The Winter Spirit ARE Read Free Page B

staining my cheeks. “Yeah, I put quite a bit of work into it. My uncle left me a dump, really. It has taken me years while I worked construction jobs at the same time. But here it is.”
    Uncle Jack had been a ‘confirmed bachelor’ I hadn’t been allowed to spend any time with. Every once in a while I’d managed to sneak away anyway, and I’d loved his hotel.
    My grandparents hadn’t spoken to him for as long as I could remember, so I was shocked when he’d left me the land with the old house on it. By then it’d been empty for years, since Uncle Jack retired when I was twelve and then died when I was only eighteen. It’d taken me three solid years to get the Lake House into shape, but I was proud of it.
    Owen undid his safety belt and sat on the edge of his seat. “Look at that.” He gazed out of the window in silence for a bit, and I had no clue what to say. “The brick looks completely different.”
    “It was covered in grime and dirt. It’d never been cleaned. I had it sandblasted.”
    “But you replaced all the shutters, right? And I can’t see much of the landscaping but all those ugly statues are gone. I mean, this place used to be a perfect example of a house in a Halloween movie, but look at it now. It’s like a fairy tale home.”
    I contemplated briefly telling Owen about our ghost, but decided not to. Fingers crossed, Gabe would leave him alone.
     
     
     

Chapter 2
     
    The way Owen took the whole place in with wide eyes, not even trying to conceal how impressed he was, made me feel all warm inside. It offered me a whole new view of the house too. I’d tried to achieve a perfect blend of modern and authentic, keeping the beams exposed wherever I could, but combined them with walls painted in soft colors, and sturdy, oak hardwood floors throughout. Only the kitchen and bathrooms had wood-look tile floors, something no one noticed until they stepped on them with bare feet.
    Elisa had begun to decorate the tree in the foyer, and together with the high arches, creamy walls, homey but sparse furniture, the place did look a little like a fairy tale home. Owen gave me such a look of sweet appreciation, I had to turn away. In an attempt to escape the squirmy feeling in my stomach, I rounded the front desk and tapped the computer out of sleep.
    “I’ll just sign you in,” I said, even though there was no need for that at all. The desk created space—a respite I sorely needed—between the two of us.
    Somewhere in the depths of the house Love is in the Air began to play, and in the reflection of my computer screen, Gabe winked at me. I gave the screen a smart tap.
    “Computer problems?” Owen asked.
    I laughed uncomfortably. “It’s just a bit slow on the uptake , sometimes,” I said, glaring at Gabe, who made a face at me and disappeared. The music went up a notch. I tried to ignore it. “I gave you the Superior room. It’s one of our biggest and has a lovely view of the lake. Well…” I grimaced. “It’s mostly snow right now. But it has its own bathroom.” And it’s close to my room .
    “That sounds great. Do you want me to pay now, or later?”
    I couldn’t feel more awkward about accepting money from him, so I waved him off. “Whenever you leave is fine. It’s this way.” I was tempted to show off the kitchen first, but Elisa might be there and she’d be friendly but nosy. Plus, I didn’t know if I could stand another minute of his quiet regard before I succumbed, grabbed him by the sweater and licked his face.
    I took two pieces of his luggage and his laptop bag before he could protest, and walked him up one flight of stairs and down the hallway that led to my own bedroom.
    “I’m over there if you need anything,” I said. “And this is you.” I pushed open the off-white double doors. They’d belonged to an old parish house that had been torn down a few years ago. I’d snapped them up for a bargain and repainted them before fitting them to this room.
    The lock was