“That’s good to hear,” Joseph said, his eyes flicking to the corner of the room. Even though Carolina was doing her best to stay in the shadows, he still seemed to know exactly where she was. To her surprise, he threw a wink in her general direction, followed by a smile.
“So here’s my card again, Mr. Moore... Joseph,” Emma said, pulling out a slim gold cardholder. Carolina felt the distinct sensation of being hot as she watched the art dealer slide a card into Joseph’s palm and allow her fingertips to linger for a moment longer than necessary.
“Call me if you need anything. Anything at all.”
“Will do,” Joseph said, pocketing the card. “I’ll see you out then.”
The art dealer exited the attic space just as Carolina burst into a full-glowing specter. Joseph turned and threw a thumbs-up and a smile over his shoulder as he escorted his guest down the stairs.
Carolina bit her lip and continued to fume as she heard the front door to the manor open and close again. She watched from the shadows as Emma Westing slipped into a sporty little red car and zipped down the drive and away from Jacaranda Manor. Carolina knew that she should be thrilled to hear the kind and appreciative words that the art dealer had to say about her work, but there was another feeling that was overshadowing any kind of joy she could have had at that moment. Carolina Braun was jealous.
Within moments, Joseph was once again bounding up the stairs toward her room as Carolina paced, her entire form aglow. She knew that she should be grateful and calm. She knew that she had no business feeling possessive in any sort of way toward Joseph. Yet, she couldn’t help but feel jealous of the young, vibrant woman. The living and breathing woman, who was able to caress his palm with her fingertips and toss her shining hair over her shoulder at him. In that moment Carolina felt a loss that she hadn’t realized she missed in the afterlife.
“So what did you think?” Joseph said, bounding through the door. “Ooh, sorry. I should have announced myself better, but the door was open. Is this an okay time?”
“It’s fine,” Carolina said, forcing a smile. “She had very nice things to say.”
“Yeah! Emma was impressed with your work. I mean, I had no doubt that she would be. Do you know what this means though, Carolina? You’re going to be famous.”
“Me?” Carolina said, pulling a frown. “Well that wasn’t my intent...”
“Are you kidding? Emma said that someone from theNew York Timeswas inquiring about the collection. Journalists are going to be writing about your life story.”
Carolina clasped her hands together in front of her and drew her lips into a thin line.
“Is everything all right?” Joseph asked. “I thought this would make you happy?”
“Oh, it does!” she said a little too loudly. “It’s... overwhelming. That’s all. Thank you Joseph. This is all wonderful news.”
“Okay,” Joseph said. “Well, I’ll leave you alone again.”
“Thank you.”
Carolina wanted to reach out and touch him again. It was an impossible wish, but one that she hoped would someday come true.
Chapter Ten
