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His smile widened as he gestured me through. “Enjoy your visit!”
I continued driving, pulling past the usual place I park my car to drive up toward the house. The beautiful, tall home greeted me with rich, green landscaping and warm lighting spilling out from within. I made my way up to the front of thehouse, where a young man waited under a makeshift awning. With his hood pulled over his head, he jogged to my window, and I proceeded to roll it down.
“Keys?” he asked, squinting as he blinked away a few raindrops.
“What?”
“This is a valet,” he stated. “Keys?” he asked again, this time with his hand stretched out.
I didn’t want to keep him in the rain, so I opened the door, stepped out, and handed him my keys. Within seconds, he pulled my car out of sight and around the house.
Valet?Why was there a valet service here? And why was Lawrence dressed so nicely?
With my hood over my head, I trotted up the front steps of the house, and before I could reach for the doorbell, the front door swung open.
“Come in,” a hand reached out, the palm stretching past me and gently resting on the back of my shoulder. It was an offer to guide me indoors and to get me out of the rain. I stepped inside, swiped my hood down, and looked at the person who let me in.
“Celeste?” he asked, as if he was making sure I was who he thought I was.
I nodded.
I knew him.
He seemed so familiar, with his blonde hair falling in waves over his bright green eyes, and his broad shoulders framing his muscular body. He was recognizable in the sense that I’d seen him before, but something was different.
“Compliments of the Estates.”
He was the one who gave me the umbrella on the day of my uncle’s burial.
He was the one who gave Serena her umbrella only yesterday.
He no longer wore a heavy raincoat. There was no hood hiding him. There was no rain blurring the image of him.
I blinked up at him, and he gave me a slight smirk. He knew I remembered.
“I’m Ace,” he said, extending his hand. I placed my small palm in his, and he gave a polite squeeze. “May I show you around?”
My eyes moved away from him to look at the inside of the house. I was already in here once before, but because Caius and I had other things to talk about, I never had the chance to study the inside.
Before we stepped away from the front door, I quickly glanced down the hallway where we stood last week, where he took me to watch the ghosts for the first time. I stared at the spot where we once stood, where I saw a sight that changed something in me forever.
Whether I believed in it or not.
Ace led me to the bottom of the grand staircase, which was only a few steps inside the front corridor. It led up to a giant curved window that covered the entire wall, where the steps then split into opposite directions. My eyes followed the path as we went up the left set of stairs, the rain continuing to tap softly against the glass next to me.
Ace pointed out every door along our walk as he led me down the hall. There were a few guest bedrooms, more than enough bathrooms, and even a small library. The walls were a deep, dark green, with dim, warm lighting every few steps. It was cozy, it was comforting, and I found myself in awe of the simplicity of the home.
“And this,” Ace began, reaching for the handle of the last door, “is for you.”
My gaze locked on Ace as he smirked, flashing a brief yet sincere grin. His demeanor helped me feel surprisingly calm, and his body language showed nothing but authenticity.
He pushed open the door and allowed me through first.
It was a large, open bedroom. Lit candles were scattered around, sitting in corners and flickering on the surfaces of the dresser and end tables, lifting the room in a sweet aroma. There was a set of large, glass balcony doors along one side of the room, while a king-sized bed rested against the adjacent wall. Across the length of the bed was a white silk dress, the fabric flawless and perfectly seamless. It had thin straps, a scoop neckline, and a high hem in the front that flowed into a lower hem in the back.
My mouth fell open at the sight of the beautiful dress, and I reluctantly looked at Ace.
“What? What is…”
