“Look.” I pointed to the house, my voice rising. “Who’s that standing on my balcony?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sam answered.
I glanced over at him to see that he was staring straight at me. His face was blank, but all the color had drained from it. He looked as if he’d just seen a ghost.
“Come on! Let’s see who it is!” I grabbed Sam’s arm, but he wouldn’t budge. “What are you waiting for?” I demanded.
“I don’t see anything,” he said. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”
“Oh my God, what’s wrong with you?” I cried. “Are you blind? She’s standing right there!”
I’d taken my eyes off the balcony for a split second. This time, when I looked back, she was gone. I dropped Sam’s arm, and everything went silent. Either my eyes were playing tricks on me—or Sam was. I honestly didn’t know which was worse. I’d been alone with him for well over an hour, and I’d started to trust him. Now I realized I didn’t know him at all.
I felt the panic welling up inside me.
“I gotta go,” I told him; then I broke into a run, and I didn’t stop until I was back at the house.
Sam never tried to stop me.
I was racing up the stairs to the second floor when I was ambushed by my uncle. I’d passed his Land Rover in the drive, where I’d noticed heat waves radiating from its hood. He’d just driven up. Where he’d come from was anyone’s guess. I could see he’d had a haircut, and he was wearing one of his old suits. I remembered how handsome James had been when I was little. He was only forty years old now, but he looked like that younger man’s grandfather.
“What happened to you? Where have you been?” he asked, staring in horror at my snow-covered clothes.
“I was just having a look around the grounds,” I told him. I didn’t know how he’d feel about my visit to the mausoleum, and I was eager to get upstairs to the rose room.
I saw a flash of annoyance in my uncle’s eyes, but it vanished as quickly as lightning.
“Go put on something dry. I can’t have you catching cold your first week in town.” Then he caught himself and laughed. “Wow, that was terrifying. I sounded just like my father. What I meant to say is that I’ve invited my business partner for breakfast. If you don’t mind, I’d like to introduce you to him. Wear whatever you like—although, I suspect you’ll be much more comfortable if you’re dry.”
“You have a business partner now?” I knew the answer was yes. What I couldn’t figure out was why.
“After the catastrophe, I had to find a partner,” James said. “It’s going to take a fortune to repair all the damage.”
“Shouldn’t your insurance cover the restorations, though?” I asked.
The look James gave me let me know I was pushing it. “The insurance had temporarily lapsed when the fire took place,” he said.
“Really?” I was genuinely surprised. Without insurance, a fire could have destroyed him financially. My mother always said James was irresponsible, but letting the insurance lapse was completely insane.
James lifted an eyebrow. “Do you know who you sounded like just now?” he asked.
“Sorry,” I said. That was enough to put an end to my questions. I was not going to turn into my mother.
“The truth is, I wasn’t well when it happened, and I’d lost track of the payments.”
“What was wrong with you?” I couldn’t help myself. I had to ask.
“Please, Bram.” James shook his head in exasperation. “Go get dressed. Gavin is on his way. Do your old uncle a favor and make a good first impression.”
As I bounded up the stairs, taking them two at a time, I wondered who James wanted his partner to see. What kind of girl should greet our guest? Should her handshake be strong and confident—or limp and timid? Whoever met Gavin Turner at the door, I knew one thing for certain—it wouldn’t be me. In my experience, first impressions weren’t to be trusted. I’d learned the hard way that you never see the real human being the first time you meet someone. You’re lucky if you ever do.
When I finally reached the second floor, the figure I’d seen on the balcony was long gone. I hurried down the hall, peeking into every room, but there was no sign of anyone. I started to worry that Sam might have been right. My mother had told me I couldn’t trust my own eyes. In my weakest moments, I’d almost believed her. Then I stepped into the rose room and felt a chill in the air. I walked to the French doors and saw the snow had been disturbed outside on the balcony. A small puddle had formed on the floor inside.
I checked under the bed and in the closet to make sure there was no one still lurking in the room before I changed into a warm, dry outfit. When I heard a car pull up in front of the house, I peeked outside. A black Mercedes-Benz SUV had appeared in the drive below. I stepped back as the driver’s door opened, and a handsome man in his mid-forties emerged. His immaculate blue suit fit his tall, muscular form perfectly. Though his bald head gave him gravitas, he wasn’t that much older than my uncle. In fact, he was what James might have looked like if he’d stayed in Manhattan. I was sure my uncle had made the same observation.
I was still watching the man when the front passenger door of the SUV opened and a much younger male stepped out. He had a full head of hair, but otherwise the resemblance to the older man was uncanny. There was no doubt they were father and son. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen the younger of the two. He was dressed in the same long black coat and black glasses he’d been wearing outside the bakery. The top button of his coat was undone, and he hadn’t bothered with a scarf or hat. A pair of tall black boots appeared to be his only concession to the cold. I’m sure my jaw was still dangling when the guy’s head tilted back and his eyes met mine. He didn’t look anywhere else—just up at my window, as if he’d been expecting to see me there all along. When he smiled, I turned and walked away.
I eavesdropped from the second floor as James chatted with the guests in the entrance hall. I gathered from the conversation that the son went to a famous prep school in Connecticut and was home for midwinter break. My uncle hadn’t been expecting a second guest. He sounded perfectly gracious, but I knew he was annoyed.
“When will we be meeting this fascinating niece of yours?” James’s partner inquired.
“Bram should be down shortly,” James told him.
The other man lowered his voice. “It’s kind of you to take her in. Are you certain you’re up to the challenge so soon after the tragedy? Even the easiest teenagers can be difficult to handle.”