Heartbreak Highway 1 (11 page)

“Hey!” the petite, blonde woman at the big oak counter said as soon as they stepped through the doors. It was like being thrust back in time. The décor was all circa 1830. “Welcome to Magnolia House. How are ya’ll today?”

“Great, thanks,” Marshall told her. “We were wondering if you might have two rooms available.”

“That I do,” she said. “I have one on the third floor and two on the second floor available. My name is Addie Wells and my family owns the house. I mostly do the cooking around here, but my daughter Becca who usually runs the counter needed a few hours off. She had an appointment in town.”

“We’ll take the two on the second floor,” Marshall told her. She took his information and Marshall paid her for three nights. Eva could tell by Simone’s face that she wasn’t happy about staying in Natchez so long. She held her tongue though so at least that was a good thing.

The little lady, who couldn’t have been over five-feet tall if you flattened down her extraordinarily large hair, led them up the stairs and to the first room. She was a chatty one, and on the way up she told them that her daughter Becca who is nineteen had been “secretive” about what she went into town for and she really hoped the girl didn’t have a “bun in the oven.” Eva found her charming although she personally wouldn’t have shared information like that with strangers. Simone looked like she was bored out of her mind and Marshall seemed a little bit stressed out. Eva wondered if he’d just had his fill of women for the past few days.

The aroma of fresh flowers wafted out as soon as Addie opened the door to the room. There was a giant four poster bed covered with a comfy-looking handmade quilt. The dresser and nightstands looked antique and the long, narrow windows were covered in light-colored sheer curtains that let in the light. The floor was covered with antique area rugs and there was a tiny little marble fireplace in the corner with two upholstered library chairs arranged around it. The bathroom had a modern shower, but it also had an antique claw-foot tub. Eva hoped that there was one in her room too. A long soak in a warm bubble bath might be just what the doctor ordered. The tiny lady was telling them that the soaps in the bathroom were all homemade with “southern love.” Eva thought it was funny that although she’d grown up in the south herself, Mississippi seemed like a different planet. On the way back through the main room Addie told them that there were always homemade pecan pralines at the desk and they could pick them up on their way to or from their room as they liked, then she said,

“We have a big old southern breakfast every morning too from seven to nine downstairs in the main dining room. Ya’ll are welcome to come and go as you please, walk around the grounds and take advantage of the picnic tables and swings or sit on the front porch and have some of our famous sweet tea while you’re here. The front desk is always staffed, my nephew Billy takes it over at night, just let us know if ya’ll need anything at all.”

Marshall thanked her and he told Eva,

“I’ll go down and get the bags while she shows you your room.”

“Thanks,” she said. Simone was sitting on the edge of her and Marshall’s bed with a smug, territorial look on her face. Eva turned away quickly and followed

Her room was just as inviting and after Addie had told her to “Go hog wild,” on her vacation and left her alone, Eva lay back on the big bed and finally just relaxed for a minute. Her muscles were all tense and tight both from so much riding in the car and the confrontations with Simone. The bed was so comfortable, it was like lying on top of a cloud and she made the mistake of closing her eyes.

Chapter 13

E
va woke up in a dark, unfamiliar room. She was frightened at first until she sat up and realized where she was. She reached over and turned on the lamp. Her luggage was stacked neatly next to the bed and there was a note on top of it. Eva got up and went over, taking the note over underneath the lamp to read it. It was from Marshall and it said,

Hey sleeping beauty,

We went to eat. Hopefully some food will calm the beast. I hope you’re not upset but you looked so peaceful that I didn’t want to wake you. I know it’s been a really long day, and I’m sorry for all the trouble Simone has caused you. I’m going to talk to her tonight and tell her if she can’t be nice, she needs to go home. I’ll bring you back some food. If you’re not awake yet, I’ll leave it on the table in your room.

Luv ya!

Marshall

Eva smiled. She was truly blessed to have this good man in her life. She got up and looked at what he’d left on the table. She smiled again. There was a take-out box with a chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes with white gravy. It was her favorite, and Marshall knew it. She looked at the time. It was still kind of early. She wasn’t that hungry yet so she decided to go downstairs for a while and take a look around.

Eva brushed her hair and teeth and grabbed a light sweater. On her way downstairs she stopped in front of Marshall and Simone’s door. She raised her hand to knock but before she did, she heard sounds coming from inside…sex sounds. She was repulsed. She couldn’t wrap her head around how he could have sex with her after the way she had acted all day. It was….vulgar. She quickly walked away and headed down the stairs. Addie was gone and there was a young man at the counter.

“Hi there,” he said, standing up off his stool.

“Hi,” she said.

“I’m Billy. I take it you’re one of our guests?”

“Yes, hello. I’m Eva. I’m in room four.”

“It’s a pleasure, Eva. Was there something I could do for?”

“No, I just thought I might enjoy your beautiful porch for a while if that’s okay?”

“That’s just fine. Can I bring you some of Miss Addie’s sweet tea or one of her brownies?”

“Some tea would be nice if you don’t mind,” Eva told him.

“I don’t mind a lick,” he told her. “You go on out and make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right out.”

Eva thanked him and went out on the porch. The night was cool, but not cold and the smell of the magnolias was as pleasing as it had been earlier. A giant silver moon shone down through the trees and the street that ran in front of the house was calm and quiet….like the little town had shut down for the night. Eva slipped on her sweater and sat down in one of the rocking chairs. She was trying to shake the feelings of betrayal she’d felt ever since she heard Marshall making love to his girlfriend. It was ridiculous, she told herself, for her to feel that way. Marshall’s sex life was a separate entity from their friendship. It always had been. She knew that he had an active one, even before Simone. She should be over it by now.

Billy came out with her tea, tearing her out of her reverie. She looked up at him and smiled. He handed her the tea and said,

“It’s beautiful out here tonight.”

“It sure is,” she said. “Do you have to work the whole night?”

“Kind of,” he said, “It ain’t really work. I have a little bed in the back room and I usually get to sleep most of the night. If anyone rings the buzzer I’ll get up and see what they need, but that rarely happens here.”

“Sounds like a nice job,” she said.

“It has its benefits, that’s for sure,” he told her. He was leaning back against the wall and Eva said,

“You’re welcome to sit with me a while if you’d like.”

“If you’re sure you don’t mind,” he said, taking the chair next to hers. “It does get a might lonely in there at the desk at night. ‘Cept for the old confederate ghosts, I ain’t got nobody to talk to most nights.”

Eva looked at him wide-eyed and said, “Ghosts?”

Billy laughed, “Mississippi is full of them. You ain’t afraid of a ghost are you? They just moan and groan a lot, but they don’t cause no harm.”

“I’ve never really met one to say if I’m afraid of them or not,” she told him.

“Stick around here long enough, you’ll run into one or two.”

“Seriously?” she said. She didn’t know if he was kidding her, or if he seriously believed in them, or if he was a little bit crazy.

Billy laughed again. Even if he was crazy, Eva liked the sound of it. It was warm and genuine. “There’s a lot of ghosts in Mississippi,” he said. “But the ones in this old house are known for minding their manners.”

“Do you really talk to them?”

“Not like a crazy person,” he said, sensing that might be what she was thinking. “I talk to ‘em sometimes, just to see what they’ll do.”

“And what do they do?”

He grinned, “Mostly nothing. None of them have ever talked back. Every once in a while I’ll get a grimace out of the old Confederate soldier that roams around here.”

“You’re freaking me out,” she said.

Billy laughed again and said, “I’m sorry. Please don’t tell my Aunt Addie, she gets on me about scaring off the customers.”

“Aunt Addie doesn’t believe in the ghosts?”

“Nah. She claims she ain’t never seen them. If you ask her about them, she’ll tell you they’re scarcer than hen’s teeth.”

Eva laughed at that. It was a saying that Granny was fond of, to a southerner that meant that you can look, but you’re not going to find it.

“No offense, but I think I’ll go with Addie’s views on this one. It’ll make me sleep better tonight.”

“I really didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, “I don’t think sometimes before I start running my mouth. I will tell you this, the one thing I’ve learnt about ghosts is that only people who are sensitive to them can see them, and so they don’t pop out at just anyone, only those who really believe. I also read a quote once that said something like,
“The more enlightened our houses are, the more their walls ooze ghosts.”
That was from a book called “The Literature Machine”. Since then, I like to just look at our house as enlightened.”

“That sounds nicer than haunted,” she said with a smile. I’m not a firm believer. It’s just that during the day, I don’t believe in them, at night however…I’m willing to be a little more open-minded.”

“Well, I’ll just be a scream away if you need me,” he told her with a wink. As fate would have it, that was the moment that Marshall chose to walk out the front door. He gave Billy a suspicious look and then he looked at Eva and said,

“There you are. I was looking all over for you.”

“I was just getting some fresh air. Billy was kind enough to keep me company. Where’s Simone?”

“She’s taking a little nap,” he said. Eva couldn’t help but think she must have been worn out from all of the love making. Her stomach rolled a little, but she didn’t say anything. Marshall was the last person she wanted to be snarky with.

“Mine felt good,” she said, “It’s been a really long day.”

Billy stood up and said, “I’m gonna go back in. It was nice talkin’ with you, Eva. I hope ya’ll enjoy your visit and let me know if you need anything.” He gave Marshall a nod of his head, Marshall nodded back. When he was gone, Marshall sat down in the chair Billy had been sitting in.

“He works here?”

“Yeah, he’s Addie’s nephew,” she said.

“Hmm, put the chain on your door tonight.”

“What? Why?”

“I just didn’t care for the way he was looking at you,” he said.

“He was really nice. We just talked about ghosts.”

“Ghosts?”

“Yeah, he says there are a lot of ghosts in Mississippi, and more specifically, there are ones who live here in this house.”

Marshall grinned, “It was a line,” he told her.

“A line? Like a pick up line? He wasn’t trying to pick me up.”

“It was a line,” Marshall said. “He works at some old bed and breakfast in the deep south, what better way to strike up a conversation with pretty young women and get them to see him as the big, bad protector?”

“He didn’t say anything about being my protector. He was just being friendly.”

“Okay,” Marshall said, unconvinced.

“You know, there wouldn’t really be anything wrong with him hitting on me. I am single.”

“Yeah, but you can do way better than that guy.”

“There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with him to me. He’s really cute and he’s employed and he even smelled nice. Oh, and he reads books.”

“He has a gap between his two front teeth big enough to drive a truck through, he works nights for his aunt, sitting on a stool at a counter so he has plenty of time to read books, he believes in ghosts and he probably uses the custom-made soaps that his aunt makes and that’s why he smells so nice.”

“Why is it that you want to throw stones at every man who expresses the slightest bit of interest in me? Don’t you want me to be happy?”

Marshall’s face turned serious and he said, “Are you kidding? Of course I want you to be happy. You’re my best friend Eva, I love you. That’s why I pick these guys apart, they’re not worthy of you. You’re…God Eva, you’re amazing. The problem is I don’t think you know that and I’m afraid you’re going to sell yourself short and end up saddled to some loser.”

Eva felt like she couldn’t breathe. Marshall had been telling her how wonderful she was since they were teenagers, but he’d never said it quite like that before, and never with such intense sincerity in his eyes. She remembered that Henry told her once, “Look into a person’s eyes and you can hear what they’re not saying. The eyes speak louder than words ever will.” She was looking into Marshall’s eyes and it seemed like they had something they wanted to tell her….

“Hey!” Simone’s voice was followed by the sound of the slamming screen door. “Why’d you leave? I was so comfortable.” As she spoke, she went over to where Marshall sat and plopped herself down on his lap and slid her arms around his neck. Then she kissed him, full on the lips as if Eva wasn’t even there. Marshall’s posture seemed stiff at first, shocked. But after a few seconds Eva saw him begin to relax as he slipped his arm around Simone’s waist and pulled her tighter into the kiss. She stood up, walked around them and went inside. Neither of them even looked up.

Chapter 14

E
va went up to her room and went to bed, and Marshall didn’t come looking for her. Billy didn’t knock on her door and she didn’t see a single ghost. She decided that she must just be too boring for them all.