by Rose Pressey
Abe and Mrs. Williams were standing there, eyeing me up and down. Mrs. Williams was judging me again, while Abe had a gushy look on his face. The same look my mom and grandparents had given me on prom night, when I'd appeared in my gown (the hideous pink-ruffled gown I was now embarrassed to see photos of) at the bottom of the stairs. Abe let out a whistle of appreciation. So, the sixteenth President of the United States approved of my appearance; that was awkward, to say the least. As I gave one last glance at my reflection in my compact mirror, I hoped Callahan would appreciate my attempt at bouncy curls.
"I don't think that style becomes you,” Mrs. Williams said in a singsong voice.
"Funny, I don't remember asking you,” I snapped. Damn, she'd planted a seed of doubt into my mind, but there was no time to change.
When I pulled up in front of the store, I cringed at the scene played out in front of my eyes. Callahan was already standing at the front door of Book Nook. He'd beat me there. Of course, that wasn't why I cringed. No, there was one major problem that made me grimace from what I could see. The problem had a name, and it was Brianna.
The thought of Brianna and Callahan having a cozy tête-à-tête was what made me cringe. She was standing beside him, with her short skirt and tan long legs, eyeing him adoringly. She had her hand coiled around his arm, and looked incredibly comfortable. Too comfortable.
I turned off the ignition as she continued giggling and batting her lashes; she was clearly flirting with him. Conspicuously, she was trying to get under my skin, and it was working. I wasn't about to let her get away with that, though. I didn't know what I was going to do yet, but I knew I'd figure it out somehow.
Callahan spotted me drive up, and I noticed the funny look he'd arranged across his face. Like a student caught cheating on a test, his face had guilty written all over it. Nevertheless, I didn't want to give Brianna the benefit of thinking she'd upset me.
Getting out of my car, I smiled at Callahan and waved, walking around the back of my car onto the sidewalk. I was hoping I displayed an air of confidence. Callahan's eyes widened and his lips spread, revealing his dazzling smile.
I'd show Brianna I was the bigger woman and not let her tricks get under my skin. As I approached, Brianna sashayed past and never even looked my way. I tried my best to ignore her as well.
"Hi,” I said, as I approached him.
"Hi to you,” he said. He was blushing slightly. At that moment, he seemed shy and not the confident man you'd think someone with his looks would be. I realized then he had no clue how gorgeous he really was—I was sure of it. I didn't know if I should ask why Brianna was there, why she'd been touching him and why she'd seemed so comfortable standing next to him, as if they'd been more than friends forever. After all, it was our first date and he didn't owe me any answers.
First date. I loved the sound of that. Just two simple words, but they had a fantastic ring to them. And with any luck I'd be saying second date soon.
"Are you ready?” he asked with a bashful grin.
"Yes, I'm looking forward to trying the menu at Le Relais. I've heard so much about it."
Callahan placed his hand on the small of my back, guiding me to the right hand side of the sidewalk. Such a small gesture, but an exceedingly gallant one. His chivalry made my stomach flutter worse than it had the first time I'd set my eyes on a fold-out poster of Johnny Depp in an issue of Teen when I was fourteen.
"It's a chilly evening, huh?” Callahan slipped into his chocolate-colored blazer, which had been draped over his arm.
"Yes, it's becoming chilly. It's that time of year.” I smiled.
The restaurant was only two blocks away, so we fell easily in stride with each other and walked the short distance, chatting about the weather and such, all the while exchanging shy smiles. Callahan held the door open as I slid through the entrance and into the cozy bistro.
Abe squeezed in before Callahan shut the door, not that he needed a door to enter through, anyway. Little did Callahan know that we had a chaperone. It was just my luck that, as soon as I met a hot guy, I had the former President hanging around. I seriously needed to get rid of him.
Don't get me wrong, I liked him, but he would not enhance my love life one bit. The maître d’ led us to a table that was nestled into a cozy corner at the back of the room. All right, so it was beside the kitchen door. So what? That just meant we'd get our food sooner, right?
The dimly lit restaurant had a single candle flickering merrily on the red cloth-wrapped table. Romance oozed from the walls of the place. I felt my cheeks flush just thinking of the prospect of the evening.
Callahan pulled out my chair, waited for me to sit and then sat down across from me.
Luckily, Abe picked up on the romantic setting and decided to meander around the restaurant instead of being a third wheel.
A tall, lanky waiter lurched over to our table and scrappily handed us our menus, while muttering something indiscernible about being right back. I'd heard the help was bad, but that the food, luckily, made up for the mediocre service.
I held up the huge menu, studying it, all the while trying to find just the right position to hold it so I could still sneak peeks at my handsome date. Honestly, I was a bit nervous about what we would talk about, so nothing on the menu really captured my attention (which was a first for me). Especially with Mr. Yummy and his bedroom eyes peering over the top of his menu at me.
"So what looks good to you?"
Quickly, I scanned the menu and chose the first thing I saw. “I think the scallops with a mango glaze sound delish."
"That does sound good. Although I can't help but let my eyes wander over the dessert section of the menu."
I laughed. “You do have a sweet tooth, don't you?"
He let out a warm laugh. “That's the reason I opened a coffee shop, so I would have an excuse to have all those tasty pastries around."
"Good thinking. I love pastry. Although I'm not sure it will help my waistline, now that you've moved in with all the temptation, er, I mean pastries to eat."
I was, as usual, putting my foot in my mouth, stumbling over my words and saying all the wrong things. I certainly didn't want him to envision me stuffing pastry in my mouth while my waist expanded like a balloon hooked up to a helium tank. I tried to change the subject quickly.
"There was an antique shop there before you. Nice lady that ran it, but she died a year ago,” I said, as I took a sip of my water.
My mouth was like the Sahara. Where was that damn waiter anyway?
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter 6
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the waiter reappeared at our table almost as if by magic. He was beginning to creep me out.
"Are you ready to order?” he asked in his monotone voice. The guy had the personality of a wet noodle.
"My gorgeous date will have the Noix de St. Jacques a la Mangue and I'll have the same,” Callahan said, and then flashed me his wonderful smile, never once even looking at our waiter.
The waiter didn't seem to care, because he didn't utter a word in response; he just grabbed the menus and dashed off. As he moved halfway across the room, Callahan called after him.
"And bring us a bottle of your best wine.” His eyes were still focused on me.
I wasn't sure if the waiter hadn't heard him, or if ignoring customers was just his usual response to everything. I also didn't know if I wanted wine after last night, the thought of it made me a bit queasy.
"I hope wine is all right with you?"
"Yes, it's fine. Thank you.” Good thing he couldn't read my mind.
"You speak French?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"A little.” Obviously, he was being modest and, perhaps, somewhat mysterious. Now that was sexy.
"Wow. I'm impressed. What other talents are you hiding?"
He chuckled. “I think that's about it."
"So tell me, what made you choose Magnolia as your new home?"
&nbs
p; He looked at me with a shy grin. I still could not get over how bashful he was.
Oh, or was the smile part of his mysterious act? Hmmm, interesting. I wasn't sure if it was just me making him behave that way, or if he was always timid.
"To be honest, I wanted to get away from the big city. The traffic and the hectic pace, I hated it. I wanted to slow things down. I'd always envisioned running my own business someday. So here I am."
"Well, you certainly picked the right place to get away from the hectic pace. This place is as slow as they come."
"I'm figuring that out rather quickly. The grocery store closes at ten."
I laughed. “Yes, not really a nightlife scene around here. They roll up the sidewalks at ten."
"Tell me...” He took a sip of his water. “What did you do before you bought your grandparents’ bookstore?"
"There's not a lot of variety in jobs around here, unless you own your own business or work at the distilleries. So, I worked at the distillery. I was marketing manager for events and promotions. It was a lot of fun; I still have loads of bottles of bourbon in my cabinets, but the sad part is, I don't like it. What did you do in the big city before you decided to throw caution to the wind and move to this little town?"
"I was in banking at Kentucky Bank. Rather boring stuff, really."
"I'm sure it had its moments."
His blue eyes glittered in the light. He chuckled. “Not really."
"So you don't miss it then?” I laughed.
The corners of his mouth lifted. “No, not at all."
"I can tell you, it was a tough decision to leave my job. I'm sure you can understand that, but I don't regret for a minute leaving it behind and running the bookstore, now.” I smiled.
He shook his head in agreement.
"I do understand. It was hard for me to leave the safety of the bank, but I felt drawn to the place, really. I had to take my chances."
Listening to Callahan talk made even my toes tingle, he had a sexy tone to his voice that vibrated across the table and pulsated along my skin.
"I'm glad you did.” I couldn't believe I'd said something so bold. At least bold for me, I'm usually too shy for comments like those. He didn't seem to mind, because his blue eyes lit up even more.
Just then, the waiter returned with our wine. Surprisingly, he had heard the order after all; I guess he was just a very bad and unfriendly server. With great displeasure, the waiter went through the motions of letting Callahan sniff the cork, taste a sample, and then, when Callahan nodded in approval, he poured a small amount in a glass for me. He then added more wine to Callahan's glass. I was thankful he hurried through the process, though, and left us alone again.
My eyes were drawn to Callahan as he placed his perfect lips on his glass and took a sip. At that moment, I couldn't help but daydream about what those lips would taste like pressed next to mine. With any luck, I hoped that, soon, I wouldn't have to deliberate on the idea, I'd get to experience it firsthand.
"What about family? Did you leave them behind?” I took another sip of my wine. I had to say, the wine was fabulous, although I knew I'd better pace myself. After last night, I realized I wasn't much of a drinker, and I was definitely a silly drunk. If I didn't watch myself, I'd surely scare him off with my nonstop giggling.
"My parents still live there in the house I grew up in. They're as boring as they come. My father is a dentist and my mother is a homemaker. She took care of the kids and home while Dad worked. I have two brothers. One older and one younger."
"Really? I'm an only child. It must be nice to have siblings."
"It has its moments.” He laughed. “I hope I'm not too boring for you. I'm just an average guy.” He smiled and then took another sip of his wine.
I wanted to tell him, with that gorgeous face of his staring at me, he could have read me his grocery list and I would have found it fascinating. An owner's manual for a vacuum cleaner would have been enthralling. An operator's guide for a DVD player would have been tantalizing. All right, I've made my point; I thought he was yummy.
I didn't tell him, though; the comment would have been coming on a tad too strong. Could I be falling for this guy worse than I fell for Michael Taylor when I was seventeen?
I'd met Michael when I'd gone on a family vacation in Florida that summer. He'd been perfect in every way as he'd strolled along the beach and smiled at me. Tan skin and ray-bans on, what more could I have asked for? I'd been smitten from the beginning. Unfortunately, summer flings never last and we couldn't make a long distance relationship work. Would not or could not, I wasn't sure which. But that was how teenagers were.
I gave Callahan the most dazzling smile I could muster and, in the sweetest tone, said, “I certainly don't think you're boring. Far from it.” I watched as his face was set free into a complete cheek-reddening blush. And I was being bold again. What had gotten into me?
He lowered his gaze and said, “Thank you. I feel the same about you."
Our lovely waiter approached and served us our soup, mumbling something again as he sauntered away. I had no idea what he'd said, and frankly I didn't really care. Unless he was telling us there was a fire and we needed to evacuate, I wasn't interested. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Abe as he slid through the swinging door and into the kitchen.
Dread sank in as I hoped he wasn't going in to scare the waiter. Our server was already bad enough without the president adding to it. Abe sure did love to play pranks. I always thought President Lincoln would be the serious type, but he really did have a wry sense of humor. I'd had him pegged all wrong.
All right, so soup was probably not the best choice for a first date, I soon discovered. How could soup be so bad? I'd thought it was a safe choice. One word summed it up, though, and that word was slurping. As hard as I tried, at least one slurp had managed to slip out.
"So tell me more about yourself? Tell me everything. I want to know it all,” Callahan said as he raised his spoon to his mouth.
No, I doubted he really wanted to know it all: Well, Callahan, I see dead people, and Abraham Lincoln just walked into the kitchen. No, it was better I kept some things to myself.
"Oh wow.” Slurp. “All about myself?” I laughed.
"Yes, tell me everything."
"Well,” I said, after finishing my mouthful of warm soup. “As you know, I own a bookstore. It was my grandparent's store. They retired a year ago and moved to Florida, so I bought the store from them."
Callahan listened attentively.
"I've always loved to read. So I figured what better occupation to have?” I giggled. Oh help me, I was giggling like a schoolgirl. That wine was getting to me already.
"I agree. Sounds like we both had the same idea, doing things we loved."
"So, is the only thing you love pastry? Because I have to say it doesn't look like you ever eat one of those things,” I said, staring at his biceps probably just a little too long.
He snorted and laughed. “I have to go to the gym daily to make up for my guilty pleasure. It's another hobby of mine, much healthier than eating pastries. I work out a lot."
I smiled as I envisioned him pumping up without a shirt on. Glistening abs and bulging ... I needed to get a hold of myself pronto.
Finally, our main course arrived and, momentarily, there was silence as we dove into the first few bites of our fare. Thankfully, the silence felt natural and not at all awkward. It just felt right.
Occasionally, I would glance up and we'd meet each other's eyes as we chewed. But it never felt weird.
All of a sudden, a loud crash of pans and dishes echoed from the kitchen, startling us out of our musings. I yanked my head up in the direction of the crash to catch Abe hot-footing it out of the kitchen. Then an extremely frazzled-looking chef burst through the swinging door and began to have an excited conversation with the manager. He was shaking, pointing to the kitchen and gesturing vigorously with his arms. I had a sneaking feeling I knew what that was all a
bout. I was glad we'd had our dinner before the hi-jinks began. Ugh, I couldn't take Abe anywhere.
"I wonder what that was all about,” I said innocently. With Mr. Lincoln as active as he was, I wasn't sure how long I'd be able to hide my ability to speak to the dead from Callahan. As soon as I told him, I could envision his reaction. He'd probably visualize a world of séances and Ouija boards.
I hoped I could keep my talent hidden from him for a while, or at the very least, postpone telling him until I absolutely had to. I took a sip of my wine as my mind strayed back to Brianna standing on the sidewalk, coyly playing with Callahan's biceps.
The sight of her giving me that smug smile when I'd pulled up kept flashing in my mind. It was my opinion she was incredibly evil, and I prayed Callahan could see through her desperate act. Unfortunately, it had been my experience that men weren't always good at seeing through the games evil women enjoyed playing. Callahan brought me back to the situation at hand.
"I don't know. It sounded like something was chasing him in there,” he laughed.
I laughed nervously. That's exactly what I was afraid of, Abe chasing someone in there.
Business was kind of slow in the restaurant and around town. With small towns like Magnolia on Friday nights, almost everyone could be found at the high school football game. So when I noticed movement on the sidewalk out in front of the restaurant, I immediately glanced up and took notice. I almost spit out my food when I saw Brianna scoot by the window.
That bitch. What was she up to? Mindy would have conniptions when I told her how brazen Brianna had been to actually show up on my date, although I did blame Mindy for telling Brianna we had a date in the first place.
I knew one thing for sure, if I had confronted Brianna she'd have some stupid excuse for walking by and glancing in the window. I wasn't buying it though, because I knew she wasn't innocent—not in the least. How had she even known where we were anyway? I mean, she'd known we had a date, but not where our date was.
I wondered if Callahan had told her. Ugh. That thought made me again think of the two of them together, an idea I hated. She'd taken her time walking by, too. Gazing in the window, straining to see us, no doubt. If she'd come into the restaurant, I don't know what I would have done.
