was back, handing each of them their jackets. The woman who had helped with serving dinner appeared with a small white box for each of them.
“Please, let Linda know we’re truly sorry that we upset her,” Ellie said to Jeffrey as they were leaving.
“If I see Mrs. Jordan before I leave, I will pass that along,” Jeffrey said.
David could tell that the man didn’t expect to see Linda again that evening.
Outside on the patio, everyone started to say their goodbyes. Joe Klein looked up the house, and David thought he was looking at the windows on the top floor.
“You know, when I was growing up, all the kids said this place was haunted,” he said. Immediately he had everyone’s attention again.
“Haunted?” Melanie asked sharply. She shook off Herbert’s hand on her arm. “Haunted by whom?”
“Some say Lillian. Some say the young widow who disappeared around the same time. Over the years, it’s been hard to keep folks living here, it seemed, at least until Linda moved in.” Joe finally looked at the group. David thought he looked angry.
“Linda and Lloyd,” Melanie corrected.
“Of course. I never had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Jordan myself,” Joe said. Finally his wife tugged on his sleeve.
“I think it’s time to go, Joe,” she said. David thought it may have been the first time she had spoken all night.
Joe nodded, and then the group slowly dispersed.
David fell in beside Ellie as she walked to her car. “That was certainly an odd evening,” he said, pushing his hands into his jacket pockets to keep them warm. “Not my idea of an ideal first date either.”
Ellie smiled at him but looked distracted. She kept looking back up at the house. “I’ve never seen Linda like that,” she said. She pulled her keys from her jacket and unlocked the car door. “It just seems so out of character for her.”
“I think she started identifying a bit too much with the story,” David answered. “I’ve seen that kind of thing happen before; emotions just get the better of you.”
“Sorry about Randall, by the way,” Ellie said, suddenly changed the subject. “He was bordering on rude there for a moment. That was out of character for him too. Usually he is the ultimate gentleman, although a bit…”
“Yucky?” David finished for her.
She laughed. “Exactly.”
“It’s good to see you laugh, Ellie. I’d like to see that again, if that would be all right with you.” David reached out and took her hand. “I’d really like to see you again and have a proper date.”
“Really?” Ellie said quietly.
“If you aren’t completely opposed to the idea,” David said, looking deeply into her eyes.
“I’d love to,” she said.
David grinned and felt a tightening in his chest. “That’s great! I’ll have to give you a call, though; my schedule can be a bit hectic.”
“Of course.” Ellie pulled a slip of paper out of her purse and wrote down her phone number. “I’m pretty much free when I’m not at the coffee shop.”
David took the slip of paper and leaned over, kissing her forehead. He slowly put his arms around her and pulled her close. He felt her relax into his embrace.
“I had a good time tonight, despite the drama, because it gave me a chance to spend more time with you. And that’s all I’ve wanted to do for a while now,” he whispered into her ear. “I promise I’ll call you soon.”
He reluctantly let her go, and then he opened up her car door for her. He thought she was going to say something else, but then she decided against it. She climbed into the car, pulling the door shut behind her. She waved at him and then started the car.
David watched the car disappear into the darkness. As he pulled his keys out of his pocket, he felt the hair rise on the back of his neck. Someone was watching him. He turned and looked back up at the house. He thought he saw movement in one of the third-story windows, but he couldn’t tell for sure in the gloom.
Something
“Please, let Linda know we’re truly sorry that we upset her,” Ellie said to Jeffrey as they were leaving.
“If I see Mrs. Jordan before I leave, I will pass that along,” Jeffrey said.
David could tell that the man didn’t expect to see Linda again that evening.
Outside on the patio, everyone started to say their goodbyes. Joe Klein looked up the house, and David thought he was looking at the windows on the top floor.
“You know, when I was growing up, all the kids said this place was haunted,” he said. Immediately he had everyone’s attention again.
“Haunted?” Melanie asked sharply. She shook off Herbert’s hand on her arm. “Haunted by whom?”
“Some say Lillian. Some say the young widow who disappeared around the same time. Over the years, it’s been hard to keep folks living here, it seemed, at least until Linda moved in.” Joe finally looked at the group. David thought he looked angry.
“Linda and Lloyd,” Melanie corrected.
“Of course. I never had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Jordan myself,” Joe said. Finally his wife tugged on his sleeve.
“I think it’s time to go, Joe,” she said. David thought it may have been the first time she had spoken all night.
Joe nodded, and then the group slowly dispersed.
David fell in beside Ellie as she walked to her car. “That was certainly an odd evening,” he said, pushing his hands into his jacket pockets to keep them warm. “Not my idea of an ideal first date either.”
Ellie smiled at him but looked distracted. She kept looking back up at the house. “I’ve never seen Linda like that,” she said. She pulled her keys from her jacket and unlocked the car door. “It just seems so out of character for her.”
“I think she started identifying a bit too much with the story,” David answered. “I’ve seen that kind of thing happen before; emotions just get the better of you.”
“Sorry about Randall, by the way,” Ellie said, suddenly changed the subject. “He was bordering on rude there for a moment. That was out of character for him too. Usually he is the ultimate gentleman, although a bit…”
“Yucky?” David finished for her.
She laughed. “Exactly.”
“It’s good to see you laugh, Ellie. I’d like to see that again, if that would be all right with you.” David reached out and took her hand. “I’d really like to see you again and have a proper date.”
“Really?” Ellie said quietly.
“If you aren’t completely opposed to the idea,” David said, looking deeply into her eyes.
“I’d love to,” she said.
David grinned and felt a tightening in his chest. “That’s great! I’ll have to give you a call, though; my schedule can be a bit hectic.”
“Of course.” Ellie pulled a slip of paper out of her purse and wrote down her phone number. “I’m pretty much free when I’m not at the coffee shop.”
David took the slip of paper and leaned over, kissing her forehead. He slowly put his arms around her and pulled her close. He felt her relax into his embrace.
“I had a good time tonight, despite the drama, because it gave me a chance to spend more time with you. And that’s all I’ve wanted to do for a while now,” he whispered into her ear. “I promise I’ll call you soon.”
He reluctantly let her go, and then he opened up her car door for her. He thought she was going to say something else, but then she decided against it. She climbed into the car, pulling the door shut behind her. She waved at him and then started the car.
David watched the car disappear into the darkness. As he pulled his keys out of his pocket, he felt the hair rise on the back of his neck. Someone was watching him. He turned and looked back up at the house. He thought he saw movement in one of the third-story windows, but he couldn’t tell for sure in the gloom.
Something
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