Page 71 of This Time Around
“Renovations really seem to upset the order,” Lyric said. “If the apparition had violent tendencies, they would’ve shown them while the house was under construction.”
“Anthony made his displeasure known a few times, didn’t he, Mae?” I asked. “It could’ve been coincidence, but I suspect the slamming doors indicated a big ole nay when we were picking out paint colors.”
“It’s very possible, especially with the care he put into building this house.” Lyric looked up at Emory. “You’re pretty sure it’s Anthony’s ghost, Em?”
“I am,” Emory said. “I’m picking up a lot of residual energy from the pipe that’s identical to the one in documented photos of Anthony Bliss. It could be a family heirloom and the energy belongs to someone else, but I don’t think so. It’s definitely male, and I’ve picked it up in other places in the house like the ivory mantel above the fireplace or the banister of the grand staircase. I can’t be one hundred percent sure it’s him, but I am positive there is a ghost in this house.”
“I felt it too. He’s not sure he wants me here. Not all ghosts willingly cross over, so he might not give us the information we need to solve his disappearance.” Lyric patted his thighs, which was the first animated thing I saw out of him since I arrived. “We won’t know until we try.”
I heard playful barking and growling coming from the yard and went to see what Lulu, Maegan’s French bulldog, and Bull were up to. They were engaged in a battle of tug of war over a stuffed toy. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I had this eerie feeling of being watched. I looked up to the second story just as a curtain fluttered shut in the master bedroom. I looked at the veranda and everyone was still sitting in the exact same place chatting about their experiences in the house.
“I can’t give you an exact film date yet,” Lyric told Maegan. “I’m in between things right now, and I actually think I’d like to stick around town and do some research. Is there a bed and breakfast or a boarding house where I can rent a room?”
“I have a spare room you can use,” Memphis said softly. A pink flush spread up his neck and face like he couldn’t believe he spoke up. “Um…”
“Okay,” Lyric said with a casual shrug, but I saw the hint of a smile tugging at the right side of his mouth.
I looked over at Milo and saw that he was smiling smugly. I didn’t want to add to his swelled ego, but maybe Milo’s belief that Lyric belonged in Blissville with Memphis wasn’t as much wishful thinking as I’d thought.
Over the next month, a lot changed in our lives. The renovations for the apartments over the shops were completed, and they were ready to rent. Andy finalized the loan on the house he purchased to “flip.” I’m not sure who he thought he was fooling, or maybe he didn’t realize how much he loved the house on Lover’s Lane yet. I hadn’t seen the inside since he just got the keys the day before, but he looked downright smitten every time he talked about it. I’d driven by the house plenty of times, and it was an adorable house with a big, fenced-in yard. He bought the house for a song, so I suspected the interior was pretty rough. I’d find out when I took his lunch to him.
“Morning, Milo,” Memphis said when he approached the counter.
“Is that your shirt that Lyric is wearing?” I blurted out. I know damn well Memphis has worn that vintage Rolling Stones T-shirt before. “It looks quite a bit tighter on him, but I know that’s your shirt.”
Memphis leaned forward, his fair skin a vibrant pink. “Lower your voice, will ya? He needed a shirt to wear while he washed his clothes.”
Lyric had left town for a month, presumably to wrap up some personal things, and had only returned the previous weekend. Memphis vacillated the entire time he was away between thinking he wasn’t coming back and excitement that he would.
“Is he a big enough jerk for you? Are you head over heels in love yet?”
“Milo,” Memphis groaned.
“Or is that bad boy, tatted image just a façade for a sweetheart?”
“It’s not like we’ve had any heart-to-heart chats about anything other than Bliss House. He does admire my vinyl records and comic book collection.”
“Hey, I think relationships have been formed over less things in common.”
“Cut it out,” Memphis said. “I don’t know what his deal is, but it’s obvious he’s not in a good place. A relationship is the last thing on his mind right now.”
“What’s at the forefront? A certain dark-haired guy with the cutest chin dimple?” I leaned forward. “Tell the truth, Memphis. Have you seen him walk out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel?”
“I hate you,” Memphis hissed before he left with two coffees.
I watched as he handed one to Lyric then got busy looking on his laptop for somemust haverecord or comic. If Memphis had glanced up or paid the slightest bit of attention, he would’ve noticed Lyric’s intense focus on him. How could he not feel the sexual tension in the man’s gaze. Lordy, I was ready to fan myself, and he wasn’t looking at me.
At lunchtime, I headed over to Lover’s Lane to make sure Andy kept up his strength for the sex I would demand from him later. If I hadn’t been convinced before that Andy was in love with the house, I would’ve known it when I saw that he took Bull with him to work. Our dog was curled up on his doggie bed with his stuffed bunny. Both my boys looked at home in this house.
“I see you brought your attack dog with you to work today,” I said when I walked inside the kitchen door at the side of the house. Then I got a load of the wallpaper and cringed. “I’m not living in a house with that kind of wallpaper, Andrew Mason-Miracle.”
Andy dropped the scraper he was using to remove said ugliness. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Milo.”
“What part? The one where you take my name and not the other way around or that you’ve bought this house for us to live in?” I tilted my head to the side. “Come to think of it, shouldn’t I have paid for half of the house too?”
“Well, I—”
“Wasn’t sure if I would like it so you didn’t bring it up,” I said looking around the kitchen. “Tell me what you envision for this room, Slugger.”