“First, I fracture my tail bone, which still hurts by the way, thanks for asking. Then, I’m thrown out of my home …” My lip stuck out, remembering my stupid lava lamp, as if the seeping ooze which stained my belongings gave me a visual cue of the future. “I have to move in with … him, and then find out that I’m roomies with a dead girl, who probably orchestrated this entire situation. What’s next?”
My rant started as a whisper, but my voice slowly rose in volume. Great. I hoped Brad—Lee wasn’t outside listening. A vision of him standing at the door with his arm raised, ready to knock, popped into my head. I sincerely hoped that was just my imagination running away with my fears.
Letitia watched me, chewing on her thumbnail. Anger morphed into anxiety. What bad thing was going to happen? He seemed fine. I hoped he wasn’t sick. That thought swung into thoughts of my boss, Beverly. I knew I had to do something about her situation. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if she suffered because of my cowardice. And I was a total coward. Aargh, my God. I was all over the place. Felicity, Letitia, Beverly, Brad—Lee.
I didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to reveal my curse. I didn’t want to butt into people’s lives, where I knew I wasn’t welcome. Did Letitia expect me to tell him I could see and hear her? I didn’t want him to know. The ringing in my ears increased with a tide of taunting memories from my childhood, and I felt myself unravelling.
I focused on the closed door. There was something about him that gave me hope that maybe, just maybe, I might have found someone who would accept me fully. Curse and all. But I didn’t know him well enough to chance it. I wasn’t ready to take that risk. Even if it was as simple as befriending another person who wasn’t currently dead, let alone becoming more than friends. If I was being honest, I wanted to be more than friends with him.
But I didn’t want to want him. I felt trapped all of a sudden. The padded walls seemed to pulse around me. I closed my eyes and pursed my lips to slow down my breathing.
The sound of my ringtone interrupted the silence. I scrambled into the hall, snatching it from my bag before it stopped.
“Hello,” I yelled into the receiver, returning to the room and shutting the door.
“No need to yell, Veronica, I’m not losing my hearing just yet.”
“Granny.” My shoulders sagged. She always knew when I needed her. She may be psychic, but she also had a mother’s intuition.
“How do you like your new room, sweetie? I’m glad you finally left that other wretched situation. Poor girl, she’s in a bad way. She’ll get the help she needs, all in good time. How’s young Bradlee? He’s a looker, isn’t he? I always did like freckles on a man. Makes them look more rugged.”
My free hand covered my face. “Why do I feel like I have no control over my life anymore?” I sat down on the damp floor. Tish remained frozen under the weight of my anger.
“None of us have control over life, sweetie, that’s up to the higher powers. You can only control your actions and reactions to what is thrown at you. You couldn’t have run away from him, Veronica. You two were meant to meet, no matter what, no matter where.”
I didn’t even know what to say to that last statement. Flopping back to stare at the ceiling, I just sighed into the phone.
“I know you’re right about the control, but I thought I was safe in my cocoon.”
Her cackles reached through the phone. That was her way of saying, ‘Silly girl.’
“I want to meet Bradlee, officially. Next Sunday, dinner at your place. Pick me up early so I can get home in time for my show?”
“I’ll have to ask him.”
“Nonsense, it’s your house now, too. You’re allowed to have visitors. He invited people without asking you first. You might want to remind him that he’s out of coffee before your dinner guests arrive tonight. Maybe you could cook your Italian risotto. They’ll love it.”
“What?”
“Anyhoo. Get out of those wet clothes or you’ll catch a cold. As much as Bradlee would enjoy tending to you, I don’t think you’re quite ready for that yet. See you here at five on Sunday. Bye now.” The line went dead.
What the hell is happening? I threw my phone on the mattress, and stared up at the water-stained ceiling.
“We need you, Ronnie.” Letitia’s quiet voice made me jerk. I had completely zoned out.
“Can we talk about this later? I have to go and have a shower. Apparently, there are visitors coming, and we need coffee.”
She giggled at me, her dark mood now gone. “There are sheets for the bed in the cupboard off the dining room. Lee forgot that you might need them.”
“Right, okay. Thanks.”
Brad
“So, how long have you worked at the library?”
The smell of garlic and mushroom pervaded the air as I stood at the stove stirring the risotto. Veronica was behind me putting the pine nuts and feta on a roasted sweet potato and spinach salad.
“Five years, but two years of that were during my masters.”
What? Hang on. I turned to the side so I could watch her. “How old are you?”
She flinched. I’d have missed it if I wasn’t studying her so closely. I felt like a dick. I was making her uncomfortable on her first night with my rabid curiosity and loose lips. I half expected her to run.
“Sorry, that sounded really rude.” I turned my back to her
