Dixie sat outside in her lawn chair for the first time since she’d moved in. She’d pictured many days here, but had only been able to have the store open a week before she’d closed it to clean up the mess Holland had made of the place. Opening the place again seemed like a distant dream. Every time she thought she was ready, something else happened inside the walls of The Holland House. It was a bit disheartening. She didn’t have the strength or stamina to run a business and probably wouldn’t until she’d run the demon out of the beautiful building’s walls.
Holland was just one of her problems. Blake was the other. She’d made him leave, no doubt broke his heart and he cared for her. He hadn’t just come into her life offering a honeymoon period of laughter and fun to be followed by a life of mediocrity. No, Blake had known her for her entire life. She’d never offered him a thing in return, hadn’t even taken notice of him. Yet he’d found her worthy enough to give up his world for hers. What other man would ever make a sacrifice like that for her?
She had to find him and make it right. There was something about the way she felt when he looked at her, and she needed him to be part of her life. God had given her him as a gift, and she’d managed to muck it up without much effort. She wanted to embrace who he was. He was brilliant, beautiful, and he’d stuck by her through a whirlwind of madness that perhaps no other man would have stayed around to endure.
Dixie stood up and stretched, having made the decision that she was going to claim what was hers. She was going to find her angel and beg him to forgive her for being human. Her heart urgently needed to find Blake, so she trudged back inside and opted for a quick shower.
All Dixie could think about was fixing the mess she’d made of things. Not even Emily, who was still lying in the bed flipping through the TV stations, could slow her.
“Where ya goin’, hot stuff?” Emily rolled over and watched as Dixie peered into the closet.
She took out a pair of clam digger blue jeans and a tank top and wrapped her hair in a ponytail. Being in a hurry to see him didn’t stop her from taking the time to put on make-up. Maybe if she primped enough, Blake wouldn’t turn her away the way she’d turned him away. “I’m gonna go find Blake and then I’m going to beg.”
Emily smirked. “I don’t think you’ll have to. You’re hard to resist when you’re apologizing.”
“Promise you’ll call and check on me in a bit. I might chicken out and end up on Bourbon Street.” Dixie flashed a grin at Emily and crawled into the bed where she wrapped her arms around her.
“You’ll be fine. He said he loves you and I believe him.”
Dixie checked herself in the bathroom mirror one last time and then skipped down the stairs. She bounded to the door and yanked harder than necessary. However, the door didn’t move. Glancing down at the lock, she realized it was unlocked and wondered why it was stuck. She tugged harder and harder then kicked the door and stubbed her toe. Cussing under her breath, she stood dumbstruck and stared at the colossal piece of wood.
Deciding she’d try the one in the kitchen that opened into the street, she turned on her heel and ran smack into… nothing. She couldn’t see anything, but a body of muscle was preventing her from moving. Ragged breaths spurted from her lips as her heart went into overdrive.
“Move, Holland, I’m leaving,” she shouted and then drove her fists into the invisible being’s body.
She felt the blows. Her wrists and fingers stung, but the thing didn’t budge. A warm breath blew against her ear and she shivered.
“Dixie… you’re staying here with me.”
His voice was full of hatred and warm with lust. She whipped around and ran in the other direction. The apparition of the slender man manifested in the stream of light from the window next to the door. He reached over and grabbed her ankle. She fell face first against the hardwoods. Tears streamed down her face as she turned over and kicked the ghost. Her foot made contact, but he didn’t flinch.
A horrible cackle came from his mouth as he bent over her. “Do it again and I’ll break your neck.”
Dixie covered her eyes with the palms of her hands. “You’re not real. You can’t hurt me. You’re not real. You can’t hurt me.” She repeated the mantra over and over to the sound of his laughter.
“Oh, I’m very real, and I can hurt you. That’s a promise.”
“Dixie?” Emily was standing at the top of the stairs, and as soon as she appeared to notice the apparition, she ran headlong into it.
“Ah, a threesome.” He chuckled and tossed her to the floor next to Dixie.
“He’s locked the door. Crawl to the kitchen and see if that one’s locked,” Dixie whispered to Emily.
“Don’t bother. It won’t open.” Holland pressed his foot into Dixie’s ribs, causing her to wail in pain.
“Leave her alone.” Emily was on her feet again, throwing punches at the ghost as though that would somehow get his attention.
Holland soon tired of the game and smacked her across the room with one arm. The apparition kneeled beside Dixie, his face inching closer and closer until she realized what he aimed to achieve. He was trying to kiss her, breathing his foul breath, which reminded her of all things dead, on her. She turned away and fought as he struggled against her in an effort to press his lips to hers. Dixie was growing tired, giving up, when she heard a meek voice come from near Emily.
“Holland, it’s me you want.” Bindi stood stone faced, staring at the crazed man.
Holland rose, his face turning soft as he approached her. Bindi allowed him to kiss her as she pointed to the door. Dixie didn’t want to leave her. She didn’t want Bindi to suffer so she could get away, but Emily grabbed her hand and threw the door open. With a quick shove, she pushed Dixie onto the front lawn and they heard Holland scream as he realized they’d gotten away.
Dixie sobbed against the door. Bindi would pay the price for their escape. She was dead and they were alive, had she not appeared that might have changed in a short time.
“We have to find a way to get her out of there,” Dixie said as Emily fell into the lawn chair.
“I know, but we can’t do this alone. Look at me.” Emily pointed to her sweat pants and camisole. She was hardly prepared for an outing, but it was the French Quarter and few people would notice.
“There’s a t-shirt in my Tahoe.” Dixie pulled her keys from her purse and pressed the button, unlocking the door.
They both went to the car and dug through it until they found a department store bag with a brand new t-shirt and two pair of jeans in it.
“Were you hiding these?” Emily held up the jeans.
Dixie smirked. She had been hiding them. They were part of Emily’s birthday present, but none of that mattered now. At least she had clothes to wear.
Emily slid the jeans on and threw the t-shirt over her camisole. “Perfect. So, you were going to Blake’s?”
“Yeah, wanna come?”
Emily nodded.