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“Okay.” Part of me was happy to hear we wouldn’t see David’s ex for almost twenty-four hours, even if she had potentially seen the Ricardo Estate. I needed to suck it up and be mature.
“The library opens at nine and closes at one on Saturday. I want to get there as soon as it opens so we don’t run out of time. Afterward, we can go out to lunch and figure out what to do with the rest of the day.” He paused and reached for my hand. “And then if everything is still a go, we’ll meet Allison in the evening.”
I nodded. “Yeah. Sounds great.” I sucked in a breath, hating myself for what I was about to ask. “Why did you break up?” Talk about sounding needy.
He sat up straighter but didn’t release my hand. “We dated for a year and Allison was ready to get serious and start a family. I cared for her, but I knew she wasn’t the one.”
“How long ago did you break up?”
He hesitated. “Last winter.”
The timer on the oven went off and David hopped up to get the pizza out. I grabbed two plates out of the cabinet and rinsed them off and dried them before putting them on the table. When we sat down, I grimaced and turned to him. “I have a feeling this meeting might not go very well.”
“Why?”
“From everything you’ve said, Allison obviously loved you. She’s going to be able to tell how you feel about me. We’ve been together for a little over a month. You didn’t love her after a year. That’s not going to go over well.”
He sat back, looking slightly alarmed. “What do you want to do? I really think you should be there. You might have some insight that I don’t.”
I had to admit that I wanted to see whatever it was that she had in her possession. “How about I go, but if things get too tense, I’ll leave.”
He nodded, but he didn’t look happy about it.
We ate in silence for several seconds before I decided now was a good time to tell him about my recent discoveries. “Yesterday, when Claire and I were supposed to be cleaning, she told me about something that happened on her honeymoon.”
He laughed. “She’s not urging us to try another new sexual position, is she? Why she cares so much about our sex life is beyond me.”
“No.” I chuckled nervously. “Nothing like that.”
“Why do you look so anxious? Should I be worried?”
“No, I don’t think so.” I told him about her seeing the ghost of poor Mr. Murphy at my apartment building and her experience at the cemetery in Charleston. “She used to hear voices when she was a little girl,” I said. “They stopped right around the time of Momma’s murder. Apparently, she told me about it when we were kids, the day I told her about the curse. Only I don’t remember her telling me.”
His eyes widened. “Claire’s ability to talk to ghosts is related to the curse?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. All I know is that her ability has suddenly returned, and she says a voice is telling her that we need to move out of my parents’ house, that there’s a darkness there.”
“How do we know we can trust this voice?”
“When Claire was a little girl, the voices used to say ‘you have to help her.’ Claire didn’t know what it meant then, but now she thinks it means she needs to help me.”
He looked skeptical. “I still don’t know if this voice is a credible source.”
I cocked my head. “It also told Claire that I need to stay with you.”
A sly grin spread across his face. “I suddenly like this voice.”
“Besides, Claire says she sees the darkness too. It could be nothing, but you know I don’t feel comfortable there. Especially since Myra left for Durham.”
“I know, love. It might be because you miss her so much.”
While I had to admit it felt empty without Myra and Daddy in the house, I was sure there was more to it. I rubbed my greasy hand on a paper towel. “I’ve put more thought into selling it.”
He looked surprised. “But you haven’t found all the notes from your father. And what about it being in your family for generations?”
“Those are all still issues, but I trust Claire.” I paused. “I trust the voice.” I knew I should tell him that Okeus had said Claire could help me, but that would mean telling him more about Collin.
“Okay.” He looked lost in thought. “Do you have any idea where you want to move?”
