“Well, thanks. Since I’ve never worked for anyone but my dad, if you hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have guessed your reaction was unprofessional. But you can react that way anytime,” he said and winked. “I liked it.”
“I’m your boss. The rest of the crew we’ve hired can’t think there’s anything between us, Travis. The last thing I need is anyone feeling that there’s favoritism on the job site.”
“Is there favoritism?”
She knew what his question meant, but she decided to deflect it. “I can’t have any favorites. I’ve only just interviewed them. I haven’t even worked with them yet. Even then, I don’t play favorites on the job. It’s not my style. People do their work, they stay on the job. They don’t do their work, and they’re gone.”
His down-turned lips told her all she needed to know about how much he didn’t appreciate her ignoring his real question. But the jury was still out for her about how she felt about Travis, and her heartbreak from Brody was still extremely raw.
They didn’t linger long over dinner that night. Travis had some things to take care of at his house he told her. She was a bit disappointed because they had taken to having an after dinner drink and sitting by the fireplace to talk and getting to know each other. But she understood that she had disillusioned him. Before he signed on the dotted line the next day, she’d have to face him head on to be certain that he wasn’t joining her crew because he was falling for her. It would be a difficult conversation, but it had to be faced.
When Ashley slid into bed that night, her nightmare came back. That time she heard, you don’t need him. You could have me. I’m all you’ll ever need. Then the scraping started and was so loud she shot up in bed, grabbed her gun, and ran downstairs. The windows had been replaced, so she knew the breeze she was feeling was not from them. Next, she’d replace the doors.
Her research at the Historical Society had told her that a Perry Lucier had been shot to death by his wife Pricilla in 1920. They never found the body, but she confessed after twenty hours of interrogation by the Nashua Police Department. Prior to the murder, her husband had had her committed to the Concord State Hospital several times, claiming she was mentally unstable. So, despite not having a body, they convicted her of the murder based on her confession, but committed her for life to Concord State Hospital, so she could be under psychiatric care. She died there one year later. It was such a heartbreaking story about each of them. Could one or both of their ghosts really be haunting her home? Ashley had no idea. She really didn’t believe in ghosts. She was more the doubting Thomas type and needed proof. Clearly there was no one she could see in the house as she went from room to room and ended in the kitchen alcove with her cup of warm milk to settle herself.
As if the impossible was suddenly possible, her cell phone moved by itself across the kitchen countertop. Could the breeze from the door be that strong? She doubted it.
The next day, she went to the Nashua Rescue League and adopted a black Labrador/Beagle puppy who had been shipped from a kill shelter in South Carolina just a few weeks before. She had just turned two months old and was allowed to be vaccinated, spayed, chipped, and adopted, so Ashley felt as though she’d won the lottery as she signed the papers for her new bundle of energy, she named her Tootsie.
Tootsie and Ashley headed straight to the nearest pet store when they left the rescue. She bought a crate, bed, water and food dishes, the dog food the shelter had recommended, chew toys, balls, a blanket, a teething ring, and some other paraphernalia the incredibly helpful salesperson recommended. Plus she had Tootsie’s name engraved on a pink bone that would hang from her collar. It was so much fun; she wondered why she hadn’t done it years before.
She attached a string of bells to each outside door and took Tootsie to one door at a time showing her how to ring the bells. Once the dog rang the bells, she took her outside and waited until she peed or pooped. Every hour, all day long, she repeated the process. Tootsie was a fast learner. By the time it was dark, Tootsie went to the door by herself and rang the bell before an hour was up. Sure enough when Ashley took her outside, she relieved herself.
When it was bedtime, she brought Tootsie to her room with her and set her crate near her bed, so that if the puppy needed her in the night, she’d hear her. But she whined and cried and finally Ashley gave in and brought the puppy to bed with her. Finally, Tootsie and Ashley fell asleep with Tootsie on the empty side of the queen-sized bed.
That night when her nightmare started, she heard, I love dogs. I used to have a hunting dog named Skippy. Best friend a man could have. Rather than be woken by the sound of scraping, Tootsie was barking and jumping all over her on the bed.
“Stop, Tootsie, stop, everything’s okay.” But the dog wouldn’t stop barking, so she took her downstairs, made her ring the string of bells, and waited while she peed. Then she heated up a bowl of milk for the puppy and a cup for her. Will I ever get a full night’s sleep here? she wondered.
Tootsie seemed satisfied to be in her crate when Ashley left for the first day of work on the Judge McLaughlin home. He and his wife were leaving on a one-month cruise along the European coast, so G & J’s had to work quickly to update the kitchen and two bathrooms, replace the deck, paint all of the fourteen rooms in the home, and re-sand and refinish all hardwood floors. It was an extensive job, and Ashley hoped that with her crew that was both small and not accustomed to working with each other, they’d get the job done on time. The only thing that kept her sane was realizing that if they came down to the last week and were too far behind, Rex and some of his crew would come and help her out in a pinch. After all, they were the same company. She would always do the same for him. G & J New Hampshire and G & J Vermont had each other’s backs.
After meeting with the customers for any last minute requests or changes, she met with her entire crew outside. She introduced them to each other and talked about their specialties. Lenny did painting and wallpapering; Travis, she told them would be helping Kia, his sister’s friend, with the hardwood floors and trim work. They’d subcontract any electrical work that was needed for the kitchen and some of the plumbing. Wayne and Anton would demolish the deck and build the new one. After she showed them where she’d had supplies stored in the McLaughlin’s carriage house, she assigned projects they should begin working on, and the crew moved quickly.
She pulled Travis away from the others and said, “Travis, I need to speak with you.”
“Sure.”
“My reaction the other night had nothing to do with you. As I told you when you asked about what happened with my ex, he cheated on me. It’s a very painful subject that I’d rather not go into at this point with anyone. But believe me when I tell you, I’m not ready for any relationship just yet. I can’t trust anyone. And if there’s no trust, there can be no real partnership. And that’s on me, not you at all.”
“Okay, I get it,” he said and grinned. “Just tell me when you feel like trying again, and I’ll love to have a shot at impressing you because I can be trusted. Honest.” He held two fingers up as though he was doing a Boy Scout pledge. She laughed and swatted him on the shoulder.
“Funny. Now, go help Kia with those supplies. They’re heavy.”