CHAPTER 2
Jas
Coleman did not like the old Morle house, at all. As he was also the
only realtor in the small New England town; he had the sad task of
trying to find a buyer for it. Over the years, a few people had looked
at the house; outsiders, people who didn’t know the history of the
place.
When he had been contacted by a man from Texas who had
seen the listing on the internet, Jas had done everything he could to
seal the deal. Surprisingly enough, without even seeing the place, this
Mr. Michaels had bought the house.
Jas nearly jumped out of his
skin when he heard tires crunching on the gravel drive; whirling around
with a hand over his heart. He managed a shaky smile, walking forward
with an outstretched hand as a handsome couple got out of the vehicle.
“Mr. Michaels?”
“Call me Shawn.” The tanned man said with an easy
grin; tipping back the brim of his white Stetson. He reached out,
accepting Jas’ hand in a firm shake.
“Well, Shawn, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. This is your wife?”
“Deja.” The woman next shook his hand, wearing a straw cowboy hat; smiling as well though hers wasn’t as warm as her husband’s.
“Pleasure
to meet you.” Jas hesitated when she stepped past him; her eyes on the
house then regained his composure. “So, Shawn, are you ready to take
possession of the house?”
Shawn nodded; his smile remaining firmly in place though it now seemed a bit tense. “We sure are.”
“All
the paperwork has been signed, you have the deed…” Jas reached into his
blazer pocket, pulling out a few keys and passed the ring over; feeling
relief coursing throughout him though he showed no visible signs of it.
“You are the proud new owner of Morle Manor.”
“Morle Manor?” Deja echoed, turning around to stare at Jas. “Is that what this place is called?”
Jas nodded, stifling his discomfort. “”It was, way back when it was built, it’s not really a manor but… the name stuck.”
Before she could ask another question, a moving truck appeared in the long drive.
“Ah, well, I’ll just leave you two to sort things out. If you have any questions, Shawn, you have my car.”
Shawn shook his head, watching Jas walk to his car. “Was it me or was he a bit anxious?”
“Too much coffee.” Deja said dryly; holding her hand out for the key. “I want to see the inside.”
Chuckling, he passed it to her. “Impatient much?”
She smiled slightly. “I just want a peek.”
“Go on, sweetheart, go explore. I’ll handle this.” Shawn said softly, returning her smile when she kissed him.
Hopefully, they were on the right track to getting their marriage together again.
***
“Deja, where you at?”
“Hey mister, where do you want this?”
Shawn
turned in what he didn’t want to acknowledge was a parlor but it was;
frowning. “Just set everything in the living room, we’ll sort it out.”
Nodding, the two men shuffled by him; carrying the mattresses to their bed.
Frowning, Shawn peered up the stairs; resting his hand on the ornate banister. “Deja?”
***
Deja
was staring at the huge claw foot tub in the master bathroom, a small
notepad and pen in hand. She was sincerely hoping she could get the
bathtub clean because she was dying to test it out; feeling that a nice
hot bath would be heavenly.
“CLR…” She muttered, shaking her head
and wondered; not for the first time, just how long this house had
stood empty. Dust coated everything and she was grateful she didn’t
have allergies or she would have probably had an attack just from
opening the front door.
The house was going to need a lot of
work, and that pleased her; it meant her mind would be occupied for
quite some time to come. She was taking notes on what needed done and
immediate cleaning supplies they were going to have to buy if they
didn’t have them already.
Sighing, she continued her tour;
arching an eyebrow when she realized the second door in the bathroom
–the one she entered being from a bedroom- wasn’t to a closet but…
“Oh wow…”
This must have been the master bedroom.
Déjà’s
jaw hit the floor when she seen the… bed. It was gorgeously
breathtaking, undoubtedly an antique and very valuable. Whoever had
left this behind… Who would leave this behind?
After a
moment, she walked over to examine it in detail; taking note of the
detailed panels at the foot; guessing the wood was mahogany. It was a
type of four poster, though at the head of the bed; it wasn’t posts but
a wall, a panel, that branched out into a type of roof of sorts until
it met the posts at the foot.
“Wow…” She repeated, pressing a
hand on the mattress, somehow not surprised to find it deliciously
soft; almost begging her to lie down. Shrugging, she eased herself onto
the bed, feeling her body sinking into the feather mattress comfortably.
Sighing contentedly, she folded her arms beneath her head; closing her eyes.
Almost
immediately she felt pressure on her body; frowning slightly. It wasn’t
heavy or stifling; it almost felt like someone was hovering over her.
Feeling silly, Deja opened her eyes and snorted, nothing; the feeling
had even disappeared. Mentally chiding herself, she shut them again.
Again, it felt like someone was hovering over her.
Again, she opened her eyes.
Piercing, fern green eyes were staring at her.
“Deja?”
She blinked, shooting upright and stared at her husband who was now standing in the bedroom doorway. “Shawn?”
“Sweetheart,
I’ve been calling you for awhile now…” He took in the bed with the same
look of awe she was sure she had worn when she first seen it. “You
must’ve fallen asleep…”
“Yeah, maybe.” She said slowly, than
shrugged. He was right, she probably had fallen asleep; which would
explain everything that she had just thought happened. “It’s this bed,
it’s so comfortable…” She patted the spot next to her.
Grinning
broadly, he all but jumped onto the bed; automatically raising his arm
so she could sprawl on his chest. “I wonder why they left this bed…
it’s got to be worth-“
“A shitload of money.”
“Yeah.”
***
“They
bought the old Merle place, you can bet Jas didn’t tell those two a
thing about that- Hello.” Viola instantly stopped gossiping and smiled
warmly at the pair who had just strolled into the store. The very
couple she had been jabbering about. It was hard not to notice them.
The town wasn’t very big so usually strangers were noticed right away.
The
fact that this pair weren’t just passing through but apparently looking
to settle in had made things even juicier. Of course, the mere idea of
anyone living in that house… it made Viola shudder.
“Can I help you find anything?” She asked politely, trying not to stare.
“No thanks,” Said the man; glancing down at his wife who shook her head. “We’re just lookin’.”
“Well if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”
As soon as they disappeared into the aisles, Viola turned to her friend and arched an eyebrow.
Linda shook her head.
***
“Was
it me or were those old women a bit… nosy?” Deja asked as she and Shawn
unloaded the contents of their cart into the cab of the truck.
“All women are nosy, sweetheart.” He teased, ducking the broom she tried whacking him with. “Now honey…”
“Don’t
you now honey me.” She shot back with a grin, relinquishing her hold on
the broom and allowed him to put it in the truck. “It just feels like
everyone is either talkin’ or starin’ at us.”
“Now… that sounds
paranoid.” Shawn shook his head, clucking his tongue at his wife.
Though when a couple passed by and openly stared at them, he sighed.
“But you’re right. Dej, we’re new in town, it’ll pass in a day or two.”
She snorted.
“I’m
going to run down the street to the hardware store. You want to come
with me or sit in the truck?” When she didn’t immediately respond,
Shawn frowned; glancing over his shoulder at her. It took a moment to
realize she was staring across the street; following her gaze. “Oh
Lord… she found the bookstore…” He mockingly threw his hands heavenward.
“I’ll meet you back here.” Deja replied, ignoring his smartass comment –used to them by now- and jogged across the road.
“Women…”
***
Deja
didn’t have high hopes when she had entered the bookstore. She was half
expecting it to be a themed store, like an all Christian retailer; as
was something she noticed as a mainstay in small towns. Or on the far
end of the spectrum; some beatnik store specializing in the occult and
new age bullshit.
To her great delight, it was neither. It was
just a bookstore. Sure, it wasn’t Barnes and Nobles but it would do
until they actually went to a city.
She inhaled the familiar
scent of pages as soon as she walked in; sighing contentedly. Of course
she had several boxes of her own books at the house; but she had been
meaning to buy some new ones; books she had never read. Of course, with
restoring the house; the chance to read was very likely going to be
slim to none…
However….
“Help you find anything?”
Deja
whirled around to find a man with a nose threatening to poke her eye
out standing right behind her. “Um, no, I’m just looking.”
“You’re Deja, aren’t you?”
She arched an eyebrow, surveying him coolly. “Mrs. Michaels.”
“Sorry.” He popped his bubble gum, holding out a hand. “Hunter.”
Not
wanting to be too rude and make a bad impression –and only because it
would affect Shawn-, Deja reluctantly shook his hand. Afterwards, she
gestured towards the stacks before walking away; rolling her eyes.
“So…” Hunter followed her. “How do you like town? Bet it’s a lot different from Texas, Jas said you were from San Antonio?”
“Outskirts,
yeah.” She muttered, picking a book at random and opened it; staring
without seeing at the words. Jas needed his ass kicked, running his
mouth about them to everyone.
She sincerely hated small towns.
“Seen the ghost yet?” He asked, leaning carelessly against the shelf; staring intently down at her.
“I beg your pardon?”
“The ghost, Mrs. Michaels; that house is haunted.”
Oh
great. On top of the entire town being NOSY, now she had some punk
trying to FRIGHTEN her. “Well… I suppose I’ll just have to call the
Ghost Busters, now won’t I?”
“The…” Hunter frowned, watching as
she walked past him; trying to figure that one out. It struck him just
as the bell over the door dinged, informing him she had left.
“Smartass…”
