Page 6 of Haunted Eclipse

I caught my breath. “What?What do they say?”

He opened the card.

Children, we know how much you want that house, and we know how hard you’ve been working. Please accept our check for a downpayment. That should secure you the loan you need. Enjoy your new home! And if, on chance, it’s been sold, find another and use this to help out.”

I gasped. “Really? For our house?” I paused. “Can we accept this? It’s up to you.”

Dan stared at the check for a moment, then nodded. “We can. They never do anything like this without thinking it over. If they gave us this for a downpayment, they really wanted us to have it.”

I jumped up and ran around the table, leaning down to kiss him. He pulled me onto his lap and stroked my face with his hand.

“I think…we can afford the lobster ravioli if we want it. Tomorrow morning we’ll take this to the bank and ask them to reconsider the loan.”

“I’m trying not to get my hopes up,” I said. “But…I love that house.” I hugged him again, then slowly went back to my side of the table.

The next day, we went to the bank, secured the loan, and put down the money on the house. And we’d been incredibly happy there, until July 18, 2023, when on our fifth anniversary, Dan was hit by a drunk driver and died instantly.

“What are you thinking about?”Astra asked. She handed me the salad.

I absently shook my head. “No thanks, I don’t feel like veggies tonight. The bread, though, please.” I paused for a moment, then added, “I was thinking about Dan, and when we bought our first house. We bought it the week of our first anniversary, thanks to his parents. And then, on our fifth anniversary, I lost him.”

She sighed, then reached out and brushed my hand. “I’m sorry, my child.”

I stared at my plate. “I miss himsomuch, Auntie. I don’t talk about it much, but I miss him. I never thought I’d find love, and then I did—it came out of the blue, struck like a lightning bolt…blah blah blah, all those cliches. Then, as quickly as it appeared, life snatched it away from me.” I blinked, willing the tears back. It had been two years now, but still, some memories hit harder than others.

Astra set the piece of garlic bread on her plate, then, elbows on the table, she folded her hands together and rested her chin on them, watching me. “I know you do, love. I wish I could take the pain away, but only time can do that.”

“I don’t know if Iwantthe pain to go away,” I said. “That sounds like I’m a masochist, but if the pain fades, will my memories?”

“Oh, Maisy, no. Never. The memories will become easier. They’ll feel more comforting, and less painful. You’ll be able to smile when you remember him, which is what memories are made for. They give us comfort. You’ll remember that, no matter what, somebody loved you enough to live his life with you, and that love will never die, just because he did.”

That was one thing about Astra—no matter what, she had the gift to make people feel better. Whether it was someone who had accidentally mowed their prize roses under, or whether it was the pain of losing a loved one, she had the nurturing touch, and it showed—with people, with animals, and with plants.

I rested my head on her shoulder, and she wrapped her arm around my shoulders.

“Thanks, Auntie. You are so good to me. When you and Sara took me in, I knew that—even without my parents—I’d be okay, because you were there to take care of me.”

“Ssh, my dear. Now, eat your dinner. You have work to do with that new shop of yours, and you want to be well-rested.” She kissed me on the cheek, then went back to her side of the booth.

By bedtime,Miss P. had teased Dahlia into a frenzy, and Astra scowled as she affixed the leash to Dahlia’s collar. “You big ball of fluff, you realize that Dahlia doesn’t turn off on command,” she said, frowning at Miss P..

Miss P. lifted one paw and leisurely licked it, giving my aunt a stare that said, “What do you want me to do about it?”

Astra sputtered, then laughed. “Yeah, that’s about right. Cats,” she muttered, but she scritched Miss P. under the chin before heading out for a chilly bathroom break for the dog.

I whistled to Miss P.. “Come on, fleabag. Let’s go to bed.”

Miss P. hopped off the back of the sofa and followed me to my bedroom. I undressed and slipped into my chemise—a comfortable, black jersey knit. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and stopped. At five-five, I was curvy, although I called it ‘extra padding.’ I weighed one hundred and sixty pounds and wore a size twelve. I was comfortable with myself, and while I might not be athletic, I could hike and swim without a problem. I didn’t run because it hurt my shins, and I lifted weights on a semi-regular basis, but I wasn’t a gym-bunny. I didn’t feel any need to lose weight or change the way I ate. Dan had always thought I was beautiful. I could wear a gunnysack and he would have said, “You’re beautiful, babe.”

I sighed, slipping on my robe over my nightshirt. It was chilly, and Astra’s house was always a little on the cool side for me. As I crossed to my bed and slid under the comforter, I turned on the TV, then turned to my night table, where I kept a bottle of water, a couple books, my phone, and pictures of Miss P. and Dan.

“Oh, sweetie,” I said, picking up the picture of Dan. I ran my fingers over the glass. “Why haven’t you come to visit me? I miss you,” I said, my voice catching a little. “I wish you could be here. I lost everything—our pictures, my wedding dress, the first rose you gave me. Did you know I pressed it in a book and then kept it in my jewelry box? Now, the only thing I have left is my wedding ring.”

I looked at my hand, where the diamond and sapphire ring sparkled. “I’m so glad I wore it to work that day.”

And yet, it sat on my finger, a grim reminder that the love that had sustained me had vanished. I felt awkward when people asked me if I was married. I still felt married to Dan, and yet…I wasn’t. And whenever I told anybody that I was widowed, it always turned into this awkward talking point where I’d endup saying, “No, no…it’s all right.” I sat the picture on my lap and slowly reached for my ring, easing it off.

The moment I held it in my hand, I felt vulnerable and exposed. Shivering, I slid it back on my finger and kissed Dan’s picture. “I wish you could talk to me. I can talk to other spirits, so why haven’t you come back to let me know you’re okay?”

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