Broad Street Goddesses Read online

Examining the dirt in her hand Paige felt her smile reach deep into her gut, “So you’re telling me that I’ve been drawn back here by the longing to be living on red dirt?”

  “That’s exactly right.” Addy said everyone nodding in unison.

  “So how’s that explained?” Paige asked

  Mim narrowed her eyes as she said, “Well, scientists will tell ya’ that it’s just a higher concentration of iron in the dirt. But I’m telling you if you’re born here you’ll always have the need to smell it, hold it, and build upon it.”

  “Interesting, my mother never mentioned this to me.” She said quietly.

  “That’s because your Mamma wasn’t born here. If I remember the story right, your grandmother married a man who moved her to San Francisco. So your Mamma was not born here.”

  Glasses were raised and a toast, “Welcome home, Paige.”

  ~

  “You were awfully quiet tonight Miss Etta.” Paige said on the drive home.

  Etta smiled and gave Paige a shy look, “Reflective I guess. What did you think of our gathering? Aren’t they just the best?”

  “There is something engaging about each one, but when you put them all in one room, well it’s mind blowing. I feel that I’ve just crawled out of the rabbit hole in Wonderland. They’re fabulous…and Mim, painting naked in the moonlight” Paige shook her head, imagining what that would feel like to be naked under the stars.

  “The boys only walked out there one time, but you know, I used to sneak out and watch her paint all the time. To this day was the most magical thing I’ve ever seen.”

  “How many paintings came from the ‘nekkid years’?”

  “Only a handful, but she won’t sell them, she says they feel

  too personal.”

  “You’re all Goddesses.”

  “Now you’re one of us, Paige. You can never go back.” Etta

  Laughed.

  ~

  Seven O’clock that evening, Jake walked through his kitchen ignoring the bag of groceries on the counter that needed to be put away. Grabbing another beer, he turned at the creaking of his back door and saw Will come in, who was still wearing his basketball shorts and jersey.

  “Hey what’s in the bag?” Will didn’t wait for an answer, but rifled through it like he lived there, which he did not, he was just “staying” for an undetermined amount of time.

  Will and Jake had been great friends their whole lives, raised like brothers. William was Mim’s son, one year younger than Jake. Opposite to Jake’s light complexion, Will had dark Mediterranean features, a chiseled strong face giving him an intensity that cracks wide open when his smile releases dimples and a mischievous nature. Jake knew there was the spirit of a Newfoundland puppy inside Will’s picture perfect body that women drooled over. It was hard to take him seriously. Half the time he was a goof ball. But there was never a doubt in Jakes mind that Will had his back. His year long absence hadn’t affected their friendship, if anything it made Jake appreciate Will even more.

  “Hey, you fixin’ me dinner? Steak and salad, wow and baked potato with all the guts… Dude, there’s only one, but I’ll share.” He started to unwrap the stakes.

  “Have you no pride?” Jake asked flopping down onto a kitchen chair against the wall.

  “Nope, none.”

  Jake held up his beer, “This is my dinner.”

  “NO, no, stop, you’re hurting my ears, look at this food! I’ll even start the Webber. This is date night food, how’d I score…” Will slowly sat the steak down and looked closely at Jake, “Oooooh, bad night?”

  “Misunderstanding, that’s all.” Jake raised an eyebrow cautioning his friend he wasn’t talking about it.

  “Gotcha, I’ll start the fire and let’s get this party rollin’.” Will grabbed a beer and headed for the patio. Jake knew Will wouldn’t let the situation rest, so he followed him outside.

  “Is this about that woman from the barn dance that has you brooding? Did she stand you up?” Will had only been back for a day and already he had his finger on the pulse of all things Nevada City.

  “It’s a long story and Betty’s probably mad because I cancelled our Pinochle night.” Jake stared at the decking under his feet.

  “Betty was in bed thirty minutes after you called her. She’ll get over it. I’ll bet she gets up in the morning and bakes you cookies.”

  Jake smiled. She probably would and that made him feel like an even bigger heal.

  “How long are you going to lurk in the shadows before you let your mom know your back?” Jake asked, deflecting the conversation, and then took a long chug of his beer.

  “I figure I’ll give her a call and invite her to dinner. When the scolding stops, she’ll be glad to see me.”

  “You’re going to take her out instead of holding out for one of her exotic meals? Men die for less you know.”

  “Ah, but you underestimate me Sir, I’m going to woo her into forgiveness for the way I left, then she’ll have a huge gathering out there and we’ll all profit from my good fortune.” Will nodded, holding up his bottle.

  “Your right, Auntie Mim can’t hold a grudge, not against you, the prodigal son.”

  “I’ve got a lot of groveling to do.”

  CHAPTER 7

  Paige took the long way to town, past Etta’s house. The quickest route, which she had always taken in the other direction, had shielded the vision of Etta’s cottage that stood before her. The body of Etta’s house was cornflower blue and the shutters were yellow with raspberry trim. The gingerbread on the eve of the house was painted tangerine and the little details sprinkled here and there were a mixture of bright and brilliant colors. Etta’s house was alive! It had character and a voice on their street that said, ‘I’m bold, loud and beautiful! I don’t care what you think.’ How in the world had Etta captured her own personality in the painting of her house?

  “The style is called Painted Lady.” Etta yelled from her garden on the side of her house, reading the look on Paige’s face.

  “Amazing… Did you do this all by yourself?”

  Etta rose up from her weeding and walked toward her gate to meet Paige, “I did the painting. I had the help of an artist when I chose the colors. He is actually quite famous now; he’s planned the color pallets of the truly beautiful houses in Nevada City and Grass Valley.”

  “I’d like to hire him,” Paige’s eyes brightened, “This is amazing.”

  “He’s pretty hard to track down. I don’t think anyone’s seen him in almost a year.” Etta’s eyes darted back to the eves of her house, “I’m sure Ernie can help you chose a good color pallet.” Etta’s voice broke softly, “I have a lot to do before it gets too hot out here… have fun in town, Paige.” She turned and walked away leaving Paige gawking at Etta’s home which exploded in colors.

  Etta’s house inspired her to get cracking on the colors of her Bed and Breakfast mansion. Painting was one thing she could plan herself. Walking a few blocks out of her way she enjoyed every step savoring the details of each Painted Lady she walked past. They stood out like pretty party dresses among wall flowers of simple white or yellow. Some had only variations of one color, but after careful consideration you could see the tiny details that had been tended to. All of the houses had their own personalities. If she stood still each house had a private story. Her house was among the very few that had fallen into ill repair. She now felt it was her duty to bring her old girl back to life and let her have another hundred years of glory in the historic city.

  Once on Broad Street, she found the hardware store. She pushed at the heavy brilliant blue door. The brass bell hanging from twine rang to announce her presence.

  “Paige, what can I do ya for?” Ernie asked with a toothy grin.

  He made her smile, “Paint. Do you have a wheel or paint chips or something I can choose from?”

  “Sure enough…” he walked her to a wall of paint, “Interior or exterior?”

  “Exterior,” She said looking da
unted, “Wow there’s a lot to choose from.”

  “Yep, I’ve got the best selection in Nevada County! And I’m an expert color mixer.” Ernie walked back to the register to help a man who didn’t look familiar to her.

  She scanned over the colors, trying to imagine what each one would look like. A couple of years of art classes lodged in the back of her mind only confused what she was looking at. In her hand she had chosen a grey base and blue accents. But she wasn’t happy about it.

  “May I?” The man at the counter had wondered over to her.

  Paige snapped out of her color trance and looked at a man who was examining her choices, “What?”

  “I just think your making a mistake with these colors.” He said with an air of confidence.

  “Really?” Paige gave him a sharp warning look and stood back crossing her arms.

  “Yes,” he recognized a woman who didn’t want to be messed with but preceded with tenacity that Paige found just a little irritating.

  “These colors are depressing. If I were to choose a pallet for you I would choose rich muted colors, something deep and soft. Here, how about this…” She watched him select one and hold it up, deliberate and then handed her “Garden Spot” his head tilted sideways and then he pulled out “Wood Violet” and “Enchant”. That’s a good start, but don’t use white, go with something warm and creamy.”

  “Thank you.” She said looking at a color pallet that made her smile. All of her favorite colors in the perfect shades to complement each other. “How’d you do that?”

  “It’s a trade secret. But I can tell by watching you that you don’t show yourself easily. Your deep and thoughtful… takes a while to get to know you.” He handed her another chip, “For little details.”

  She looked at the chip which read, ‘Ember glow,’ “Nice.” She said smiling at the encounter.

  “You must be Paige.” He extended a hand, “I’m Will.”

  “Will, I’m so sorry I don’t remember meeting you.”

  “Will you walk with me? I’ll buy you an ice cream.” He offered.

  “Bribery.” she glanced sideways at him and thought for a moment. Who was this mysterious paint magician? He was drop dead gorgeous and goofy all at the same time. An air of confidence vibrated from him but his kid-sized smile told her he wasn’t too full of himself. Paige was curious, “Sure, I’ll go for ice cream.” Besides, she thought it would give her something to think about besides Jake, the cheater and the bizarre dreams of the gold rush days.

  With ice cream in hand they stopped in the park to sit on a cement bench.

  “I just rolled back into town yesterday. My buddy told me all about you though… you’re making him sweat it out! I can see why he’s so upset.” He leaned back on the cement bench and nodded, eyes flirtatiously searching her face.

  “Who would your buddy be?” Paige had no idea what he was talking about.

  “Jake Jenkins. He’s at work right now wondering what he did wrong. He’s been trying to get your attention for weeks and apparently you’re not biting.”

  “Biting?” She was so confused! Why did everything in this town have to come back to Jake Jenkins, it was infuriating!

  “So you see Paige, my friend Jake is a fisherman, he’s not a hunter.”

  Her shoulders fell and she looked him straight in the eye, “I am having a hard time following you.”

  Will’s flirty look faded quickly, “Jake doesn’t hunt, Paige. A fisherman puts himself out there and figures if the woman doesn’t bite, he’ll change lures and keep trying until she’s interested. Most of us knuckle draggers hunt down and club what we want and drag it back to the cave. With Jake, he’s got to know you’re interested. So, why aren’t you interested? ”

  “I don’t hang out with men who have other interests.” She took a bite out of her ice cream cone, “What about Betty?” She said around the ice cream in her mouth.

  Will burst out laughing, “He’s loved betty since he was 5 years old!”

  “So it’s more than just high school sweethearts…” Paige felt confused and deflated.

  “Oh yeah, it’s much more than that.” Will licked his ice cream, contemplatively, “do me a favor and get to know him. He’s one of the good guys, Paige.”

  “Are you visiting or do you live here?” Paige asked him trying to change the subject.

  “It’s the call of red dirt… I couldn’t stay away any longer. Have reason to put my roots back into it and let them spread out.”

  “I recently had a friend tell me about red dirt and the draw to those born here.” Warmed by the memory, she looked back to Will.

  “My Mother has the same theory. She’ll be happy to see me again.”

  Paige leaned back to get a good look at him, “So you were born here, grew up here… that’s how you know Jake?” He nodded.

  She burst out, “So you know Etta!” Will’s head fell back and a lazy smile spread across his face and up to the sky, “Yes, Etta.” He looked lost in the statement. Then it all started to make sense.

  ~

  With morning coffee in hand, Paige contemplated the color chips plastered to her refrigerator door. There was no way to improve on them, they were perfect. Warm, rich and muted, all the colors that felt safe and happy to her. “Thank you.” Paige heard a woman say. She jumped almost spilling her coffee. Wally was unaffected by the other voice in the room.

  “Hello?”

  “Thank you for tending my house.” The voice was soft and small.

  “Where are you?” Paige look around, “What are you doing in my house.”

  “It’s my house, dear.” The voice answered, but there was no one there.

  “Who are you?” Goose bumps rose all over her body.

  “I’m Georgia.” The small voice tinkled like a bell in her head.

  Paige looked again to Wally who was paying no attention to the voice crisis.

  “What are you doing in my house?” Paige asked again.

  “It’s always been my house dear; my Grandmother had it built for me.”

  “So, you’re a…. a ghost?” the coffee in her cup began to tremble.

  “I don’t know… I’ve always been here. It’s where I belong.”

  Paige thought fast. She wasn’t above sharing her house with the ghost of the woman who owned it previously. A conversation with a ghost! What was next, a gypsy telling fortunes in the parlor? Paige reached for the phone and dialed Etta immediately.

  “Etta, can you come over, I’ve got a situation here…”

  Paige was afraid to say anything out loud that would prompt the suddenly gregarious Georgia. She poured a cup of coffee just as Etta was walking through the door, “Here…” Paige thrust the cup at her friend.

  “Thanks, there’s a coffee crisis?” Etta looked wide eyed at Paige and ruffled Wally’s fur.

  “Don’t think I’m crazy but I’m hearing the voice of a woman who’s not here. She says her name is Georgia.” Paige braced herself for Etta’s response.

  “Oh you met! I’ve seen her wandering for years. I wasn’t sure of her name. She obviously likes you or she’d have run you out like the previous owners.” She frowned into her cup. “They weren’t very nice people.”

  “What are you saying?” Paige clung to her coffee cup like a lifeline. “I’m not following…”

  “When this house went through probate, which took decades, some shirt tail member of the family sold it. By that time this place was a wreck! The new owners weren’t happy here. I think your ghost helped run them out of Nevada City, if the truth be told.” Etta looked out the window thoughtfully.

  “You’re asking me to believe in ghosts?”

  “Well, you’re telling me you’re talking to Georgia and I’m telling you she died decades ago. I think you already believe. Now what does she want? That’s the question!”

  “She wants to thank me for tending her house.” Paige said softly, “So, I’m sharing my house with a ghost?”

  “Spirits
on this plane usually have something left unfinished. She’ll probably go quietly once she sees the house restored. Until then talk to her like she’s your friend.”

  “She’ll probably go?” Paige’s eyes widened.

  “I’m fairly well versed in the area; I’ll read up on it some more and when the time is right, we’ll help Georgia on to the other side.” Etta rambled until her gaze landed on the paint chips on the fridge, “Nice choices Paige. This is a beautiful combination.”

  The thought of telling Etta about her meeting with Will brought an immediate grin, “Oh I yeah, I met someone yesterday…”

  “Paige!” Etta stopped mid stride and looked up to the ceiling at nothing, “I think there is more than one spirit here. Georgia has ties to you!”

  CHAPTER 8

  The sign hanging over the door of Jake’s cabinet shop read, “Jenkins Fine Cabinetry.” It had been hand painted beautifully in gold show card paint by his Auntie Mim as a gift the day he re-opened the doors without his granddad. The building and its contents had been willed to him five years previously when his teacher and mentor passed away. He loved being in the shop. It brought him closer to his granddad and the impact he’d had in his life. Mim also painted the sign that hung in front of his law office with the same gold paint.

  “I’m not kidding, Jake, she thinks you and Betty are an item, that’s why she’s giving you the cold shoulder.” Will was playing with a wood file, tapping out a beat on the edge of Jakes workbench.

  “Seriously man, she’s not interested in me.” Jake was measuring for a miter cut.

  “Don’t count her out. I think she’s perfect for you. She’s a thinker; a nice surprise waiting inside that up-tight package.”

  “Have you offered to help her with that house?”

  “Every chance I get.” Jake was getting annoyed.

  “Have you tried pulling the unbelievable romantic thing yet?” Will wasn’t giving up easily.

  “Dinner in the bag…” Jake paused, made quick eye contact and creased his forehead at Will.

  “Right, well it wasn’t a lost cause,” Will patted his stomach.