A Fresh Start Read online

  Contents

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty One

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Chapter Twenty Five

  Chapter Twenty Six

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  Epilogue

  Note to Reader

  Other Books by Author

  Excerpt from Moving On (Ghost of The Past Book 1)

  Excerpt from Closing Books (Ghost of The Past Book 2)

  For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

  Jeremiah 29:11

  Without Jesus, nothing is possible. I dedicate this to my wonderful Lord and savior who has been with me every step of the way.

  To my fiancé, thanks for always encouraging me to pursue my dreams.

  Prologue

  Paige glanced around her apartment and shook her head. She was desperate for a solution, but the one being presented to her wasn’t exactly what she was expecting.

  “Paige, are you listening? It’s vital that you don’t tell anyone where you’re going.”

  “I can’t just disappear, Drew. I’ve a job here, I can’t just quit; there are responsibilities. Besides, I’m still paying for this apartment, and how am I supposed to move all my things without letting anyone know I’m leaving?”

  Andrew leaned forward, his elbows resting on his legs.

  “Take only one suitcase; pack only the things you need. Then tell everyone you know that you’re going on a holiday.”

  “One suitcase,” she mumbled, then sighed and skimmed her fingers down the arm of her beige colored couch. “And my work? I can’t just leave and not turn up. They would need to find someone else to replace my classes.”

  “Tell only your boss. Explain your situation to her, tell her she’ll have to give you a week to disappear. After that, she can find a replacement and tell everyone who asks that you’ve decided to quit your job and get a fresh start somewhere else. Summer semester is ending, you can leave right after that.”

  Paige twisted the ring around her index finger and watched the lights flicker off the crystals surrounding the light pink flower. She could feel Andrew’s eyes on her, waiting for her to make a decision. She closed her eyes, but her mind was in a complete blank.

  She had no idea what she should do.

  She’d worked so hard to build her life here; she didn’t want to be forced away.

  Then again, she hadn’t had much of a life in the past three years.

  She dropped her head back and sighed. It was too difficult a choice to make.

  So, she did the one thing she knew couldn’t go wrong—trusting her brother. “You’re sure this is the best solution?”

  “No, but I think you need to leave.”

  She looked up at her stepbrother, watching his eyes as he studied her. “I’m so sorry.” Whatever she was going through was nothing compared with what he had already gone through.

  Andrew had just returned from Afghanistan weeks ago, after having half of his left leg amputated. The doctors had recently fitted Andrew with his new prosthetic leg. He should be concentrating on his rehabilitation, on getting better.

  Yet here he was, fixing her problem.

  “For what? This is what big brothers do.” He cracked a smile. “Don’t worry about me, I’m fine. You, on the other hand, look like you need a break.”

  With her palms clamped together, she pressed her index fingers against her lips.

  “Leave this place. Get a new start,” Andrew urged.

  She drew in a slow, deep breath then nodded, dropping her hands. “All right. Tell me what to do.”

  “Find a place to go and get yourself a place to stay. Preferably, a small town; small enough to know whenever a newcomer arrives. That way, you’ll know if someone follows after you. I’ll get you a new laptop and a new cell phone. When you’re ready to leave, I’ll meet you out of town to pass them to you.”

  “What should I bring?”

  “Some clothes and whatever stuff you can’t live without. You can buy the rest after you’ve settled down.”

  “Do I tell mom? What should I say?”

  “You just concentrate on things here. I’ll settle things with mom. You do not call her until you get your new phone from me, understand?”

  All Paige could do was nod.

  “It’ll be all right.” Andrew held her hand firmly and looked her right in the eyes. “Everything will be all right.”

  “How long will I need to run?” She could see his jaws tightening.

  Andrew took in a deep breath and said, “I don’t know. But I promise I’ll be there for you whenever you need me.” He paused, then continued after a small sigh. “You know what, look at it as a chance for a fresh start. Don’t worry too much. For now, we’ll take it one step at a time. Choose where you want to go. I’ll take care of the rest for you.”

  This was her only choice, there wasn’t any other way out; not if she wanted to keep her sanity.

  Chapter One

  Paige walked, circling her house, looking up at the new ash gray tiles on her roof. As she turned back to the front of the house, she smiled with a nod and handed the check that she’d stuffed in her back pocket over to the supervisor.

  “Thanks, Matt.”

  “You’re welcome. Let me know if there’s any problem.”

  Paige nodded again as the rest of Matt’s staff went trotting down the small, stony steps, heading back toward their truck.

  “Aah, I almost forgot,” Matt said, reaching into a large black duffle bag containing his tools. “I have something for you.” He took out a white box and gave it to her. “It’s nothing expensive, just something for your house.”

  Paige’s eyebrows lifted as she took the box. “Thanks, you didn’t have to. Should I open it now?”

  “Go ahead.”

  She opened the box and pulled out a simple wooden cross. Pursing her lips to stop herself from giggling, she looked up at Matt and asked, “You don’t believe the house is haunted, do you?”

  Matt broke into a sheepish grin. “I saw your necklace, thought it’d be a nice housewarming gift. Besides, it’s better to mark the house as God’s than whatever else that may or may not be out there.”

  Paige reached for the necklace, her finger playing with the cross pendant.

  Her mother had given the necklace to her when she turned 18, and she was only wearing it out of habit.

  She wasn’t sure what her stand was with God.

  She grew up in a staunch family, but the unanswered prayers over the past three years had changed things. She couldn’t help but think that God had forgotten her and she had somewhat given up on God as well.

  Still, it was sweet of Matt.

  “You’re right. Thanks. I’ll get it on the door once I can find a hammer and a nail.”

  “I’ve got them. I’ll help you put it up.” Matt bent over and dug into his bag without waiting for Paige’s reply.

  “Sure.” She placed the cross into the s
upervisor’s hand and watched him hurry over to her door.

  “Is this okay?” He placed the cross in the middle of the door. “Is it slanted?”

  “Nope. It looks great.”

  He made a mark and hammered the nail in before placing the cross back in position. “Done.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Well, if you need anything else, let me know.”

  “I will,” she said. “Thanks again for the cross.”

  “No problem.”

  She waved goodbye as Matt returned to his truck and waited until he pulled out of the street before turning back to look at her house.

  She doubted there would be any issues with the workmanship. Both the painting and roof tiling company came with great recommendations from her elderly neighbor, Mr. Seymour.

  Mr. Seymour had a form of quiet dignity and seemed like a trustworthy old man.

  She stepped toward the house with a small smile.

  There was no longer a light sheen on the newly painted panes of her house. Matte white panes now stood in front of her, replacing the dirty yellow color that was accompanied by numerous dark gray cracks.

  New windows, with ash gray borders, and new dark brown doors made her house safe and livable.

  Now, after four days, the crumbling muddy roof tiles had also been changed to a new set of ash gray tiles.

  From the outside, the house looked like a cute, little cottage. That was one of the draws that made her buy the house. Even in its dilapidated state, she could see how nice it could look.

  It was the right choice in getting the spray painters for the external walls. It would’ve taken her forever to do it herself. Though it did cost her some money, she did some calculations and realized it would have been more expensive to stay at the hotel in Cheyenne while she worked on repainting it.

  She jogged up the front steps to her door and looked up at the cross.

  There was so much she wanted to say, to ask, but she didn’t know where to start. She sighed softly, unlocked the door, and stepped into the house.

  Everything on the outside looked new and wonderful.

  The inside was another story.

  The owners of the house had cleaned it up before she viewed it, but the neglect to the house was obvious.

  Inside, the wallpapers were outdated and peeling. All sorts of graffiti, ranging from pen marks to spray paints, coated the different walls.

  All that remained in the house was falling apart as well.

  The realtor assured her that the foundations and walls were structurally safe even though it hadn’t had an occupant for over ten years.

  But with all the work she would have to do, she was ready to leave.

  That was until she heard the price.

  She had done her research on the average selling price of houses in the area, compared to the apartment she had in New York, the prices were significantly cheaper.

  The price, however, was too good to be true.

  So she finally asked the question she should’ve asked right from the start. What was wrong with the house that left it unsold for over ten years?

  The answer wasn’t exactly music to the ears.

  Fifteen years ago, a lady committed suicide in the house. A year after that, the couple who moved in complained of seeing things and basically abandoned the house after a few months. Since then, the rumors had spiraled out of control and the house had become the town’s infamous haunted house.

  The reputation itself was enough to keep potential buyers at bay.

  Its location—being perched on the edge of town, with only another house on the street and its backyard leading to the forest—didn’t help.

  Fortunately for the owners, she wasn’t one of those buyers.

  After what she’d been through in the past three years, she’d come to learn that the real evil in the world wasn’t the boogeyman who hid in closets or under beds.

  She thought about it for another fifteen minutes, with the realtor quickly shaving another few thousand off the price.

  Still, she wanted to run some calculations.

  She went back to her hotel room, did some research and came up with an estimation of how much it would cost her to fix up the house before calling the realtor back with an offer.

  After nearly a month in Pine Bluffs, she finally settled all the necessary paperwork for the house.

  She took out her cell phone from her bag and recorded the latest payment while running through the figures of all that she had spent in her head, making sure she hadn’t exceeded her budget.

  With the new house and car, a house loan in New York, and all the work she’d need to do for the house, she had to be careful with her spendings.

  Leaving her door open, Paige got out of the house and down the stony steps to her car. She opened up the rear door and stared at the bags of things she’d stuffed in there.

  “Need help with that?”

  Paige jumped and turned around to see her neighbor, Victor Seymour. The corner of his lips inched up slightly as if he was trying to conceal a grin.

  “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

  She sighed, relieved. “It’s not your fault, I get shocked easily.”

  “That’s true.”

  She grimaced and shoved her hands into the pocket of her jeans. “Sorry. I’m fine, though. Thanks for offering.”

  The few times that Paige had been out in town, walking around to familiarize herself with the area, she was approached by several different people. All of them greeted her zealously, but few minutes into the conversations, it was clear that things wouldn’t be as easy as she’d hoped.

  She tried to be friendly with everyone who had come up to her, but she hated having to dodge all the questions about her past. The only thing she could do was to avoid conversations altogether by keeping out of sight.

  The Seymours were the only ones who hadn’t tried to pry information out of her. They welcomed her to town, gave her a bag of muffins, and told her to ask if she needed any help. Mr. Seymour chatted with her for a while then, when asked, suggested the two companies she could work with.

  “The house looks good.”

  “Only on the outside. I’m thinking of painting up the rooms on my own. I’ve already bought the paints.”

  “How about the pipes in the house? The bathroom? Kitchen cabinets?”

  “I’m thinking of heading down to Cheyenne and find someone tomorrow.”

  “Why not get someone in town? It’ll be much cheaper than whatever they have to offer there.”

  Paige gave him a small smile. “Sounds like you have someone you’d like to recommend.”

  “I do, actually.” He grinned. “I came out here to talk to you about that. My friend’s son, Travis. He got fired a few months back, wife’s pregnant, so he’d been picking up work to do. He’s good and honest. If you’re looking for someone to work on your house, you should get him; he knows what he’s doing.”

  “You know him personally?” Paige asked.

  “Yes, watched him grow up.”

  “He’s always lived here?”

  The second question brought a slight furrowing of brows from Mr. Seymour. “Yes. Don’t worry, I can vouch for him.”

  She gave Mr. Seymour a wry smile. “It isn’t that. I just,” she paused for a moment, licking her lips, “I just prefer to work with someone who isn’t a complete stranger.”

  “I understand. Do you want his number? You can meet up with him before making any decisions. Don’t hire him just because I asked, all right?”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  Mr. Seymour reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of folded paper.

  “Thank you.”

  He waved it off and said, “Now, let me help.” He took a step forward and looked into the car. Then he glanced up the driveway that led right up to the open space in front of her house. “Why won’t you drive the car up front? Then you don’t have to carry all the things up the slope.”

  Paige g
rimaced, she was hoping Mr. Seymour wouldn’t notice.

  She loved the rocky steps on the green grass patch right beside the road and didn’t want to risk ruining them. “I haven’t driven in a while, my driving skills are…rusty. I’m afraid I can’t reverse the car back down without destroying something.”

  “If you trust an old man, I can drive it up, unload your things, and return your car right back here.”

  She handed Mr. Seymour the keys without a second thought. “I’ll be extremely grateful if you do.”

  Paige climbed back up the stony path and watched Mr. Seymour maneuver the car with ease. As she looked on, she reminded herself to set a time to practice her driving, and most importantly, her parking.

  “Your car is complicated.”

  “Tell me about it. My brother said I should get all those gizmos since my driving skills are so fantastic.”

  Mr. Seymour laughed and proceeded to help her unload her things, carrying them into her living room.

  For an old man, Mr. Seymour was rather strong. He carried the three-gallon water bottle without much effort, moving the three bottles without any complaints.

  She tried to carry as many of the bags as possible so that she didn’t have to trouble Mr. Seymour anymore than needed.

  “Is the electricity and water up?”

  “Yes, I got my fridge and microwave. But the bathroom isn’t in the best condition.”

  “That brings me to the next reason for coming out here. Celia says to use our bathroom if you need to, and she’d like to invite you over for dinner tonight,” he said. “Don’t send me back with a ‘no’, because she’ll send me right out to ask you again before coming here on her own to force you to have dinner with us.”

  Paige chuckled softly. She looked over at all the things she’d bought. “I don’t have anything to bring over.”

  “Bring yourself. There’s no need to bring anything, she always cooks way too much.”

  She smiled, hesitating for a moment.

  “She’s a great chef.”

  Paige laughed softly. “Okay, I’ll be there.”

  Justin sat beside Amy while Travis helped her with the dishes. He got up and leaned against the kitchen counter, taking in the modern look of the house.