Chapter 72

Part 5: All Hallows Evie

"Thanks for the help." Sam Holiday waved from the porch of his new - well, old but new to him - house, as the last carload of his siblings drove away. He eased down onto the porch swing and sipped a beer as the autumn sunset painted the sky. He'd turn thirty-five in ten days and he'd just bought his first home. It felt damn good. Now if only he had someone to share it with.

Shaking off that thought, Sam got up and went into his kitchen to clean up the remains of the pizza, beer and soda he'd fed his family to bribe them into helping him paint, clean and finally move in. It had been a long month of repairs to get the old Victorian lady into shape, and he still had a long way to go. But at least now the wiring and plumbing were up to code, and he had a decent kitchen, bath and bedroom. The rest would come. Including, someday, maybe, a wife and family to help fill up all those empty rooms upstairs.

In the last two years, Sam's four siblings, one older and thr