My uncle had never approached me to take guardianship. Sunshine Home, an orphanage in town, had been my home after that, and I’d hated every second of my existence there. The other kids were nosey, and the councilors were well-meaning and looked at me with pity. I’d missed my parents so fiercely, some nights, crying in bed, I’d thought it was really possible to die of a broken heart. I’d wished it was.
But, I hadn’t died. I’d poured my heart and soul into music, and through that gift, I’d been able to escape. I’d never wanted to come back here and relive the worst years of my life, and my fucking Uncle had just had to go and leave me Ivy House in his will. The last way to torture the nephew he’d never acknowledged.
That first night in the house was rough. My mother had grown up there, and I could imagine her, as a little girl, running around the huge, old building, playing in the playroom and the library, and chasing her brother through the gardens. I’d wanted a drink more than anything I’d ever wanted right then, but on the tail of a horrendous hangover, I’d decided not to.
That decision had cost me a night of sleep. I’d lain in bed this morning, and realized a stark truth. It had been a long time since I’d fallen asleep without a nightcap, or an entire bottle.
While rockstars and addiction go hand in hand, there was something too depressing about becoming just another cliché.
Getting out of bed after a sleepless night, the longing to have a morning cocktail, and perk myself up hounding me, I’d decided to go for a run. The pathetic trail I’d managed around the house had nearly made me vomit. I was out of shape, old before my time, and still carrying the weight of the past. Pathetic.
Then, on my way back to the house, I’d seen it. A brightly colored parka jacket slipped between the trunks of the pines in the wood. An intruder on my property.
My green elf from yesterday blinked up at me, plastered against my chest from the near-fall.
“So, youdoknow who I am?” I repeated slowly. Had she recognized me yesterday and decided not to say anything? Why would she, though? She straightened and I released her reluctantly.
“No, why… are you someone important? You don’t happen to be the lucky new inheritor of Ivy House, do you? I had no idea that Uncle Scrooge had family nearby.” As soon as she’s spoken, she slapped her gloved hand over her mouth and her eyes turned horrified.
“Uncle Scrooge” I repeated numbly. “You called him that?”
“Everyone in town did, pretty much.” She shook her head. “I’m so sorry if he was someone important to you.”
“I didn’t know him, so don’t worry. Why are you looking for the owner of Ivy House?”
She let out a long breath. “I want to talk to them about holding a charity thing here. A concert, to benefit Sunshine Home.”
I was stunned into silence by the sheer coincidence of our encounters so far. She had no idea who I was, much less that I was a kid who had grown up in Sunshine Home. The fact that we’d just met yesterday, and now she was standing in front of me, just when I’d been thinking of her was almost enough for me to believe there was some element of fate involved in our meeting. Regardless of what forces had brought her into my life, one thing was already clear. I was going to get to know her a lot better before I left this godforsaken town. Maybe, once I did, if this feeling in my gut had anything to do with it, I might just be taking her with me.
Before I could open my mouth to confirm that I really was the new owner of Ivy House, a deep voice rang out. I turned toward the newcomer, a guy about her age, who was scrambling over the fence and making for us as a jog.
“Charlie! Is everything ok? Mr – I’m really sorry, she should never have let herself in,” the new guy said all in a rush.
Charlie? My mystery girl’s name suited her.
Charlie laughed, as the man reached us. “Relax, Chris. He and I go way back. I’ve nearly seen him naked, after all, isn’t that right, Santa?” I was struck by the way the morning light played across her smile. She was like a little ball of sunshine, burning brightly at whoever she grinned at.
I jolted out of my reverie when she touched my arm. “Right, way back, at least twelve hours.”
“See!” Charlie turned her smile back to the guy she’d called Chris, and I missed it immediately. “So, anyway, I was just talking to this nice man here about Ivy House, and how we want to hold the concert there. Maybe we can even get Lars Nilsen to play. I. heard he might visit the town over Winter break.”
I jolted at the sound of my name on her lips. Chris’s eyes darted to mine and narrowed. Shit, did this guy recognize me? I didn’t look too much like my stage persona right now, I could only hope he didn’t. I suddenly felt adverse to Charlie finding out who I was, right here and now, when we weren’t alone. The idea of sitting down and talking about her plans in the company of Chris, the third wheel, held no appeal.
“You know, if you were able to, could you set up an appointment for me with the new homeowner? I know it’s a big ask,” Charlie rambled on, turning to me. I waited for Chris to blow my cover, but he held his tongue. Maybe he suspected me but wasn’t sure. Anyway, it worked out well for me.
I shrugged, deciding to play along until I had Charlie alone again. “Give me your number and I’ll see what I can do.”
She gave an excited squeal and grabbed my phone from my hand as soon as I unlocked it. Typing in her number, she immediately called herself.
She winked at me, as she saved my number. “There you go, now you can’t escape. I’ve got your number.”
Chris shifted awkwardly beside us, as I held Charlie’s green stare, and wished there was an excuse to make her stay all day.
“We should go.” Chris nudged her side.
I stepped toward her to keep her focus on me, desperate for just a second or two more of her light. “I’ll try my best to get you that meeting, however, I think you should know… I have it on good authority that the new owner hates Christmas, Sunshine Home, and Briar Vale, so you’ll really have to think up something enticing to get him to agree.”
Charlie bit her lip, her eyes already turning thoughtful. “Hmmm, ok, thanks for the head’s up. Looks like he must be related to Soren then. Briar Vale’s got its very own Scrooge back, apparently,” she muttered, her words hitting my heart like tiny painful arrows.