Free The House on Serpent Lake (Ghost, Romance, Fantasy) by Brenda Hill Page B

neglect.
    Fiercely scrubbing the skillet, she was determined she wouldn’t live like she’d done before, losing the one she loved, the years drifting by with each day getting worse, sorrow permeating every facet of her life until nothing could get through the haze of grief and pain, drifting in—
    “Honey,” Eric said, interrupting her thoughts.
    Lindsay blinked. Haze of grief and pain? What had she been thinking? She hadn’t lived that kind of life. Of course it had been difficult when her first marriage broke up, but it hadn’t been crippling. They both realized after three years that they were too young. And to be fair, she hadn’t loved him like she loved Eric. Her first husband had been more of an escape from an insecure childhood than someone she loved. She’d found stability with Eric, but since he’d had to travel so much, she still spent much of her time alone.
    At least she had her art to occupy her time. But now, with fears about her sanity , she wondered if she would be able to paint again.
    “Tell you what.” Eric came up behind her. “I’ll measure for the bookcases you need and if Mark hasn’t called by then, we’ll go into town and shop around. We might stop for pie at Bertha’s, but no dinner out. I need to get back home.”
    “You got a deal!” Thank God Eric was there to steady her, to keep her firmly in the present. She turned around and wrapped her arms around him, loving him with all her heart.
    He accepted the embrace for a moment, then broke away. “You mentioned an area rug for the attic. Why would you want one up there? Won’t you get paint all over it?”
    His withdrawal stung, but she decided to not let it spoil their day. She turned so he wouldn’t see the hurt and finished the dishes. “Since I’ll have the entire space to myself, I thought I’d have a sitting area for when I wanted a break but didn’t want to lose the mood and come downstairs. I thought I’d have a rug and a couple of chairs, maybe even a small table for drinks or a snack. What do you think?”
    “You’ll have plenty of room up there to do anything you want, and since I’m going to be busy in my office, you’ll also have complete privacy.” He eyed his watch. “You show me exactly where you want the bookcases, then relax while I measure.”
    After resting an hour and downing more coffee, Lindsay stood in front of the bathroom mirror. She ran a comb through her hair and applied lipstick, and after smoothing lotion onto her hands, she reached for her watch in the blue dish. It wasn’t there. That was odd. She always placed it in the dish when washing her hands or while taking a bath or shower. Now where could it be? Although she never put it in a drawer, she pulled out the three vanity drawers just to make sure, but it wasn’t there. The watch was special to her, the last thing her mother bought for her before she died. They’d picked it out together, both admiring the rose gold bracelet and pink dial. She’d had it almost ten years and couldn’t bear to lose it now.
    In the bedroom, the first thing she saw was her watch. Right in the middle of bed. Suddenly she remembered taking it off at the kitchen sink and placing it on the window sill. Eric must have brought it up for her. Sliding it on her wrist and grabbing her handbag, she vowed to be more careful.
    A few moments later, they walked the tree-lined dirt road until they came to the pavement fronting the modern homes lining Serpent Lake. Some houses fronted the road, but most sat further back on the property and faced the lake. Lindsay loved the glimpses of the blue water between the houses. She felt as if she were on a perpetual vacation.
    “Thanks for bringing up my watch,” she told him. “I didn’t remember leaving it downstairs.”
    “Your watch? What are you talking about?”
    “Didn’t you put my watch on the bed?”
    “Honey, I went straight to my office until I could get into the bathroom.”
    “Oh.”
    “Which reminds