Page 16 of The Curse of Redwood

I knew he was right. And yet… I still looked at the mansion once I was in my car, struggling to leave. It might not have been a place for me, but I felt a connection to it. A connection to him.

I drove home, trying to put the mansion—and him—out of my mind.

Chapter Four

Wednesday morning, Ben and I sat at his favorite coffeehouse in town. I didn’t have to be at work until noon, so I’d gone over to his house early and dragged him out for breakfast.

Theo had mouthed a quietthank youbefore we’d left. He had been worried about Ben too. I couldn’t remember the last time Ben had left his property.

“No need to worry over me,” Ben said, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a half-eaten breakfast croissant in the other. “You and Theo are worse than two mother hens.”

“We wouldn’t worry if you learned how to be human every once in a while.”

Ben scoffed and took a drink.

“I’m serious. You seem worse this time.”

Sighing, he placed the croissant back on his plate and looked out the window. “It’s the story I’m writing. It’s really getting to me. I can’t sleep. I barely remember to eat. All I think about is finishing the book.” He moved his brown eyes back to me. “Are you thinking about going back to Redwood?”

“I’m not sure.”

I had gone to see Ben the day after my visit to the mansion. At first, I hadn’t known what to say. The events of that night had been so strange. Then, everything had come spilling out.

“Are you still having nightmares?” he asked.

“No.” Which was probably the most surprising part about it all. Ever since I’d visited Redwood, that magnetic pull seemed to have lightened and the bad dreams had stopped. “Now, tell me about this book. Why has it got you so in your head?”

Ben sighed again and reached for his coffee. He finished off the last of it before peering into his empty cup. Allie, a barista who fangirled over him every time he came into the coffee shop, brought over a fresh cup.

“Here you are, lovely,” she said, smiling.

“Thank you,” he answered, returning her smile. Once she walked away, he added hazelnut creamer to the cup and stirred it. His brow pulled together when he looked up at me. “What?”

“You’re such a ladies’ man.”

He rolled his eyes. “You should’ve been with me when I brought Theo to town last Halloween. He was even worse. I thought I was going to have to challenge every girl we came across to a duel.”

I laughed. “And let me guess… he was oblivious?”

“Most definitely,” Ben responded. His expression changed then, becoming more serious. “Do you ever get so fixated on something that it completely takes you over?”

“Um, have you met me? That’s been my life for, like, the past million years. Redwood Manor took over my every thought. It still kinda does.”

Ben nodded. “Well, that’s how this book is for me. Obsession is a strong word, yet it’s the closest one to describe how I feel. It scares me, Carter.”

“Maybe you should stop writing it.”

“No. I can’t do that.” Ben leaned forward on the table, his eyes darkening with fear. “I’m writing it about her.”

“Her?” Then, the answer hit me, and I exclaimed, “Lady Death?”

“Shh. Keep your voice down.” Ben held up a hand as people around us looked in our direction. “It’s notexactlyabout her, but the plot mirrors my own experience. My character is haunted by a woman in black. She’s followed him, always from a distance, ever since he was a young boy. The book starts when he’s an adult, and he’s trying to learn who she is. I added a bunch of supernatural elements and the horror I’m known for, but the root of the story is about him dealing with his own mortality and inevitable death.”

“Theo won’t like this.”

Any mention of Ben dying sent ghost boy into a fit.

“I know.” Ben expelled a long breath. “But it’s something I have to do. Writing is a form of therapy for me. Telling this story is helping me sort out the shit in my head. Helping me cope with almost dying.” He dropped his gaze to the table. “Sometimes I still feel like she’s watching me.”