by Rose Pressey
I sighed and looked away. “Me too.”
“Is something wrong?” He cupped my chin in his hand and tilted my face toward him.
I nodded. “It’s Mindy. She hasn’t been acting herself since Cooper came to town.”
“What do you mean ‘not acting herself?’”
“She isn’t really talking to me. She spends all of her time with him.”
“Do you think they’re dating?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t think so, but I’m not sure what to think. She had been dating someone else. I just have this sinking feeling in the bottom of my stomach that something’s wrong.”
“If there’s anything I can do to help, you know I will. Please don’t hesitate to ask. I owe you.” Callahan handed me a glass of wine.
“You don’t owe me anything. And I don’t want to hear you say that again. Deal?”
He chuckled. “Deal.”
The bright moon smiled down on us with approval. Lying there on the grass, looking up at the star-strewn sky, I felt save in Callahan’s arms. As we watched the glimmering stars, Callahan and I laughed over stories about high school and college. He told me more about his parents and brother, and I told him about my father who’d abandoned us when I was a baby. I had shared more with him than I’d shared with anyone except for Mindy. In between sips of wine and nibbles of cheese, we shared passionate kisses. Callahan’s eyes flashed with desire, a raw sexual excitement.
His lips whispered over my mouth, then his tongue slowly found mine. He deepened the kiss as he ran his fingers through my hair. Callahan’s movements were slow and deliberate, as if he wanted to savor every moment. He opened his mouth wider, slow, and sensual. I let out a soft moan when he nibbled on my bottom lip. I wrapped my arms around his waist. He tasted sweet like the wine. Callahan nibbled and licked a path down my neck. My heart hammered against my ribs. I ran my hands across his chest, and he sucked in a deep breath. Callahan traced the outline of my arms, stomach, and legs.
“Are you cold?” he asked breathlessly.
“I’m okay.” I snuggled back against his chest and he wrapped his arm around me as we stared at the sky. The next thing I knew, it was morning. Birds chirped and the sun popped up over the horizon.
The whispers of ghostly talking had woken me.
“I can’t believe they slept out here all night,” Anthony whispered.
“They make the sweetest couple,” Seth said.
“I can’t believe they didn’t do it,” Mae remarked.
After kissing Callahan goodbye, I jumped in the shower, still on a lover’s high from my moonlit picnic with a gorgeous hunk of a man. The soap flew from my hand when Anthony belted out the lyrics to “Your Cheatin’ Heart.”
“Get out of here,” I yelled, pulling the shower curtain close to hide my body.
Chapter Nineteen
Several days had passed since Cooper had showed up in Magnolia. Something wasn’t right. I felt it. He remained close with Mindy, and she remained distant with me. Anytime I’d called her, she’d come up with different excuses as to why she couldn’t talk to me. When I drove by her house, she was never home. Cooper was occupying all of her free time. It was as if her soul had been kidnapped. Somehow, I didn’t think this was a coincidence. I needed to find out if something more sinister was going on, or if I was just being paranoid.
If I didn't know better, I'd say I was jealous, but I had to remember I'd been spending a lot of time with Callahan, too. Some might say we were getting hot and heavy…but not that heavy yet.
All that might change tonight though, as I'd invited him over for dinner. I'd picked up a sexy red dress (not from Cooper’s), and I hoped Callahan wouldn't be able to resist it. Wine, a candlelit dinner, and...a house full of ghosts. Yes, they were still thorns in my side. The police had no leads on who had broken into my store, but no other incidents had occurred in town. At least none that I was aware of.
Karyn had given me a couple of lessons on becoming the coven leader, but I still wasn’t sure of my answer on taking the position. I felt as if I was trapped and couldn’t tell her no. Not to mention I wasn’t sure how well said lessons were going. No one had written a Coven Leading for Dummies book yet. Perhaps I could help Karyn out until she found someone more suitable for the job. We had another lesson scheduled for this evening before my date. How would I concentrate with thoughts of Callahan floating around in my head?
When I glanced up, I noticed High Fashion was closed. Where was Cooper? I didn’t trust him. He was probably slinking around some corner, just waiting for his chance to pop out and attack.
The bell above the door jingled.
“Well, well, well. I knew it wouldn’t take long before that cat came slinking around. If he makes one false move against you, I’ll let him have it.” Anthony twisted his hands together, mimicking having Cooper’s neck in his grip.
I didn’t bother responding because I was too fixated on watching Cooper walk toward me. He had a huge smile plastered across his face. The only way to describe the expression was devilish.
“What is he doing here?” Seth asked.
Mae popped up beside me. “Will you look at that body.”
Cooper’s presence sure had stirred up the ghosts. They were all worked up at the mere sight of the man. Did they ever think maybe he was just stopping in to buy a book? After all, we were in a bookstore. But they knew better than that and so did I. He most definitely wanted something other than a book. I had to be nice, although I couldn’t help thinking of Brianna and the trouble she’d caused every time I looked at the man.
“May I help you?” I asked as he drew near.
Okay, that sounded way too formal. This was an awkward situation because I didn’t know what to say. I should just come out and tell him I was suspicious of him…that I wanted to know why he had come to town. He was trying to be friendly, but was it sincere?
“I think I’ll toss a book at his head,” Anthony said.
Oh no. I glanced over in Anthony’s direction as nonchalantly as possible, but there was no way to tell him to knock it off. The last set of ghosts had gotten a kick out of tossing books at Brianna. I didn’t need a repeat of that situation.
“Do you greet all your customers with a frown? If so, I have to tell you, it’s not good for business.” He gave an impish grin.
Oh no, I hadn’t realized I’d been frowning. I was losing my touch at being able to keep my ghostly world and living world separate.
“Sorry about that. I have a bit of a headache and guess I didn’t realize.” I rubbed my temples for emphasis.
“Aw.” He nodded. “Well, I certainly hope you feel better soon.” He leaned against the counter and flashed his thousand-watt smile at me.
“I wouldn’t push him out of my bed for eating crackers,” Mae said.
I looked down to keep from laughing.
“So, um…” I shuffled a few papers. “What can I do for you today?”
“Just thought I’d do the neighborly thing and stop by to say hi.”
“No way. He’s lying. He’s up to something. I wouldn’t trust him further than you can throw him. And judging by the size of your arms, that’s not far.” Anthony hovered near Cooper.
Oh, if only I could get my hands around a ghostly neck. They always had quips like that when they knew I couldn’t respond.
“Since we’re neighbors now…bridge the gap that Brianna made, and all that. I know you can’t trust me overnight, but I hope with time you will.”
“Don’t trust the guy.” Seth moved closer.
If I listened to the ghosts, I’d never trust anyone. They had told me not to trust my own mother when she had called, until they figured out who she was.
“Well, that’s very nice of you. Thank you.” I waited to hear the real reason for his visit.
“As I said before, I’m very sorry for my cousin’s actions.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’d rather put it behind me, we don’t even have to discuss
it.” The faster I got him out of there the better off I’d be.
He leaned in closer to me. “Listen, about what I said the other night.” He focused his gaze on me. “The demon stuff…I was serious. I’m not trying to be a smart ass. I’ve, um, done some reading on the subject and it can be very serious. Mindy was telling me a little about what you do.” He looked over his shoulder as if he saw someone. No way did he know Anthony was making faces behind his back. “Well…I know there can be certain situations where these demons attach themselves to people.”
Did he think he was talking to a novice?
“Tell him to take a hike, Larue,” Anthony fumed.
“Is it true what he says?” Seth asked with a concerned look on his face.
“I’ll keep that in mind, Cooper. And I’m glad you’re concerned, but I’ve been doing this for a while now and I take precautions.”
“Do you?” He raised a brow.
What did he mean by that? “Of course.”
“I’d hate for you to have something attached to you that got a hold of Mindy. That wouldn’t be very fair now, would it?”
I didn’t like where he was going with this conversation. If anything had gotten a hold of Mindy, it was him. I wanted to confront Cooper about his newly formed friendship with Mindy, but he’d only deny any ulterior motive.
“I would never put my friend in harm’s way.” I glared at him.
“I didn’t say you would on purpose, but these things happen. I just want you to be careful. For yourself too, of course.”
Yeah, of course. Since when did he become an expert? Unless he was an authority on the subject, I didn’t want to hear about it. And watching Casper the Friendly Ghost or Scooby Doo didn’t make him an expert in the field.
He continued, “I have a book on the subject if you’d like to take a look at it.”
“Okay, this guy might be good-looking, but he’s even getting on my nerves,” Mae said.
“As a matter of fact, I would like to see it, thank you.” I met his gaze.
I wanted to find out what this guy had been reading that made him such an expert. What kind of mumbo jumbo ideas had this book put in his head?
“Sure, no problem. I’ll swing by with it later. I hope you don’t mind that I said something. I usually mind my own business, but I like Mindy, and you too, of course. I don’t want anything bad to happen to her.”
This guy was making me feel uneasy. Like I said, I never took Mindy on investigations and there would be no reason for a demon to attach itself to her. Why would I worry about something like that ever happening?
He tapped the counter with his hand. “Okay, thanks for taking the time to talk with me, and make sure to stop by and say hi sometime. I’ll bring that book by later.”
I nodded. “Yeah, okay, thanks. I’ll see you later.” I forced a smile through gritted teeth as he turned and walked toward the door.
Yeah, I didn’t like that guy one bit. He needed to mind his own business as far as demons were concerned.
I finished my paperwork for the morning, then stacked new books on the shelves. All the while, Seth and Anthony bickered, and Mae complained of a headache. I was pretty sure ghosts couldn’t get headaches; she was just being dramatic.
I hated the way I felt when my books were out of order. Something about my world wasn't right when titles littered the space all willy-nilly. When the men finally finished with their arguing, they popped up next to me at the register. I hated when the ghosts did that—and they all did it.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” I clutched my hand to my chest. “Would you guys please not do that? It's kind of scary, you know?”
“Sorry,” Seth said. “But this young man here needs to go, Larue. I'm an old man. I can't spend my days arguing with this fellow.”
“Please.” Anthony pointed at Seth. “I'm not going anywhere. Not when I've found the love of my life. Too bad I found her when I was dead. Doesn't that beat all?” He rested his elbows on the counter, then propped his chin in the palms of his hands.
“Yes, what a pity.” Seth rolled his eyes and I covered my mouth to stifle a laugh.
Chapter Twenty
“Please stop fighting, guys. And Anthony, I am not the love of your life. I don't think I'm the love of anyone’s life, for that matter.”
“What do you mean? What about Callahan? I think the two of you are soul mates.”
“That's sweet of you, Seth.”
Anthony snorted.
“We’ll see, I suppose. Who knows what the future holds?” I moved around the front of the counter. Now, if you’ll excuse me, guys, I have to get some paperwork from the office in back.”
Anthony followed along closely, keeping pace with my stride. “Let me help you. I can carry the papers for you.”
“I think I'm all right to carry a few papers.”
He smiled when I cast a glance his way. How was I going to get rid of this guy? He was persistent, that's for sure. I grabbed the papers from the desk in the office and Anthony moved along next to me yet again.
“Won't you get rid of that Callahan guy? He's a real pill, in my opinion.”
“Well, I don't remember asking your opinion, now did I? Like I said, Callahan is a great guy. I won't do anything to hurt him on purpose.” I moved past him and out of the office.
Anthony gave me a look that would have made any girl melt. Well, if he were alive, she would have melted. If a girl saw him now, she'd probably scream her head off. Anyway, his deep brown eyes rimmed with long lashes would make even Grandma’s legs turn to overcooked spaghetti. His eyes were almost hypnotizing. He must have had a way with the ladies back in the day.
“You are more than beautiful on the outside.” He fell into step beside me. “Do you understand that?”
“Understand what? Yes, you're saying you think I'm beautiful on the outside and inside. I appreciate the compliment but, Anthony, I think you’re just confused. I’m the only girl you’ve been around for a long time. Of course, you think these things about me.”
“Can you give me a chance?” he asked.
Typical man…in one ear, and out the other. Why did Anthony seem as if he were starved for attention?
“Listen, Anthony, I don't think it's possible. Sorry. You know I can't, and you know why.”
He did realize he was dead, right? He had said he did, but...if not, I had a much more serious problem than I could ever imagine.
“I know you think you want me, but it's just a crush. Trust me. I have work to do and I have to go.”
“Just a kiss.” He stepped in front of me.
“I can't kiss you, even if I wanted to, I can't. First, I’m interested in Callahan, and then there is the little fact that you’re dead.”
“Details. Details.”
“It’s kind of an important detail in the romance department, don’t you think?”
“Don’t you think I’m sexy?” The puppy dog eyes look wouldn’t work with me.
“You’re very good-looking. I find you very attractive.” For a dead guy.
“Would you date me if I were alive? Just one date? I really know how to show a girl a good time.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
“Yes, one date. I’m sure you really know how to show a girl a good time.”
A thump rang out in the front of the store and I realized I’d left the place unattended. Anthony had taken up several minutes with his flirting. Not a smart thing to do right after I'd just been robbed. What was I thinking? I darted to my right and moved around Anthony’s ethereal form.
Maybe it was a customer? Or maybe the burglar had returned to take the rest of my cash. As I made my way toward the front area, I spotted Callahan as he stormed out the door. I glanced over at the counter. He'd left a bag and a tall cup of coffee.
Oh crap. He’d called and said he’d bring over coffee. How could I have forgotten he’d be here? Anthony was too much of a distraction. Had Callahan overheard my conversation with Anthony? I was willing to bet he'd
been listening. He probably thought a real person was in there with me. Then I realized he had only heard one side of the conversation and it had probably sounded as if I’d just agreed to go on a date with someone else. This was going from bad to worse, quick. Just like when he heard me in the ladies’ room.
Anthony was nothing but trouble—trouble for my relationship with Callahan. Just when I thought it would work out and I’d have someone special in my life. I'd struggled to find Callahan, now that was in jeopardy because of a lovesick ghost. He was woman crazy. I needed to find him a female ghost love interest pronto, or make him cross over. I didn't care which, as long as one of the two happened soon.
What could I do? My legs didn’t move. I was frozen on the spot. I wanted to chase after Callahan, but something stopped me. I wanted to explain everything, but I didn't think he would believe me. Was now the time to tell him I talked to ghosts? Not yet, but I hoped soon. I wasn’t sure I was prepared for the outcome if Callahan didn’t accept my supernatural talent.
Seth popped up. Where had he been when I needed him?
“He's really upset, Larue,” he said.
I sighed. “What can I do? I don't know what to say to him. Tell him more lies? I can’t do that anymore. I wish you could talk with him.”
“I wish I could talk to him for you, honey, but you know that's not possible. You need to get rid of that character there before the damage is too far gone and can't be repaired.” He pointed at Anthony.
“What you need to do is sleep with him. Blow his mind away in the sack.” Mae studied her fingernails without glancing up at any of this.
Seth let out a gasp.
Chapter Twenty-One
“I think maybe I need some alone time, y’all? I need my space right now.” I needed some Larue-needs-to-get-her-head-together time.
Seth nodded. I could count on him to understand. A sadness ringed his eyes. For once, Anthony nodded in agreement—no chatter about how beautiful he thought I was, and no compliments. Any other time, I’d love to hear these things, just not right now. I could laugh off his antics, but this time he’d driven a wedge between Callahan and me.
