The Tea Shop Read online

  "I'm here for you. I'll help you any way I can."

  "I appreciate that," she said, and she truly did. Family was very important, and she was grateful to have Clare by her side.

  Chapter 42

  It was easy enough to get lost in the holiday spirit, and Abigail embraced it. She and Clare had worked with one of the local high schools to have their choir sing at the store the night before Christmas Eve, while shoppers combed the streets for those last minute gifts and horse-drawn carriages encouraged holiday cheer as they drove patrons up and down the street.

  Snow had been promised, and it fell like a soft kiss from Heaven.

  Carson slid his arms around Abigail's waist as they watched women fuss over Mrs. Winters' linens.

  "I can't see her or feel her, but I can imagine she is among them steering them to certain pieces," Abigail offered.

  "It wouldn't surprise me," he agreed. "How much longer are you two going to stay open? It's hours after close."

  "But look at all the happy people around. You can't close while they're still around."

  He kissed her cheek. "I'm going to head home. I'll have dinner waiting for you when you get there. Don't be too long."

  * * *

  Carson wished he'd given more thought to dinner. He'd have liked to have cooked something fantastic and have it waiting for Abigail when she got home. Looking through the refrigerator, he realized they'd been eating out quite a lot. There were containers of leftovers, but very few fresh ingredients. He moved to the pantry and found a box of spaghetti and can of sauce.

  "I guess we're going to wing it," he said to himself as he hummed along with the Christmas song playing through the speakers.

  Carson gathered the pots he needed to cook dinner. He filled one with water and started the burner. The tree lights caught his eye as he pulled a can opener from the drawer. Had they been that bright when he'd turned on the tree?

  With the can opener still in his hand, he walked out to the living room as the Christmas song that was playing faded and "All Star" by Smash Mouth began. He felt the tears clog in his throat as he listened to Jeffery's favorite song.

  "Are you here?" Carson asked, his voice cracking as he did so.

  The lights on the tree flickered.

  Carson wondered if Jeffery would show himself. He set the can opener on the coffee table and walked toward the stereo to turn down the song which seemed to grow louder.

  "What do you think of her Christmas decorating? It doesn't look like your grandmother's house anymore, does it?"

  The lights flickered again.

  "I miss you like crazy this time of year." The tears that threatened spilled down his cheeks and he wiped them away as quickly as they fell. "Can you believe I got so lucky to find a woman like Abigail?" He laughed at his comment as he raked his fingers through his hair. "I guess I didn't find her at all. Your grandmother delivered me right to her."

  The lights flickered again. "I'm so happy, Jeff. You can't imagine."

  Carson turned to the stereo when he heard the music change and resume the Christmas music. The lights on the tree settled back into their normal twinkle, and Carson knew Jeffery's visit was over.

  After everything they'd been through the past week, the visit from Jeffery had lightened his spirit. It humored him too. Talking to ghosts wasn't something he ever thought he'd do. Over the past sixteen years, he'd thought of Jeffery every day. He'd done his share of talking to him too, he supposed. He just never thought he'd visit.

  Carson understood that he owed Mrs. Winters a great deal. Had Jeffery had something to do with that as well? It seemed like they had as many supporters in the other realm as they did wandering with them on Earth.

  He picked up the can opener as he heard a bell ring behind him. When he turned, he noticed the shimmering ornament on the tree, one he hadn't remembered hanging as Abigail gave him direct orders as to where to hang each ornament.

  Reaching out, he turned the small bell. Baby's First Christmas 1984.

  "Damn, you sure do know how to make an entrance."

  As he turned, the bell rang again. Carson glanced at it and then let it ring as he continued to get dinner finished for the woman he loved.

  Abigail embraced the feeling of Carson's skin pressed to hers, his arms wrapped lovingly around her, and his breath soft on her neck. She thought about what he'd told her at dinner, his conversation with Jeffery. He'd shown her the ornament on the tree. Carson had given it a ring, but Abigail chose not to touch it. She wasn't sure who had put it there, but she was sure she understood the full intent of that sign. It had been on her mind a lot lately.

  That thought was for a different day. That wasn't going to cloud her mind at the moment. For now, she was going to enjoy the soft sound of the wind bringing snow in for Christmas, and the heat blowing through the vent. If everything fell right into place, she and Carson were going to have the most spectacular Christmas morning. That much she knew. But for now, she would let herself fall asleep in his arms, just as she wanted to every night for the rest of her life.

  Carson woke with a start when his phone buzzed on the nightstand next to him. He quickly reached for it, noting that the clock said three-thirty. The number on the display wasn't one he recognized, but it was local. Looking next to him, he realized that Abigail hadn't heard the phone. Jumping from the bed, he hurried toward the other room to answer the phone.

  The voice on the other end identified themselves as police. It seemed as though somebody had broken in the back door of the building he had just purchased. The building of the tea shop.

  He had confirmed that they had not done any destruction to the tea shop itself. The unit next door, they said, might have had some damage. It looked like his Christmas Eve morning was about to start off very early.

  Carson went back to the bedroom quietly. He slipped on his clothes and skirted the bed to Abigail's side. Gently, he rested a hand on her bare arm.

  "Abi, I have to run into town. I'll be right back."

  She stirred, nodded her head, but never opened her eyes.

  Carson bent down and kissed her on the forehead. He made sure to leave a note as well. It was obvious she wasn't hearing him at all.

  Maybe, he could be back in bed, wrapped in her arms, before she ever woke up.

  The snow which had fallen the night before shimmered under the streetlights. Carson pulled up to the building he'd owned for a few weeks and parked next to the police cruisers. He could see that the door to the store next to the tea shop had been kicked in. One of the officers escorted him inside to look around.

  It looked as if perhaps someone had broken in to stay out of the cold. Other than the back door, nothing looked to have been tampered with. With the officer still at his side, he unlocked the door to the tea shop and walked in. Behind them, the door slammed shut.

  "That's a tricky door," the officer said.

  "I'll want to give that a look. I don't remember it doing that before. Certainly don't want somebody getting hurt."

  They walked through the kitchen and checked the storage room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until the water in the sink began to run.

  Carson noted that the officer had his hand on the butt of his gun.

  He moved to the sink and turned off the water. "Old buildings are funny, aren't they?"

  "I don't know why people want to preserve these old buildings," the officer said as he looked around skeptically. "It makes sense to me to tear down old buildings and build sturdy ones. After all, what does it take to heat this place? It's freezing in here."

  For a moment, Carson wanted to pat the officer on the back. Finally, somebody understood that not all old buildings should remain standing. However, the fact that he could see his breath inside the tea shop made him nervous. Neither Abigail nor Clare had mentioned anything about the heat. It was going to cost double to have somebody come out and look at it, but he didn't want the pipes to freeze that was for sure.

  "I don't see any damage i
n here. It looks like somebody was looking for a place to stay for the night. I don't expect we’ll have much more of a problem with that. The space next door will be renovated the first part of the year."

  The officer gave him a nod. "We will make sure to keep an eye on it the next few nights. Usually, things are pretty calm around Christmas."

  "I think I'll be okay here. I want to look at the furnace if you want to take off."

  "Have a Merry Christmas," the officer said.

  "Merry Christmas."

  Carson waited for the officer to walk out of the shop, and the door closed quietly behind him, but he heard the lock engage. A moment later, he felt the warmth fill the air as the heater kicked on in the tea shop.

  A month ago he would have already been on the phone finding somebody to fix the situation. But now, he was fairly sure someone was messing with him. Someone he loved, who wasn't living.

  Chapter 43

  As Carson stood alone in the store, the lights came on.

  "I'm not sure what's going on, but cut it out," he said in the empty store, his voice echoing against the walls. "Do you need me here?"

  As if in reply, the lights turned off.

  "Did someone break in?"

  The lights turned back on, and he assumed he had his answer.

  "The police are going to watch the place. I think someone was just cold. Everything's okay."

  The lights fluttered and then turned off.

  Since he seemed to have the system of talking to them, whoever they were, he thought he ask a few more questions.

  "Mr. Mason, is that you?"

  The shop remained dark and quiet.

  "Jeffery? Are you here?"

  Still, the shop remained dark.

  Carson took a deep breath. "Mrs. Winters?"

  The light slowly lifted.

  Carson smiled. "It's nice to have you visit. It's a bit early in the day for a visit though. Perhaps we can catch up at another time."

  Lights dim begin then quickly came back up. He heard the door rattle, and the lock open. Then, the lights went out.

  He wasn't sure if he upset her, but he assumed that she'd visit again. But just as he moved to the door and grasped the handle, the door locked again.

  "I thought we were done here. Are you trying to keep me here?"

  The lights came on and grew brighter. He suddenly felt a drop in the temperature again. The water in the kitchen came on again.

  "I don't know what you're doing." He hurried back to the kitchen to turn off the water.

  He assumed he was communicating with Mrs. Winters. However, she'd never been devious like this. Did death do this to a person?

  The temperature in the kitchen was even colder than the other room. Again, Carson could see his breath. The frost had formed on the window which looked out over the parking lot in the back of the building.

  "My pipes are going to break. Do you need to make it this cold?"

  It was then he noticed letters appearing in the frost. His heart began to race. Perhaps he was actually asleep, he thought. Nothing like this had ever happened before. He felt as though he had stepped right out of a horror movie, though he knew the spirit with him was kind.

  Carson moved toward the window as the words formed: go home.

  He repeated the words softly. The lights in the kitchen came on, and the air warmed. "Okay, I'll go home." He felt as though Mrs. Winters' message had gotten through, then a panic burst in his chest. "Is Abigail okay?"

  He notice that the temperature gone to normal, and the words faded from the window. The lights in the kitchen turned off and the lock on the front door released.

  Perhaps Mrs. Winters just wanted him back home with his fiancée. Of course, that's where he wanted to be anyway.

  Carson moved swiftly through the shop, letting himself out the front door, and locking it behind him. What a strange morning.

  A moment later he was in his car, with the engine on, thankful for heated seats. It was now only four-thirty and still dark as night. If he were lucky, Abigail would still be sleeping. Nothing sounded better than curling up next to her warm body.

  Carson drove out of the lot, stopping before he headed out onto Washington Street. He sat at the stop sign for a moment. It would be a prime opportunity to check on their rental properties, he mused to himself. Who would have thought in a few short months he'd have finished his house, rented it, gotten engaged, rented her house, and moved into Mrs. Winters' house. When he thought of the whirlwind that had been his life since September, it amused him. He also realized, he'd never been so happy in his entire life. And with all that happiness, now he was talking to ghosts too. The thought made him laugh out loud.

  What the heck, he thought. He'd drive over to Abigail's house and just pass by, making sure everything looked okay. As he did so, he'd pass right by the Ford Street church project on his way north to his rental. He'd hit Highway 93 back out, and still be home before five o'clock.

  Carson turned right onto Washington and navigated toward Abigail's house which they had quickly rented. As he passed by, he could see the light was on over the sink in the kitchen. For some reason, that sign in a house would always make him think of his mother. Before bed each night, she would turn on the light over the sink. It was comforting.

  Making his way back to Ford Street, he felt the car chill, and the radio turned up. Again, playing one of Jeffery's favorite songs.

  "Seriously, man. While I'm driving isn't the best time for you to visit."

  He wondered if he would soon be seeing them, just as Abigail did. Was this what touching her had done to him? Would their children be clairvoyant too?

  Carson turned down the radio and increased the temperature in the car. As he pulled out onto Ford Street, the church came into view. He slowed as he passed in front of the structure, now only bare outer walls. The gates were still in place to keep people out, but it was then he noticed the flicker of light coming from the back of the church. Was that fire?

  He eased the car to a stop.

  Someone had a fire in a trashcan in the corner of the church. They didn't have a big homeless population, so why was it that everyone was breaking into his properties tonight, he wondered.

  Carson put the car in park, which unlocked his door. As he unbuckled his seatbelt, the door locked again. He unlocked it, and it locked again.

  "Dude! Quit messing with me," he said as the radio turned up louder.

  Carson turned off the radio again and unlocked the door. "Leave me alone for today, okay? I have things I have to attend to."

  This time the door opened and Carson stepped out onto the frozen earth. "Hey," he shouted down into the structure. "You can't be in there."

  He saw the figure of a person bundle tighter under a blanket by the makeshift fire.

  "Seriously, man. You have to go," he shouted again. The person inside didn't budge.

  Carson dug his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the gate. He wasn't about abandoning the person in the cold, but he needed to get them to safety.

  Walking around the outside of the building, he could see the person by the fire. Was that a dog or a child bundled in the blanket with them?

  "Hey, I'm here to get you somewhere safe. This building isn't safe right now," he said as he eased himself over the small wall that let him into the side of the building. "We need to put out that fire. Seriously, man, this is bad. I'd be happy to take you to a shelter."

  The person in the blanket stood, and the dog which had been under there with him ran into the dark of the building.

  Crap, Carson thought. He reached into his pocket for his phone to call for help, only to realize he'd left it in the car. He'd try to talk the man—he could now see it was for sure a man—out once more before turning it over to the authorities.

  "My name is Carson. I own this building. We are working on restoring it. There might be chemicals that shouldn't be around fire. Why don't you come with me? I'll get you somewhere warm," he shouted toward the man
.

  The man shook his head, and it was then Carson heard the dog, and another voice from behind him. In fact, there were many voices. Seriously, didn't these people have shelters they could go to? It was Christmas Eve. No one deserved to be out in the cold and snow on Christmas Eve.

  The person coming toward him was a woman, and she had a child at her side.

  "He's deaf. He doesn't talk to many people."

  "Listen, we need to get you all out of here. I'll make sure you get somewhere warm with food." He'd take them back to the tea shop if he had to. "This building is not stable enough for people to be building fires in it or in here without a hard hat."

  "You can get us shelter?" the woman asked.

  "I can."

  Carson felt the wind begin to kick up through the support braces. Wind, cold, and fire didn't make him very comfortable standing within the fragile walls of the church.

  "My car is on the street. How many of you are there?"

  "There are four of us," she said as she pushed the child toward him. "Take her. I have my son and my mother. I'll get them."

  Carson picked up the little girl and hurried back to the wall. He managed to carry her out of the structure and to his car. "I'll turn this on, and it'll keep you warm," he offered, setting her in the back seat.

  He went back to the entrance where the woman lifted a young boy of maybe two-years-old to him. Carson repeated the process with the boy and went back to the others.

  The woman was trying to push her mother over the wall when the wind picked up and blew in a freezing ice. The older woman fell back to the ground.

  "I can't get her. She's too frail."

  Carson jumped down into the church and picked up the older woman. "You go ahead of us. The kids are in the car with the heater on. I'll carry her around," he said.

  The woman hurried off toward the street.

  "We're going to get you somewhere warm," he promised the woman as he walked under the structure he could hear swaying above him. The man continued to watch as Carson managed to climb out of the church on a dirt ramp that the crew had put in.