Lip Service by Adele Downs

Author:Adele Downs
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: aunt haunts house she left to niece, aunt is interfering from the grave, aunt tries to sabotage jack and legs love affair, aunts warning about men are instilled in legs, contemporary paranormal romantic ghost story, he wants forever, jack has loved legs since childhood, legs fears commitment, she was raised by her aunt and feels obligated, victorian house must be renovated to eradicate aunts ghost
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group

Chapter Seven

The sky had turned an ominous black by the time she exited the bus and made her way down the empty street through the rain to her house. Lightning flashed too close for comfort and thunder roared overhead. A dog howled in the distance when the rain intensified from a steady drizzle to a blinding downpour. The hundred-year-old oak trees on her neighbors’ lawns creaked and swayed in the high winds.

The thunder clapped again, making her jump as she pushed through the wind to her front door. Inside the old house, she flipped on the lights. They glowed and flickered across the faded oriental carpets while lightning lit the walls with eerie shadows before fading away.

Legs shivered and made her way to the kitchen for a paper towel to dry her face, neck, and arms, and used another to towel-dry her hair. Aunt Ada taught her it wasn’t safe to bathe while lightning flashed overhead, so she’d wait to take a hot bath until the storm subsided.

Her skin prickled and she rubbed her arms against the chill. The big, empty house seemed overlarge and unwelcoming against the raging weather. Regret punched her in the solar plexus as the reality of what she’d done struck her like a fist. She leaned against the kitchen sink, taking in gulps of air, dismay weakening her knees.

Why in the world had she run from Jack?

What had possessed her to leave him?

Possessed. That might be exactly the right word.

Legs eyed the walls around her, seeing the home that had once been her haven as oppressive for the first time. She’d never questioned Ada’s affection. But now… That love was choking the life out of her. Her aunt’s hold had killed her chances of a future with the only man she’d ever wanted. She was doomed to repeat her aunt’s loveless life.

The townspeople she served in the café considered her independent and strong-minded, a woman worthy of admiration. If they knew the truth, they’d pity her. She was a coward and a fraud.

“Are you happy now, Auntie?” she screamed. “You finally got what you wanted. The Harris men are out of our lives for good. I ended things with Jack. It’s just you and me again, like it’s always been.” She screamed the words a second time, trying to force the sounds through the walls. Her throat burned with the effort and tears poured down her face.

Wind rattled the windowpanes until she thought they would break while sheets of heavy rain blanketed the glass. Thunder rumbled before each lightning strike. The kitchen lights flickered, and then came on again, but she sensed the power wouldn’t last much longer.

Sure enough, the lights flickered, winked, and went out. Legs stood still and waited for her vision to adjust to the darkness before retrieving the lantern stored on top of the refrigerator. Candles would light the downstairs for the duration of the storm.

Lightning flashed like a beacon to guide her way to the fridge. She turned on the lamp and went to the dining room to light candles, placing them around the lower level of the house.

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