39. Evan

39

Evan

I was hit harder by the loss of Mr. Hallock than made sense. I knew it was confusing to my newly found friends and business partners… and my lover. They didn’t understand that his death embodied all I’d lost and would never have again.

Regardless, I forced myself to get up and move past the depression in the days that followed. Luckily, I could take a few days off thanks to Christie’s skill in hiring competent people.

That became even more apparent when the water main broke in Al and Christie’s home, flooding their first floor and several guest bedrooms. Christie’s new staff kept things running at the restaurant while she helped her wife deal with the aftermath.

“We’re going to have to cancel all the bed-and-breakfast guests this month,” Christie confided in me when she arrived early to help get her cooking staff up to speed on the day’s menu.

“Why don’t you have them use the rooms here?” I asked. “There are more than enough that’ve been upgraded to meet state requirements. I mean, they’re still hideous, but if you bring your furniture and décor over, I think Cary and I can get a couple of the less ugly rooms painted. There’s the much better-looking suite on the top floor too.”

“Really?” Christie asked, and when Al showed up to go through the rooms, she agreed they could use what they had to make them look decent.

“Okay, what do we have to do to use them without getting in trouble?” I asked Cary, who then contacted Deke. Thankfully, he said the license was still active, so we’d just need an inspection, otherwise we should be good to go.

“We’ll get an inspection asap,” I relayed to a relieved-looking Al and Christie. “It’s stupid the place is sitting empty when you can use it.”

Luckily, Al and Cary’s friends, who I thought were also coven members, came to the rescue, helping to paint the walls, and replace the awful furniture with more modern and attractive stuff from their homes and thrift stores. The result was nothing short of amazing. Even the old, outdated bathrooms cleaned up nicely.

With the dilemma over and the guests settled, Al could focus on getting the repairs done to their home, and Christie could get back to work in the restaurant.

I was surprised how easy it was to get the guests settled into their rooms. Al had hired a young man from town who did all the cleaning at their bed-and-breakfast, and he didn’t hesitate to switch to the hotel. The guy was intense about cleanliness, which, of course, you needed when guests were coming and going. I liked him immediately. I had to admit, in some ways, his being gay and a little OCD was like looking in a mirror.

I sometimes wondered if that was how Cary saw me. My tall drink of water was always so complimentary, so loving, so attentive, so encouraging. Was it any wonder I’d become attached to the man after such a short time?

I knew our relationship was not likely to last long, since they never did with me, but even that was something I was beginning to question. Cary was helping me undo the damaging messages about my looks and general worthlessness that my ex had left me with. He truly was a great man, and I needed to just enjoy basking in his affection for as little or as long as it lasted.

I caught glimpses of my great-grandmother Inez all the time in the manor now, and unlike the entity who’d attacked me, her presence made me feel at ease. Almost like she was letting me see her, so I knew she still had things under control.

I still never went to the manor alone, and even though the basement was open and could be used, I sure as hell never went down there. In fact, I tried to avoid that part of the kitchen.

Regardless of all that, I loved how my life was moving forward. One evening after spending way too many hours on my feet, I was cuddling in bed with Cary, which I teased him about. “Why do you always want to be in my bed?” I asked.

“Because this room is so much better than mine.”

I laughed, but didn’t say anything since his room was actually quite boring, whereas this one was magical. And not because I was sleeping with a bonifide witch, although Cary was one of the reasons it felt magical.

“I think I’m going to ask Al to become my partner in the hotel,” I said after nuzzling my face into Cary’s sturdy chest. “I think I want all three of you to become part owners in the business… like, officially.”

Cary maneuvered under me until I made eye contact. “I thought you were going to sell.”

I shrugged and cuddled back in. “I could, I guess, but I could also let things stay like this.”

I held my breath to hear what he’d say to that. Finally, after a long pause, Cary hummed. “I’d be honored to be your business partner, Evan. But you know, all of this, the estate, that’s not why I like you,” he said, and lifted my face to his. “I might be falling in love with you.”

I couldn’t prevent the gasp of happiness that slipped out of me or the tears of joy. “I already know I’m falling in love with you, so that’s good news.”

Cary chuckled, then maneuvered me underneath him. He kissed me, long and deep, and began grinding his crotch into mine.

Cary made love to me, slowly but no less intense or passionate. With each nip, each kiss, and each caress, my heart fell completely over the edge. I was in love with Cary. No matter what happened now, I belonged completely to him.

The next day, I sat down with Al, Christie, and Cary and explained how I’d like to begin exploring ways for us to officially become a business partnership.

Christie’s smile brightened as she hugged Al. “We were hoping you’d want that,” Christie said.

Al just shook her head. “I think you’re smart, Evan, and the truth is, you challenge me. I have to admit, you’re right most of the time, even when I vehemently disagree, but I think we’ll make a dynamic team.” She looked over at her wife and smiled. “Besides, we love having our house to ourselves. The whole bed-and-breakfast idea was great, but damn, I miss having my own space.”

“Then, it’s settled? We’re going to pursue something? Get an attorney to help us and all that?”

Both women nodded. “I-I’m not sure where I fit in,” Cary said. “I know I’m the muscle around here, but I don’t know how to run a restaurant or a hotel. I’m not sure I have a place in all this.”

All three of us looked over at him, shocked. “Cary,” Al said, breaking the tension. “Do you not realize none of this would have happened if it hadn’t been for you? Not only do you do a lot of the work keeping the place up and running, but you keep the staff on their toes, and help organize the grounds crew and the volunteers who helped us with the rooms. You’re the glue.”

Cary shook his head, and I knew he was about to disagree, so I put my hand over his. “Cary, Al’s right. This wouldn’t work without you. I have no budget. I know you’ve been working without pay since your Hallock contract ended, even though you haven’t brought it up to me. Yet, you’re still here, helping us make it happen. You’re as important as anyone else on this team.”

“You’re just saying—”

“No, I’m not,” I said, standing up so he would see how serious I was about this. “I-I’ve been an emotional mess, and didn’t even realize how bad things were when I got here, how little I thought of myself, but you stood up for me, forced me to look at my inner demons. There’s nothing different about that and this. You’re selling yourself short, discounting what you’ve been to this reopening and us as a family.” My own words took me aback for a moment. I hadn’t meant to say family. “I-I mean, partnership.”

But I’d said it, family… now my emotions were taking over. “You mean a lot to me and to this,” I added, waving at the four of us. “You belong, and that’s that.” I quickly excused myself, rushing outside and down the path toward the cottage. “Damn,” I said out loud. “I’m still an emotional mess.”

I ducked down a path I hadn’t been down before and found myself quickly descending the hill to a little creek. It was beautiful and the perfect place for a good long cry.

I plopped down on a relatively dry mossy boulder and let the tears flow. Fucking emotions. I’d swear, it was like I was a hormonal teenager all over again. This whole family, friends, partners thing, ugh… it was so much to deal with, and I was still struggling with losing my dad and grandmother.

A gentle breeze flowed over me, and considering I was in a sheltered area deep inside the forest, I was shocked enough by it that I looked up.

I recognized him immediately. Andre Cordelia, the little boy I’d seen in my dreams, but this wasn’t the boy. This was a man.

I froze, terrified he’d attack me like his father had. He didn’t look at me. Instead, he stared out through the forest and across the creek. After several tense moments, he sighed. “This was our secret place after… after my father found out about us. This was where we came. I knew he wouldn’t catch us here.”

The breeze flowed around me again, chilling me to the bone. “I couldn’t go on. Not after. Even after the old man died, he… the man I loved more than I loved anything, he wouldn’t come back. Said he would be arrested if he dared.”

Andre looked at me, his eyes full of unshed tears. “I couldn’t go on, you see. I know it hurt her. I know it made her vulnerable to the wolves, but I just couldn’t.”

A vision flowed through me of Andre’s body lying next to the creek. I gasped and looked over at him. “You… you died here?” I asked.

He nodded. “I know what I did hurt your family. Your grandmother was like a baby sister to me. I loved her and used to watch her as she grew up in the cottage with Maid Elisa and Groundskeeper Jim. And Nanny Inez, what I did hurt her most of all. I never knew how to fix it. Now you’re here, and he’s—”

I nodded, knowing who he was talking about. “Am I safe here? Long-term?”

Andre looked at me and sighed, the uncertainty evident on his face. “We will keep my father away as long as we can, but his hatred of us, of you because you come from her, is strong.”

“My loving Cary? Is that—”

Andre nodded. “My father hated my lover, partly because we were together and partly because he loved me. My happiness enraged my father. You see, he hated me because my mother died giving birth to me. Yes, your relationship with your lover puts you at risk.”

“Should I leave? Should Cary and I both go?”

I could hear the panic in my voice, but Andre didn’t respond to my questions. “If you have a chance at love with someone who isn’t going to leave you, that’s worth fighting for, isn’t it? I lost it and gave up. That decision put everyone I cared about at risk. Don’t make the same mistakes I made.”

Andre’s spirit disappeared, and I was alone again. I knew Andre wouldn’t hurt me, but being in such an auspicious place was enough to send me on my way. That being said, I knew I was going to ask Cary to help me put something here, something to commemorate the man who’d died here and how it had once been a special place for him and his love.