Plus, there was something else there. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. An uneasy feeling had fallen over her. She had all the pieces, yet as she put them together, she formed something a little different than what other people had gathered.
She gathered those loose thoughts up and carried them with her as she left the library. She took them out again as she drove, contemplating everything she’d read and trying to make sense of it. By the time she got home, she had a different theory than the police had fallen on. This one was a bit scarier than the fears of ghosts haunting the house. This fear was a bit too human to easily shrug off.
32
Seeing Nathaniel’s truck in the driveway was unsettling to Clara. She wished Ezra had never hired him, and she wished she could fire him. But of course, she didn’t have solid ground to. She didn’t have a logical reason to want him gone, or at least not one that couldn’t be argued with, and she was aware that Ezra liked the boy for whatever reason.
She tried to put her bias to the side as she went inside. She couldn’t blame Nathaniel for what his grandfather did, or even what she suspected his father did. But it was difficult not to. Her new suspicions made her worry, and she simply didn’t think he was worth the risk.
It was odd enough when Nathaniel wanted to help them with the business he wanted to buy, at the place his father invested so much of his passion into. Learning that the bed and breakfast was built by his grandparents though, made it even more suspicious. His grandparents lost the bed and breakfast to the bank, essentially. It contributed to their deaths. Then his father lost the bed and breakfast to Lyla and Richard. Now Nathaniel had lost it to Clara and Ezra, and he still wanted to be there?
Clara didn’t think she could handle it if she were in that position. She wouldn’t want to help the people who bought a business she wanted so much. So, what if it was all a little too much for Nathaniel? What if he was willing to do whatever it took to ensure the bed and breakfast would belong to his family once again? Could that explain why he was working for them? Was he hoping they’d be the next owners to die tragic deaths?
She didn’t have proof of any malicious intentions on Nathaniel’s part. Yet she couldn’t shake the fear that he did have those ill intentions. She wasn’t sure it’d be safe to even try to look past that possibility.
She couldn’t confront him about that yet though. So, Clara avoided the kitchen and got to work on one of the rooms upstairs. She was painting over one of the suites in hues of purple, to give the room a royal air to it, while keeping with the Victorian theme of course. She focused on her work and was able to shrug off some of her worries for a little while. She wouldn’t release them for good though. She needed them to keep her safe. She would not allow her family to be the next owners of the bed and breakfast to be tragically murdered.
She considered cooking dinner that night, but she didn’t want to run into Nathaniel, so she stayed upstairs until Ezra told her dinner was done. As she got cleaned up, she considered what to tell her husband.
She didn’t want to make him more concerned than he already was, he had enough on his mind already. But she wanted him to see the potential problems that could arise with Nathaniel. It’d be safer if they were both aware of his family’s past. She knew she had to tell him about everything. They were potentially in danger, and she couldn’t keep that from him any longer.
It was going to be difficult though. Ezra was beaming as she entered the kitchen. Music was playing and his stance was bouncy and upbeat. He had made his favorite lamb dish for dinner, with roasted potatoes, and a colorful array of veggies on the side. It smelled delicious and it was clear his passion had returned full force.
A dark weight had lifted from him, and it was wonderful to see him glowing again. This was the Ezra she knew and loved. This was the Ezra that had been missing too much lately.
“You seem happy,” Clara said, as she grabbed the dinnerware needed to set the table.
“I am,” he admitted. “Today was a productive day. Nathaniel came in with some great ideas that inspired me as well. We finished up a mockup menu and we’re going to do a menu tasting tomorrow. It’s going to be a long day, but I’m looking forward to it.
“We’ll likely need to make adjustments after the menu tasting, I’m not ready to solidify anything yet. But we’ve got a good start. I’m excited for the menu, and proud of what we’ve done so far. I know things have been a little rough lately, but they’re starting to look up and it’s such a relief to escape some of the stress.”
It was bittersweet. Of course, Clara was grateful Ezra was in a better mood. She didn’t want to be the one to damper that. But Ezra was the one working with Nathaniel every day.
