RBC06.50 - Marcella, Vampire Mage (32 page)

“I really don’t think I’ll need an architect, but I would love his opinion. I’ll talk to you again soon, Cameron.”

“I’m here if you need me. I mean for anything, Abbi.”

“I know, thank you, Cameron.”

“Well that’s done. Laundry is in. I’m as settled as I can get. I’m going shopping.”

It was a beautiful, sunny day and she felt better than she had for months. She hadn’t been this happy since before her parents died. More than anything she wished she could change that part of her reality, but she couldn’t do that. What she could do was to accept her fate and find out what she was really meant to do with her life. Collier was the first step in that process.

Abbi ended up with several bags of new clothes, jewelry and shoes. She also bought other things that she needed, like a hair dryer and curling iron.

“
I can’t believe that my childhood home has been destroyed,
” Abbi thought as she walked back to her car. She would have to be on her guard. If Dallas was crazy enough to burn a house to the ground, who knows what else he would do.

With that in mind, she drove around the block an extra time looking for anything that looked out of place and of course a black Escalade, before going back to the apartment. When she didn’t notice anything strange, she parked, making sure she had the door key in hand, gathered her purchases, and let herself into the apartment. After she finished the laundry, she checked her email and found that Cameron had sent her his report on Bill. Abbi was happy to find that both he and his family where exemplary citizens and Bill’s business had a high rating and no Better Business complaints.

Abbi was just putting earrings on when a knock came on the door.

She looked through the peep hole and saw Bill standing rather nervously in the hallway.

“Hi, come on in. I’ll just get my bag.”

“You look great. Must be the new apartment.”

“Thank you. I do like it. You look pretty great yourself. I’m ready, where are we going tonight?”

“There are a lot of great places to eat around here. I made a reservation at my favorite. I hope you like steak.”

“I love steak, the rarer the better.”

“Good, me too.”

Bill ordered wine after being seated and they both relaxed.

“So, how was the rest of your day?” Abbi said feeling more and more like he had always been part of her life.

“Busy. I ran some numbers, and it’s not going to be nearly as expensive as I thought. The condition of the place is just remarkable.”

“So what kind of numbers are we talking about then? Thousands, hundreds of thousands…”

“Hundreds of thousands. And that’s if we are just talking about putting in what isn’t there. I know you have already spent a lot of money to buy the property, but the decisions you make now about the way that you want to do this renovation will dictate the final cost.”

“I want to do it right, Bill. Not the fastest way, or the least costly way, the best way. The thing that is going to be the most challenging is Collier itself. What is the house going to allow us to do?”

“That’s a first for me. We won’t know until we get into this. I will choose workers very carefully. I have decided that I am going to do as much of the work myself as I possibly can.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Abbi said, thinking out loud.

“Who are you talking about?”

“The house. The spirit of the house - well one of them anyway. I think the legends are correct. The Collier brothers are still there.”

“Are you serious? You’ve seen them?”

“I’ve seen one. James.”

Bill shook his head. “Did you ever think you would be here, talking casually about something like this?”

“Certainly not.” Abbi was quiet for a few seconds, looking at Bill.

“I have to tell you how glad I am that you have been taking all of this so well. I think our collaboration is as meant to be as my buying the property was. There is a reason for all of this and I don’t think it’s just restoring a house.”

“I feel that way too. Collier has had a hold on me since that October night all those years ago. It may be ‘new age’ to talk about destiny, but I feel that my working on this project is part of mine. How can I not embrace the opportunity now? Getting to work with you is a very nice bonus. So, partner in destiny, tell me more about yourself.”

“I grew up just outside of Memphis. Speaking of that, I have to tell you something,” Abbi said nervously.

“Go ahead.”

“After my parents died I was in a terrible state. I made a lot of stupid personal decisions and now one of those decisions is stalking me. I met a man just before they died who was very charming. Then, after my parents death he was supportive and I turned to him for comfort. I thought that he was someone I could spend my life with. Later, I found out what he wanted wasn’t me, but the money my parents left me. After I challenged his motives, he beat me and on several occasions locked me in my parent’s room. I managed to escape from him only a few days ago. He may be trying to find me right now. I talked to my lawyer today and he said that last night my family home burned to the ground. He thinks this man is the one who did it. I don’t disagree. I just thought you should know everything.”

As Abbi told her story, Bill felt surprised by his sudden anger and his sense that he needed to protect her. “I am so sorry, Abbi. That’s terrible. Are the police looking for him?”

“There is an ongoing investigation. Cameron, my lawyer, filed a restraining order for me, but has warned me that no restraining order is protection from someone that really intends to harm me.”

“Does this man know about the plantation?”

“No. I didn’t even know about it until I saw it advertized in that real estate magazine yesterday. But I recognized it from the picture; you see I had seen it before.”

“What do you mean?”

“You are going to think I’m crazy. Maybe I should keep that for another day.”

“Oh, come on. You can’t just drop a bomb like that and then not tell me what you meant.”

Just then the waitress brought the salad course, giving them a break in the conversation for a moment.

“Thank you, that looks so good.”

“Well, are you going tell me, or not?”

“At the time I didn’t know it was a real place. I have dreams, dreams about Collier. I’ve had them since I was very young; four or five years old. It wasn’t until I saw the pictures of Collier in that magazine, that I realized that it was a real place.”

“Amazing. And no, I don’t think you’re crazy at all. After seeing what I saw today, I think that place is
more
than real. I think it’s a living, breathing, entity. I don’t know how else to explain it except to say, I
can’t
explain it.”

Abbi, who had unconsciously been holding her breath, gave a sign of relief.

“You
do
understand. There was probably only one other person on earth, other than me that would, and somehow we found each other. This didn’t happen by chance, did it?”

“Fate, that’s what it is. I’m glad Abbi.”

“I hope you still feel that way after we get started.”

“I’m excited,
very
excited.”

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