Page 4 of Come A Little Closer

NIALL

Several Months Later

Iwalked into my office in the Central Business District of New Orleans, ready for another busy day. In real estate, every day was a busy day if you were lucky—and I certainly had been lucky—but this time of year was even busier for me.

Specializing in buying up old, neglected properties around New Orleans and restoring them to their former glory, I’d kept a few cherished places and I used them for the community events I hosted. In just a few weeks, it would be Halloween, and that had been my busiest season every year ever since I’d taken an active role in the community events surrounding it.

Year round, tourists flocked to the Big Easy for the creole cuisine, the jazz music, the architecture, nightlife, and festivals like Mardi Gras, but around Halloween, our humble city became a center of mystical fascination and supernatural allure.

Our storied past included legends of pirates, ghosts, and voodoo, and of course, we had our historic haunted buildings—and that was where I came in. I sat down at my desk, staring out at the bustling urban core of the city.

My office was in one of the renovated nineteenth century buildings, but right across the street from us was a dazzlingly modern skyscraper. Old-world charm combined with modern amenities characterized this district and I fucking loved it.

That was why I put vast amounts of money and time into this city. The whole city. There was no place like it, and if anywhere in the world deserved to have its heritage and history preserved, protected, and celebrated, it was New Orleans.

“Sir?” Jake, my assistant, interrupted my thoughts when he strode into my office, tablet computer in hand and ready to get to work. “I have good news.”

I nodded and slowly turned away from the fabulous view until I was looking at him. “What is it?”

“I think I finally found a new project manager for the Hallow’s Eve Festival at the old Carmichael Plantation.”

“You have, huh?” I doubted it.

We’d been searching for months to no avail, but Jake dipped his chin in a nod without hesitating for even a second. “Yes, sir. I believe I have. It’s someone who could also be perfect for the rest of our projects and events all year.”

My face remained impassive. If I thought he was right, I might’ve forced some semblance of interest or excitement, but we’d been here before. He and I had interviewed no fewer than a dozen possible candidates for the position, and none of them had been right.

“You found me that special someone?” I asked. “Someone who likes horror and won’t ever shy away from the sordid pasts of the properties I work so hard to preserve? I don’t know, Jake. I’m not confident that we’ll ever find the person we need, let alone that you’ve already found them.”

The last guy he’d dragged in here had refused to set foot on the Carmichael Plantation after dark. The girl before that wasn’t interested in history so much as vampires, and the old man before her had spouted a bunch of warnings about floods that I still didn’t understand.

Jake knew all of this. He also knew that I didn’t want some cookie-cutter tour guide who had read a history book or two. I wasn’t interested in people hoping to be discovered as an actor on one of our busses. I wasn’t looking for a nutcase or a person simply passing the time, and I definitely couldn’t have anyone who would scream at the slightest breeze.

It had proven to be an impossible feat to find that special person I was after. I needed someone who appreciated and revered the history as much as I did. Someone who would lean into the gruesome details and who was passionate about this city too.

As much of an icy, prickly asshole as I was, the city and its community meant a lot to me. It meant everything. This was where I had chosen to start my business and lay down my roots. It was where I was making my name and where I hoped to continue building my legacy.

This project manager I was searching for would be a big part of that. Skeptical, I stared at Jake, and he seemed to realize that his sales-pitch needed more work.

“At least meet her,” he insisted. “She’s a tour guide for one of the subcontractors we work with to take tourists on those walks around the historic neighborhoods, and apparently, she’s a rising star.”

“Is she?” I mused out loud, still not impressed. “Tell me, Jake. What qualifies a person as a ‘rising star’ when you’re simply walking tourists around?”

“Well, everyone loves her,” he said. “I took one of her tours myself when I heard about her and she’s truly excellent. Almost all of her reviews are five stars and she’s the most requested guide we’ve got. People have been taking the tour more than once sometimes, and that’s never happened before.”

I placed my elbows on my desk and pressed my fingers together, steepling them as I considered the information. “Well, I suppose that sounds promising, but does she have any project management experience?”

He shrugged. “It won’t matter once you meet her. I know we were looking for someone with a few projects under their belt, but what she lacks in experience, she makes up for in passion and knowledge. Just meet with her.”

“Fine,” I conceded after thinking it over for a beat. The reality was that with Halloween only a few weeks away, I needed help, and I needed it now. If this guide was half as good as Jake thought she was, it was worth at least an interview. “Set it up. I want her here before close of business today. If she’s going to be of any use to us this season, we need her to start immediately.”

“Yes, sir.” His spine straightened and he nodded a few times in rapid succession. Tapping at the screen, he spun around and raced out of my office.

I shook my head as he shut the door behind him. It was unlikely we’d found our permanent project manager, but any help would have to do at this point. Starting up my computer, I got to work, mercifully uninterrupted for a few hours until Jake popped his head in again.

“She’s here,” he said excitedly, pushing open the door and smiling as he waved for the guide to come in. “Tallulah Pruette, meet Mr. Niall Morrison.”

To my surprise, I recognized her. It was none other than the girl who had been snooping around my house a few months ago. Something about her had stuck in my memory, and for a long moment, all I could do was stare, trying to confirm what my eyes were telling me. She stared right back at me and smiled brightly as her hazel eyes lit with recognition.