Opposites Attract Read online

  Printed in the United States of America

  First edition printed as Crimson Bayou, by Alizabeth Lynn, 2014

  Second edition printed as Crimson Bayou, by Alizabeth Lynn, 2015

  Third edition printed through Burning Willow Press as Crimson Bayou, by Alizabeth Lynn, 2016

  Fourth edition printed as Crimson Bayou, by Alizabeth Lynn, 2017

  This final edition printed, 2021

  ISBN-13: 9798671638288

  © G.L. Peebles, 2021

  Cover Art © The Dust Jacket Designs, 2021

  Editing © Lyndsey Rose Harper, 2021

  Interior Design © Foundation Formatting, 2021

  All rights reserved.

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the copyright owner is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  Other Books by G.L. Peebles

  Writing as Alizabeth Lynn

  Anthologies

  Cancer Sucks

  Nightmares in Writer’s retreat

  Hugs & Kisses

  The Darkness Rises: Real Life Accounts of the Supernatural

  Nightmares in Writer’s Retreat: The Nightmare Continues

  Writing as G.L. Peebles

  Seasons of Love

  Winter Heat

  For Karina, Jackson, and Izora. Without y’all, I’d have had this published at least a year sooner. I have the duct tape and rope handy for the next book…

  Chapter One

  -April 08, 1939-

  Cursing, Aden McTarver pushed the engine of the ’37 pickup until it whined. Trees blurred together on the side of the road, the speed of their passing faster than that of his pounding heart. And the liquor didn’t help. Words bounced around his skull, blurring his vision as he sped around tight curves, his truck shuddering with each passing mile. Breast cancer. Incurable. Disease. Days to live.

  He pounded a fist on the steering wheel before lifting the whiskey bottle to his lips for another drink. He’d buried his mother that morning and found out his father never wanted him that evening. More words from the note he’d found stashed in his mother’s desk floated before his wavering eyes. Not mine. Bastard.

  He’d lost his job, his mother was dead, and he had no father. He had nothing left. The headlights of Aden’s truck barely cut through the darkened back roads of the little Maine town, until he hit the coast and the trees split so suddenly the moonlight blinded him. With another curse, he lifted an arm to shield his eyes.

  He never saw the cliff.

  -Present Day-

  “So, you’re really going to do it?”

  Carissa Blaine eyed her best friend over the rim of her coffee cup. “Yep. The lease is up the day after tomorrow. It’s finally time, I think.”

  Ophelia Boudreaux kicked back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “But I thought you never wanted to go back?”

  “That’s what I thought too, but if I don’t, how will I ever know what really happened?”

  “Oh, I don’t know, maybe go to the library or something.” Ophelia raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Or the police department. I hear they let spouses read the reports these days...ya know, since we moved out of the Dark Ages and all.”

  Carissa crumpled up a napkin and tossed it, nailing her friend between the eyes. “Okay, smart ass. You know there’s more to it than that.”

  Ophelia nodded, sobering, as she cast her eyes around Carissa’s box-filled apartment. “I also know you never really moved into this place. I think a part of you was always hung up on going back to Magnolia Bayou.”

  With a long sigh, Carissa took a sip of her cooling coffee. “I think you’re right. The thing is, I didn’t go back like I said I would the month after… everything, and I kind of regret it. That’s part of the reason I want to go back, now. I had the construction crew and home design team do everything over the internet. I only spoke to them through email or sent my sister. I never personally went back to okay any of the changes.”

  Her friend toyed with the end of her long midnight braid. “Well, you’d also just lost your husband. No one can fault you for that.”

  “Thanks… even though you didn’t like him.”

  “Honey, no one liked him, but we all love you.”

  “I know. You’re still here, even though you think my taste in men sucks.”

  Ophelia sat forward again, a sly smile on her face. “Oh, I have every confidence in you finding someone worth the woman you are.”

  “Yeah, I’ll believe that when it happens.” Carissa took a deep breath. “I’m worried, though. Gwen has the key to my shed. She oversaw the final plans for me.”

  Ophelia held up a hand. “Wait. Are you telling me Gwen actually helped you? Without setting your house on fire, or telling you how it was somehow your fault that Ryan died?”

  “Come on, Phia. My sister isn’t that bad.”

  “Your blind date with ‘Gary the Paranormal Investigator,’ the pizza delivery guy that showed up with a meal and a proposition because Gwen said you were single, the weird secrecy every time you try to talk to her about her relationship with her husband...” Ophelia ticked the points off on her fingers before grinning up at Carissa. “No, she’s not bad at all. Just an annoying, sisterly douche canoe that tries to make your life more difficult than it needs to be.”

  Carissa shook her head, laughing. “Fine, I’ll give you that, but she was helpful, and I kind of owe her for that.”

  “Just don’t let her drag you into anything you don’t want to do.”

  “But isn’t that what big sisters are for?”

  Ophelia smiled. “Probably, but the warning still stands. Just be careful, okay? It’s only been a year, you know?”

  Carissa nodded. “I do, and I promise, but I still don’t want that key back.”

  “Why not?”

  “That’s where I had them put all of Ryan’s stuff.”

  “Ah. And his computer is in there, too, I take it?”

  “It is.”

  Ophelia leaned her elbows on the table and raised an eyebrow. “But wouldn’t that give you some answers?”

  Carissa blew out a tense breath. “Some,” she agreed, “but you know how he was acting before the accident. He was so close to the deep end, I almost sent him to Brentwood.”

  “The mental hospital? Why?”

  “Because he tried telling me werewolves and vampires were real. This isn’t the Twilight Zone. He was unhinged.”

  “But did he say they sparkled?”

  “This isn’t a joke, Phia.” But Carissa couldn't quite suppress her smile. “He really did sound crazy.”

  Ophelia sat back again, her expression guarded; Carissa bit her lip. Does she know something I don’t?

  “Maybe.”

  Carissa shook her head and tried to ignore the chill that crept up her spine — fairy tales and creepy bedtime stories weren’t real. “Girl, don’t make me call Brentwood on you. What do you mean ‘maybe’?”

  “I just mean that you shouldn’t jump to conclusions.” Her friend rolled her eyes. “I don’t get how you grew up in a town like ours and didn’t end up more open-minded. You used to say it yourself—every myth must have a basis in
fact.” She shrugged. “But I digress. It’s just that, maybe Ryan wasn’t as crazy as you thought.”

  “So, you’re defending the loony now?” Carissa Ignored the mention of Magnolia Bayou and anything she may or may not have heard or believed during her childhood. A town full of eccentrics did not make supernatural things real. She’d learned the hard way that fairy tales didn’t exist.

  Her friend chuckled and brought her thoughts back to the present. “Not at all. I just think you should take a look at his work. As they say, ‘There are more things on heaven and earth.’”

  “And that’s not crazy? Phia, you’re beginning to worry me,” Carissa said the last as an attempt at a joke, forcing herself to laugh lightly. “I may need to make that call after all.”

  Ophelia threw the napkin back, hitting her in the chest. “Pfft. No, you won’t. You love me.”

  “And right now, I’m considering drowning you in your coffee cup.”

  Her friend laughed. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know I’m right.”

  “That’s beside the point.” Carissa looked around and sighed again. “So, when do you head back to Magnolia Bayou, anyway?”

  “Tonight, since the weather’s clear. My vacation is almost up, and I need to get back to Baby Steps before Eleanor disowns me or replaces me.”

  “She’d never do that. You’re an excellent manager.”

  Ophelia sighed. “Yeah, but a lot of stuff has been going on, and I may have to go out of town again in a week or so. I don’t know yet.”

  “And here I am complaining about my stuff. What’s going on?”

  Ophelia shook her head. “Nothing serious. I’m living with Aunt Janice, now, and I heard something about my mother being back in the state. I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to follow up on it or not.”

  Carissa reached out and tugged on one of her friend’s hands. “Your mom? Really? It’s been, what, ten years since you last saw her?”

  “Yeah, right around the time I started working at Baby Steps.”

  “I remember that she didn’t want you working there. Did you ever figure out why?”

  Ophelia’s eyes darkened again, and Carissa once more got the feeling that her friend was hiding something. “No. She never said.”

  Her tone said that more questions weren’t welcome, so Carissa squeezed her fingers and offered her friend a small smile. “Well, let me know when you decide what you want to do. You know I’m here for you.”

  Ophelia smiled. “As I am for you. Now, let’s get the rest of your stuff packed up and then sign you up for that dating site.”

  Carissa threw the napkin back, bouncing it off the side of Ophelia’s head while her friend laughed, the tension broken.

  “Okay, okay,” Ophelia said with a twitch of her lips, her eyes gleaming with mirth, “No packing. And maybe we can set you up with your neighbor or something. I hear you have a new one, and he’s not hard to look at.”

  Ophelia grinned when Carissa snarled, “You’re lucky I love you.”

  “I know.”

  Carissa squinted down at the paper in her hands, the large words at the top mocking in their italicized brilliance: A Notice of Non-Renewal. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Her year was up, and it was time to go home. But now, as she stared down at the stark-white and black notice from her landlord, she wondered if it wouldn’t be possible to change her mind. Surely paying next month’s rent would secure her a little more time.

  With a sigh, she dropped down onto the little loveseat in her living room. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, setting the paper on the cushion beside her. Hands shaking, Carissa clasped them in her lap and fought back her fear. It’s not as if she was returning to nothing. Her house had been renovated, her grandmother was planning to groom her to take over the family business, and Magnolia Bayou was where her mother lived, too. Shreveport, where she was staying, now, didn’t offer the same comforting sights and sounds as the little bayou town where she’d spent most of her childhood.

  Her doorbell rang, and she groaned and stood up quickly, picking up the notice and shoving it into the purse on her coffee table on her way to answer it. Her nana, Eleanor, walked in, arms spread wide for a big hug. They embraced, and Carissa immediately felt better. “I was just thinking about you, Nana.”

  Eleanor Burnham-Mouton leaned back and grinned. “Were you really?”

  “Yeah.” Carissa walked over and pulled the notice from her purse, handing it to her grandmother. “It feels more final, now, and I’m ready… but I’m not. You know?” She laughed weakly. “My head tells me I haven’t been gone long enough, but my heart says it’s time.” She sighed and plopped down on the couch before Eleanor could respond. “It’s only been a year since Ryan died,” she choked out on a half-sob, “and even though it’s changed, I don’t know how I can go back to our house.”

  Eleanor crossed the room to sit next to her, putting her arm around Carissa’s shoulders. “I can’t make your decision for you, sweetheart, but if an old lady’s two cents are worth anything, I think it’s time for you to return to Magnolia Bayou. Your mother misses you.”

  Carissa leaned her head on Eleanor’s shoulder. “I know she does, but she’s going to start matchmaking as soon as I tell her I’m on my way. You know how she is, and she never liked Ryan.”

  Her nana rubbed a hand up and down her arm. “She had her reasons, sweetie.”

  Carissa raised her head and regarded Eleanor with confusion. “What reasons? She never gave me any reasons.”

  Her grandmother pulled back and turned her head away, fussing with the skirt of her floral-printed dress. “She just didn’t think he was good enough for you, leaving you alone all the time like he did.”

  “He was a journalist, Nana. He couldn’t very well do his job if he was home all the time.”

  “Your mom also didn’t like Ryan’s interest in the occult. You know how religious she is, now.”

  Carissa leaned back and watched her grandmother until the older woman turned to look at her. She’s hiding something... just like Phia. “I’ll admit Ryan had some strange ideas about the supernatural, but that’s no reason for mom to act the way she did whenever she was around him.”

  “Honey, you need to forgive her. There will come a day when you’ll need her support, and it could be sooner than you think.”

  “Nana, why do you always talk in riddles? Is this your weird way of telling me it’s my destiny to go back home?”

  Eleanor pinned her with an intense stare. “More like Fate, but that’s exactly what I’m saying. Things are changing, and I think it will be good for you.” She paused to waggle her eyebrows and grin at her granddaughter. “There’s a real nice young man who just moved in across the street from your house, and he’s very, very single.”

  Carissa laughed and walked into her kitchen to grab a Coke from the fridge. So, that’s where Ophelia got the idea. “You’re just as bad as mom and Phia. I’m not ready to date yet, Nana.”

  The wily old woman grinned wider. “My dear, who said anything about dating?”

  Carissa nearly choked on her soda. Her eyes watered as she gasped for breath, spewing a mouthful of sticky drink down the front of her shirt. “Nana!”

  Eleanor stood up and stepped across the small space, handing her a hand towel from the counter. “Carissa,” she said gently, “maybe your mom isn’t completely wrong. It’s been a year, sweetie, and you told me yourself that things were rocky before Ryan left on his last assignment.”

  Carissa rolled the can between her hands, listening to it crinkle. She knew her nana wouldn’t leave until she had the information she wanted, and maybe it was time for that, too. “Let’s go back into the living room, and I’ll tell you about it.” She stood and followed Eleanor into the other room, feeling as if they were playing an absurd version of musical chairs. They sat down again, and she took a deep breath. “Nana, do you remember the case with that missing little girl in 95’
?”

  Eleanor nodded. “Yes, I believe I do. Wasn’t that the child found in a field behind one of the houses near yours?”

  Carissa nodded. “That’s the one. After they did an update on the story a couple of years ago, Ryan started receiving a lot of late-night texts and phone calls, and he’d always leave the room with the excuse that it was work related. I’d never seen his work have him so worried and tense. It didn’t help that the day after each call or message, he’d leave town for a couple of nights, and he’d always come home looking like he’d spent a week hunting big game—sweaty, disheveled, and covered in mud and ick. For the first time in our relationship, I knew he wasn’t being honest.”

  Eleanor leaned over and wrapped Carissa in a hug. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you come to me? You know I have ways of helping.”

  She hugged the older woman tightly for a moment. “I was worried about myself—the health of my brain, I guess. Everyone thought we were such a perfect couple. I thought Ryan was right, that I was being paranoid over nothing.”

  Eleanor held her out at arm’s length, eyes flashing with anger. “He told you that?”

  Carissa ducked her head. “Yeah,” she mumbled, “We’d been separated for a little over a year when he took his last assignment, and we were talking about reconciling. We were going to see a marriage counselor when he got home, but he never made it.” A tear trailed down her cheek, and her nana wiped the moisture away with a gentle hand.

  “It’s okay, Carissa. I think this is exactly why it’s a good reason to come home. You can finally put those feelings to rest and move on. If he loved you enough to reconcile, I’m sure he wouldn’t have wanted you to mourn him forever.”

  Carissa wiped the next tear away herself. “That’s the thing, Nana. I’m not sure he did. I loved him, yes, but I don’t think his feelings were as strong for me. He kept trying to get me involved in his interests – which isn’t bad – but he said he had a group of friends that could change my mind about it. He was talking about us going to some sort of ritual to bring us closer, maybe help with fertility issues. He said his friend Garrett was a good counselor with connections to a great doctor, and he’d help us.”