Page 36 of Witchful Thinking
The inflatable bed Horatio lent him had deflated in the middle of the night. He’d lain there, counting the stripes on the wallpaper and listening to the creaking and groaning of the house. His house. He had to get used to saying that fact. His phone beeped. It was Horatio checking in with him with a quick text. He’d graciously inspected the house while Alex was handling business with his agent. Apparently, Horatio wanted to speak to him face-to-face. Alex texted his early morning plans.
He was going for a swim. The ocean called to him.
Alex drove his car to the boardwalk and parked. Seagulls cried overhead, swooping and diving around seeking abandoned meals. He yanked his knapsack from the backseat and slung it on his shoulder. Alex walked on to the path of wooden boards built along Grove Beach. The saline of the Atlantic Ocean touched his lungs and made all the muscles in his body relax.
Horatio sat on one of the benches facing the beach. He waved Alex over to him.
They greeted each other with a brotherly hug and pat.
Horatio tossed a towel over Alex’s shoulder. “I knew you didn’t have one.”
“Thanks for that. Tell me something good,” Alex said.
“There’s nothing wrong with the house,” Horatio replied. “I checked it twice. Other than a few squeaky floorboards, it has good bones.”
That was unexpected. He figured that maybe Horatio would either find a secret door to another world or closet filled with random doll heads.
“Oh, okay.”
Horatio cocked his head to the side. “You sound disappointed.”
“It’s not that,” Alex said. He looked to the waves, trying to collect his thoughts. There was no point lying. “I can feel there’s something strange about this place.”
“Hmm, you sound like Mom,” Horatio said. “Well, back when she had her visions.”
“Yeah, I know. You’re sure you didn’t feel anything…spooky?”
Doubts whipped around his brain. If so many other people ditched this property, what’s going to happen with him?
Horatio gave him a once-over. “I can almost hear you thinking.”
“Please, I can’t handle if you magically became telepathic. I’d have to leave town.”
“No. It’s a good space. It’ll be perfect for the open house. I know a cottage just like it went for a half a million last year.”
“That would buy a lot of towels,” Alex joked. “I don’t have much of anything right now.”
Whatever large items he couldn’t sell or donate, he’d left for Nahla to have. He left his apartment with a few toiletry items and what clothes he could carry in his duffel bag. You only kept what you could carry.
“I’m going to need to go shopping,” Alex said.
Horatio spoke in a casual, jesting way. “So, you’ve decided to stay.”
This statement was made with no hint of sarcasm or smugness. Did Horatio sound happy? The only things that made Horatio happy were sweet potato fries and hardware stores.
“Just until the end of the summer. Maybe I can find a better buyer in the fall,” Alex explained. He didn’t want to give anyone any false hope of him coming back to the Grove. It was nice to be home for a while, but eventually he’d grow bored and move on.
“Well, good news,” Horatio said. “I got you a spot on the open house tour. You’re scheduled to show off the cottage at the end of August.”
“Thanks,” Alex said. He ignored the sudden twitch of hesitance in his gut. There was no way he’d gotten attached to this place already. He didn’t do instant lust when it came to things and places. However, there was something about this house that seemed special. Man, he really needed to find another word to describe it.
Horatio glanced over Alex. “You’ll be ready by August. You’ve got this.”
He said these words with a faith that Alex didn’t feel yet.
“I’d better be ready.” He didn’t even want to think about what would happen if he didn’t sell this house. There was no other option. He’d sell the house, repay Mom and Dad, and take what was left and live somewhere else.
“If you design it right, you could sell it by the end of the open house. They might take the whole thing as is. You’ve got an interior designer in mind?”