The Stranger in the Guest Room | Excerpt
CHAPTER ONE
“Hey, Margo.” I grinned as I answered the video call.
“Happy Thursday over there in the Northwoods,” she chuckled. “Well, how is the day so far?”
“Cold. Freezing.”
“I was watching the weather, and it looks like you have one killer of a storm blowing in up there.”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, to magnify the scene and to be over-dramatic. Margo laughed and again requested I move back.
“You’ll be back.”
“I don’t think so, Margo. I love it up here. It’s peaceful. Very private now that most of the neighbors left for the winter. I still have one… two neighbors. One right in the next cabin and another a few cabins down. So, I’m not quite alone up here. I mean, have you noticed how much work I’ve been able to get done? I’ve had no interruptions, just the silence…”
“Of the falling snow.” She smirked as she finished my sentence for me.
“Yes, it can be silent. Unless it’s not. Kind of like what’s headed this way.”
“Are you stocked up on everything you’ll need? You have enough food, gas, emergency supplies?”
“I’ve been stocking up since I moved in. You just never know when something evil will show up.”
She grimaced as she readjusted her headphones. “Somehow I knew you were way ahead of the game.”
“I always am,” I beamed. “I don’t like to be surprised.”
She chuckled. “Okay. Check in with me tonight for dinner. And Erika, thank you. Thank you for putting in more hours to wrap up this book…”
“Hey,” I consoled her. “I’d step up anytime and do anything you need me to do. This story is flowing nice so far. Once I get past this next chapter, it should be easy sailing.”
“Okay. I’ll let you get to work for the day, and we’ll be in touch. Let me know if you need anything from me.”
“Thank you, Margo!” I waved to her. “We’ll talk soon.”
I let Margo end the video chat like always.
Moving to the Northwoods was never on my bucket list. In fact, I took a drive out east and west to uncover the perfect place to start over. I finished my road trip with a never-ending list of places I admired, however, there wasn’t one place I loved or that connected with me. In a crushed heap, the last road I traveled was through the Northwoods of Wisconsin. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I fell in love with the beauty of this area in that first trip through. One wrong turn had me lost on the backroads, driving down some narrow dirt driveway until I came to a secluded little area that contained thirteen cabins, dispersed out just enough to each have their own private section of wilderness. When I turned around, I caught the For Sale sign attached to the tree in front of a three-story cabin at the end of the road. At first, I was reluctant to take a picture of the phone number. But once I did, I couldn’t wait to get service to call on the place. And all fell into place from there. I moved in a month later, not realizing how dicey the winters could go up here.
Margo came up to help me move in and was in complete awe at the landscape and my new home. “This place is you. I have to admit, it has you all over it,” Margo said as she set the box down and paraded through the main floor.
She was right—this cabin was me. It was perhaps one reason it reverberated with me so much that I disregarded the bitter, long winters. The exterior had a gothic vibe to it, along with the two lion statues that greeted you before you walked onto the sidewalk. The cabin itself was three floors, with a walkout basement that dominated the lake, and dark‚ charcoal-grey‚ wood siding with burnt, rustic‚ wood shutters. A dark wooden porch wrapped around three sides of the cabin and on two sides‚ a small woodland of mature trees and shrubberies sequestered it. In the summer, the pond was awake with fish, and the sound from the waterfalls was so calming, I could fall asleep on the porch. It was the ideal place to have an outdoor office on the warmer days.
Inside, the open floorplan was handcrafted with beams and customized French doors throughout. There were two master bedrooms upstairs, and each had their own bathroom. There was a shared loft between the rooms that overlooked the main floor from both sides. The main floor had a library enclosed with two sets of double French doors. It was gorgeous and something I didn’t notice I needed in my life. It looked over the backyard and had an impressive view of the lake. Off to the corner, a door invited me out to the second-floor deck that wrapped around the backside of the cabin, again with pleasing views of the lake. This would be a perfect place to have my morning coffee once I invested in some furniture.
The walk-out basement was open and set up for a wood smith. The previous owner had his own business creating leather mugs, belts, and handbags. I didn’t know what I would use this space for, but for now, I would leave it as is. It was like a memorial to the preceding owner when I stepped down here. Some tools still dangled on the hooks, and I found a few scraps of leather as I washed the house, so I arranged those on the table he once used.
The previous owner had been the sole owner. This was his dream home he built with his bare hands. He lived here for some thirty years, before passing away from a heart condition while visiting family down south. He was a widow, so his home went on the market and remained vacant for a year. According to the realtor, the weather turned potential buyers away. They didn’t want to invest the amount of money they were asking if they would only live here four months out of the year. Yes, winter lasted about eight months up here.
The wind howled, and I peered up to glance at the clock.
6:25.
Shit! I said to myself as I logged in to video chat with Margo. She didn’t answer. I bolted from my chair when I heard a loud knock on my front door. I never had company up here, and the closest neighbor, Easton, always used the patio door to come in, and he never came after dark. I put my cell phone in my pocket and headed towards the door. At first, I didn’t turn on the light, so I could stare out through the peephole. I flipped on the light and opened the door in tense excitement.
“Brooks!” I announced, more like a question.
“Hey, Erika,” he beamed. It was like my full heart melted all over again as he stood there staring at me.
“What…” I tried to say before he stopped me.
“I was just passing thorough and wanted to check in and say hi. So, hi.”
“I didn’t know you knew where I lived.”
“Yeah, trust me, it was quite the labyrinth I had to go through to find you.” He shivered and nudged his hands into his pockets.
“I’m so sorry. C’mon in. You don’t need to stand in the cold.”
“Thanks,” he smirked.
“Take your boots off and stay for a bit. Well, if you have time.”
“I don’t want to stay too long. Just needed to see you before I…”
We both made eye contact and chuckled as the wind roared.
“We’re getting a massive storm.”
He grinned.
It thrilled me to have not only company, but to see him again, even if it was forbidden.