Wrapping her arms around herself, she closed her eyes and tried to find a sense of balance.It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.
If she didn’t return to her post, Preston would come looking for her. Or the team fromCanada’s Most Hauntedwould arrive and ask to visit the storage room. At that point, someone would bring them here and open the door. All she had to do was wait it out.
Right?
A sense of dread crept over her as she recalled her interview with Gertrude, who’d vacillated between misery and rage during her three hours in captivity. Rather than spiral into a full-blown panic attack, Charlie kept her breaths steady and even.
But her attempt at relaxation was no match for the crushing sadness that engulfed her, like a dark cloud blotting out the sun. With it came a fresh resurgence of guilt.
Admit it, you drove Knox away. You pushed him too hard, and he’s done with you.
No.Maeve’s spirit was preying upon her worst fears.
You saw how beautiful Lila was. How did you think you could compete with her?
It wasn’t a competition. Knox was completely over Lila. Wasn’t he?
You ruined everything, and now it’s too late.
“Stop it!” She felt foolish yelling at an empty room, but she couldn’t think of how else to fight back. “Just because you messed up your chance at love doesn’t mean you have to make everyone else miserable! Why can’t you be a force for good?”
Was it fair to blame these feelings on a ghost? Weren’t they the fears she’d been secretly harboring since Saturday night?
As Maeve’s spirit battered her with negativity, the tears came of their own accord, and she was powerless to stop them. She placed her head in her hands. “I was going to tell him I was in love with him, and now it’s too late. He probably doesn’t even want me anymore.”
As the door creaked open, her spine stiffened. Had Maeve relented?
Knox stood in the doorway, brandishing the other key. “Of course I want you. Nothing about that has changed.”
Her joy at seeing him was chased out by a sudden, vicious anger. Like someone had flipped a switch, setting her emotions ablaze. “You’ve barely spoken to me since Saturday! All you did was send one lousy text! What’s wrong with you!” She clenched her hands, trying to fight off the fury Maeve was generating inside her. “Stop it! Go away!”
Knox flinched, visibly stricken by her words. He took a step back. “If that’s what you want, I’ll leave. But it’s not safe for you to stay here on your own.”
“No, I didn’t mean you! I meanther. Maeve. I…I just.” Black spots dotted her vision. Knox became a fuzzy blur.
She closed her eyes as a wave of dizziness took hold.
Twenty-Nine
What the hell just happened?One minute, Charlie was yelling at him, and the next, she looked like she was about to pass out.
Knox rushed toward her, letting the door slam shut behind him. He sat beside her on the settee. “Charlie? Are you okay?”
With infinite slowness, she opened her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “Knox? I just…got so dizzy. What are you doing here?”
He took her hand, gripping it tightly, as if his touch could keep her from fading away. “I came here because I was worried about you. When I got in at three, I stopped by the front desk to see if the film crew had arrived. Preston said he’d sent you up here, so I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Charlie wiped the tears from her eyes. “Thanks for coming to check on me. I tried to wedge the door open, but it slammed shut. Then the ghost got to me. I was hit with a barrage of emotions—none of them good. I couldn’t control any of it.”
He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and inhaled the familiar scent of her lavender shampoo. “I’ve got you, sweetheart. Why’d you come here all by yourself?”
“It wasn’t by choice. Preston insisted on it because he let a VIP visit the room earlier. When I told him I was scared to go on my own, he dismissed me as if my fears didn’t matter.”
“That’s because he doesn’t believe the storage room is haunted.” At Charlie’s shocked look, he nodded. “He thinks it’s all bunk, but he’s going along with it to draw guests to the hotel. He’s such a tool.”
“No kidding. But the thing is…even if we forced him to face this room alone, he might not feel anything. When I called Celia yesterday to set up the time for her interview, we started talking about Maeve and the way her negativity only seems to affect women. When you and I were stuck here the first time, I’m the one who got frightened and angry. Neither you nor Glen were affected when you went in here with Celia. And all the staff who were written up for refusing to go into this room were women.” She frowned in concentration. “Is the room affecting you at all? Any powerful feelings of misery or rage?”
“Nope. But I didn’t feel those things the other times, either.”
