Amber’s parents falter. She wonders how on earth they’re going to field this one—historical preservation definitely isn’t on their list of renovation goals. In fact, there is only one: sell, no matter what.
Mrs. Cole speaks softly. “Well, I’m afraid that’s just not what buyers want.”
“It is a town landmark. We want to make sure it’s taken care of. Not defiled.”
Mr. Cole lets out the world’s fakest laugh. “Oh, we won’t be defiling anything! Now, about that flooring . . .”
Amber is distracted from the rest of the conversation by a shout from down the aisle. “See? I told you that they were here!” It’s a short girl with platinum hair, around high school age, flanked by two other kids.
Amber tenses, but Cecily clearly recognizes the girl. “Oh, hey—Bella, right?” she asks. Mrs. Cole shoots her a look that clearly says to deal with fans elsewhere; Mr. O’Donnell is acting weird as it is. So Amber and Cecily lead Bella and her friends into the next aisle, where Cecily introduces Amber and Rudy. “Amber and Rudy, this is Bella. Bella, Amber and Rudy. Who are your friends?”
“This is Miles and Jada,” Bella says, gesturing to the kids behind her. Miles is tall, with light brown skin and a clear lax-bro vibe. Jada, on the other hand, is darker skinned with a build that appears both slight and strong. Amber wouldn’t be surprised if she were a dancer. Jada turns and catches her staring. Amber feels her own face heat up and quickly averts her gaze. Is it just her, or is a small smile tugging at Jada’s lips? By the time she risks another glance, Cecily and Bella have started talking again.
“How did you find us?” Cecily asks.
Bella flushes. “Don’t be mad, but I recognized your car from the vlogs. We were across the street, at the Cityside Coffee—you should come sometime.”
“She’s kind of a superfan,” Miles chimes in. “Just had to know what you guys were picking up in here.”
Rudy rolls his eyes and leans against a shelf showcasing different metallic finishes for varieties of lighting. “Only the most basic flooring options possible.”
Amber laughs and chimes in. “If it were up to Rudy, he’d renovate the house using the weirdest stuff he could find.” She can feel Jada’s eyes on her as she speaks.
“You mean like that one?” Bella asks, pointing out a lighting fixture that’s built to look like a tangle of glowing wires.
“Absolutely,” Rudy says. Amber can still hear her parents and the hardware store owner talking about wood in the next aisle over. Rudy must be distracted by them as well, because he continues with a question. “Speaking of weird . . . do you know the guy that runs this place?”
“O’Donnell?” Miles asks, peeking through the shelving to look at him talking to the Cole parents. “Steve’s dad, right? Nah, not really. He donated a bunch of wood a couple years ago so the Cub Scouts could build catapults, though, so he can’t be that bad.”
Clearly, the frosty temper is reserved for them. The out-of-towners.
Jada mimics Miles, peering through the shelves at Amber’s parents. “You’re forgetting about the house, though.”
Miles nods. “Ah. Makes sense.”
“About what?” Rudy asks. He never could stop asking questions. Amber isn’t sure if she wants to learn any more about the Tremont house than they already know, but Rudy? Rudy always has to figure out everything.
He turns back toward them. “Oh, he’s just all about preserving the town’s history and stuff. I dunno, something about ‘keeping Norton unique,’ or whatever. I think he kinda sees the whole mansion-renovation thing as another sign that the area’s being taken over by rich NYC weekenders. And, well, he’s not wrong.”
“Some people think it’s a historical property that shouldn’t be messed with,” Bella admits. “They want to get it on some kind of list to protect it, but they haven’t had any luck, with the whole murder thing.”
“It’s been empty for twenty years!” Amber protests. “They should be glad that at least someone is doing something with it!”
Bella shrugs. “They want it ‘restored,’ not renovated so some millionaire family can move in.”
Jada nods. Amber can’t help but notice the way her hair falls in her face, how her voice is low and musical when she speaks. Is it just in her head, or are Jada’s eyes lingering on her, too? Amber bites her lower lip and tells herself not to get her hopes up. Sure, she’s out to most of the internet, but that doesn’t mean that Jada knows she’s a lesbian. Or that Jada herself would be at all interested. Still, she can’t help but think that Jada is holding her gaze for just a second longer than normal.
Bella jerks Amber out of her thoughts with a laugh. “I still can’t believe that someone’s living in the haunted house.”
“Haunted?” asks Rudy, his eyes lighting up. “Do tell—I, for one, think that this is the coolest house we’ve been in. I almost want to set up night cameras and see if I can record anything. I bet the internet would love it.”
“The town might not,” Jada says.
“Well, some people definitely think it’s haunted,” Miles says. “Between the Grables, and that other kid—”
Amber feels her face pale, but Rudy beats her to the question. “ ‘Other kid’?”
Bella looks at him, surprised. “The Grables weren’t the last family to live there. You knew that, right?”
Not another kid. Not another—
“You have to tell me,” Rudy says.
Bella seems all too eager to comply. “Well, there was that Andrews kid, about, I dunno, ten years ago? Evan? I was in, like, first grade when it happened. He fell while they were painting; everyone said it was a freak accident, but . . .”
“But?” Rudy asks. Amber almost rolls her eyes. He’s practically drooling. Next to him, Cecily is quiet.
