Page 23

23

Evan

I cautiously followed Al and Cary into the manor, still feeling trepidation, but thankful to have two people with me. The fact they were both witches made me a little more confident the nasty fucker wouldn’t come at me again.

We walked through the entire place, from floor to floor and room to room, and all seemed calm. The only thing that felt off, even to me, was the basement door. “Don’t go down there,” Al cautioned. “Don’t even approach the door.”

“Trust me, not a worry!” I replied.

We walked back out of the kitchen and sat at one of the tables in the dining room. ““So, what’re your plans for this place?” Al asked, gesturing around the room.

I shrugged and sighed. “Well, I’d like to reopen the restaurant, but it won’t be cheap to get it back up and running. I went over the costs last night, but I don’t have the funds to do it on my own. Maybe if I got a loan—” I stopped and blushed. “Sorry, I could go on and on about all this. You probably don’t want my sob story, though.”

Al smiled and winked. “What if I knew someone who’d make the perfect partner?”

I sat up a little straighter. “I would be interested, but it has to be someone who knows the restaurant business. I’ve worked in a few and know margins are slim, even among the most successful places. But yeah, I would like to talk to them.”

I almost bit my tongue to stop talking. I’d thought about that myself, but not all partnerships were worth it. I couldn’t imagine how screwed I’d be if I agreed to work with someone only to have it go sour, like with my fucking ex.

But I also knew I wasn’t likely to get a loan on my own, and I didn’t have experience running my own business. I knew how to run a restaurant, but… jeez, I was rambling in my own head now.

I looked to Al, who was still smiling at me. “Who do you have in mind?” I asked.

“Let me talk to her first. If she agrees, I’ll get the two of you together.”

“Yeah, thanks,” I said, then began taking stock of our surroundings. “There’s a lot to do. The furniture is okay, but worn.” I got up and started wandering around the room. “These curtains are atrocious. They should just be removed. I don’t think it’d cost too much to put commercial blinds on the windows—”

I was lost in thought now, muttering to myself about the things I could do at minimal cost. The carpets were old, but not too ugly. Just having someone professionally clean them would be a good start, at least until I could build enough revenue to replace them with hardwood.

I stopped, remembering I still had company. “I-I’m sorry. It’s just there’s a lot to think about. This could be an amazing restaurant if I had the right chef. I can do the hosting—” I laughed at myself and shook my head. “Sorry, I did it again.”

I sat down at the table as the two smiled knowingly at me. “So, I’m going to be honest. I don’t like the idea of staying here alone. I-I know you said the other spirits are calm, but I don’t trust he won’t get out and come after me.”

“And that’s why you’re going to stay with Cary,” Al said matter-of-factly, and we both looked at her in shock.

“With me?” Cary asked, then looked at me. “I mean, yeah, if you want to, but—”

“It’s either that or with me and Christie at the bed-and-breakfast, but if things work out like I think they will, it’s probably best if you stay with Cary. Listen,” she said quickly, her tone turning serious as she looked to Cary. “I agree with Evan. It’s not safe for him to be here alone, not until we know the basement entity is contained and won’t pose any more problems. We still don’t know how much Evan’s presence here will impact him. So, for now, he needs to have someone with powers with him at all times while at the manor.”

Cary nodded. “Listen, Evan, you own the cottage I live in. It’s bigger than I need. I haven’t done any work on the other bedrooms, but if you help, I think we can fix one up, so you’ll be comfortable.”

I sighed. “Cary, I can’t ask you to give up your home. There has to be someplace cheap I can rent in town. I’m going to a local bank tomorrow and talk to them about a loan, something to help me get by while I’m bringing the manor back up. Surely, a small loan on such a big property is possible.”

“You should take him up on his offer, Evan,” Al said. “Your ancestor said you needed to be here, and we all agree. Not necessarily inside this place,” she said, waving her hands around her, “…but on the estate. The caretaker’s cottage is an excellent alternative.”

I looked at Cary, who seemed to accept the decision. “Seriously, I don’t want to put you out.”

“You won’t.” Cary laughed. “I can share. Al’s got a valid point, and I don’t mind a housemate, unless you’re messy, then we’ll have issues.”

I chuckled. “More like I’m OCD, but I try not to be a jerk about it.”

Al laughed and stood up. “Then you’re the perfect fit for this one. He’s mostly a slob, so having someone keep him on his toes will be good for him.”

“Hey, I’m not a slob. I might’ve been once upon a time, but I’ve changed.”

“Yet to be seen,” Al said as she walked toward the front door with us following behind. “Let me know if you need help fixing Evan’s room. I’m good with a paintbrush.”

Cary laughed, and when the door shut behind her, he looked over at me. “Come on. I’ll give you a full tour of the cottage. You can be up on the third floor. Someone converted the bedroom into a suite, but like I said, I haven’t done anything with it since I moved in. Mostly it just needs fresh paint, though.”

I nodded and followed him out the door, and got into the waiting golf cart. “Hey, question,” I began as Cary started the golf cart, and we headed toward the cottage. “Why can’t we lock the doors?”

Cary shrugged. “None of us are sure, just one of the spirits here refuses to let us. I’m guessing all that will become clear over time, just like everything else we’re facing.”