side, staring in Remy’s direction. He whines, and Mom waves a hand dismissively at him.
I look at Remy and gesture toward Mom. “Remy, go to Mommy. Show her you’re here!”
Mom shakes her head, but her eyes continue to search the room.
“Mom, she’s right here—Remy needs you.”
“No,” Mom whispers. Her lower lip trembles. “Stop it, Megan.”
I look back and forth between Remy and Mom—neither one seeing the other—and fall to my knees. “You’re her mother, why can’t you see her?” I point up at Remy again. “She’s right there!”
Tears well up in Mom’s eyes, and her face crumples. “Why are you doing this to me?”
“I need you to see her,” I say, sobbing. “I can’t do this by myself anymore.”
“What you need is help.” She shakes her head and turns away from me to go into the kitchen.
“Don’t bother calling Dr. Macardo! I’m not crazy and you can’t make me go.” I curl up on the floor and Fergus lies down next to me. I wrap my arms around him and cry as Remy skips in a circle around us.
FIVE
A car blows past me and I wobble on my bike. I grip the handlebars tighter and keep my legs pumping in a steady rhythm. I hope Luke is home. It’s only seven thirty, so I’m thinking it’s too early for him to be heading to Land of Enchantment. Of course, he’s probably asleep and won’t be too excited about my waking him up, but I’m desperate.
I see the sign welcoming tourists to the North Conway outlet strip, and just past it is Luke’s purple house.
I pedal harder and then brake by the front walkway. Lawn ornaments line the path and I can imagine what Nicki would say if she were here. “This array of gnomes, plastic ducks, and spotted fawns is clearly a sign of mental illness, and you’d be crazy to go in that house.”
I sigh. Seeing as ‘crazy’ is my new middle name, what do I have to lose?
As I roll my bike toward the house, I try to shake off the feeling that I’m sneaking around on Ryan. I know I’m not doing anything wrong, I’m just here about Remy, and the fluttering in my stomach is all about nerves and not about keeping something from my boyfriend. And I tried to tell Ryan about her, I needed him to know, but it was pretty obvious that pushing the whole ghost thing would’ve sent him running—like Mom.
I lean my bike against the front porch. Wind chimes tinkle as the cool morning breeze blows past, carrying the scent of lilacs. I walk slowly up the creaking steps and my stomach flips nervously. What if Luke can’t help me? What if I’m stuck with Remy for the rest of my life?
I ring the bell and hear feet shuffling inside. The door opens and a small, round woman in a floral housecoat looks up at me. She fingers a long, thick braid of white hair draped over her shoulder and clucks her tongue.
“Oh,” she says as she reaches a hand toward my arm. “You poor thing, come inside and let Nona help you.”
The moment her fingers touch my skin, the nervous feeling disappears.
She leads me into a room just off the front entryway and points to an overstuffed chair.
“Sit,” she says gently.
I drop down into the chair and she looks me up and down. “You’re too young to have such a dark cloud surrounding you.”
“I’m—I’m here to see Luke,” I say, unable to look away from her piercing blue eyes.
“Shh.” Nona reaches out and places her hands on my temples. “So much pain,” she whispers.
A sense of calm seems to radiate from her fingers and fills my body. I sink back into the chair and breathe deeply.
“That’s it,” she says.
“Nona!”
I bolt up in the chair. Luke is standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips.
Nona scoffs. “Don’t start with me, Luka. At seventy-nine I tell you what to do and not vice versa!”
Luke rushes to her side just in time to catch Nona as she wobbles on her feet. “At seventy-nine I’d think you’d know better,” he says as he leads her to another chair.
Nona fans her face
I look at Remy and gesture toward Mom. “Remy, go to Mommy. Show her you’re here!”
Mom shakes her head, but her eyes continue to search the room.
“Mom, she’s right here—Remy needs you.”
“No,” Mom whispers. Her lower lip trembles. “Stop it, Megan.”
I look back and forth between Remy and Mom—neither one seeing the other—and fall to my knees. “You’re her mother, why can’t you see her?” I point up at Remy again. “She’s right there!”
Tears well up in Mom’s eyes, and her face crumples. “Why are you doing this to me?”
“I need you to see her,” I say, sobbing. “I can’t do this by myself anymore.”
“What you need is help.” She shakes her head and turns away from me to go into the kitchen.
“Don’t bother calling Dr. Macardo! I’m not crazy and you can’t make me go.” I curl up on the floor and Fergus lies down next to me. I wrap my arms around him and cry as Remy skips in a circle around us.
FIVE
A car blows past me and I wobble on my bike. I grip the handlebars tighter and keep my legs pumping in a steady rhythm. I hope Luke is home. It’s only seven thirty, so I’m thinking it’s too early for him to be heading to Land of Enchantment. Of course, he’s probably asleep and won’t be too excited about my waking him up, but I’m desperate.
I see the sign welcoming tourists to the North Conway outlet strip, and just past it is Luke’s purple house.
I pedal harder and then brake by the front walkway. Lawn ornaments line the path and I can imagine what Nicki would say if she were here. “This array of gnomes, plastic ducks, and spotted fawns is clearly a sign of mental illness, and you’d be crazy to go in that house.”
I sigh. Seeing as ‘crazy’ is my new middle name, what do I have to lose?
As I roll my bike toward the house, I try to shake off the feeling that I’m sneaking around on Ryan. I know I’m not doing anything wrong, I’m just here about Remy, and the fluttering in my stomach is all about nerves and not about keeping something from my boyfriend. And I tried to tell Ryan about her, I needed him to know, but it was pretty obvious that pushing the whole ghost thing would’ve sent him running—like Mom.
I lean my bike against the front porch. Wind chimes tinkle as the cool morning breeze blows past, carrying the scent of lilacs. I walk slowly up the creaking steps and my stomach flips nervously. What if Luke can’t help me? What if I’m stuck with Remy for the rest of my life?
I ring the bell and hear feet shuffling inside. The door opens and a small, round woman in a floral housecoat looks up at me. She fingers a long, thick braid of white hair draped over her shoulder and clucks her tongue.
“Oh,” she says as she reaches a hand toward my arm. “You poor thing, come inside and let Nona help you.”
The moment her fingers touch my skin, the nervous feeling disappears.
She leads me into a room just off the front entryway and points to an overstuffed chair.
“Sit,” she says gently.
I drop down into the chair and she looks me up and down. “You’re too young to have such a dark cloud surrounding you.”
“I’m—I’m here to see Luke,” I say, unable to look away from her piercing blue eyes.
“Shh.” Nona reaches out and places her hands on my temples. “So much pain,” she whispers.
A sense of calm seems to radiate from her fingers and fills my body. I sink back into the chair and breathe deeply.
“That’s it,” she says.
“Nona!”
I bolt up in the chair. Luke is standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips.
Nona scoffs. “Don’t start with me, Luka. At seventy-nine I tell you what to do and not vice versa!”
Luke rushes to her side just in time to catch Nona as she wobbles on her feet. “At seventy-nine I’d think you’d know better,” he says as he leads her to another chair.
Nona fans her face
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