The Winter Spirit ARE (3 page)

“That…makes no sense.”

He laughed again, his brown eyes twinkling in the sharp winter sunlight. “It’s so good to see you.”

The knot of nerves in my belly untangled a little. “It’s good to see you too. So do you need a tow? Or I can try to jumpstart you?”

Owen turned toward the car and waved a hand at it in dismissal. “Nah, it’s a rental. They’re picking it up later. I’ll just get my stuff and grab a ride with you.”

“Uh, yes. Sure. Here, let me help.” He popped the trunk and my eyes almost fell out of my head. “Planning an extended stay?”

For the first time his smile seemed a little strained. “Something like that.” Without looking at me again, he lifted two suitcases out of the trunk. I grabbed the other two. We walked toward my truck in silence and dumped the bags on the backseat. I noticed that his fingertips were completely white.

“Anything else in there?”

“Just my laptop bag.”

“I’ll grab it. You climb in.”

The Toyota was freezing inside, and when I tried the key in the ignition, the car didn’t so much as sputter. I grabbed the laptop bag sitting in the passenger seat, checked to make sure nothing else had stayed behind, and wriggled my way back out. I could see Owen in the cab of my truck, fiddling with either the radio or the heat.

Owen Ashurst
.

I laughed softly to myself as I trudged through the sludgy snow. I couldn’t believe it.

“So what brings you back here after all these years?” I asked him as I slammed my door shut. The inside was toasty warm now, so I pulled off my hat and gloves and tossed them onto the dashboard. When I glanced at Owen he was giving me a thorough once-over and his eyes were shining again.

“Never did get rid of your baby curls, did you?”

I patted my wayward and static-y hair, refusing to check myself out in the mirror. “Says the guy with the angel mane. Did it stay that white or do you bleach it?” I pulled out from behind Owen’s rental car as he laughed, then settled in to stare at scenery once so familiar to him. It wasn’t that I hadn’t noticed he avoided my questions, but I decided to let them go.

Instead, I looked at my town and wondered how he saw it. Not much had changed, although some effort had gone into renewal and renovation. Patsy’s Ice Cream Parlor had a new front and colorful little doors and shutters that made it look inviting even in the middle of winter. Like a gingerbread house. Modetz—the most inappropriately named funeral home ever to exist—was still in business too. They’d added an overhang to their side entrance so the grieving didn’t have to trudge through snow or rain to get to their cars. The little parking lot that came with the building had been resurfaced, but that was currently covered in snow.

“Barney’s is gone?” Owen suddenly asked, whipping his head around to look at me.

“Ah, yeah.” Burgers at Barney’s had been a rare treat with Owen if I managed to get away from my grandparents’ house. “He finally succumbed. I think he ate nothing but ground meat his whole life. I’m surprised he lasted as long as he did. His son tried to take over for a while, but he ran the place to the ground. It was a French restaurant for a year or so.”

Owen’s eyebrows rose comically. “French? Here?”

“Yeah. Didn’t last long, obviously. It’s a flower shop now. Pretty nice one too.”

Owen nodded, biting his lip, his eyes not leaving mine until I had to pay attention to the road again. He went back to staring out the window for the rest of the short trip.

I pulled into the long driveway of the Lake House, and tried and failed not to scrutinize Owen for a reaction.

He leaned forward in his seat. “Wow, I can’t say this place looks the same. This is amazing.”

My heart did a pleased little hop and I couldn’t entirely fight down the blush staining my cheeks. “Yeah, I put quite a bit of work into it. My uncle left me a dump, really. It has taken me years while I worked construction jobs at the same time. But here it is.”

Uncle Jack had been a ‘confirmed bachelor’ I hadn’t been allowed to spend any time with. Every once in a while I’d managed to sneak away anyway, and I’d loved his hotel.

My grandparents hadn’t spoken to him for as long as I could remember, so I was shocked when he’d left me the land with the old house on it. By then it’d been empty for years, since Uncle Jack retired when I was twelve and then died when I was only eighteen. It’d taken me three solid years to get the Lake House into shape, but I was proud of it.

Owen undid his safety belt and sat on the edge of his seat. “Look at that.” He gazed out of the window in silence for a bit, and I had no clue what to say. “The brick looks completely different.”

“It was covered in grime and dirt. It’d never been cleaned. I had it sandblasted.”

“But you replaced all the shutters, right? And I can’t see much of the landscaping but all those ugly statues are gone. I mean, this place used to be a perfect example of a house in a Halloween movie, but look at it now. It’s like a fairy tale home.”

I contemplated briefly telling Owen about our ghost, but decided not to. Fingers crossed, Gabe would leave him alone.

Chapter 2

The way Owen took the whole place in with wide eyes, not even trying to conceal how impressed he was, made me feel all warm inside. It offered me a whole new view of the house too. I’d tried to achieve a perfect blend of modern and authentic, keeping the beams exposed wherever I could, but combined them with walls painted in soft colors, and sturdy, oak hardwood floors throughout. Only the kitchen and bathrooms had wood-look tile floors, something no one noticed until they stepped on them with bare feet.

Elisa had begun to decorate the tree in the foyer, and together with the high arches, creamy walls, homey but sparse furniture, the place did look a little like a fairy tale home. Owen gave me such a look of sweet appreciation, I had to turn away. In an attempt to escape the squirmy feeling in my stomach, I rounded the front desk and tapped the computer out of sleep.

“I’ll just sign you in,” I said, even though there was no need for that at all. The desk created space—a respite I sorely needed—between the two of us.

Somewhere in the depths of the house
Love is in the Air
began to play, and in the reflection of my computer screen, Gabe winked at me. I gave the screen a smart tap.

“Computer problems?” Owen asked.

I laughed uncomfortably. “It’s just a bit
slow on the uptake
, sometimes,” I said, glaring at Gabe, who made a face at me and disappeared. The music went up a notch. I tried to ignore it. “I gave you the Superior room. It’s one of our biggest and has a lovely view of the lake. Well…” I grimaced. “It’s mostly snow right now. But it has its own bathroom.”
And it’s close to my room
.

“That sounds great. Do you want me to pay now, or later?”

I couldn’t feel more awkward about accepting money from him, so I waved him off. “Whenever you leave is fine. It’s this way.” I was tempted to show off the kitchen first, but Elisa might be there and she’d be friendly but nosy. Plus, I didn’t know if I could stand another minute of his quiet regard before I succumbed, grabbed him by the sweater and licked his face.

I took two pieces of his luggage and his laptop bag before he could protest, and walked him up one flight of stairs and down the hallway that led to my own bedroom.

“I’m over there if you need anything,” I said. “And this is you.” I pushed open the off-white double doors. They’d belonged to an old parish house that had been torn down a few years ago. I’d snapped them up for a bargain and repainted them before fitting them to this room.

The lock was a little sticky sometimes, so I gave the door a light shove with my shoulder and stepped aside to let Owen in.

Leaving his bags by the single door leading to the balcony, I swept the voile curtain aside to expose the view, then did the same with the windows on either side.

“This is absolutely stunning,” Owen said, his voice coming from so close by I startled. For a second we stared out over the vast whiteness of the lake below us. A sharp wind blew across the pristine expanse, adding ripples like snowy little waves to the surface.

“The door tilts inwards,” I said. “So I wouldn’t recommend opening it since there’s over a foot of snow out there.” Owen gave me a cheeky grin and I rolled my eyes. “Do whatever you want, but damage my floors and you can replace them yourself.”

He glanced down, frowned lightly, kicked off his shoes, and curled his toes against the wood, groaning softly. “Underfloor heating, oh my God.” He tilted his head back as he relished the warmth, baring his long, pale throat. I retreated.

“Well, you’re probably very tired. Why don’t you settle in and let me know if you need anything. There’s a phone by the bed. Call star eleven for the front desk, but my cell number is there too, should you need it.” I pushed against the door. It didn’t give. Gabe had locked it, that little poltergeist.

The right side of Owen’s mouth lifted and, oh God, it looked so familiar my eyes began to burn. “I’ll find you when I need you, Nate.”

I mumbled something incoherent, unlocked the door, tossed the large old key on the pristine white duvet and fled.

As I turned toward the door, I caught sight of Gabe in the mirror, staring at me with a scowl on his face. Then again, he usually scowled at me when he wasn’t scheming to make my life difficult. If I’d been stuck in a three-piece suit and tie with my hair slicked back for however long he’d been a resident in this house, I’d probably be scowling too.

Since it looked like he had something to say, I went into my own room. My doors were double as well, tucked away in the corner at the end of the hallway. Entering my room always made me feel better. I had a little living room area set up, with the bed hidden behind a large bookcase. Fluffy white rugs lay on the floor, the walls were painted a soft grey which added to the rustic vibe I’d been going for. Two rocking chairs by the French doors made the whole thing perfect.

I stepped into my bathroom, and lo and behold, there he was. His blue eyes were cold, and his sharp features severe, but he’d never scared me, apart from maybe that very first day I found out he lived here.

“Well hello again, Gabe,” I said cheerfully. “Something the matter?”

“I wish you wouldn’t call me that.”

I rolled my eyes, intent on needling him a bit more, but I actually wanted him to leave Owen alone, so I decided to be civil. “Okay, Gabriel, then. What’s the matter?”

He uncrossed his arms, and his pretty cream suit was as unwrinkled as ever. “You like him.”

“I like who?”

“The guy who just arrived. I saw how you looked at him.”

I tried not to shift, not to give anything away. Because if there was one thing Gabe was good at, it was making things awkward. “He’s a friend. I know him.”

Gabe narrowed his blue eyes at me. “He likes you too. Couldn’t keep his eyes off your—off your derrière.”

My eyebrows flew up but I smothered a laugh. “Is it the gay thing?” I asked. “Does it bother you? Then why did you lock me in with him?” I’d never had a boyfriend since I lived in the B&B—and God, how sad was that?—so maybe Gabe didn’t like the idea of seeing me with a guy.

His face relaxed a little and his eyes shimmered. “It doesn’t bother me,” he said. “And I didn’t lock the door. He did. I just want you to be careful. In my days, men like you still married and—”

Ugh, not this again. “Times changed, okay? I’m not saying things are perfect, but we can seriously go through life without being married to a woman. In most countries gay people can marry. I don’t need a beard.”

Gabe’s eyes flicked to my chin. “Well, I do think you look more handsome shaved, but I don’t see—”

I flapped my hands at him. “Never mind. It’s not going to happen. I mean, seriously, is that what you did when you were alive? Marry some poor girl and then get your freak on behind her back?” I’d worked out a long time ago Gabe was gay, even if he’d never admitted it. He flinched now though, and I felt bad.

“No,” he softly said. “I didn’t do that.” His image shimmered and he disappeared, and for the first time I wondered how he died.