Chapter Five

Abby

I read somewhere that it takes just five seconds to fall in love, and I wonder if that applies to lust as well.

When I called you mine, I meant it.

A shudder racks my body from the memory of those words. James sounded serious when he spoke them, and by the truck trailing mine, I can tell he was. Maybe the sudden possessiveness should terrify me coming from someone I’ve just met, but it doesn’t. It grounds me, reminding me that I am not alone anymore. For however long his obsessive feelings last, I will not be alone during that period.

I can handle that.

Despite the initial calm, a sense of dread returns with a vengeance when I spot the first sign of civilization in the form of a large mechanic shop. All of its lights are on and there is a massive American flag hanging at the front along with a banner that reads “Welcome home, hero.”

“Look, Whiskers, it’s almost like we’re part of the welcoming committee,” I tell the cat napping in the back, and I notice her ears twitch, but she doesn’t even look my way. Was I really expecting the cat to be friendlier after the walk? Yes, I was .

My nerves give way to confusion as I observe people going in and out of the shops along the street, despite the late hour. The town center is lit up with streetlamps, and while the sidewalks aren’t crowded by any means, the area is still surprisingly active. A part of me expected Valor Springs to be a sleepy little town with rundown buildings and unfriendly faces, but it’s nothing of the sort. People are chatting and laughing as they pass one another, and I question how it would feel to be a part of such a community. They all seem so close, which is a stark contrast to city life. Heck, even my neighbors cursed me for wishing them a good day.

I follow my car’s navigation system, joining the traffic slowly driving through town, and I find my thoughts drifting to my mother, her beautiful strawberry blonde hair that she passed on to me and her beautiful green eyes that were so unlike my amber ones. I wonder if I got my eyes from my father, but my mother liked to talk about him as much as she liked to talk about her past.

I stopped asking.

For her sake and mine, I buried all my questions in my heart and never brought them up again, but maybe I’ll find answers now.

Does my father live in this town? What if he lives back in the city and our paths have crossed multiples times without either one of us even realizing it?

I clench hard on the steering wheel as another panic attack threatens to well up inside me, and I force my eyes on the review mirror, and the familiar black truck driving behind me grounds me.

I’m not alone.

James is here. The town’s hero, built like a mountain and with the iciest blue eyes I have ever seen is with me. He’s following me like he promised he would, and as we pass, people stop to wave excitedly, obviously recognizing his truck. Despite the attention from the people in the sidewalks celebrating his return, James eyes are firmly on my car. The sight in my rearview mirror settles my nerves, and I’m able to take a grounding breath.

When I called you mine, I meant it.

The words reassure me, and the shakiness in my fingers dies a little as I near the end of Main Street. I make a turn and drive a couple more minutes before stopping outside a massive, ornate building.

Surely this can’t be my aunt’s inn, right?

As I park outside the multi-story, Victorian style home, it casts a shadow over me. It’s dark and a little ominous looking with no light coming from any of the windows. It appears the windows on the uppermost part of the turret that dominates the front of the inn are boarded up, and it looks menacing in the dark. I am almost afraid to get out of my car.

“We’re here, Whiskers,” I call out to the cat, hoping she wakes up and takes the tour with me. She wakes up alright, just not so she can follow me. No, the little demon wakes up only to change her sleeping position before going straight back to sleep. “Great!”

I look through the review mirror, wondering if James decided to stop in town and talk to the residents, but I notice his truck parked behind my car and spot the man just as he is climbing out. He walks to my door and taps on the window to get me to lower it.

“Are you okay?” he asks, concern clear in his voice. “This is the only inn in town, so it must be the one you’re looking for.”

“You know this place?” I ask, peering through my windshield at the massive building. “The papers the lawyer gave me stated that it is called the Pearl or something. He forgot to mention that it is an old, haunted house.”

“It’s not,” James says with a laugh. “It’s still in operation.”

“As a haunted house during Halloween?”

“Now you are just being mean. It’s been well maintained. It looks better in the daylight,” he promises.

Surely that can’t be true. The large structure with its Victorian style and dark windows has to be haunted. “Maybe I’ll wait until morning to check it out then,” I say with a shudder. “I’m not going inside a place that looks like that in the dark!”

“I have no idea why the lights are all off. Maybe an electrical issue? Hold on, I’ll get us a flashlight,” he says, totally ignoring what I’d just said.

I watch the handsome man walk to his truck and come back a moment later with a large black flashlight. He opens my car door, and I blink at him in confusion. “James, I am not going in there. I’m terrified of ghosts.”

“It’s not haunted, I promise.”

“How do you know?”

He points at himself. “Lifelong Valor Springs resident, remember?”

“But you also mentioned that you haven’t been back in almost two years,” I point out, and he smirks.

“So, you were listening.” I flush and look away but stand firm in my decision to stay in the car and wait for daylight. “Tell you what, if we run into a ghost, I promise to throw myself in front of it and give you a chance to run.”

“Why don’t we offer Whiskers to the ghost instead?” The chubby feline turns her nose up to glare at me before going back to sleep. I look back at the looming structure and take in a deep breath. “Okay, fine.”

James offers his hand for me to take, so I unclip my seatbelt and put my hand in his, climbing out of the car. His hand closes around mine, and my heart starts racing at the contact. He is so warm and solid that I find myself leaning into him as we walk up to the grand entrance doors set in the base of the high turret. I swear that it gets colder the closer we get, and the shadow by the door definitely just moved…

James pushes open one of the doors and clicks on his flashlight. We enter a large open space that must be the lobby. Once we’ve taken a few steps inside, I notice a dark shape on the floor just outside the pool of light cast by James’s flashlight…a dark human shape.

“Ghost!” I cry out, my heart beating hard in my chest, but despite the desire to escape, I find myself rooted to the ground.

The ghost jolts at my cry and sits up, and I let out a scream. Oh my God, I was right. This place is haunted.

I shift my gaze to James, who doesn’t seem one bit scared of the female figure rising to its feet and approaching us. I can’t see her face in the dim light, and I imagine it’s probably distorted or something.

Was she killed in this building? Do I need to offer Whiskers as a peace offering to this ghost? I don’t feel bad sacrificing my feline sibling, knowing she would happily do the same to me.

More importantly, why can’t I get my feet to move and get the hell out of here? And why isn’t James at all concerned?

Christ, why did I listen to that strange lawyer and move from my home in the city to this strange little town? I should have told him to sell the property and just give me the money. I could have used it to live a much more comfortable life in the city, but I just had to come here to search for the truth about my roots.

“You are late,” says the ghost as she reaches us, and when she steps into the circle of light made by James’s flashlight, I realize that she is not a ghost after all, but a pretty girl—one who was expecting me? “Mr. Rothchild asked me to wait for you and show you around. You are Abby Miller, right?”

“Mr. Rothchild, the lawyer… Who are you? You’re not a ghost?”

“Of course, I am not a ghost,” she scoffs, and I flinch at the glare she tosses my way. Great. Way to make a good first impression, Abby.

“Calm down, Lizzy,” rumbles the voice of the man standing next to me, and my gaze whips to his. Does he know this girl?

The girl’s brows furrow, and her lips puff open as she squints against the light. “J-James, is that you?” She shrieks, jumping forward and pushing past me to fling her arms around my—around James.

He’s not mine, I try to remind myself even as jealousy sears through me when the two embrace a little too long to be considered just friends. They seem close, and I wonder if perhaps the ghost girl is his ex…or a lover. Shit, I didn’t even stop to ask if James had someone waiting for him before I threw myself at him.

“How’ve you been, Lizzy?”

The girl, who I can now tell is about my age, laughs, pushing back from the embrace to look at James. “Everyone has been waiting for you to show up. You are late too.”

“You know I don’t like the attention.”

“Of course, so we went ahead and celebrated without you. Should have seen how many people were on the streets waiting for your return. The elementary school even put on a little show.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t make it here in time,” James says, and a petty part of me wants to explain why he was late, but James picks that exact moment to turn to me. “Lizzy, this is Abby Miller. I heard she is the new owner.”

“It’s about time we got one.”

“Abby,” James reaches out and takes my hand, drawing me to his side. “This is my cousin, Elizabeth Davidson—Lizzy. My father and her mother are siblings.”

Oh. They’re cousins.

Now that Lizzie has stepped fully into the light, I see it. They have similar hair color and features, and the same blue eyes. There is no denying their familial relation.

I manage to pick my jaw off the floor and extend my hand to the girl. “Nice to meet you. Sorry, I’m late, I—” My cheeks flush as I realize that I have no excuse. At least none that can be said out loud. “I’m sorry for thinking you were a ghost.”

“It’s no big deal.” She waves me off. My eyes move back to the spot where she was lying, and she chuckles. “Oh, that. I didn’t mean to scare you; that’s just my favorite spot in this entire place. Come with me.”

Lizzie takes my arm before I can protest and walks me back to the spot where she was lying, nudging me to follow her down on her knees. I turn to look at James, who is sporting a smile and nods for me to go ahead. I follow the girl down and lie on my back when she guides me to, and that’s when I see it.

My God… It’s beautiful.

The high ceiling above me is a breathtaking sight. For the first time, I realize why the lights in the lobby were off when we walked in. Any artificial light would dim this magnificent view.

We are looking up at the turret that I’d observed from outside, and I realize that what I’d thought were boarded up windows in the darkness are solid walls from inside. The polygonal ceiling of the turret is entirely made of glass. Through the glass roof, the night sky stretches endlessly, creating a canvas of twinkling lights. The moonlight filters through, casting a soft glow down the tower, illuminating murals painted on the walls.

It feels like I am lying on the floor of a meadow, looking up at the stars. It’s otherworldly and mesmerizing, but calming and peaceful at the same time.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Lizzy asks from my side.

“Very,” I manage, tears inexplicably welling in my eyes.

“Melissa loved stars,” she whispers, and it’s the first thing I’ve heard about my mysterious aunt from someone who actually knew her. “Late in the evening, when all the guests were in their rooms, she would turn off the lights in the lobby and lie here, looking at the stars, and sometimes I joined her.”

My brows arch. “You were close to her?”

Lizzy hums. “I worked here when I was in high school, and even when I started college, she let me work a few shifts and earn a bit of money. Besides, I am studying hotel management, so it helped with my experience and all. Before she passed, she asked me to come back and manage the inn until her heir arrived to take over. That was a little over a year ago. Her estate has kept this place running, but no one has shown up to claim it…until you.”

I want to know more about this interesting girl and how the hotel has been running, but all that will have to wait, because I have one thing I need to know. The one question that’s been eating at my insides since I learned the truth.

“Lizzy,” I say, sitting up and turning to the girl. “Do you know what happened between my aunt and my mother?”

She shakes her head. “I’m not sure anyone knows. Melissa never talked about it, not with me anyway.”

The disappointment is like a knife in my chest. I’d finally made it here, and I am still no closer to answers.