Haunted Fixer-Upper, The (5 page)

On the other side of the wate
r, there was a cozy cabin. That was where we were staying. Why we weren’t sleeping in the house with Reed’s uncle was beyond me. Regardless, the surroundings were peaceful and serene, just the stress reliever I needed right now. This had been where Reed had spent a lot of his childhood. I couldn’t imagine growing up there, or ever wanting to leave for that matter. Frank wasted little time backing up and taking off after we’d hoped out of his truck.

“Well, I guess now you’
ll get to finally meet my Uncle Lou.” Hesitation lingered in Reed’s voice.

“I’m looking forward to it,” I said, grabbing his hand.

We walked up the path toward the door and I found my anxiety mounting again. What if he didn’t like me? All I could do was be myself, though. If that wasn’t good enough then there was nothing I could do about that. Reed rapped on the door, but before he finished the knock, it swung open. A tall man stood before us. It was obviously Reed’s uncle because they looked just alike.

“
Come on in here.” He waved his arm wildly. “You must be Alabama. I’m glad I finally got to meet you. I thought my son never would bring you here.”

Wow. It sure didn’t seem as if he was upset about anything.

I giggled. I might’ve been blushing. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m really sorry about your truck.”

“
Don’t worry about it. That old thing was ready to go anyway.”

“Alabama, this is my Uncle
Lou.”

Lou didn’
t waste time by shaking my hand. Instead he reached out and wrapped his arms around me, then squeezed me a little too tightly. Finally he released his hold and I smiled at Reed. My gaze traveled across the room. Pictures of Reed’s aunt and uncle lined the built-in shelves on the far left wall. The feminine décor let me know that his uncle hadn’t changed things since Reed’s aunt had died. It looked like a woman had decorated and then a bachelor had moved in. Newspapers littered the coffee table and clothing was draped over the side chair.

“
Would you like something to drink?” He gestured toward the kitchen with a tilt of his head.

“
No, thank you. I had a lot of lemonade at the picnic. I’m sorry you had to leave early.”

I searched his face for a reaction.
I was really just fishing for an answer for why he left early. Yeah, I was being nosy.

“
Well, I gave up on you all showing up.” Lou stared at Reed.

I glanced at Reed. He had a frown on his face.

“It’s been a long day.” Reed stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I think we’re headed to bed.”

I faked a yawn for Reed’s sake. “
Thanks for letting us stay in the cottage.”

Reed’
s uncle nodded, but his frown deepened. The silence was growing more awkward by the minute. My cell phone rang loudly. I should have put the thing on vibrate. When I saw the number displayed on the screen, I forced back a groan. I knew I’d better answer that call or my mother would dial my number nonstop until I picked up. Reed and Lou looked at me as if to say,
Aren’t you going to answer that?

“
I’ll just slip outside and take this call.”

Reed looked as if he wanted to grab my arm and beg me no
t to leave him alone with Lou. There was nothing I could do to help him out of the situation. I had my own parental issues to deal with.

As
I stepped out into the warm night air to speak with my mother, I overheard Lou ask Reed what had happened to the truck. That tension between them was still hanging around. Something was definitely going on between them. But I could tell they were just a like. They were stubborn and it would be like pulling teeth to get any info out of them.

As soon as I answered
, my mother Sylvia’s voice bellowed from the other end of the line.

“
Baby, why didn’t you call me when you got there?”

“
Mama, it’s been a long day. We had truck troubles.”

“
How is his family? Were they nice to you? They’d better be or I just might have to come to Georgia and explain to them how they’d better treat my baby.”

“
They were fine.”

“
What about his uncle? Is he as handsome as Reed?”

“
As a matter of fact, yes, he is.”

“
You’ve got a good catch with Reed. Don’t you mess it up.”

“
I’ll try not to. Listen, Mama, I’m really tired. I promise to call you in the morning.”

“
Bama, I need to tell you something…”

It was too late. My finger had already been on the button to hang up when I heard her. Whatever she had to say I was sure could wait until tomorrow.

Reed came out the door in a hurry. I rushed my mother off the pho
ne and walked over to where he stood.

“
Are you ready to get some rest?” he asked.

“
Yeah, but are you okay?”

“
I’m fine. Just tired.” He grabbed my hand. “Come on. Let’s go to the cabin.”

We walked the short distance around the lake to the cottage.
Gravel crunching under our feet as we moved along the path and crickets chirping in the darkness were the only sounds. Reed didn’t mention the conversation he’d had with his uncle.

I still wasn’t sure why we weren’
t staying with his uncle in the main house. It was like we were banished outside. The place was quaint and cozy but I was surprised his uncle didn’t want us in the house with him. My mother would have been trying to sleep in between us in the same bed. The cottage had just one bedroom, but had a living and dining area with a small kitchen.

While Reed took a shower
, I slipped off outside to get a look at the lake and the moonlight. The glow from the moon highlighted the tops of the tall pines and shimmered across water like a thin layer of ice. But the night was thick and sticky. Fireflies danced in the trees. Beneath the immense canopy of tiny silver lights, I felt small and insignificant—cut off from everything in this quiet corner of the world.

Would I be able to handle the house? I figured I could be in and out in a couple of months, even if the other fixer-upper project I’d done before had taken a lot longer. This time, it would be different because I had experience. I’d learned how to do plaster with the other home and Reed had taught me to tile a floor, and they weren’t stick on tiles either. The one thing that was missing right now was my best friend, Lacey. I missed our time together though. There was nothing like talking over a cup of coffee with your best friend. One thing was for certain, I wouldn’t give any money to a contractor this time before they even did any work. I’d learned the hard way last time and lost money in the process.

I looked off into the distance. It wasn’t terribly far from here to the plantation. I wondered if the man in the woods could make it this far. The last thing I needed was to run into an escaped mental patient roaming the woods. I shuddered at the thought and hurried back inside. When I entered the cabin, everything was quiet. The water from the shower had been shut off and Reed was nowhere in sight. I tiptoed over to the bedroom and found Reed passed out on the bed asleep. Was I outside that long? He must have been tired.

I watched
him sleep peacefully for a few seconds, then eased back out of the bedroom to call to my best friend back in Kentucky. I hoped I wouldn’t wake her, but I wanted to share the news about the house and I had to tell someone about the strange man I’d seen. The event was sitting heavy on my mind.

Lacey and I had been friends forev
er. We had a ton in common. Lacey had special psychic ability and investigated the paranormal with the rest of our team. Too bad she wasn’t with me now. Maybe she could tell me if anything strange was in that old house. Her psychic ability would be invaluable in this situation. Not that I’d care much if the place had ghosts. A haunting just added character to a house. Reed’s aunt had a gift of talking to the dearly departed too, but she was back in Kentucky. Maybe if I goggled for psychics in the area. Another paranormal research team may know of someone who could help in that department.

Lacey
answered with a rushed hello on the first ring.

“
Did I wake you?” I asked.

“
Hold on a second.” There was silence for a few seconds, then she said, “I had to go into the other room. I’m on an investigation. Lots of ghosts in this house.”

“
I wouldn’t have called so late but I couldn’t hold my excitement any longer,” I said.

“
Oh no. What have you done now? I don’t think I have enough money for bail, Alabama.”

I rolled my eyes even though she couldn’t see.
“Oh, will you stop. I found another house.”

“
Uh-oh. And don’t roll your eyes at me either.”

“
Hey, the other house turned out okay.”

She snorted.
“That depends on who you ask.”

“
Never mind that,” I said.

“
So what are you trying to tell me? Are you buying a house?” she asked.

I sighed.
“To be honest, I don’t know. But I can’t lie and say that I don’t want it.”

After describing
the beauty of the place to Lacey, I told her about the other strange event.

“
So he was just watching you from the woods?” she asked. “Got to tell you, Alabama, that’s a bit creepy.”

“
A bit creepy? It’s a lot creepy.”

“
Maybe he was just hunting.” The hesitation in her voice let me know she didn’t believe that for two seconds.

“
Yeah, for what? People to murder?”

She let out a deep breath.
“Just be careful. Hey, before you hang up, tell me about Reed’s family.”

I paused.
“They’re nice.”

“
That’s it? They’re nice? What about his uncle?” I knew without seeing her that she had a huge scowl on her face.

“
I’m not sure.” I lowered my voice in case Reed had woken up. “Something’s going on between them.”

“
Well, find out what and call me back. And for heaven’s sake, be careful, Bama,” Lacey said.

“
You say that like I always get in trouble,” I teased.

“
Well...” She laughed. “Just come home soon.”

“
You got it.”

Chapter Six

The next day
, after renting a car that with any luck wouldn’t break down, I convinced Reed to make a trip to visit the car dealer who owned the planation. As we made our way into town, I decided to ask Reed about his Uncle Lou.

“
You know, I couldn’t help but notice that there might be a little tension between you and your uncle,” I said.

Reed could p
retend that his expression didn’t change, that his jaw didn’t tense, but I knew something was wrong. I saw it.

“
Everything is fine.” He didn’t look at me as we drove down the main artery of town. “I just want you to have a fun time while you’re here with me.” He cast a quick glance my way.

“
I am having a great time, but I want to make sure you’re okay.”

He flashed a fake smile.
“Yep, everything is fine.”

His answers were on repeat.
I was getting nowhere with this topic. I’d have to talk to his uncle. If there was a problem, I was going to fix it. For now, I’d let Reed off the hook and change the topic.

“
What do you know about the plantation? You said it had been torn down?” I asked.

“
Like I said, a lot of kids liked to go there for a good scare.” Reed steered the car into a right turn.

“
Has it always been abandoned?”

He shook his head.
“No, a man and woman lived there a while back.”

I looked at him.
“Really? What do you know about them?”

Reed’
s appearance remained tense even though we weren’t discussing his uncle anymore. It must have still been weighing on his mind.

He shrugged.
“I know she was a teacher at the high school in town.”

“
When did they sell the house?” I asked.

He kept my hands on the wheel and his gaze focused on the road.
“Um. They didn’t as far as I know.”

I quirked a brow.
“What do you mean? They had to sell it. They didn’t just walk away one day.”

He avoided my gaze as h
e steered the car around a corner. Reed was acting funny.

“
Is there something you’re not telling me?” I pressed.

He chuckled nervously.
“No. You’re letting your imagination get the better of you.”