I was almost embarrassed at the relief I felt at this knowledge.
“And this weekend, we’ll start on the floors downstairs, okay? Together.”
I nodded, realizing Michael could see every single emotion I felt—I’d never had a poker face. And he was trying to reassure me.
“Thanks,” I said, but it was almost a whisper, and I wasn’t sure he heard me.
The night was cool and breezy as we walked back through the square and up the hill to Maple Lane. It was a moonless night, and it was peaceful as we walked side by side, the town settling into slumber around us, pulling the darkness up like a warm quilt. But the dark seemed to gather and convene at the top of the hill, where overgrown oaks and wrought iron formed the foreboding entrance to my new home.
I suppressed a shudder as Michael unlocked the gate and we made our way through the deserted side yard to the back door. A single light glowed over the door and it cast a ragged circle out onto the back lawn, making the dark reaches of the yard feel that much more threatening.
We went inside, each of us saying polite words about dinner and then going our separate ways to get ready for bed.
“Goodnight,” Michael said, passing me in the upstairs hallway as we traded places in the bathroom.
“Goodnight,” I said.
And then the house was quiet, except for the creaking of the structure itself and the scratch of overgrown branches outside the bedroom window. I had brought an Aerobed from Mom’s house when she sent me home from the diner, and it was far more comfortable than the camping setup I’d borrowed from Michael. I thought maybe I’d actually be able to sleep.
I forcefully kept my mind from thoughts of ghostly presences, terrifying shrieks, or angry correspondents, and tried to find something more peaceful to let my mind turn over as I drifted off. Somehow, my thoughts turned to Michael Tucker, to his conflicted face as he told me there was no point in making plans for ourselves, that they’d all get ruined anyway. And then to the strong muscles of his forearms, his hands, the broad shoulders stretching the fabric of his deep green Henley shirt. He might be a Tucker, I told myself, but I could still appreciate his aesthetic appeal. The man was attractive.
I’d just begun to drift into the calm happy place between waking and sleep, when an ear-splitting scream sounded from just beside me. I shot straight up to sitting and searched the darkness around me, terrified to discover a set of beady eyes glowing in the darkness, staring right at me.
The funny thing is, I’d never thought of myself as a screamer. But it turns out, I am. And the scream that I let loose was ten times louder and more terrifying than the one that had frightened me in the first place.
Michael burst into my room, switched the lights on, and rushed to the bed, and putting his arms around me as he pulled me against his chest.
His very bare, very muscled chest.
“Are you all right?” He asked, his voice breathless. “What happened?”
I let him hold me, but my eyes searched the room my cheek pressed against his chest. “Someone was here,” I managed.
“In the room? You saw someone?” His grip on me tightened, and his voice had become steely.
I nodded against his shoulder, but as my panic began to recede, other things began to register. He smelled clean. And manly. A little like hay or grass, maybe. But good. Reassuring.
He held me tightly against him, his strong legs to one side of the bed as my heart rate descended. I could feel the beating of his heart against my cheek, and it was comforting.
“Are you okay?” He asked, his voice soft.
“Yeah,” I managed.
“I should check the house. See if there’s anyone here.”
I nodded, though the idea of him wandering through the house if someone was really here was terrifying. “Okay.” I climbed out of bed and tugged down my nightshirt, unwilling to let him out of my sight, even if he was about to lead us both to our deaths. Better than sitting here alone, waiting for his screams to echo through the house.
I followed at his heels, creeping through every room in the old creaking house, flicking on lights and checking closets. And there was no one inside. No one but us. We even checked the creepy attic.