Page 61 of This Time Around

I continued sorting through boxes with Maegan while Memphis went upstairs to call Emory. I hadn’t found anything of interest in the stack of boxes I looked through. I was sure the historical society might like some of the clothes in the boxes, but I didn’t think it was what Maegan was looking for. When I opened the final box on the bottom of the stack, I knew I’d found something special.

“Jackpot!” I said.

“Oh, you found another candelabra?” she asked.

“Better. Come check this out.”

Maegan set down whatever was in her hands and walked over to me. “Oh my God!” she said when she saw what was in the box. “Leather-bound journals that appear to be as old as the Bliss era. Look at the engravings on the covers,” she said in awe. “Only the wealthiest men would’ve owned something like these.”

“Let’s take it upstairs and look through them,” I said excitedly.

“Ha! The thrill of the hunt has finally caught you too.”

It was true. I was ready to drink some sweet tea and look through these journals with Maegan until Andy was ready to go home. I should’ve felt guilty about not helping him, but I was more of a hindrance than a help when it came to that type of thing. I was great with a paint brush and roller and would gladly volunteer once we reached that phase of the project.

We met Memphis on the way up the stairs. “Oh,” he said, coming to a halt. “Done already.”

“Milo found something way cooler than candelabras,” Maegan said excitedly.

“Old journals,” I told him. “Really old. I bet there’s all kinds of details in them.”

Memphis pivoted on the steps and said, “Emory will be over in a few minutes. He was surprised that you hadn’t heard from Lyric, Mae. He has talked to Lyric a few times after he visited, and each time he mentioned how interesting he found Anthony Bliss’s story.”

“Maybe there’s something juicy we can use to lure him to town,” I suggested.

“I only want him to visit this house if he truly wants to help me solve the mystery and send Anthony wherever it is he wants to go,” Maegan told him. “I’m not about to nag or pressure him in any way.”

“I’m going to order pizza,” I said when we reached the first floor. “I know that Andy must be starved by now.”

“Fine, but nobody touches these journals with greasy fingers.”

I placed the order for pizza and went upstairs to check on Andy while Emory did his thing with the pearl necklace and pipe that Maegan found. It wasn’t that I didn’t find Emory’s psychic ability fascinating, I just felt Andy’s pull stronger. I found Andy upstairs in the largest of the extra bedrooms. He was sanding the window seat that was built in to the turret.

“What an amazing place to read a book,” I said when I entered the room. “Any child of Maegan’s will love that window.” Built on both sides of the bay window were shelves for books, toys, dolls, or anything else a kid would want to place there. I knew that Maegan would make this a magical space.

“It’s my favorite room in the house too,” Andy said.

I crossed the room and handed him the bottle of water. “Pizza will be here in thirty minutes. You must be hungry.”

“Starving actually. I have a really bad habit of getting caught up in my projects and losing track of time. I haven’t eaten since I left Books and Brew this morning.”

“Andy, you didn’t stop to eat lunch?”

“I didn’t feel all that hungry until you mentioned it,” he said, shrugging his shoulders and taking another long drink. I watched the way his throat moved up and down while he drank. Who knew that could be sexy, but like always, my hormones got the best of me when he was near.

“What time is it anyway? Three o’clock?”

“Try six o’clock,” I told him.

“Get out of here.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. “Damn, I guess I really did lose track of time.”

It would be the last time I allowed him to skip lunch if I could help it. “This room is looking amazing.”

“I like the color scheme Maegan picked out for it,” Andy said. “She’s picked a rich, warm stain for the wood floor, trim, and the crown molding and a soft yellow for wall paint.”

“That does sound pretty,” I replied. “Kind of funny how she’s suddenly good at that, isn’t it?”

Andy met my gaze, and we both laughed. Maegan had looked for any excuse to shove us together, so it was only fitting that her ghost, as I started to think of the apparition, was the one to finally force our hand.