Chapter 9: Andrea

I couldn’t get Andy out of my head.

He had called me before work, much to Bobby’s discomfort, and we had agreed to meet after I was done with my shift at Jane’s. I had been thinking about him all morning, seeing him everywhere I looked. It was distracting at first, and I’d catch myself smiling just at the thought of meeting him later. I felt like I was back in high school waiting for the final bell to ring so I could hook up with the star quarterback behind the bleachers. I was happy, and it was strange to be feeling this way, as if somewhere across the years I had somehow convinced myself that I didn’t deserve to be.

Jane’s back room storage was a mess. She hadn’t been joking when she had warned me of how much work needed to be done, and it took me almost three hours just to orient myself with everything. Afterwards, I buried myself into the task of cataloging and organizing, using my years of secretarial experience just to make some sense of the haphazardness that existed around me. I knew that whatever I did would probably have to be tweaked over and over again until it ran smoothly, but for now I was just content with having a preliminary system in place. Something other than the chaos that had been festering here for decades.

And through it all, I thought about Andy. His eyes, his smile, the way he looked at me, the awkward dance and the even more awkward silence when he drove me home. There was definitely something there, even if I didn’t want to admit it to myself right away. The question, though, was what.

Bobby’s warning came rushing to the forefront of my mind, and I quickly brushed it away. Yes, it had only been three days since I ran away from Dennis, and yes, I was probably in some sort of denial. But it felt good. And I wanted to feel good. I needed to. It had been so long since the last time I actually looked forward to something other than a night alone without a beating. Was it so wrong that I enjoy it while it lasted?

I looked up at the time, the clock on the wall letting me know that my shift was over, and I could finally stop thinking and have a little fun. I stretched, organized my desk into something that looked a little presentable, and made my way into the front store. Jane was waiting by the cash register, the morning remarkably slow for a weekday. She looked up and smiled as I approached her.

“Done already?” she asked.

I chuckled. “Not even close,” I said. “You were right, that place is like a cave of bad dreams.”

“Told ya it was going to be hard work.”

“And I’m all for it,” I said. “Don’t worry about that. At least I know I’ll be around for a while to see it through ‘til the very end.”

Jane smiled. “Glad to hear it. Gonna call Bobby to pick you up?”

I looked past her and caught sight of Andy’s Nissan parked outside. He was sitting in the driver’s seat talking to someone through the open window.

“Nope,” I smiled. “My ride’s already here.”

Jane looked over her shoulder and then back at me and winked. “Fine young man, that Stetson boy. Just remember the ring on your finger’s still there.”

I laughed, feeling like my mother was giving me a pep talk before sending me off to the prom. “I remember,” I said. “He’s just a friend, Jane.”

“And I’m the Queen of England, sweetheart,” Jane grinned. “Now, go before I find something else for you to do.”

“Already gone,” I called back as I raced out the supermarket.

Andy smiled when he saw me, and I felt my knees buckle just a little. I was beginning to remember what it felt like to have someone actually be happy to see me. He got out of the car, took me in for a quick hug and then gestured to the passenger side.

“Come on, I have somewhere I want to take you,” he said.

“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow. “Another drinking hole?”

“Do you think that’s all I do?” he chuckled.

“So where are we going?”

“A surprise.”

I smiled, climbed into the passenger side, and we pulled away.

***

We ended up driving all the way to Eagleville Preserve. Andy parked the car in the closest spot to the whitewater falls that emptied into Eagleville Lake, and opened the door for me to join him. The weather was beautiful, the soft breeze giving the air a soft chill that made me wrap my arms around my shoulders, despite the heat of the sun. I gazed out across the pond, taking in the mesmerizing view as I stood next to Andy.

“It’s beautiful,” I said. “But you do know I’ve been here a few times before, right?”

Andy chuckled and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. I felt my body melt into his as he pulled me close and pointed to the small island in the middle of the pond. “I bet you’ve never been there, though.”

I frowned, looking up at him in wonder. “Eagleville Manor, really?”

Andy only nodded, looking down at me with a mischievous smile.

“That place’s been abandoned forever,” I said. “You know that, right?”

He winked at me and led me towards the Coventry side of the lake, where a few fishing boats were strung up. “It pays to hang out with a small-town celebrity.”

I shook my head in disbelief as I followed him around the dam and towards the fishing boats. Three men sat in beach chairs under a small umbrella table, playing cards and drinking beer. One of them looked up as we approached and flashed us a wide smile.

“Andy Stetson,” he greeted, slowly getting to his feet and stretching before shaking Andy’s hand. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Been a long time, Jack,” Andy agreed. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder again and brought me forward. “Jack Baxter, meet Andrea Canfield.”

“Bobby’s sister?” Jack frowned, squinting at me as if he were trying to find something to recognize me with.

“The one and only,” Andy chuckled.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Jack smiled. “I heard you left Mansfield a long time ago. A smart girl like you should know not to come back to this dead-end town.”

“Thanks, Jack, really,” Andy laughed. “Jack’s from Coventry. We never see eye to eye on whose town is better.”

“Mansfield’s nothing without that university,” Jack argued, shooting Andy a challenging glare that didn’t seem too menacing coupled with his smile.

“And Coventry’s just as hospitable as ever,” Andy grinned.

I smiled at the two men as they took shots at each other, and briefly let my eyes wander back to the lake. The Manor sat on a small island dead center of Eagleville Lake. Rumor was, it belonged to a rich farmer who had once owned most of the farmland in Mansfield and Coventry before he lost it all after his wife died. People say he broke off ties with the mainland ever since and was finally carried out of his house when he died. Alone. For a while, it had been a bit of a tourist trap for both towns, but eventually lost its appeal when the stories of ghosts and hauntings died down. Someone bought it years later and closed it to the public, reviving the mysteriousness for a while, but not long enough. The last I remembered, no one had set foot on the island in decades.

“So, I was hoping I could borrow your boat,” Andy was saying.

Jack looked from me to Andy and back again. “I’m assuming you want the keys as well.”

“Nothing like that, Jack,” Andy said. “Just want to show her around. I’m kind of pulling the big cards here.”

Jack laughed and fished into his back pocket, pulling out a ring with a set of keys in it and tossing it to Andy.

“You know which drives the boat and which opens the house,” Jack waved. “Nice to see you, sweetheart. Give my best to Bobby.”

“I will,” I said, and let Andy pull me away and down to the fishing boats.

“You’ve been to Eagleville Manor?” I asked in surprise as he helped me into one of the boats.

“Several times,” Andy said. “Very few people know this, but Jack is the groundskeeper. He let me in on his secret when I saved his house from burning to the ground. Since then, he lets me take the boat out whenever I want.”

“And exactly how many girls have you tried to impress by bringing them out there?”

“Just you,” Andy smiled.

I quickly turned away to hide my smile.

***

Eagleville Manor felt like it had never been abandoned. I had to hand it to Jack; he was doing a great job at keeping the place alive. From the minute we docked the boat to the gravel walkway up, the entire island looked like it was ready to once again be opened to tourists. The grass was mowed, the trees looked luscious and alive, and all around were beds of flowers that no doubt took a lot of energy and time to maintain.

The Manor itself looked like it had just been freshly painted, and the windows seemed to smile down on us as we made our way up the walkway and to the front door. Andy fiddled with the key a bit, struggled to turn it, and then opened the door and let us in.

The furnishing was extravagant. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling with crystals that glistened in the sunlight coming in through the large panel windows. A magnificent staircase led up from the foyer to the second floor, wide enough for a dozen people to walk up side by side without ever touching shoulders. Large carpets lay across the hardwood floors, and paintings the size of my bedroom wall hung in strategic places, the faces gazing down at us in silent welcome.

It took my breath away.

“This place is beautiful,” I gasped.

Andy took my hand, squeezed it gently, and led me to the stairs. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

He led me upstairs, down a wide hall decorated with wall rugs and more portraits. At the end of the hall were twin oak doors which he pushed open, walking us into a massive bedroom with a huge terrace looking out onto the lake. I didn’t have time to take in the room before Andy hurried me along and out onto the terrace.

My breath caught in my chest. From where we stood, we could see the entire lake and forest beyond. A few houses dotted the shore along the Coventry side, but they only added to the splendor of the view. I found myself gravitating towards the edge, my eyes wide as I took it all in, feeling every inch of my body flutter with excitement. Goose bumps broke out across my arms, and for second, I felt on the edge of tears. I had never seen something so beautiful in my life.

“It’s really something, huh?” Andy said, coming up beside me and holding my hand.

“It’s gorgeous,” I whispered. “Oh my god, Andy, thank you so much.”

“For what?” Andy chuckled. “You looked like you needed to see this.”

“I did,” I nodded. I looked up at him with tears in my eyes.

He frowned, suddenly taken back. “Woah, are you okay?”

I nodded quickly and placed a hand on his chest, tapping him lightly. “I’m fine,” I laughed. “Just a little overwhelmed. This is just –” I was at a loss for words.

“Well, I’m glad you like it,” he smiled.

I looked out across the lake, then back at him, gazing hard into his eyes. Whatever I had been worried about before, it was gone. I didn’t care if I was being absurd. I didn’t care that I still had a ring on my finger and that I was hiding from an abusive husband. I didn’t care about Bobby’s warnings, or that I might be in denial. None of that mattered right now. All I could think about was Eagleville Manor, the spectacular view that took my breath away, and the man who had brought me here.

“You okay?” Andy asked, cocking his head to a side, a cute look of confusion all across his face.

I didn’t reply. I just pushed myself up onto the tip of my toes, wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed him.