Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
DANIEL
Iglance over at Skye and ask, “Okay?” The half-exasperated, half-soft look he shoots back is my new favorite expression of his. It’s such a perfect snapshot of our relationship: I drive him nuts sometimes, but he loves me anyway.
“I’m fine, Daniel. I promise. This was good.”
It’s Monday morning, and we’re on our way back to the estate after Skye met his mom for coffee.
She was supposed to leave last night, but since Skye couldn’t get away from work over the weekend, she changed her plans and stayed until today so they could meet up.
I tagged along because Skye still isn’t allowed to go anywhere alone, but I sat on the other side of the coffee shop and let them have some privacy.
Was I happy about his mom’s newfound need for a connection with her son?
Not really. I’m still mostly convinced that she’s going to hurt him again.
But Skye believes she’s genuinely sorry for causing him pain and wants to get to know him, so I’ll support him however he needs me to.
Admittedly, they seemed to connect well enough over coffee, after the first few awkward minutes.
But now we’re racing home for Arissa’s farewell lunch.
It’s so weird to think Riss won’t be around anymore.
She’s worked at Mannix for even longer than I have, and she grew up only two towns over.
This was a dream job for her, and now the stupid demons and spirits have chased her away.
At least she’s already found something else—the commute is about the same, just in the other direction, and she won’t have to deal with ghosts and spirits and demons on a semiregular basis.
At least, not unless they pull off their plan, whatever it is.
As though he’s reading my mind, Skye says, “Do you know if Jill and the others from the Collective have had any luck?”
I shake my head. “Not as far as I’ve heard. I’m pretty sure someone would have told us if they had. Con went out with them yesterday.”
Skye sighs. “I feel like we’re just chasing our tails. I’ve been out looking, what, six times now? And Connor’s been searching for that damn gateway for a year, off and on.” And now that we know we’re being watched by at least one demon, our sense of urgency has ramped up.
Without looking, I reach out and grab his hand. “Yeah, but of those six times, you found a spirit once. They’re not exactly thick on the ground, so that’s a decent result. And you were able to pick up some information nobody knew.”
“I guess.”
Nope. I can’t stand hearing my sunshine unicorn be all glum.
“As far as Connor’s search… well, the gateway’s hidden, isn’t it?
Someone, probably Cato, went to the effort to hide it.
It’s not just lying out there for us to find.
If higher demons really are as powerful as everyone keeps saying, we don’t have a chance of finding it. ”
From the corner of my eye, I see Skye’s head slowly turn to face me. “I know you’re trying to be encouraging, but that was a fail.”
I shrug and try, “I love you?”
His laugh fills the car and makes me smile. “Okay, that works. I love you too.”
Squeezing his hand, I remind him, “We’re not dealing with this alone.
There are a lot of people with a lot of resources working on it.
It might seem like we’re struggling, but we’ve found a lot of things out that we were never supposed to know.
I’m sure Cato’s original plan had us being completely taken by surprise.
When you think of it that way, we’re already winning. ”
Skye snorts. “As long as you don’t think too hard.”
Jorge and the rest of the kitchen staff have gone all out with the food for Arissa’s sendoff.
It being a Monday—and lunchtime—most of them would normally be off, but when they told Kieran they wanted to come in and do a little something for her, he made room in the budget to pay them overtime.
I look at the buffet table groaning under the weight of all the appetizers, snacks, and mini hors d’oeuvres, and decide it was worth every cent.
“Try the figs with bacon in blankets,” a voice beside me says, and I turn to see Jorge, the chef who’ll take over Arissa’s job. “They’re awesome, if I do say so myself.”
“Sold.” I grab two. Jorge’s an amazing chef, and he’s never steered me wrong with food recommendations. “Excited about the promotion?”
“Fuck yeah. I’ll miss Riss, but this is a great move for my career.
Two years as head chef and catering manager here, and any fancy restaurant in the country will be glad to have me.
” His smile turns smug. “Kieran said if I stayed five, he’d personally reach out to all his contacts and recommend me. ”
I chuckle. Kieran has a lot of contacts in some very high places, so that’s a big incentive. “Worth living in the sticks for another five years?”
He shrugs, his face turning serious. “The job’s worth that on its own.
I get creative freedom, top salary and benefits, and a great item for my résumé.
This is the kind of job I dreamed of when I was slogging it out at the Cordon Bleu, you know?
Terrified I was paying all that money for a top-grade education and would end up in a third-rate restaurant. ”
I clap him on the shoulder with the hand not holding my plate.
“That was never going to happen. You forget, I was here when Kieran and Riss hired you. They went nuts over your résumé and told everyone who’d listen how lucky we were to get you.
” I take a bite of fig and moan as the flavor explodes in my mouth.
Figs in blankets… it’s fucking genius, and I tell him so.
Jorge nods sagely. “Bacon and pastry make everything better, man. And the goat cheese.”
Who would have thought I’d be a fan of goat cheese?
“Could I have everyone’s attention for a second?” Kieran calls, and the room quiets as we turn in his direction. “Thank you. Take a few minutes to stuff your faces with this amazing food while I say a few words. Arissa, your team definitely did you proud today.”
“They always do me proud,” Riss says, her voice thick with emotion.
“You set the bar high,” someone calls, and the room erupts in cries of agreement. Arissa dashes away a tear.
“I could stand here for an hour and talk about how much we’re going to miss you, but everybody already knows that,” Kieran continues.
“Instead, let me just thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your hard work over the years. For the wonderful new programs you introduced. For taking pity on me when I thought I knew stuff and teaching me that I didn’t.
” A laugh breaks out, and Riss shakes her head in memory.
“And please accept this token of our adoration for you.” He holds out the beautifully wrapped gift he, Skye, and Josh spent two hours trying to decide on.
Attached to it is the oversize card signed by everyone on staff.
Arissa steps forward to take them, exhaling shakily.
“I’ve been so happy here all these years, and I’m so grateful to all of you for making this such an amazing place to work.
But I—it’s time to move on,” she says, clearly changing her mind on the fly.
Some of us know she’s leaving because the paranormal element of working here is getting to her, but most of the staff aren’t aware of spirits or demons or the gateway in the Garden Suite…
though the housekeepers are suspicious about the fact that Kieran turned it into the ghosts’ room and won’t even let them in to clean it.
For now, at least, we’re keeping things quiet.
“I’m going to miss you all, but I’m also thrilled that Jorge is going to take the reins, and I know he’s going to do incredible things here.
It’s been a privilege to work with him.” She sniffles and clears her throat as Jorge puts a hand over his heart and then blows her a kiss.
“Now, let’s get into this food. There better still be some of those carrot and ricotta tarts I saw. ”
“I saved you some,” one of the kitchen assistants calls, and the somber mood breaks as people begin chatting and eating again. I top up my plate and meander over toward the window, where Skye is talking to Ewan.
“Where’s Josh?” I ask, then slap Skye’s hand as he reaches toward my plate.
“Hey! What happened to love?” he demands.
“Love only goes so far, and it’s not far enough for me to share this food when you can get your own.” I shield the plate from him.
He folds his arms across his chest and scowls at me, his hair swinging as he shakes his head. “So if there was none left, would you share with me, the man you love?”
I pretend to take a second to think about it, and he slaps my arm, then pouts when I laugh.
“Of course I would. But there’s still plenty, so not now.”
Muttering about conditional love, he flounces off to the buffet table, and I turn to Ewan. “So… Josh?”
“Handling reception. Kieran’s going to trade off with him in a bit.” He eyes me as I take a bite of shrimp toast and moan. “Steady there, pal. Maybe you should be eating in private.”
“Go get a plate,” I order. “You don’t want to miss this.”
He shakes his head and opens his mouth to reply—
“If we could have your attention!”
The room falls quiet a lot faster this time, and when I turn to look, I see why. “What are they wearing?” I ask Ewan softly.
He squints at the seven ghosts lined up in the middle of the room. “I’m getting the weirdest sense of déjà vu,” he says.
I am too, and I study the ghosts carefully.
They’re not all wearing the same thing, but the theme is the same.
Hattie and Maisie in… frocks. I can’t think of another word for them.
The kind of dress that would have been stylish in the middle of the last century, Hattie in a butter yellow color, and Maisie in white…
with her usual plethora of jewelry. The men’s outfits are even more confusing—short pants, knee socks, and gray jackets.
Norval’s knees are startlingly bony. Johnny’s mohawk is a somber khaki green, and there’s a musical note tattooed on the side of his neck.
Freddie, with his usual pompous manner, is speaking for the group. “We would like to offer our own farewell to Arissa. You’re a kind and generous person who will be missed.”
Okay, that’s not so bad. Ewan and I exchange glances, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“And you always kept an immaculate kitchen,” he continues. “Many here could learn from you.”
“So close,” Ewan whispers, even as Kieran starts to move forward.
“Now, without further ado,” Freddie intones, and Johnny pops out for a second, then pops back in as the first strains of music begin to play through the hidden speakers.
It takes me a while to recognize the song.
In fact, not until the ghosts start to sing.
In my defense, the last time I watched The Sound of Music was when I was a little kid, and I wasn’t that interested even then.
But there’s something horrifyingly compelling about watching seven ghosts sing “So Long, Farewell” as the Von Trapp children, choreography and all.
To be fair, they don’t sound terrible. And they certainly put a lot of enthusiasm into it. They must have practiced this a fair bit. But oh my god.
“I can’t look away,” Ewan murmurs, and I just nod.
When the song finally comes to a close and the ghosts come back in to take a bow, we pull ourselves together enough to applaud.
“That was…” Arissa begins. “It was… extraordinary. I don’t—I’m speechless!”
The ghosts take that as a compliment. “It was the least we could do,” Maisie says. “We like you so much, and we’ll miss you.”
Seeing the startled pleasure on Arissa’s face, I remember why we love the ghosts, even when they drive us nuts. This is their home that they share with us, and they’re fighting to defend it—and us—just as much as we are.