I lost my Grams, quit my job, sold my house, and moved to another country. I couldn’t exactly pick up where I left off. That life was in the wind now.
Chapter 2
“Ungh!” I grab my head as that pinging started up again. I wonder for the millionth time if this is a perimenopausal symptom. The hot flashes have been happening more and more and I found one gray hair yesterday, so it wouldn’t surprise me. They say forty is the new thirty, and I agreed. At forty, there wasn’t much that slowed me. At forty-five, I’m not so sure. There are moments I feel ancient.
I push the irritation aside and force my feet to carry me to the coffee maker. In the past week, I have come to realize I need to find something to do with my time. I’ve always worked full-time and can’t stand not having something to do. I have enjoyed not having the stress of the hospital, but I need something.
I wished Violet had more time. It was nice living in the same town as her now, but she owned a bookstore and didn’t have time to hang out with me all day. I thought about asking if I could help at the store but didn’t want to overstep. It was one thing to talk daily on the computer and another to stop by all the time.
It doesn’t help that the warm welcome I experienced when I first arrived at Pymm’s Pondside had subsided. It was more that it seemed as if some force was trying to get me to leave. The house seemed to want me there and be pushing me away at the same time. It was an off-putting game of push-pull.
I was able to take a deep breath as the pinging stopped. That was when the knocking started up. It sounded like the water heater was about to explode, but I was reluctant to call the plumber from the city to come back out here. The last time he came, he told me he saw no reason for the sounds. It didn’t help that in the hour and a half he was there he never heard it.
Deciding not to give it a second thought, I poured a cup of java and sipped the caffeinated beverage as I looked out the window at the pond. Mornings here were my absolute favorite. The greenery surrounding me spoke to a part of me that I rarely got to feed living in Salisbury. Not that it was as barren as Texas, but Cottlehill Wilds put both areas to shame in terms of plant life.
The quiet solitude surrounded me. I’d gotten used to living alone but there was always noise. I lived close to downtown which meant I heard vehicles all day long. It never occurred to me how much noise pollution there was where I lived.
Opening the back door, I stepped out and crossed to the table set under a large maple. Sitting at the wrought iron table, I drank my coffee while planning my day. I needed to figure out if there was something I could do in town. It was the other thing I loved about living here.
There was a main street filled with quaint businesses. The bakery had the best clotted cream I’ve ever tasted, and Violet’s bookstore was stocked very well. Maybe I’ll ask if they need help at the liquor store. They carried a fabulous selection of merlots.
The excitement over this new phase in my life still bubbled just below the surface. Never before have I spent so much time on me. It felt decadent to spend so much time wondering what I wanted to do with my time now. Up to this point decisions had always been a no-brainer. Selecting the college that I wanted to attend had been an easy one and I met Tim during my first year. Things just happened from there.
Not that it was love at first sight, but I knew we were going to get married. When he asked me in our final year it was more a formality than anything else. Having three kids, a career and a husband kept me busy enough that I hadn’t brought my twins to visit my grandmother very often. Guilt over that took some of my excitement. I should have visited more.
I should have made an effort to come every few years. I knew better. When my parents were killed in a car accident during my second year in college, I regretted not picking a school closer to home. I missed so much of the last of their lives.
That made me think about the decision to stay here. I wouldn’t see my kids much. I had enough money to buy them plane tickets once a year without draining my savings, but so much would happen in their lives between visits.
At least I had Violet here. She and I had been friends as long as I could remember. I met her during my early visits to my grandmother and we’d kept in touch throughout the years. She’d been the first one I called when anything happened, and a big reason I visited the few times I had throughout my adult life.
And then there was Aislinn. I hadn’t spent a ton of time with her this past week, but she’d come around several times and I watched her tend the garden while we chatted. I liked how she spoke her mind, even if she was odd and talked about potions. I was still adjusting to the terms the English used for home remedies.
Then there was the mystery man I’d seen the day my kids left. Violet informed me his name was Sebastian and that he lived close by Pymm’s Pondside. I’d seen him lurking about several times, but he never said anything as he stood there watching me.
My eyes scanned the forest surrounding me. The guy had haunted nearly every waking moment. I knew nothing about him, but his grave expression and sexy body wouldn’t let me be, so I kept chewing over why. I hate not understanding. When I got a puzzle, I couldn’t put it down until I figured it out.
With a sigh, I got up and went to grab a breakfast biscuit. The second I entered the house the knocking started up, followed by the stairs creaking. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. That was the first time the stairs made any noise.
My breath caught in my throat as I snatched a knife from the butcher block. Holding it in front of me, I searched for an intruder. Tiptoeing from the kitchen, I poked my head around the corner. There was nothing on the stairs.
A scream left me when one of the doors on the pie cabinet in the sunroom slammed open. This place is freakin’ haunted! “Grandma, is that you? I’m sorry I didn’t come more often over the last ten years.” My cheeks heated and I rolled my eyes at myself.
The place wasn’t haunted. But I would love to be able to talk to grams again. She always had the answers and at the moment one thing I was certain of was that I was missing something, but I have no idea what. Hurrying up the stairs, I checked the rooms on that floor. There was no one in the house.
Back in the living room I stood next to the worn sofa with my hands on my hips. “I don’t know what’s going on, but this is my house now and I won’t tolerate any more BS. That means you can stop with the noises and opening doors. I’m a Shakleton and I’m not going anywhere.”
I blew out a breath, but before I could turn away and grab the food, I was overcome with electricity. It zapped me, sending my heart into SVT. I couldn’t lift my arm to check my pulse, but I was sure my heart rate was well over two hundred thirty beats per minute. It was so fast I couldn’t catch my breath.
I tried to take a step and at first, I didn’t think I moved an inch. Then my arm smacked into something that sent me reeling backward. I bounced off something behind me next. My eyes were wide open, but I saw nothing in front of me. I swear there was an invisible force field around me and I could see the dust motes falling down around it. Girl, you need to lay off the Star Wars and stop talking to yourself. It makes you sound crazy.
The electricity turned to energy that filled every cell in my body. I felt them going from shriveled raisins to plump grapes in seconds. I never realized I was dehydrated or depleted until I was restored. Only it wasn’t fluids that filled me. Power. I shivered as the word raced through my mind.