The Shadow of His Past: A Sweet Mystery Romance: Spirits in Waiting, #2

By Nickie Cochran

❤️❤️❤️ A lighthearted tale of love, mystery, and old heartbreaks in need of mending.

 

"What did you do to the faucet?" her landlord barked.

"I didn't do anything to it," she replied, taken aback by his accusation. "I was just putting away my shampoo when this faucet exploded for no good reason."

"Faucets don't just explode, lady!"

 

Kyla's excitement of moving into the apartment of an old Heidelberg family home quickly diminishes as fixtures and appliances seem to have a mind of their own. Accusing her moody landlord of shoddy handyman work doesn't help a bit to improve their already damaged landlord-tenant relationship. Maybe he should stick to being a firefighter instead of trying to fix things around the house.

 

As Chris spends more time putting out proverbial fires in Kyla's apartment, she discovers the warm and gentle side of him. However, odd activities aimed at Kyla intensify, as if someone, or something, wants to keep them apart.

 

If you enjoy lighthearted love stories with charming characters and meddling spirits, then you'll love The Shadow of His Past. This sweet grumpy/sunshine mystery romance is full of twists and turns. It'll make you smile and warm your heart.

 

Note: The books of the SPIRITS IN WAITING series can be read as a stand-alone novels, but they are certainly more fun if you read them in order.

 

Here's what other readers are saying about this book:

˃˃˃ From first page to last page is filled with humor, mystery, frustration, and love… ~ Angie Lenkevich ~

˃˃˃ It's an amusing and heartwarming tale of love found and the past corrected. If you like ghost stories and comedies, this series is for you… ~ Jenn Cuce ~

 

Grab your copy to find out what causes the bumps in the night and if Kyla & Chris will find their happy ever after.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mountain Whisper Publishing
• Release date: May 27, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201137458

Book preview

Chapter 1

Leopold restlessly roamed through the hall of his 18th-century family home in downtown Heidelberg. He was appalled that his great-great nephew had rented out part of his house and allowed a stranger to live on their property. Why Chris hadn’t started his own family by now was beyond him. The boy had the looks and made a fairly decent living. He shook his head.

He continued watching the woman with suspicion as she unloaded a laundry basket full of kitchen appliances, dishtowels, and silverware. He shook his head as she unpacked the pastel rags and girly cups. Frauengelumps! Of course, she couldn’t hear him. It wouldn’t matter anyway as he was never afraid to share his opinion. When his wife was still alive, he never allowed her to bring distasteful items like these pretty knick-knacks into his kitchen. He smiled as he remembered Hilde arguing with him after she had bought several rolls of horrible flowery wallpaper for the kitchen. If that weren’t enough, she had the nerve to tell him to hang them for her. Of course, he stood his ground, as any manly German husband would. The next thing he remembered was when he stood in front of a collapsible worktable, spreading thick glue with a large brush onto the back of a panel of wallpaper, cursing as any good German man would. Then he turned somber again. His wife passed away in 1945, and she had left him with his then teenage daughter to fend for themselves.

Pushing his feelings aside, he turned his attention back to the woman. She seemed to be in her mid-twenties and quite a cheerful sort of girl. A curl of her strawberry-blonde hair that had escaped her ponytail kept falling into her face. Annoyed, she brushed it away from her eye and tucked it behind her ear.

She was very pretty, he thought, but that didn’t change the fact that she was invading his family home.

The woman opened one of the kitchen drawers and lifted a small organizer full of silverware out of the laundry basket.

Suddenly, he heard music coming from behind her backside. He raised a brow and tilted his head. Leopold recognized the song. He had heard it many times on Chris’s radio upstairs.

She sat the silverware on the edge of the kitchen counter and then pulled her small telephone - his nephew called it a handy - from the back pocket of her jeans. Hallo? She paused. Oh, hi Shai! Yes, I’m making some progress with unpacking. I…

Leopold’s ghostly body went rigid. Is she speaking English? He felt his chest tighten.

He had to get closer to make sure he heard right, swooped into the kitchen, and hovered next to her.

Thanks, big brother, she continued with her conversation, but instead of giving moral support, how about you get your hiny out of the pub and into my apartment to help unpack? She said laughing.

Leopold could only understand the words ‘thanks, brother and pub’ and that was enough. Es ist ENGLISCH! he roared in German. How dare she speak in a foreign language in his house! He fumed. Just like he couldn’t understand the soldier that stole his daughter from him right after the war.

Get out of my house!

Of course, his words fell on deaf ears, and she continued her conversation. The woman didn’t even flinch from his outburst. If he were only human, he would throw her and all her womanly belongings onto the street. He would not tolerate another Ami in his home.

Just the word Ami, the German nickname for American soldiers, conjured unpleasant images in his mind of the man that had married his little girl against his wishes. He hated that man for what he did. It was his fault that he had a falling out with his daughter. It was that soldier that destroyed their relationship. He took everything he had left to live for. He felt his chest tighten from grief. His little girl…

Fury cursed through Leopold’s ghostly body. When he no longer could contain his rage from being ignored, he focused all of his energy on the eating utensils on the counter and took an angry swipe.

---

Kyla jumped as the loud clatter of her silverware hit the tiled kitchen floor. Oh, my God! She held her hand to her heart as if it were to slow the thumps in her chest.

What’s wrong, sis? Shai asked. Are you okay?

Yes, I’m okay, she replied, trying to collect herself. My silverware just fell on the floor and scared the living daylights out of me. I must’ve bumped the tray when I was moving some stuff around. She sat her phone on the counter and put her brother on speakerphone. She kneeled on the floor to gather her scattered forks and knives.

Oh, good, I thought you had just dropped the box with Mom’s old crystal glasses.

Kyla smiled. No, they are already unpacked and stowed away safely.

Mandy and I will miss having you around the house, you know, Shai finally said, followed by a sigh.

Oh, come on. You two lovebirds need your space. Besides, I think it was time to find my own place. Did I mention that this old apartment is awesome? Plus, I’m only a few blocks away from the pub, so I won’t be as late for work.

Kyla heard an exaggerated guffaw blaring through the speaker. Annoyed, she grabbed the last spoon off the floor and tossed it into the basket. What’s that supposed to mean?

You’ve always been late and always will be. I know you, sis. Now, you’ll just have other reasons than the bus or the weather.

She knew that he was right, but at least she intended to do better.

Suddenly, she heard a dull thump somewhere from the back of her apartment. What was that? She grabbed her phone and walked toward the back of the apartment.

What was what? Shai asked. Are you hearing things again?

Kyla looked in her still messy bedroom for anything out of place. Hmmm, I heard something fall. I just can’t figure out what it was. She walked around her bed and discovered the source of the thump. I could’ve sworn that I left the laundry basket on top of the bed.

Okay…so where is it now? he probed.

It’s on the floor with all my socks and undies dumped out. How is that possible? She scratched her head and tucked that stubborn curl back behind her ear. Really, Shai, I had it in the middle of my bed. There’s no way that it could’ve just fallen off.

Hmm, Shai ventured, maybe you have a ghost living in your apartment. The house looks like it’s a couple of centuries old.

Kyla considered the idea, but then shook her head. Nah, don’t be silly. It’s just a coincidence. Come to think of it, I’m not so sure now where I had put the basket.

If you say so, sis. Anyway, I’ve gotta run. I just had some tourists walk into the pub.

Thanks for checking in, Shai. See you Friday afternoon for work.

She ended the call and put her phone back into her pocket.

Stupid basket, she muttered and picked up her undergarments and tossed them into her chest of drawers. Ghosts! Kyla believed in the supernatural, but just because this house was old, didn’t mean it was actually haunted. She had plenty of exposure to ghosties in the last few months and was glad to finally get a break from spirits floating around her.

She cleared that space on the floor again, and then looked around the room to assess what she needed to do next. The room was a disaster - and so was her entire apartment. She felt overwhelmed. Moving sucks, she called out. Kyla was tempted just to clear some more space on her bed and take a nap. She was tired and didn’t want to look at the mess anymore. Besides, the hot and humid August air was stagnant in her small apartment. I’ve got to get a fan, she said as she fanned herself with a notepad. But for now, a little siesta would definitely do the trick to taking her mind off the hottest hours of the day. If a nap didn't, she’d just have to take a walk downtown for a little shopping therapy, where most of the department stores had air-conditioning.

No, Kyla, she admonished herself, now’s not the time for slacking. She only had two days before she had to go back to waitressing in her brother’s pub, and she wanted her place somewhat comfortable by then. So, instead, she glanced at her bed with the bright yellow sheets and went back to the kitchen for a cold glass of lemon iced tea to cool her down and quench her thirst.

Refreshed and with renewed energy, she walked to the back of her apartment and decided to tackle her bathroom first, since it’s the smallest room and fastest to arrange. Kyla looked at her two boxes of toiletries and towels. That’ll be easy, she said with her usual cheerful voice and started singing the clean-up song that she remembered from when she was a little girl in Ireland. She had to make this dreadful task somewhat enjoyable. Clean-up, clean-up, everybody everywhere…

She had just put her shampoo into the small bathtub shower combo, when she heard a pop and something hitting the ceiling, followed by a hiss that sounded all too much like spewing water.

Kyla snapped her head around and watched in horror as her sink faucet now resembled Old Faithful. Oh, fiddlesticks! She searched for the shut-off valve and tried to turn off the water. No such luck. Argh, turn you stupid wheel! It must be rusty. She grabbed a drenched washcloth, hoping to get a better grip. Still no luck.

Soaked to the bone and feeling helpless, she stood back for a moment watching the bathroom floor flood as she frantically tried to think of a solution. She had to act fast if she didn’t want her entire apartment to float away. The only way to stop this disaster was to shut off the main water line. But where was it?

She ran to the basement and found tons of unlabeled ancient valves, which didn’t help much. Before she’d blow up the entire house, her best bet was to get her landlord, who lived upstairs. Please be home, she prayed as she ran up the stairs two steps at a time. She had never met him in person. The realtor had told her, when he showed her the apartment that the owner was a firefighter working odd hours, hence he couldn’t be there to show the place. Please be home, she repeated on top of the stairs.

Out of breath, she banged on his door. Hello? I need help! Is anybody home? she shouted in German. It’s an emergency! She continued to beat on his door.

Kyla stopped for a moment just to hear if there was any sign of movement on the other side of the door. Nothing. This can’t be!

She was about to fish her phone out of her wet back pocket to call Shai, when the door ripped open, and a very handsome man in his early thirties stood in front of her - only wearing a t-shirt and some boxers, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

This better be good, he grumbled.

---

The man standing before her looked her over and then smirked. You must be the new tenant; I assume?

Yes, I am, she replied. Kyla Donovan - nice to meet you. She didn’t bother to shake his hand. Right now, she was more worried about her belongings and the mess she would have to mop up if they couldn’t stop the water from shooting out of the hole in her sink. Please, hurry. My apartment is flooding. I need your help.

How bad is it?

She looked at him in disbelief. Hello? Couldn’t he see that she was drenched from head to toe? It’s bad. The faucet popped off the sink in the bathroom and the shut-off valve is stuck.

He rubbed his face and made an exasperated sound as he raked his hands through his short, dark-brown hair. I’ll be right there, he said as he turned around and put on some house-shoes. He mumbled something and walked off toward the back of his apartment. A few moments later, he returned with some huge pliers in his hand. He looked at her again and shook his head. Okay, I’m ready.

They hurried down the stairs to her apartment. She could hear the water spewing from the stairwell. As they entered her front door, she noticed that the water had already spread into her hallway. Hopefully, she could clean up the mess before the water would damage her beautiful hardwood floors.

The landlord rushed into the bathroom and slightly slipped as he made the turn through the doorway. Ach Du Scheisse!

My sentiments exactly, she added to his ‘Oh crap!’ expression.

What did you do to the faucet? he asked.

I didn’t do anything to it, she replied, taken aback by his accusation. I was just putting away my shampoo when this faucet exploded for no reason.

Faucets don’t just explode, lady! He kneeled down into the water and tried to turn the valve next to the toilet. It wouldn’t budge. He tried again. This time, he leaned his weight into the stuck valve and let out a long, strained grunt. Nothing.

As Kyla watched him work, she couldn’t help but stare at his boxer-clad bum. He was cute, all right, even though he looked like he had just woken up, which might explain his grumpiness. Maybe he had to work a night shift. She already felt guilty for having to disturb him, but he was the only person around - and it’s his house, after all.

Her now soaked landlord grabbed the huge pliers next to him and fitted them around the valve. He tried turning it again, but to no avail. He then changed tactics, held the pliers in place with one hand, and then beat with his free palm on it to knock the valve loose. The pliers slipped, and he hit his knuckles on the tiled bathroom floor. Aaaaah! He clenched his teeth and then rubbed his hand. Damn it! That’ll leave a mark! Determined, he grabbed the pliers again, and with an iron grip, he gave it one more mighty turn. The valve finally moved.

Kyla let out a breath of relief as she watched the geyser weaken and then stop running altogether. Thank God!

Her landlord wiped his wet hands on his boxers and then straightened up. Aaauuu! he yelled as he bumped his head on the corner of the opened medicine cabinet door and peppered the pliers into the corner. Luckily, it landed in the box with the towels and couldn’t do any damage. Verdammt nochmal! Damn it!

Kyla tried to keep a straight face. That poor guy couldn’t catch a break. Even though she felt sorry for him, she quickly had to cover her mouth with her hand before a giggle could escape. Let me get you some ice for your hand and your head, she said over her shoulder, heading for the kitchen. She had to step out before she got herself in trouble.

No! he bellowed back.

Taken aback, she looked at him confused. Why was he yelling at her? She only tried to help. He seriously needed his morning cup of coffee, even though it was already afternoon.

Their eyes met. I’m okay, he added in a gentler tone, almost apologetically.

They looked at each other in awkward silence.

Kyla noticed his piercing light-green eyes that contrasted with his dark hair. Stop it, she told herself. You’re only making a fool of yourself. He would never like you. Who likes a strawberry-blonde with wild hair and freckles anyway? Definitely not him. Besides, Kyla, he’s your landlord and a quite moody one at that. For Christ’s sake! Blushing, she broke eye contact. Well, then, I’ll go get a mop.

When she returned ready to clean up the lake, he stood in the doorway with the faucet in his hand. That thing is busted. I’ll have to go to the hardware store before it closes. I might as well get a new valve, too. I’ll let you know how much you owe me when I’m back. Don’t use the bathroom until then.

Her head snapped up. Did you just say I owe you?

Yes, I did. Lady, I don’t know what you did to this sink, but it didn’t just shoot off on its own. I renovated this place myself, and I assure you that there was nothing wrong with the faucet when I rented the apartment to you.

Kyla propped her arms on her waist. This guy is not ticking right. She really didn’t want to start things off with her landlord like this, but if he insisted, she’d give him her five cents. Nobody was going to treat her like this and take advantage of her. First of all, buddy, or whatever your name is, she shouted at him, I wasn’t even near the faucet when it happened. Second of all, I can’t help it if your handyman skills suck, she paused for the dramatic impact of her last words, and finally, you can stick that receipt elsewhere, because I’m not paying for your incompetency.

He turned into the bathroom, grabbed his pliers from the box with the towels, sloshed past her with his wet house shoes and boxers, and slammed her front door shut, cracking the glass panel.

---

Chris stomped up the stairs to his apartment and slammed his door shut. Great, this woman hadn’t even been living here for a day and was already destroying his father’s old apartment. Then she had the nerve to refuse to pay for the damages she had caused. He knew for a fact that the faucet was in good working condition before she moved in. Just last week, he had used it when he put the finishing touches on the apartment. Maybe she bumped it with one of the boxes with all her smell-goods and womanly stuff when she was unpacking. He didn’t even care what caused it to break. What he did care about was getting out of his wet clothes and taking a shower. He was too mad to go back to sleep anyway.

When he was cleaned up and waiting for his coffee to brew, he finally had some time to think. A small wave of guilt hit him. Maybe he was a little harsh with his new tenant. He must have made quite a first impression on her - not particularly one that he’d preferred. So much for the pleasant co-habitation that he had imagined when he decided to rent out the lower half of his family home. But now, instead of the occasional Hellos in the hallway, he had awkward moments of silence to look forward to when their paths would cross, unless he could find a way to make amends.

Chris finished up his cup of black coffee and headed to the hardware store, determined to buy the fanciest faucet that he could find. Yes, he owed her that much. Hopefully, it would make up for his rudeness.

Happy with his purchase, he knocked at his tenant’s door. Hopefully, she would forgive him for his outburst. What the heck was her name again? He didn’t have time to think because she peeked out the cracked glass panel and opened the door for him. She still looked mad and crossed her arms, apparently waiting for him to react.

Hello again… uh, Katey? Keyleigh? This wasn’t going as well as he had hoped.

Frau Donovan, she snapped.

He felt the heat rise to his head. Fair enough. He held his hand out to her. We’ve never been formally introduced. My name is Christian Brandt. Chris held up the bag from the hardware store. I’m here to bring you a peace offering. There is no excuse for my bad behavior earlier, and I was hoping that I can make it up to you. He pulled out the stylish faucet he had bought and held it in front of her.

She glanced at it, rolled her eyes, and looked up at him. Really?

Oh, oh. What’s wrong? Do you not like it?

She laughed. I think it’s a little over the top with all the brass and the embellishments. This faucet belongs in a castle. I’m a simple kind of girl. A regular faucet would’ve been just fine - but thank you all the same.

If we hurry, you can come with me to exchange it for one that you like. The store closes in half an hour.

No, that’s okay. It’ll actually go with some of my Irish decorations.

Chris was relieved that her anger was fading. She blew a strand of hair out of her face, and for the first time; he noticed how beautiful she was.

Before he could embarrass himself even more, he continued, Should I install it for you, so you can use your bathroom again?

She nodded and motioned him to enter.

Wait, I have to get my tools. He pushed the faucet into her hands. Hold this.

The woman looked at him baffled.

He smiled as he ran up the stairs to his apartment. What the heck was the matter with him? He never felt this insecure around women before.

Half an hour later, he had installed the new valve and the faucet. Chris stepped back and admired his work before he opened the valve. Here goes nothing. He first turned on the cold water and then the hot to make sure everything was working as it was supposed to. Thank goodness, the faucet held.

Okay, then. Let me know if you have any other problems. He gathered his tools and cleaned up his mess. On the way out, he glanced at the cracked door panel, feeling guilty again. I’m so sorry about breaking your door. I’ll take some measurements and will replace the glass for you when I’m off this weekend.

The woman nodded.

He smiled and walked up to his apartment.

Kyla, the woman called after him.

Wie bitte? What?

My name is Kyla.

---

S orry, I’m late, Shai. Kyla set her purse on the desk in the small back office of her brother’s pub. She put on her apron and grabbed a few pens and an order pad before she joined Shai at the bar.

About time you made it to work, sis! He tossed a damp rag at her. Can you wipe those tables in the corner for me before the evening crowd trickles in?

Kyla caught the rag. She really wasn’t up to cleaning tables. All the organizing she’d done in the past two days was catching up with her. She was fed up with housework. However, she was glad to be around people again, and cleaning tables just came with the job. The cleaner the tables - the better the tips. Kyla looked around. Where’s Mandy tonight? You guys are usually inseparable.

She’ll come over in a little bit. She wanted to order some more Celtic crosses and herbs for her shop.

Kyla was a little disappointed that her best friend wasn’t here to keep her company between customers as she normally did on the weekend when her brother was working. Mandy had been dating Shai for a few months now, and when she had moved into their house, Kyla knew it was her turn to move out. It wasn’t that they didn’t get along, but she needed a little nudge to get out on her own. Seeing Shai and Mandy spending every spare moment together made her feel like a third wheel. Maybe, if she had someone in her life, she wouldn’t