A Ghost of the Past

by Mary Goldberger

  “Hello,” he said briskly as he turned on to the street of Nettie’s B&B. Shay heard the purring tones from her seat and she had a good idea who was calling him. She may have been there only two weeks, but she heard enough gossip to know that he and the server from the diner, Susie, were seeing each other. She heard that she was the first woman since Charity that he saw more then once. From what she gathered, after Charity died he became a one-night stand kind of guy so the fact that he took Susie out to dinner at least three times had the tongues wagging. There was even talk that Susie had gone to his home, which no woman has ever been invited to much less spent the night. Shay laughed to herself again, but this time there was a mix of sadness, she had kissed him and allowed him to kiss her knowing that his heart and head was with one woman, and his body belonged to another. She shook her head as she thought that she must really like punishing herself.

  She sighed with relief as he pulled in front of Nettie’s and parked the truck. Her hand was on the door handle ready to open the door and get out when Cordial reached over and stopped her.

  She turned to look at him with a frown as he just gave her a “not yet” look.

  “Susie,” he started but Susie talked right over him. He opened his mouth to say something when someone knocked on his window. He glanced over out his side of the truck to see old Mr. Adams standing there.

  He rolled down the window as he asked, “Hi, Mr. Adams. Is there anything I can help you with?”

  Before Mr. Adams could say anything, Susie squealed, “You are right down the street? I will be there in a few seconds.”

  “Susie,” he began again until he heard the dial tone. He cursed under his breath as flipped the phone close.

  Mr. Adams laughed as he said, “Hi, Cord, I was wondering if you would take a look at my blue print for the shed house I am having built.”

  Shay looked over at Cordial who had a scowl on his face, and she figured that he was frustrated probably with trying to figure out how to get rid of her before Susie showed up. She remedy that for him as she said, “Hi, Mr. Adams,” before turning to Cordial, “Thank you, O’Ryan, for giving a lift today.” With those words, she slid out of his grasp and opened the door to the truck. She hopped down as Nettie came out of the house, and she called out, “Shay, I could really use your help.”

  Thank you Nettie, Shay thought to her self, as she said goodbye to Cordial and Mr. Adams, and she headed towards Miss Nettie. She made it to her just before Susie came up the sidewalk heading for Cordial and she focused on Nettie as she said, “One of the guest requested something that I have no idea what it is or how to make it, so do you think you could take a stab at it.”

  Shay laughed as she said, “I do not see why not” as they headed into the house. Shay waited for Cordial to call her to stop or something, but he never said a word. She had her answer; besides the entire four hours they were together, he never even called her by her first name although he kissed her.

  Shay pushed those thoughts to the side as she headed for the kitchen, her comfort zone.

  Cordial watched from the corner of his eye as Shay walked up the steps heading towards Nettie. He had wanted to go after her but Mr. Adams had his attention, and then Susie showed up. He mentally groaned as he answered, “Okay, Mr. Adams, I can take a look at it for you. Would right now be okay because I have to be at a meeting at 3pm?”

  He looked at his watch noticing that he at least an hour and half to get to his meeting but he needed to pick up Todd before heading over there for it was something that they were doing together.

  “Sure,” Mr. Adams said with a smile as he turned back to his house. Susie latched on to his arm as they followed behind him.

  They walked around to the back of his house where he already had started building his shed, and Cordial noticed that the work was well done, but he did not expect any different from him and his sons who were master builders.

  He whistled as Mr. Adams smiled and handed over the blueprint. Cordial looked over it his mind seeing what was there and figuring out if it could be worked better.

  In the end, he looked up and smiled, “Terrific.” Mr. Adams laughed as Cordial handed it back to him.

  “Thank you, I thought so too but I just wanted your opinion on it,” he stated and Cordial felt honored that he had thought to ask him.

  “You are welcome,” Cordial told him sincerely.

  Susie was getting frustrated from being ignored and she was about to say something when Mr. Adams said, “I saw you with Shay. Nice young woman if you ask me.”

  Cordial looked at him as he asked, “You have met her?”

  Mr. Adams nodded his head, “Brought dinner over to me a few nights back when Mirabella went to see her sister. I thought my wife was one of the best cooks in the world, and she is, but Shay’s cooking would be my second choice hands down.”

  Susie stiffened at her name.

  “Shay,” she asked, “What were you doing with her?”

  Cordial did not like her tone of voice so he frowned at her before answering.

  “She needed to go some place and as her car is still in the shop, I offered to take her as if it is any business of yours,” he added.

  Susie pouted at him as she said, “I am sorry. I was only asking but I should know that you were just being helpful although I hope you do not forget that she is not Charity.” Susie saw how his mouth tightened and his eyes darkened, and she hid her smile as she continued to look at him. She knew by making the comparison he would get angry for she saw his look that day at the diner, but she would be going over to Nettie’s soon to have a chat with this woman.

  “Thank you, Susie,” Cordial said politely although he wanted to ring her neck. He turned to Mr. Adams, “See you later, sir. I will come back by later this week to see how it is going and tell your wife I said hi.”

  Mr. Adams nodded his head as his attention returned back to his shed, and Cordial chuckled as he walked back around the house heading to his truck with Susie with him every step of the way.

  “How about we get take-out, go back to your house, and have an early evening?” she suggested in his ear as he stopped by his truck. He pulled open the passenger door as he said, “Susie I have a meeting to get to in about an hour and I do not know how late it will run so I have to give you a rain check.”

  Susie slid into the seat with sigh as he closed the door.

  He walked around to the other side and hopped in.

  “I will give you a lift home first,” he said starting the truck and putting his seatbelt on. She smiled as he pulled away for in her mind that meant he had feelings for, she did not take it as him being polite.

  Cordial’s mind was on the young woman who had a bomb shell dropped on her today, the one who made his blood pressure shoot through the roof, and the same one who he felt was pulling back from him. He frowned at the last thought so intensely that he did notice the shades of Nettie’s house twitch back for a second before they fell back into place, but Susie did and she made sure to put her hand on his bicep to reinforce their intimacy although Cordial did not even feel it as he drove away.

  Shay let the curtain fell back in place before she watched the truck drive away with Susie in the passenger seat where she had been in until about forty minutes ago. She headed back to the kitchen as she berated herself for having to look one last time, almost as if she had to prove herself right and she did. Now if only she could find out why her heart felt as if it was going to explode then she would be good because she was not in love with him…not yet anyway.

  Chapter 11

  Cordial walked into his house and slammed the door. He was frustrated and pissed for the whole week he had been too busy to go Nettie’s house. Susie kept calling him wanting to come over to his house, and his stepmom was calling him every day to invite him over to the house for dinner. He groaned as he put his keys down on the table and his phone rung at that moment.

  “Hello,” he snarled. There was silence for a moment until Ra
y said, “Sorry, Cordial, I did not mean to catch you at a bad time.”

  He sighed as he apologized for when his sister used his full name she was mad at him, “I am sorry, Ray, it has been a bad week that’s all.”

  “I understand,” she said, “Todd came in tonight and growled at me until I told him we were going to the café for dinner. Care to join us?”

  He was tempted to say no, but decided against it besides he was hungry.

  “I need to clean up so I will meet you there in say about twenty minutes,” he said and she laughed telling him that would be fine.

  Within in twenty minutes, he was walking into the café and Susie gave him a wink as she noticed him although he noticed her eyes were angry. He could care less as he walked to the booth with his sister and her fiancé were sitting.

  “Hi,” he said sliding into the booth opposite them.

  Todd looked up frowning although humor was dancing in his eyes, “Haven’t I seen you enough today?”

  Cordial laughed, “Of course, but after we become brother-in-laws you will be seeing more of me.”

  Todd faked groaned as Ray said laughing, “Behave both of you.”

  They ordered there food and were just talking when Matt and Annie walked into the café.

  Ray noticing waved them over. The café was packed, and Cordial frowned for the café was normally busy, but not like this.

  “Are you here to eat?” he asked as he slid over so Annie could seat down.

  Matt sighed and ran a hand through his hair, “You explain, Annie, I need to go talk to her.”

  He turned and walked away as they all frowned at Annie.

  “If he is cheating on you, let me know,” Cordial said in a serious voice.

  Annie looked at him in surprise and she laughed as she shook his head.

  “No, it is nothing like that. He just needs to talk to Shay about her car,” she told them.

  Cordial tensed up but Ray was the one who asked, “What about her car?”

  “He finished the repairs last night, and he told her today. She had been thrilled that her car was ready for her to use. Well, he went to the garage tonight because he forgot his jacket in his office. We went in, it was dark so we did not notice at first, but when he flipped the lights on, and then we noticed it right away. Someone had broken every window of her car including her side mirrors, and her tires were slashed. I do not know what is going on but someone does not want her leaving this town,” Annie concluded.

  Susie coming over with their dinner said, “You know she could be the one doing it so that she can stay here longer after all looking like Charity could work in her favor if she ever meets Charity’s father when he comes in like he did the other day.”

  “What?” Cordial asked quietly as she placed their plates down.

  She frowned as she handed him his plate last making sure to slide her fingers across his, “Mr. McCloud came in here about a week ago and had breakfast. I do not think anybody mentioned to him about the woman looking like Charity though which I think is a good thing for it would break his heart to know that someone like her looks like his daughter.”

  Cordial clenched his teeth as he turned away to look out the window. He had nothing to say to that for he knew the truth but it was not his truth to tell, and it looks like Shay was not going to reveal it either.

  He saw the reflection of Matt come back and he turned back around to look at him.

  Matt stopped next to them as Susie went back to work.

  “Matt,” Annie said.

  “She is mad and scared,” he said running a hand through his hair. “And she just confided in me that she was not going to have enough money to finish these next repairs so she told me scrape the car, and she will pay me for what I had done.”

  Before anyone could say anything to his statement, the café went silent as a couple walked in. Cordial glanced over to see Mr. and Mrs. McCloud, Charity’s parents, standing in the doorway. They looked around for a place to seat and seeing them in the corner smiling headed in their direction. Cordial would have gotten up and walked out except for the fact that the food in front of him smelled great so he took a bite and he could have died right then. He noticed that Ray and Todd had almost finished as Annie and Matt laughed.

  “Shay is really a good cook,” Annie said, as a server brought over their plates and she looked up at Matt.

  He said sheepishly, “I ordered when I was talking to Shay. I could not help it for whatever she was making made my mouth water.”

  They dug in after Matt pulled up a chair and then the McClouds’ were standing there. They smiled at them and Cordial was polite. They made more room for them at the booth as they ordered.

  It was almost an hour later, as they were all getting up to leave that they heard a noise that sounded like a gun shot.

  Ms. Lovegood came out of her office as one of her teenage workers came running in from the outside.

  “Ma’am, Shay has been shot. She was taking her break outside when I went out to throw away the trash and before I could come back in, a car came around the corner and fired at her,” he explained hurriedly.

  Everybody went running outside to find Shay lying on her back next to the back stairs of the café. She was bleeding and her eyes were closed.

  “Shay,” Ms. Lovegood murmured.

  “Don’t worry, boss, I am not dead. He got me in the shoulder, but it hurts like hell,” she said weakly as she opened her eyes and pushed herself up into a seating position.

  Shay was not stupid for the shot was not supposed to kill her this time but to scare her. Unfortunately, she had a gun pulled on her at the age of ten by one of the other kids in the orphanage for not giving him what he considered his right and it scared the hell out of her then. She promised her self that she would never be threatened like that again so she talked one of the supervisors to sign her up for a self-defense class. The instructor took her on because he felt sorry for her at first but later because she had a natural talent for it. Her determination influenced him and she paid him for the lessons by keeping his dojo clean from the mats to the bathrooms. He saw her as a student nothing more nothing less, and she viewed him as a teacher someone showing her how to defend herself if she needed it although when he died two years ago, his passing had saddened her.

  “Do you need to go to the hospital?” Ms. Lovegood asked as she leaned down to help her to her feet.

  Shay gritted her teeth as she got to her feet, and then she said, “Probably I think the bullet is still in there. Do you think Dr. Jameson would see me this late?”

  “You do not have to ask twice, young lady,” he said as he strolled forward with his wife by his side. “We were coming for dinner anyway so I will fix you up. In payment, can you cook for my wife and I?” he said teasingly.

  “Deal,” Shay said without hesitation and she smiled at him.

  “Come child,” Mrs. Jameson said, “let’s get you back to the clinic.”

  “Thank you,” she murmured as she let Mrs. Jameson lead her away.

  Cordial could not move a muscle for his mind and body were slow to catch up with the fact that she was okay, and he listened to the others around him as he heard Ms. Lovegood say she was going to call the sheriff.

  What in the hell was going on?

  Chapter 12

  Shay bit down as Dr. Jameson dug the bullet out of her shoulder. She fell back against the pillow as he held it between the clamps before tossing it into the metal dish. Then he cleaned around the bullet wound before cleaning the wound and covering it up for it did not stitches. He gave her a sling to keep the arm elevated and two painkillers although she scowled at him, but he was adamant that she take them.

  He was going to make her stay here as they exited the room only to find the McClouds and Cordial in the living room.

  Dr. Jameson clenched his teeth although the worry in Cordial’s eyes had him reigning in his temper.

  “Are you okay?” he asked walking over to her and grabbing her
hand.

  Dr. Jameson watched Shay’s indecision before she allowed her hand to be clasped by his.

  “She will be fine although I gave her some painkillers so she will probably be out of it in about ten minutes or so…” he left off as his wife, Pauline, came into the room.

  “She will be staying here tonight,” she proclaimed and Shay frowned.

  “I do not want to impose,” she said.

  Pauline smiled at her, “You are not imposing. We offered and that settles it so would you like some hot chocolate?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” she said her green eyes flashing in amusement and pain.

  She walked out of the room as Cordial led Shay over to the couch.

  “Who are you?” Mrs. McCloud said with a sharp voice.

  “Shay Montgomery, ma’am,” Shay said without hesitation as Cordial settled next to her on the couch.

  Dr. Jameson shook his head as he asked, “Why were you shot at?”

  She hesitated, “It was a warning. Someone keeps sending me letters wanting me to leave town, but unfortunately, my car being constantly sabotaged has not helped matters.”

  “What letters?” Cordial asked with a frown.

  Shay shrugged her shoulders; “Just letters” was her answer.

  Shay turned her attention back to the McClouds who were regarding her with narrowed eyes but Shay only looked at them.

  Dr. Jameson watched as Shay’s eyes began to droop so when Pauline entered the room, he nodded his head towards her.

  “Come on, dearie,” she said putting down the hot chocolate, “Let’s get you to bed.”

  Shay sighed as she slowly got up from the couch with Cordial’s aid. She frowned, and then she said, “I am sorry about the hot chocolate.”

  Pauline laughed, “Do not worry about it. Mark will drink it before it gets cold.”

  Shay looked at the smiling face for a few seconds before she allowed her to lead her upstairs to a very nice guest bedroom.

  Mr. and Mrs. McCloud stood up as she left the room.