I clenched my jaw and pushed up until I was sitting, my back against the vanity, and closed my eyes to keep the world from spinning. Taking several slow, deep breaths, I focused on the image of my son’s sweet face, his smile, the absolute trust in his eyes when he looked at me, knowing that I would never let him down, that I would make everything okay.
I sniffed and wiped the tears from my cheeks, then forced myself to get up and stand on my still-shaky legs. This time when I peered into the tub, there was nothing but the clear—and by now cold—water. I reached down to let out the water, but hesitated, my fingers hovering just above the water’s surface. But then I took a deep, bracing breath and plunged my hand in to pull the plug. The tub gurgled as it drained, the sound oddly chilling, making me shudder.
“Stop it, Zellie,” I ordered, shaking my head to clear the images that flooded my brain.
I turned on the shower, adjusting the temperature until it was nearly scalding my skin, then discarded my towel and got in so I could rewash my hair and face to remove any residual vomit and toilet water. I paused briefly to look around the bathroom again, making sure that I was alone once more, and pulled the shower curtain closed. I quickly rewashed then stood beneath the water, trying to infuse some warmth into my bones.
It didn’t help.
Finally, I gave up trying.
Panic and fear gripped my heart in a ruthless grasp. I wanted to grab Henry and run, get the hell out of the apartment to somewhere else. But where was that? My mother’s?
Yeah, right.
One of my new neighbors?
Who’s to say the intruders wouldn’t find me in their apartment?
Whit Proffitt?
God, no.
He already thought I was a charity case that he was obligated to put up with for the time being. The last thing I needed was to show up on his doorstep—wherever that was—and beg for his help.Again.
I was stuck there. Trapped—at least for now. My only chance to escape whatever the hell I was experiencing at Dawes House was to get the money I needed to support myself and my son as soon as I could. Until then, I just hoped that seeing the spirit of a dead woman in my bathtub would be the worst of it.
Except deep in my gut, I knew that it wasn’t. I could feel a darkness creeping closer, a heaviness closing in.
I checked in on Henry one last time before climbing into my own bed. The mattress was softer and more inviting than I’d remembered. As I drifted off tosleep, I decided I’d meet the family friend Whit had mentioned to talk about the job at her bookstore. And as soon as I had enough money saved, Henry and I were getting the hell out of Dawes House.
Chapter six
“Idon’t want to go,” Henry complained as we made our way across the foyer. “Can’t I stay here and play with Addie?”
“No, baby,” I told him. “I haven’t talked to Ms. June. I’m not going to just show up at her door and ask her if you can stay and play. That’s rude.”
“Well, good morning, y’all.”
I started, having not expected anyone to be in the foyer that early in the morning. My head snapped toward the soft, purring voice.
The woman at the front desk offered us a friendly smile. “I’m sorry, darlin’,” she said, standing and coming around the desk to greet us properly. “Didn’t mean to startle you. I’m Iris. And you must be Zellie and Henry. I was told you moved in while I was away. I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to meet you all last night at supper. I live over in one of the carriage house apartments if you ever need anything. I tend to keep to myself as I prefer my private business tostayprivate. But no need to be a stranger.”
Iris was statuesque, blond, beautiful, and oozing sex appeal—not at all the older woman I was expecting based on what I’d heard about her. She seemed overdressed for her position at Dawes House in what had to be an expensive suit, and her five-inch stilettos added to her already impressive height. I’ll admit, I stared at her, dumbfounded, for what was a very awkward, uncomfortable ten seconds before I could manage a pathetic response. “You’reIris?”
She laughed—a very pretty, musical laugh—and gestured toward her nameplate on the desk. “Last time I checked.”
Embarrassment burned my cheeks. “I’m sorry,” I managed. “You’re just not…”
“What you expected?” she finished with a milder echo of her lovely laugh. “I get that a lot. Now,” she said, shifting her focus to Henry, “where are you off to this morning? You are looking very sharp, darlin’.”
Henry grinned, enjoying the praise. “We have to go to the bookstore. Mama has a job interview.”
“You don’t say,” Iris drawled, turning her smile on me, clearly expecting for me to share more.
“Whit has a family friend who’s looking for someone to work at her store—Ever After Coffee and Books,” I explained.
Iris pressed her palms together with a delighted gasp. “Oh, you’ll love it. Dottie is a doll! She recently lost her manager—just up and quit with no notice. She’s going to be so excited to meet you!”
