| |
Paige didn’t have much time to wonder about Horace and Neal. Scott and Sarah arrived at the shop to help her get moved into the attic room. Paige locked the front door and turned over the Open sign.
They’d brought takeout with them. It was vegan stir fry from a local Chinese restaurant. They passed the time in easy conversation as they ate. Casper tried to climb onto their laps to get some rice, so Paige got up and dumped cat food into his dish.
When they finished eating, Scott led Paige outside. Strapped to the top of Sarah’s SUV was a mattress set.
“We don’t use this bed. It’s just been in the basement,” Sarah said as Scott carried it through the back door. “I hope it’s comfortable enough for you.”
“Thank you,” Paige said warmly. “You’ve both been so good to me since I got back.”
Sarah put an arm around Paige’s shoulders and squeezed. “We’re just so glad you’re here,” she said. “Scott was always worried with you so far away. He likes having you close enough to come help if something goes wrong. Besides,” she added, “we have a lot in common.”
Paige rolled her eyes. “My brother does know I can take care of myself, doesn’t he?”
“He does,” Sarah answered with a soft voice. “But since your parents died, he sees it as his responsibility to make sure you’re safe and okay. It’s not because he doesn’t think you’re capable. It’s just because he wants things to be as easy for you as possible.”
Paige felt tears prick the backs of her eyelids at the thought of her parents and how much of a burden her brother had taken on when they’d died. She’d been in her late teens when their car flew off a wet road into a tree. It had been rough, and Scott’s steady, strong presence along with Aunt Nora’s gentle care got her through.
“There,” Scott said as he came back down the stairs. “It’s a decent enough room up there, I guess.” He frowned. “I’m still not thrilled about you staying here. Why don’t you just come on home with us? Keep staying in the extra bedroom.”
“She doesn’t like my cooking, Scotty,” Sarah said, moving over to his side and slipping her arm around his waist.
“Yes I do!” Paige protested.
“No you don’t.” Sarah grinned. “It’s fine. I get it. You’re an adult, and you don’t want to live in your brother and sister-in-law’s guest room like a kid. Plus, you want to eat bacon whenever you feel like it. It’s all good.”
“I do like bacon,” Paige said with a grin.
Scott wasn’t laughing at the vegan banter. He looked on edge.
Sarah glanced from him to Paige and shrugged. “Hey, I’m going to run over to that sewing shop across the street,” she said. “You two take a few minutes to talk.”
“Thanks, honey.” Scott squeezed his wife’s hand, and she left through the front door. Once she was gone, he started talking fast. “I have something I want to tell you,” he said. “I guess I should have told you before. Years ago. Or at least when I found out you inherited the bookstore . . .”
Paige narrowed her eyes. “What is it?”
Scott took a deep breath and then launched into a quick tumble of words. “When I was a kid—maybe seven or eight—I was here in the bookstore late one night. I’d had some stupid kid fight with Mom and Dad because they wouldn’t let me have a gumball or something, and I hid in here to get away from them. Casper and I went to the attic with a flashlight.”
“Casper?”
“Not this Casper. One of the previous cats she named Casper.” He swallowed hard.
“Anyway, the cat and I were huddled up in the attic, and I was reading a book with a flashlight. It started to get dark, and I got spooked. I wanted to go home. I stood up and started to head toward the door, but I bumped into a table, and a book fell off onto the floor. Then there was a rush of cold air, like the air conditioner turned on all of a sudden, and the strong smell of seaweed and fish hit me like I’d just walked down by the docks or something.”
When he hesitated, Paige stepped closer to Scott, anxious for him to continue.
“A ghost popped out in front of me.” Scott blurted it out and then studied Paige as though wondering if she’d believe him or not.
She set her face as carefully neutral as she could. She had no idea what to think, but she knew she didn’t want her brother to feel self-conscious.
“It asked me who I was. I was shaking and crying. I couldn’t answer. Then Aunt Nora burst into the room. She grabbed the book off the floor, closed it, and set the table back up. The ghost disappeared. She scolded me for running away and took me home.”
“Did you ask her about the ghost?”
“No, and neither of us ever brought it up again. I was too scared, and she must have been hoping I’d forget or something. But, Paige, I know what I saw. Even though I was young and terrified, I know it was real.”
Paige was silent for several moments as she considered the story she’d just heard. Then she said, “Why would you tell me a ghost story set in the attic the night I’m supposed to sleep there for the first time?” She grinned and winked to let him know she thought he was trying to scare her.
“Paige, I’m not kidding.” Her big brother, the tough cop, looked deadly serious.
“So, you think the bookstore is haunted. Is that what you’re saying?”
“Yes. I just thought you should know.” He shoved his hands deep into his pockets as if for security. “I really wish you’d come home with us.”
Still not sure if this was some kind of prank, she decided to play along. “I’ll be okay, big brother. Don’t worry. If I see any wandering spirits, I’ll call 9-1-1. Or would that be 6-6-6?”
“Paige—”
“Have you told Sarah about your ghostly fantasy?”
“It’s not a fantasy. And yes. She’s the only one I’ve ever told.”
Sarah breezed back in through the back door as though Paige had conjured her by speaking her name. “The sewing shop is closed already,” she said. “All set, honey?”
“Are you staying?” he asked Paige one last time.
She crossed her arms resolutely. “Yep.”
Scott took Sarah’s hand. “Then I guess we should go.”
“Make sure to stock up on plenty of vegetables,” Sarah said. “You don’t want to lose that beautiful complexion. Your skin looks just like Nora’s.”
“Vegetables,” Paige repeated. “Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to get some garlic to put under the bed to scare away vampires.”
Scott shook his head and moved toward the door with his wife in tow.
Paige had a sudden thought. “Hey, what did that ghost look like? In the attic when you were eight?”
Scott and Sarah exchanged glances, and then he turned back toward Paige and answered simply, “A pirate.”