Page 8 of Heir to a Curse
“Of course.” He pulled a phone out of his pocket. “What’s your number, I’ll text it to you.”
I rattled off my number and watched him plug it in. He was buzzing with energy at just the thought of getting the kitchen of his dreams. “Anyway, I’ll find you in the morning. So think about what you want to see in the kitchen tonight. I’ll look through your wish list and we can talk about possibilities tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir!” Montana saluted me. “Have a wonderful night.”
“You too, and thank you for the food.” I watched him head inside and made my way back to the cabin. He seemed like a good kid. Another rescue of Sofia’s I guessed. Couldn’t imagine he was all that thrilled to be cooking for the handful of people who worked at the house. Though if I could get it running as a bed and breakfast, perhaps a wedding venue, maybe that would be enough. The fact that he’d been here a year already, with little to no guests to feed, was surprising. I expected a young man like him to want excitement. But maybe that was a judgment error.
Out on the path by myself I could see how eerie it was. Montana had been right about that. The silence had returned. No birds or bugs, only a slight rustle of leaves. The shrine in the distance sat dark and quiet. The lights in my cabin seeming bright in comparison.
As I reached for the door handle to the cabin, I saw a shadow move across the bridge, almost like a person darting through the darkness.
“Hello?” I called, stepping away from the house and toward the bridge.
Other than the moonlight above, and sky full of stars, there was no other light out there. I watched the bridge and area beyond for a long few minutes. Nothing moved. Probably a trick of the light, or my exhaustion.
After waiting for a minute and still seeing nothing, I made the trek across the bridge to the shrine, even opened the door. Nothing. Stupid head games. I was far too old to be freaked out by random shadows. Had been in my share of creepy houses in my life. One in particular had a basement that I swore I kept hearing voices. Finished that work as fast as I could and got the hell out. Some things just weren’t worth the trouble. This wasn’t nearly as tense. Sure, there was a general sense of being watched, but I always attributed that to my own paranoia rather than reality.
And what were the chances that some mountain man was out there watching me? Or better yet, the ghosts of Sofia’s ancestors? I snorted to myself. Silly.
I returned to the cabin, pausing for a few more seconds to listen and watch, then let myself inside. Took the basket to the kitchen and began unpacking. Montana had outdone himself. Packing a salad and grilled chicken, with what appeared to be a homemade balsamic dressing. Ingredients labeled on the tops of the containers. And a full breakfast with buttermilk biscuits, fluffy egg patties and bacon, all separated in their own little eco-friendly reusable pouches. There was even a thermos of coffee inside, and several sealed bottles of water. I’d have to thank him again in the morning. It was a better meal than I’d bothered grabbing while on the road for the night. There was also a brand new Word Find puzzle book with a pen stuffed inside. Apparently he knew that there wasn’t much to do out here in the cabin other than maybe watch YouTube videos on my phone.
I checked the link he’d sent me of his kitchen wish list. Immediately I caught the theme. Open, bright, mostly white cabinets, and lots of prep space. I could work with that.
Taking the salad and a bottle of water back to my nest, I kicked off my shoes and settled into the blankets to munch and work on a Word Find while still browsing the pictures. It was actually one of the easiest and quietest evenings I could recall having in a long time. No long hours on the road, or overtime drafting designs. All that would come later.
I didn’t bother undressing. Not until the cabin was a bit more functional. The last thing I wanted was to wake up in the middle of the night with a snake crawling into my boxers. Just because I hadn’t seen anything yet, didn’t mean there weren’t creepy crawlies somewhere.
I rolled over but something hard in my pocket nudged my hip. I dug it out. The little statue. I’d forgotten to ask about it. Setting it down beside my little pillow, I reached for the flashlight/lantern I’d picked up and doused the light. Darkness fell over the room, and I closed my eyes hoping for fast sleep, and a morning ready for work. The quiet stillness of the room had me unwillingly straining for noise. I made a mental note to pick up one of those sound machines as I fell asleep.