RILEY

At the butt crack of dawn and right on time, I was awakened by the screeching diesel breaks of a massive truck and for a moment I thought I was waking three years ago when the noisy construction crews had first come to renovate the old mansion. Nathan let out a terrified wail from his nursery and I realized that no, we weren’t back at the beginning, we were in fact expanding and what an expansion we had planned!

John grunted and sat up, ruffling his mussed bed head with a big yawn. “Here we go again.” He climbed out of bed, tugged on his sweats and a tee shirt then padded off to get the baby.

Me? I kicked off the sheets and bounced like an excited kid on Christmas morning. Nothing can compare to getting the Inn up and open, but this was going to be an even bigger challenge. We’d commissioned Kevin to build a massive addition to perfectly and aesthetically match the original mansion. We’d seen the drawings and had complete faith that he could pull it off. For months the local newspapers had been writing about our growth plans. Next to the hotels on the mountain resort, this will make the 1876 Manor at Mount Mansfield the biggest lodging facility within Stowe city limits. We’d followed all the rules, assured the structure would fit in with the careful pristine qualities of the town’s Victorian culture and received approval from the zoning board. Now all we had to do was live through the construction.

John passed on breakfast, insisting he’d be back later to grab a bite. We had opened an access from the main road at the far end of the property to protect our little infrastructure of driveways, parking lots and carriage trails from the weight of the big trucks. Nathan munching Cheerios at the kitchen table, I stood at the back sliding glass doors and watched John’s jeep make its way into the distance. He wanted to be there to help Antony sort through it all.

Like a massive train, truck after truck inched onto our property. Backhoes and huge drills, several eighteen wheelers loaded down with steel girders, a flatbed carrying several porta-potties, a truck hauling the white trailer that would serve as the construction manager’s office and coming up the rear, the ever present snack truck curtsey of Millie’s Eats. No sooner had the wide variety of pick-up trucks carrying workers arrived, Millie’s Eats was surrounded. No problems there. We had a few goals … whatever it took to keep the workers out of the main Inn … and whatever it took to keep the new construction from interrupting normal business made us real happy.

The new addition will be built on the open field just behind the left tower, but strategically placed so as not to obstruct any views already boasted by the Inn. It’ll be massive and multi-tiered. At the furthest end, a single floor elegant bridal cottage with top notch amenities. Connected to that, two stories holding eight rooms. Then three stories holding twelve suites, then, closest to the original Inn, a final four story segment holding sixteen suites. The additional occupancy space will be thirty-seven new rooms!

All that would be then connected to the Inn with another elegant arch-roofed porch. I swear to God, it makes me orgasmic to just visualize it! The only problem is … whenever I talked with John about it lately, he just seems distracted. Maybe his head is focusing on the details. Me … I’m always looking at the big picture.

I tugged Nathan from the highchair and spun us around in a circle, giggling and he cuddled close, his pudgy arms around my neck. At least the baby was happy with me.

WADE

To say the kid was getting’ on my nerves ain’t tellin’ the whole truth. Cory was always around. Always. If he wasn’t at my damn shoulder with his camera, he was somewhere nearby, jotting in his little notebook. I finally gave him the slip this morning in town and for a few minutes I felt kinda good about it. What the hell did the kid think he was gonna get on me anyway? What kinda shit did he think people really wanted to know in his documentary about my damn campaign? Campaign? Hell, I ain’t even really sure what that means. My whole idea was nothin’ more than talking to the folks, finding out what they wanted and what they needed from a sheriff. There was still a good chance I ain’t gonna win this election. But if I do, it might be nice to know what they expect from me, right?

I was standing on the corner, talkin’ with Moe Steiner, he owns the tackle shop. He was talkin’ about how good the fishing has been on the river, then he went off on another thing altogether; started tellin’ me about how early in the mornings when he’d put out to fish, he’d see vagrants, young kids, boys and girls sleepin’ along the hiking trail.

“Hanky panky, I tell you,” he said, his mustache whiskers lookin’ like spider legs when he knotted his lips like that. “Up to no good, I tell you Ben.”

“You talked with Sheriff Mike about this?”

“Hell yeah. But he don’t have enough men to patrol that trail. I been fighting to get gates or at least some kind lighting to deter those kids.”

“I’ll look into it, Moe.” Sure I would, but knowing young bucks, no gate or lights are gonna stop ‘em from finding a way back there and getting some in the woods.

I looked up and saw Cory down the street, standing in front of Kelly’s pretty little gift shop. He was talking to one of the local cops and writing up a storm in his notebook. I edged into a doorway and waited. When he left and crossed the street to the coffee shop I walked in right after him. Before he could reach the counter to order, I grasped his arm and pulled him out the back door.

We stood in the alley near the garbage and I paced. Cory White just grinned. “Ben,” he said real friendly.

“What the fuck are you doin’?”

“What?” His eyes went all innocent and I leaned close.

“What the fuck are you doin’?”

“Ben, man … nothing. Just getting background information for the documentary.”

I seen men do this, I seen them pretend real good and I seen through their game. “What are you up to? What are you lookin’ for, son?”

Cory drew in a breath and squared his shoulders. His feet planted like tree trunks and his hands deep in his pockets. His head slightly tilted, his eyes intense and clear. That minute he looked years older, wiser … that bastard knew somethin’ he wasn’t about to tell me.

“Don’t worry about it, Ben,” he said real quiet. “Nothing to be concerned with.”

“It concerns me and listen to me boy … what concerns me makes me nervous.”

“It doesn’t concern you. I’m gettin’ coffee,” and he walked away from me.

JOHN

Here we go again. Can’t say I’m too excited about it, but at least this time, starting from scratch, the construction is supposed to go much faster. Feeling kinda bad though, I know Riles is beside herself with all this stuff but I got other things on my mind.

I’m worried sick over the shit Cory uncovered. Concerned about Wade … and terrified of telling Riles my plans. I’m real good at putting things off too long, so I decided there was no time like the present. Seeing that Antony had control over the chaos that was filling our once quiet flower speckled field, I headed back for some late breakfast.

“Everything okay?” my wife asked, cooking me up a huge breakfast that started to make me suspicious. Yeah, I live with a chef, but it seems she never cooks anymore. The baby eats simple things; I’m always running in and out. We got a perfectly good restaurant at our disposal. I guess it makes no sense for her to go the extra mile anymore. But there she was, fresh squeezing orange juice, flipping pecan pancakes and over easy eggs, the smell of bacon drifting in the air. Even Nathan crawled up on my lap in anticipation.

Setting the loaded plate in front of me, she sat, eyes wide with anticipation, her chin in her hands and waiting for my answer.

“Yeah, everything’s in for now. Looks like they’ll be starting by noon. Ah … Riles …”

“Listen, listen,” she patted my hand. “John, I know you’re not happy with all this but it’s going to make a big difference here. I swear I’ll keep the bulk of things off your hands. I won’t burden you with anything. Kev and me will handle it all.”

“No, no, that’s not it. I just … I just got something I wanna talk about, that’s all.” Did she even hear me? She was still prattling away.

“Last time you were so into it but I understand how doing all this again so soon can be frustrating and I guarantee you, you won’t have to deal with any of it.”

“Riley, stop. What gave you the fucking idea I don’t want to be involved?”

She blinked. “Well, you seem so disinterested.”

“I’m not disinterested. I got some things on my mind; stuff that has nothing to do with the Inn or the new construction. Some things I need to talk to you about.”

“Oh.” She cleared her throat and fought a grin. “I kinda wanna talk to you about something too.”

Oh shit. What the fuck can that mean? I set down my fork and leaned back. Nathan snarfed a piece of bacon and climbed to the floor where he sat and munched away. “You first,” I said cautiously.

“No, no. Mine’s not that important. What did you want to talk about?” She topped off my coffee cup.

“I … uh … did you know Mayor Williams wants to retire?”

“Yes, I heard. Hey, we should throw him a nice retirement party here.”

“Well, sure. But you realize he won’t retire unless someone else steps up and runs for the position.”

“Oh,” another shrug. “Then when that happens we’ll throw a party.”

“Right, fine. Uh … listen, Cory has been doing a little digging around town and he’s kinda uncovered a few unscrupulous characters on the zoning board.”

She blinked, having no fucking clue where I was going with this so I continued.

“These guys are thinking they can manipulate Wade if he gets elected. The Sheriff sits on that board of directors for zoning.”

“Not that stupid mall again?”

I nodded.

“Well,” she sipped coffee thoughtfully. “Ben’s not stupid. He can figure out the good guys from the bad guys.”

Don’t bet on it, I thought. “Maybe, maybe. But I’m thinking … just to protect Wade and the town … maybe Ben needs an ally … on the zoning council board of directors.”

“Mayor Williams will be his ally, right?”

Why did I feel like we were talking in fucking circles. “If he doesn’t retire,” I said as patiently as I could.

“Then we should start talking around and getting someone to run for mayor,” she said all matter-of-fact as she gathered my empty plate.

“Okay. Let’s start this all over again. Sit down, dammit.”

“Did I miss something?” Poor thing actually looked deflated.

“No … yes … no. Let me get this out, please.”

Now she looked like a deer in the headlights, her head bobbing dumbly.

“Riles, I want to run for mayor.”

“Ah … oh. Um … well that will sure get you out of watching over the construction, won’t it?”

“No, that’s not what I want! I want to be here and keep and eye on the construction. I want to take care of everything here. I swear. Baby, I just don’t want to see Stowe get screwed over … or Ben get his ass in deep shit with the wrong men in power.”

She leaned back in her chair and sighed. “What would being mayor mean, John?”

“Well,” I rubbed my eyes wondering if I was really ready for this. “I’d be down at the city office building most days. Town meetings, planning commissions, council meetings. But I’ll do everything I usually do here too. I swear.”

“Right, meet our concierge, Mayor Biebe. Don’t think so, John.”

My heart dropped. She was right. Being Mayor was gonna take me out of the day to day here. But if things go wrong in Stowe, what was the point of building this addition? We’ll be dead in the water. Who will want to come to a quaint Victorian Vermont town with a modern mall right on Main Street? My head was reeling, trying to find another alternative, think of everyone I knew and who might want to run for mayor. Riley was talking and I didn’t even hear her.

“Are you listening to me?” she said, softly laying a hand over mine. “John, I understand, I really do. You care about this town and you care about Ben. And I can maybe understand why you need to do this more than you think … but … I want something too.”

Damn, my mouth went dry. “What?”

“I want another baby, John.”

Okay, I had to gulp my juice; every bit of fluid from my mouth had disappeared. Not that having a baby was a bad idea; it was just a really bad time. “Sweetheart, I think it’s a … good plan, but maybe we should think about holding off a while.”

“When’s the election?”

“May.”

She groaned. “John, I’m turning forty this year. I really don’t want to wait that long. What difference would it make if we do it now?”

My arm rose and my finger pointed out the sliding glass doors. “Jesus, Riley. Use your head. Fuck, there’s no way I want you pregnant and handling all the stress of this mess going on.”

“I can handle stress. You’ll be off running for mayor, campaigning. You’ll have the worst of the stress. All I need to worry about is –”

“Everything!” I stood, started to pace, little Nathan watching me with wide eyes. “You’ll be dealing with the Inn, with the construction, the finishing touches, expanding the kitchen hours and services, God sakes, there’s no way I want you coping with all that and carrying a baby too.”

“John, John, calm down.”

Then my heart jerked in my chest. “Fuck! You’re not already pregnant, are you?”

“Would that make a difference?” her eyes looked so sad I dropped to my seat.

“No, no, well yeah, for me. I can’t do the campaign; I’ll need to be here. Shh, don’t worry. I’ll find someone else to run, baby.”

“John hey, I’m not already pregnant. And you … you will make a wonderful mayor,” she smiled.

“So, you’re okay with it?”

“Of course I’m okay with it … but I don’t want to wait until May before we try for another baby.”

We were in full swing negotiations and I knew it. This time I poured her coffee. “Okay, what’s your proposal?”

“As soon as the addition is opened and occupied. December.”

“May. I don’t want you stressed out.”

“You can’t play the stress card, you already tried that. And if you go back to demanding May, I go back to right here, right now,” she teasingly opened the top few buttons of her blouse.

“You ain’t playing fair. Alright, alright, alright. You say December … I say April, end of ski season.”

“No deal,” another button opened. “February. All the kinks will be smoothed over operations and the stress will be gone.”

She had a good point but I wasn’t ready to concede yet. “March.”

“February,” she fingered the clip at the front of her bra.

“February it is, but …” I turned to my son. “Wanna go see Aunt Natalie?”

“AuntAllie!” Nathan squealed and ran to the door. In two swift minutes he was in Nat’s care and I was back in my kitchen.

“Where was I,” I unclipped that bra with one quick flick of my fingers. “Oh yeah, February it is, but I’m about to teach you a lesson, woman.”

She laughed and wrapped her arms around my neck. The kiss was luscious. “What lesson is that, Mr. Mayor?”

“You play … you pay.” It was a way nicer morning than I expected, that’s for sure.

DAISY

Okay, this was the final straw. This morning as he left, decked out in his fifties duds, Cory pulled me into a bear hug, laid a deep kiss on me and squeezed my ass. “Keep this warm for me, ‘til I get home tonight Doll.” Abruptly, he let me go and left, leaving me wondering what the hell happened to my Cory.

I stood staring at the door for a moment, mouth gaping. My sweet, funny, quirky boyfriend had been completely replaced by a gruff, crew-cut wearing, domineering … well, I won’t go there but I gotta say, there can only be one person behind all of this, in one way or another. Dear old granddad.

Now, to be honest, I’m not really sure about all this ghost stuff. Personally, I’ve never seen a spirit or experienced any of that shit. Yeah, Cory had some really out there experiences when he was working with Gemma. And Gemma’s a really nice lady and all. But … well, I’m not sure that all that crazy shit couldn’t have some other explanation than ghosts. It doesn’t mean they exist … and it doesn’t mean they don’t. Just means I don’t know. But this I do know … Cory’s going all Stephen King and turnin’ into his granddad.

I had to do something, anything to stop this. Maybe find the S.O.B., if he existed, and convince him to leave Cory alone. There was only one place I knew of to find the ghost of Bud White and I stormed up to the left tower, slammed the door and started yelling.

“Leave him alone, ya old fart. Just leave him be.” I paced, circled the empty room. “He was just fine the way he was and now look at him,” I railed. “He’s acting funny and dressing crazy …”

“What the hell’s wrong with the way he looks? I think he looks kinda good.”

My heart froze. “Um …” I looked around … no one. I distinctly heard a voice coming from nowhere. Guess I’m having my first ghostly experience … don’t think I like it too much.

“Whaddya wanna say, girlie?”

“Is this … are you … Bud?”

“Yeah. And in my day, you woulda called me Officer White. At least Mr. White. Now …”

I felt a pressure on my shoulder, pushing me to one of the benches lining the side of the room. I thumped my butt down on the cushion.

“Sit your pretty ass down and listen to me. First, it ain’t me. I ain’t doing nothin’ to Cory. But here’s the juice … you listenin’?”

I nodded my head, eyes wide, basically speechless.

“Cory’s on to something big and ya gotta let him finish it out. It’s important he solve this case, Doll. Ya got that?”

“Ah … yeah, got it … um … what case?”

“Nothing to worry your pretty head over, just stay out of his way.”

“Okay,” I squeaked.

“Good. Anything else you wanna yell at me about?”

“Um … no. Just that.”

“Now, don’t you got a bar to tend?”

Obviously I was dismissed. I high-tailed it out of the room and down the stairs. Damn, did I just talk to a ghost and shit … does Bud White know everything?

JESSIE

I can’t believe that it’s already moving day. It seems like everything has happened so fast; meeting Lachlan, becoming pregnant, getting engaged, moving to Vermont, and now, buying this big old house. I’ve always been a bit of a procrastinator when it came to making big changes in my life; I like a familiar routine and don’t step out of my comfort zone very often, but here I am, moving full steam ahead with a whole new life and facing a whole big barrel full of new responsibilities. Sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed by it all. Don’t get me wrong; I’m happy with where I am right now, but I guess I just never really believed that I’d actually find myself here.

Lachlan helps make it all a little easier to accept. I still feel a little bit like I’m playing house with the cute-looking boy next door, but then I remind myself that this is all really happening. The house is ours, in three weeks we’ll be married and in late December we’ll welcome this beautiful baby we’ve created into our world. I suppose every expectant parent wonders what their child will look like; boy or girl, my eyes or his chin? What color will his or her hair be? Sometimes I think I’m obsessed with these things and when I prattle on about possible baby names or subjects like breast feeding over formula, Lachlan just smiles and indulges my ramblings. Seeing him so happy and comfortable with everything has a calming effect on me; he seems to really be in his element here and I love how his eyes light up whenever we discuss all that’s coming up for us. It’s a good feeling to know that he’s just as excited by all this as I am.

This morning we were up before the crack of dawn, heading up to our new home to await the movers arriving with all the stuff we had shipped from San Diego. Jeff Mitchell came along with us to help out; he’s agreed to oversee the plumbing renovations and may end up staying with us for a bit during all the construction. I was feeling a little grumpy and antisocial in spite of my excitement and just stared ahead as Lach steered us down the hill; I’m just not a morning person and I’m still adjusting to not being able to drink my beloved morning coffee. But Lach and Jeff were like chattering magpies, discussing footie, the British Open, how many pizza restaurants we had in Stowe that delivered (two), the best maker of meat pies (Four’N’Twenty), and the ridiculous number of American television ads dedicated to toilet paper and feminine hygiene products. By the time we reached the house they had me laughing so hard that I almost wet my pants.

“Be careful of loose toilet seats and dodgy plumbing!” Jeff called out after me when we arrived and I darted through the front door ahead of them, my bladder threatening to burst at any minute. We’d just had the utilities turned on yesterday and we’d yet to test anything. Lachlan greeted me afterwards in the hallway with a guilty grin and sweet hug, his hand coming to rest protectively over my stomach as he kissed me.

“Remember, leave all the lifting to us men and just keep us well fed. We’ll take care of everything else.”

We had packed a cooler full of food and it was out in the car with a few other groceries. Jeff had even thought to bring an old Hibachi grill he found while mucking through one of the utility rooms at the Inn and I think he and Lach were planning on grilling some hamburgers out on the porch later that afternoon. Looks like we’re off to a good start; we’re planning on spending our first night here at the house this evening, and tomorrow we’ll bring Kahlua over and introduce him to his new home. I’m hoping he’ll like having all this space to wander around in, and Lachlan’s already talking about getting a dog.

You know, maybe settling into domestic bliss won’t be such a frightening transition after all.

LACHLAN

The movers arrived before 9AM and by noon everything was unpacked and placed throughout the downstairs rooms. We’ve decided that we’re going to settle in on the first floor for now while the second and third stories are cleaned, painted and receive any necessary repairs. Kevin’ll be back in town next week and we’re slated to get going on the most important renovations right away. Even though this old house is in pretty good condition, the years of sitting empty have taken their toll. Top it off with some very unattractive attempts at modernization somewhere around the fifties and sixties, I reckon it’s going to be an adventure discovering just what’s lying beneath the ugly green linoleum flooring in the kitchen and parlor, not to mention what surprises await us above the unattractive drop ceilings that were installed in several of the rooms. We may not be able to repaint the outside of the house properly until next spring and the roof needs patching here and there to hold us through this fall and winter.

Jessie busied herself with keeping us well fed as Mitchell and I moved the furniture around to her specifications. It’s funny how we felt that we had shipped so much stuff cross country, only to discover that it barely filled up the living room and two smaller rooms that for now will serve as bedrooms. Jessie’s sofa, which was really too large for her apartment in San Diego, looked rather lonely and forlorn in the great expanse of the parlor. The only overhead lighting is installed in the kitchen and loos, and we realized that the three table lamps we had packed weren’t going to be enough to help us see our way around at night. In spite of not considering these things beforehand, I’m really looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and turning this beautiful and slightly tired old Victorian lady into the home of our dreams.

Mitchell’s really in his element. While waiting for the movers to arrive earlier he took a quick walk through of the downstairs and upper floors, and when he returned he had a smile plastered across his face almost a mile wide.

“Mates, this place is incredible. Somewhere along the line during the renovations from back in the sixties, someone had the presence of mind to install copper piping throughout all the upstairs bathrooms. I think you’re gonna need a new water heater, though.” He ran his hand through his hair and winked at Jessie when she handed him a mug of freshly brewed coffee. “Have you considered turning the third floor into a big family room? There’s plenty of space for a big screen telly; imagine watching the playoffs up there! You could install a wet bar with one of those smaller refrigerators and a microwave, then get one of those big sectional sofas and a couple of nice squishy chairs and you’re all
set.” 

Jessie threw me a look and I grinned. “As a matter of fact, we had discussed something along those lines. Jess and I are still negotiating whether or not I get to make it into a man cave.”

Jeff glanced over at Jessie and tried to hold back his laughter. “You know Jess, letting him have the third floor might work to your advantage. I’ll bet that you could negotiate pretty much whatever your heart desired for the rest of the house. If you knock out the wall between the master bedroom and that smaller bedroom next to it; there’d be plenty of room for a private bathroom with a tub big enough for two. And did you ever consider installing French doors and a balcony? It’d overlook the backyard and you could watch the season’s change from the comfort of your bed.”

Jessie crossed her arms across her lovely chest as she listened to Jeff’s suggestions, giving me the look as she considered the possibilities. I could practically hear the gears spinning in her brain “You know, I’d like a soapstone sink for the kitchen and I want to tear that ugly Monkey Puzzle tree out in the front and replace it with a Japanese Maple. I want the yard to be landscaped so I can have a vegetable garden next year and I’d like to have a greenhouse or gazebo or maybe both.”

Jeff kept on grinning as he drank his coffee and Jessie continued with her list. “It might be nice to think about installing a swimming pool eventually, but in the meantime, I’d really like to hire someone on who knows all about heirloom gardens and who can work with me on turning the front and backyards into a space that’s kid and pet friendly.”

I knew just then that I’d won the rights to the third floor, and I fought back the urge to give victory shout. “Sweetheart, I’m sure Kevin can set us up with someone who’ll be able to do just what you want.”

That was when the movers arrived. Jeff guzzled the last of his coffee and handed his empty mug to Jess before heading out to greet them. Jess and I exchanged teasing glances as we watched him jog down the front porch steps, and I followed after him a moment later.

Already it feels like home.

EMILY

Kim and I arrived at the Inn together, both fully aware that it was the first day of construction but wholly unprepared for the amount of equipment and noise that awaited us.

“Looks like it’s finally under way.” Kim zipped his Porsche around several large trucks that were ahead of us and pulled into his spot along the employees’ parking lot. “I hope everyone’s ready for all the mess and confusion.”

As I got out of the car I noticed several construction workers off by a large cement truck glancing over my way. I gave them all a friendly wave and shouted, “Good morning!”  Kim threw me a funny look but didn’t say anything as he came over to my side and ushered me up the walkway, his hand resting protectively against the small of my back. Instead of heading directly for the employee’s kitchen like we normally do every morning, we went directly to the office.

“Don’t you want any coffee?” I glanced over at him as he slipped his key into the door, noticing that his jaw was clenched and he looked somewhat angry.

He shook his head. “I just want to get started. It’s going to be a busy morning and there’s bound to be a lot of noise and confusion. I’m also expecting a call from that vendor from California.”

Believe it or not, Kim actually located a vendor who operated an almond farm and had worked out a deal involving the product at fifty percent below cost in exchange for a guaranteed room at the Inn over Thanksgiving weekend. “There’s a lot of weddings being planned, including Curry’s and there’s been a big run on requests for candied almonds.”

The thought of candied almonds sounded delicious, but I still just wanted coffee. As Kim pushed open the door I quickly shimmied past him to toss my sweater onto my desk. “Babe, I really need some caffeine. After last night, I’m going to need some help staying awake.”

Kim gave me a knowing look before disappearing behind his cubicle. “We can do it again tonight if you’d like.”

Never mind what it was that we did; let’s just say that we both went to bed very happy. Problem was, we didn’t fall asleep until sometime after three AM.

I grabbed my wallet from my purse and darted over to the kitchen to get my much needed coffee and cinnamon roll, running into another group of construction guys who looked as if they were just coming out of the employee restrooms. I was a little surprised at this, because the arrangements had been made stipulating that the construction crew were supposed to use their own portable facilities. I made a mental note to check with Kim on this, but by the time I had gotten back to the office his call from California had come in and he was bunkered down inside his cubicle. I busied myself with my usual tasks of checking the previous evening’s voice and e-mail messages when there was a knock on the office door. Not wanting to disturb Kim’s long distance call, I went over to the door only to find one of the construction guys I had seen out in the parking lot earlier standing there in front of me.

I was a little confused as to what he must have wanted. “May I help you?”

I noticed Kim’s head peeking up over the cubicle from the corner of my eye as the man tipped his hard hat at me and gave an embarrassed smile. “This is the management office, right? I’m sorry for bothering you miss, but my name’s Adam Champion and I just needed a Bandaid.” He held up his index finger to display a rather ugly looking cut.

“Why of course! Doesn’t the project foreman have a first aid kit?”

“He does, but no one can seem to find him at the moment.”

I took a good look at Adam, noticing that he had straight white teeth and beautiful blue-gray eyes. Poor guy obviously knew that he wasn’t supposed to up here, but he gave me such a sad puppy dog look that I couldn’t resist. Going over to my desk, I retrieved the first aid kit from my bottom drawer and pulled out a couple of Bandaids and a small packet of antibacterial cream.

I smiled at the construction guy as I handed them over and he tipped his hat at me in return.

“Thank you very much,” he smiled. “Miss, um…”

“Carreras, but please, feel free to call me Emily.”

Construction guy smiled. “Well in that case, thank you, Emily, for your gracious kindness.” He turned to go, but not before giving me a playful wink. Gee, I wonder if all those other construction guys are just as sweet?

KIM

This is NOT gonna bloody work.

CORY

Maybe Wade was on to me but it didn’t matter. Figures he’d think I was out to expose him for something, but that wasn’t it at all. I’m out to get a good look at what he’ll be up against if by some miracle he wins this election. Oh hell yeah, he’d have the popular vote, but with everything I’m digging up, he just might have more opposition that anyone thinks. Needless to say, it’s best if I keep what I’m lookin’ for and why I’m lookin’ for it under my cool 1954 vintage fedora.

Something told me to stick around town that night. Sure, I could get beer on the house at the Inn pub, but I wasn’t likely to get information there. I slipped into Old Maulder’s and took a corner booth near the bar. The place was crowded and the jukebox loud, but damned if they weren’t there, Frank Water and Mickey Slade on the stools not three feet from me, laughing loud and shouting like idiots. Didn’t take much to get another lowdown.

“We gonna fix this thing or what? Last I heard Williams is going to have to stay in office another term.”

“Fix it,” said Slade. “I’ll finance it all. Make sure this town is Wade crazy by next week.”

I quickly slipped out, could hardly wait to get away and jot down what I heard. How were they gonna fix an election? Obviously Stowe had old fashioned balloting and voting booths. Maybe they had some way of getting their hands on the ballots? I stood under a street lamp writing feverishly then suddenly every fuckin’ thing went black.

I woke moments later, eating the pavement and bleeding from the back of my fuckin’ head. Worse than all that … my notebook was gone. My wallet? Right in my pocket, no one even searched for it. Someone knows what I was doing and wants me to stop. Am I gonna stop? Or am I gonna just dig deeper? Fuckin A, just let me find a goddamn shovel!

Now, how to explain this to Daisy. I stood with a groan and pressed a handkerchief to the open wound. Hope I don’t need stitches. I hate getting stitches. I managed to get the car up the hill to the Inn, managed to park and climb the steps to our room. Even managed to call out, real nice and cool. “Daisy, I’m home.” It was after two, she should be home. If she followed my requests, she was waiting in bed for me. Problem was … I wasn’t so sure I could get to the bed. Next thing I knew, I was now chewing the carpet.

“This ain’t good. This ain’t good at all.”

Daisy came into focus, fussing over me, looking all pretty and flushed with worry. “I need to talk to Biebe, doll. Call Beibe.”

Know what my flower of a darling said?

“Fuck that! I’m calling an ambulance, you idiot.” And I swear I heard her hiss, “I hate you, Bud White!”

What the hell was up with her?

NATALIE

“So, what’dya think, Squeakie?” Chelsea was happily splashing in her bath, a look of absolute joy on her face. She loved her baths. “Not too long now and we’ll be in our new home.” Her response was to kick her legs hard, causing a rather large, loud splash and she squealed with glee. Water covered everything, including me. Yeah, she thoroughly enjoyed her baths.

Catherine, who had already been bathed, was in her bouncie-chair. “And you, Pookie? Are you ready to move?” She gazed at me solemnly, her tiny brows furrowed just like her father’s when he was concentrating. Her eyes followed my every move. “You and Squeak will have to share the nursery at first; just like you do here, but when you’re old enough you’ll have your own room.”

I turned my attention back to Chelsea. “I know you’ll like that, Squeak.” I lifted her out of the baby tub and onto a soft towel. She squirmed and wiggled as I dried and dressed her in her night clothes. Humming softly, I picked up both babies and headed down the hall to the nursery. Settling into the rocking chair and holding them both close, I began an odd monologue while rocking them to sleep.

“Now, I know you’re both kinda scared. I mean, this is the only home you’ve known and you’ve never been to Maine. It’s far away from all your friends and your family. But, it’ll be great. You’ll see.” They both cooed and wiggled in my arms, fighting hard to stay awake. “It’s beautiful and there’ll be lots of things for you to do. And Daddy’ll be there. It’s close to his work so he’ll be home more often. And he can take us sailing! You’ll like that.”  I sighed, thinking about their daddy, wondering what he was doing at that moment and if he was thinking of us. “True, Aunt Riley and Uncle John won’t be there. But, they’ll come visit with Nathan as much as possible. All the people we love will come visit. And we’ll make new friends. That’s always good.” I could tell Chelsea had fallen asleep, but Catherine wasn’t quite there yet and I nuzzled her fuzzy head. “And you … we’ll have a big library where you can read and study to your hearts content. And there’s a big yard where Chelsea can run and play. Maybe we’ll have ponies for you, or knowing Jack, you’ll each have a little boat. And he’ll teach you to swim in the summer and we’ll ski in the winter. You’ll grow up beautiful and strong and smart and …”

Catherine had finally relaxed into sleep. “Ah, I can tell you’re both riveted by all this,” I chuckled softly. “I see it’s too early to start talking about boyfriends. Guess you’ll both grow up soon enough. For now, though,” I stood and put them in their cribs. “Time to sleep, little ones, and dream.”