just imagine how worried everyone would be!”
Chuckling, Skye clambers off the table, and I reluctantly follow. Guess it’s time for bed.
“Nobody would have to worry if you’d stay out of my room. Why were you there?”
Maisie tsks and shakes her head, turning all her jewelry into a disco ball. “I’m on watch tonight, Skye. That means checking on you every hour to make sure you’re still alive.”
I wince. That’s not going to help Skye sleep. “He’s safe here,” I interject firmly, even though I’m not sure how true that is.
“Maybe,” Maisie admits, “but we’re not taking chances right now. Tonight, at least, we’ll be on watch.”
There’s really no response to that, so I turn to Skye and say, “I’ll see you tomorrow. Try to get some sleep.”
His smile is soft and warms his face. “Sleep well, Dan.”
We part ways, and I hear Maisie chattering at Skye as they walk up the hill toward the house. She seems to be lecturing him on staying safe, and I grin in the darkness.
Inside the cottage, I’m not at all surprised to find Carter waiting for me. He’s washed out and looks insubstantial, which means he either still hasn’t recovered all his strength from manifesting this morning or he’s saving it for later.
“Where have you been?” he snaps. “I was just about to go looking for you!”
I close the door and bend over to take off my boots. “Why?”
He huffs as I straighten. “These are troubled and dangerous times, Daniel. You can’t just go wandering off without letting anyone know where you are.” He follows me down the hall toward my bedroom.
“Keep your voice down,” I remind him. Ewan and Josh are asleep in Ewan’s room. “We’ll talk about this tomorrow. Get some rest—we’ve got a busy day ahead.”
I think he wants to argue, but everything I’ve said is sensible, so he doesn’t know what to say. I leave him in the hallway, shutting the door in his almost transparent face.
It’s four steps from the door to the bed, which is just enough time for me to strip to my underwear, leaving my clothes where they fall. I’ll pick them up in the morning.
My head hits the pillow, and I sigh, suddenly exhausted. I was up at five, and it’s been a big day. Tomorrow is going to be just as big. My bed is comfortable, and my brain sinks toward the warm embrace of sleep.
The phantom touch of Skye’s hand against mine drags me back to consciousness.
His warm fingers, so soft compared to mine, but still callused enough for our skin to catch.
The way, for just a few seconds, we clung to each other, and it was so completely perfect.
The way my stomach flipped and my lungs didn’t want to take in air.
I open my eyes and stare at the ceiling. Laid-back and easygoing I might be, but I’m not stupid. I’ve felt that way before—lots of times. I know what it means. But Skye’s a man, and I’ve never been attracted to men.
Have I?
He’s also my friend who needs support right now, so the timing of my maybe-bisexual crisis couldn’t be worse. Besides, it’s far more likely that the stress of the day, my concern for him, and our deeply personal starlight conversation are the reason for… whatever it was.
Not attraction. High emotions and circumstances.
Yeah. That’s what it was.
Lack of sleep has me on the back foot, and I’m running behind on my plans for the day when the time for the first farming demo rolls around. It’s Wednesday and schools are still out, so there’s only one, as opposed to the four or five per day I’ll be doing on the weekend.
Looking around the group assembled, I paste on a smile that usually comes naturally.
“We’re just about to get started, so if you’ve forgotten to apply your sunscreen or fill your water bottle, now’s the time to do it,” I say.
So many people have complained about getting sunburned or that they weren’t given the chance to get a drink that now I do this every time.
And sure enough, a hand goes up. “Is sunburn likely?”
Normally questions like that only amuse me, but today is not the day. “It’s summer, and the sun is hot today,” I reply diplomatically. “I recommend sunscreen and a hat if you have one.” I tug the brim of my own hat.
The middle-aged woman who asked looks suspicious, as though I’m trying to trick her somehow. “We didn’t bring sunscreen.”
Of course they didn’t. Why would someone plan to spend the day outdoors in the middle of summer and bring sunscreen?
Still smiling, I gesture toward the barn. “If you go just around the side of this building here, you’ll find a water fountain and sunscreen for guest use.” Ewan and I even built a small overhang so guests could be sheltered from the sun and/or rain while using it.
She huffs. “Oh, there it is. You’re trying to sell us sunscreen.”
I let go of the smile. Why did she have to pick today to come? “No, ma’am. The sunscreen is provided by the estate, free of charge.”
The suspicion vanishes, replaced by cunning, and I hold in a sigh.
Expressions like that are the reason our sunscreen is now in a dispenser attached to the wall.
After the ninth time it got stolen, Kieran figured that would be cheaper and easier than us having to replace it all the time.
And it did help… though it didn’t completely stop the stealing.
The woman takes off around the side of the barn, tugging her husband and kid along with her, whispering something while digging in her purse. I smile at the rest of the group and silently count to ten, then say, “I’ll be right back,” and follow.
Sure enough, when I reach the water station, it’s to see that the woman has poured out the contents of her water bottle and is frantically pumping sunscreen into it. “…hurry up, empty your bottles!”
“But what if I get thirsty?” the kid whines.
“There’s a water fountain right here. Don’t be a baby.”
Charming. I clear my throat, and three pairs of eyes turn to me. The husband looks embarrassed, the kid bored, but the woman just huffs. “Yes?” she says snottily.
“The sunscreen is for your use while you’re here, ma’am. Not for you to take home.”
“We might need to reapply later, and we’d hate to miss any of the tour.”
Another day, I might have laughed at that, but right now, I eye the amount of sunscreen already in her bottle and say, “I think you have more than enough for multiple applications.” She opens her mouth, but I’m done. “The demonstration is beginning now. Are you joining the group?”
She hesitates, caught between getting full value from her day pass or free sunscreen, but her husband and kid make the decision for her, and I lead them back to the group.
“Okay,” I begin, doing another quick headcount to make sure nobody’s wandered away and will later complain that I started without them.
“My name is Daniel, and I’m the historic farming expert here at Mannix Estate.
You may already know that our kitchen here uses mostly the crops we grow ourselves, all of which are certified organic.
If you’d like more information about what that means and how we achieve certification, there are information pamphlets available at reception, or you can stick around to talk to me after.
” I pause to gauge the vibe of the group.
Still interested, and one man’s whipped out a pen to write a note on his hand.
“All our farming here is done without the use of modern machinery, and today I’m going to show you what that entails and give you a chance to try some of it yourself.”
The man who was scribbling notes lifts his hand, and I nod.
“Yes?”
“Is it true that one of the ghosts here at the estate used to work on the farm?”
“There’s no such thing as ghosts,” sunscreen lady scoffs, and my smile this time is genuine… and maybe a little mean.
“I can assure you, our ghosts are very real. If you haven’t already encountered one, there’s a good chance you will later today.
And yes, Carter was the farm manager here from 1866-1880.
He died in his sleep one night in the foreman’s cottage, which I’ll point out to you as we pass it.
It’s currently in private use and out of bounds to visitors, which is why it’s not on the estate map.
Carter may join us at some point on the tour—he usually does, since farming is his passion, but since he’s not being paid to be here, I can’t guarantee it. Now, if you’ll all fol—”
“That’s disgraceful!”
Trying not to sigh, I look at sunscreen lady. “Excuse me?”
“Exploiting ghosts like that! The least you can do is pay them a fair wage.”
“I thought you said ghosts didn’t exist,” someone else points out as I stare at her in disbelief.
“They don’t.”
It’s only the thought of how busy Kieran is today and how he doesn’t have time to deal with complaints that keeps me from telling her to fuck off.
Instead, I say, “You think we should pay the ghosts that you don’t believe exist a wage?
Ghosts that are noncorporeal beings and have no bank accounts, no physical needs, no way to spend money, and who don’t leave the estate?
Ghosts who are not required to do any work? ”
She sputters for a few seconds, then subsides. I give her a second and then lead the group down the hill, hoping the day doesn’t get any worse.