excited.”
Come to think of it, Brian hadn’t been at breakfast this morning. He was currently the only lodger at The Overlook until the spring guests started making their presence known, so his absence should have jumped out at me. Since he and Landon generally loathed each other on sight – I had just been relieved to have a relatively peaceful meal.
“Well, hopefully he’ll come back to Earth soon,” I sighed. “I can’t deal with anymore grand plans.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I told Edith – who had known Aunt Tillie when she was still alive – about the big greenhouse construction. When I was done, she shook her ghostly head back and forth. “Your family really coddles her too much.”
Let’s just say Edith hadn’t liked Aunt Tillie in life anymore than she did now in death. I had a feeling they had been something like rivals for my late Uncle Calvin’s affections – with Aunt Tillie obviously winning – but neither one of them would speak expansively on the subject.
“It’s not about coddling,” I said. “It’s about distracting her. She’s obsessed with spying on my dad and uncles at the new inn. We’re just trying to keep her out of trouble – or, just keep the trouble localized, I guess.”
“How is the new inn?”
“It’s nice,” I said. “It’s still uncomfortable for everyone involved. I’m not sure how to fix the situation.”
“Do you want to fix the situation?” Edith asked curiously.
“Sure,” I shrugged. “Everyone wants their family to get along. I’m not sure that will ever be totally possible with Aunt Tillie around, though. I don’t think there are any grand family picnics in my future.”
“Well, she can’t live forever,” Edith said brightly.
“That’s not what Thistle says.”
I went back to my work after that, burning a few hours without even realizing it. I looked up when there was a knock on my door. Brian was there – and he wasn’t alone. He had another man with him.
“Bay, are you busy?”
“No,” I stood up and moved around to the other side of my desk. “What’s up?”
“This is Sam Cornell,” Brian introduced the stranger.
I plastered a smile on my face and extended my hand to the man. “Nice to meet you.”
“Sam is a financial expert from the Detroit area,” Brian said excitedly. “He’s going to put together a plan for us to expand The Whistler.”
Oh, goody. “Well, coming to Hemlock Cove must be a shock for you,” I said amiably. “Coming from the big city and all.”
“It’s definitely different,” Sam laughed, running a hand through his brown hair. Up close, he was an attractive man. His face was all high angles and his dark eyes were piercing. I guessed he was in his early thirties, and he was dressed up – at least for Hemlock Cove – in black pants and a blue button down shirt. “I’m not used to all the quiet.”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “Living in the city, you don’t realize all the ambient noise you absorb.”
“You lived in the city?”
“I was down in the Detroit area for a few years after college,” I replied.
“And you gave it all up for this?” Sam looked dubious.
“My family is here,” I replied simply. “Sometimes, you just want to come home.”
“Well, this is a beautiful home to come back to,” Sam said, although there was a certain edge to his tone that I couldn’t quite identify.
“It is.”
“I thought we could talk a little,” Brian interjected. “Sam wants to get to know you and get your thoughts on the expansion.”
“Uh, sure.”
I sat back down at my desk and waited until Brian and Sam got situated in the two chairs on the other side of it. I wasn’t surprised to see Edith pop back in. She was nosy by nature.
What did surprise me is that I could have sworn that Sam reacted to her arrival by turning in her direction. He focused his eyes back on me, though, after a quick moment and I realized that he must have just been checking out my
Come to think of it, Brian hadn’t been at breakfast this morning. He was currently the only lodger at The Overlook until the spring guests started making their presence known, so his absence should have jumped out at me. Since he and Landon generally loathed each other on sight – I had just been relieved to have a relatively peaceful meal.
“Well, hopefully he’ll come back to Earth soon,” I sighed. “I can’t deal with anymore grand plans.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I told Edith – who had known Aunt Tillie when she was still alive – about the big greenhouse construction. When I was done, she shook her ghostly head back and forth. “Your family really coddles her too much.”
Let’s just say Edith hadn’t liked Aunt Tillie in life anymore than she did now in death. I had a feeling they had been something like rivals for my late Uncle Calvin’s affections – with Aunt Tillie obviously winning – but neither one of them would speak expansively on the subject.
“It’s not about coddling,” I said. “It’s about distracting her. She’s obsessed with spying on my dad and uncles at the new inn. We’re just trying to keep her out of trouble – or, just keep the trouble localized, I guess.”
“How is the new inn?”
“It’s nice,” I said. “It’s still uncomfortable for everyone involved. I’m not sure how to fix the situation.”
“Do you want to fix the situation?” Edith asked curiously.
“Sure,” I shrugged. “Everyone wants their family to get along. I’m not sure that will ever be totally possible with Aunt Tillie around, though. I don’t think there are any grand family picnics in my future.”
“Well, she can’t live forever,” Edith said brightly.
“That’s not what Thistle says.”
I went back to my work after that, burning a few hours without even realizing it. I looked up when there was a knock on my door. Brian was there – and he wasn’t alone. He had another man with him.
“Bay, are you busy?”
“No,” I stood up and moved around to the other side of my desk. “What’s up?”
“This is Sam Cornell,” Brian introduced the stranger.
I plastered a smile on my face and extended my hand to the man. “Nice to meet you.”
“Sam is a financial expert from the Detroit area,” Brian said excitedly. “He’s going to put together a plan for us to expand The Whistler.”
Oh, goody. “Well, coming to Hemlock Cove must be a shock for you,” I said amiably. “Coming from the big city and all.”
“It’s definitely different,” Sam laughed, running a hand through his brown hair. Up close, he was an attractive man. His face was all high angles and his dark eyes were piercing. I guessed he was in his early thirties, and he was dressed up – at least for Hemlock Cove – in black pants and a blue button down shirt. “I’m not used to all the quiet.”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “Living in the city, you don’t realize all the ambient noise you absorb.”
“You lived in the city?”
“I was down in the Detroit area for a few years after college,” I replied.
“And you gave it all up for this?” Sam looked dubious.
“My family is here,” I replied simply. “Sometimes, you just want to come home.”
“Well, this is a beautiful home to come back to,” Sam said, although there was a certain edge to his tone that I couldn’t quite identify.
“It is.”
“I thought we could talk a little,” Brian interjected. “Sam wants to get to know you and get your thoughts on the expansion.”
“Uh, sure.”
I sat back down at my desk and waited until Brian and Sam got situated in the two chairs on the other side of it. I wasn’t surprised to see Edith pop back in. She was nosy by nature.
What did surprise me is that I could have sworn that Sam reacted to her arrival by turning in her direction. He focused his eyes back on me, though, after a quick moment and I realized that he must have just been checking out my
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