Page 172 of Holidaze in Salem Box Set

“Yesterday, my mom said you wanted to talk to me.”

I laughed. “That’s right. The mom intuition thing.”

She winked.

“Hollie, do you really think that our baby is the reincarnation of someone in your family tree?”

“I don’t know,” she replied with a shrug. “Does it matter if she is?”

“No, but that vision was so damn real. I felt like I was in that room with her. And when she called me daddy—I don’t know. I’ve been rattled ever since.”

“Here’s what I think. After Charlotte’s home was discovered and you showed up, it created a connection to the past. So Charlotte used your magick to take you there.”

I rubbed at the back of my neck. “But why?”

“Maybe she wanted you to see something or know something.”

“About her?”

“Possibly. Or maybe it was about how she died.”

I drew in my brows as I let that sink in.

“Did you notice anything in the vision?”

“No. I mean, of course I noticed her and the doll she was holding. I’m pretty sure it was the same exact one we found at the site.”

“Lucas, have you ever thought about why you wanted to be an archeologist?”

Hollie’s question caused me to take a moment to truly think about it. “I love history and discovering things that have been lost.”

She smiled. “Have you opened the locket yet?”

With a shake of my head, I replied, “No.”

“Maybe we should open it.”

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled the locket out and stared down at it. “What do you think is inside?”

“I’m not sure, but there’s only one way to find out.”

I drew in a deep breath and closed my eyes. The image of little Charlotte clutching her doll popped into my mind. That’s when I realized she had been wearing the locket all along. I opened my eyes and looked at Hollie.

“She was wearing the locket in the vision.”

“That’s not surprising; it was her locket.”

“Right,” I said as I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Without stalling any longer, I opened the locket and stared at the painted portrait inside. It was in near-perfect condition.

“What is it?” Hollie asked.

Blinking at it, I slowly looked up. “It’s…you.”

“What?” Hollie reached for the locket and then paused. “Every time I touch this locket, she moves.”

“Hollie, look at the painting. It is you.”

She glanced down and drew in a breath. Her eyes lifted to meet mine.

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