by Robyn Neeley
God, what if her name appeared in his bowl like his had in hers? She wiggled her nose. That was not going to happen. Best guy friend, yes. Her soul mate . . . well, that title hopefully belonged to Josh.
“So do you think Mary will be joining us?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised, and let’s keep up the happy couple pretense just in case. Apparently she flipped out on Josh when he suggested I could do better.”
“He said that? Asshole,” he kidded.
They headed to the front of the theater and Caitlin pulled her keys out of her purse and opened the lock. As they stepped into the lobby, the hairs on the back of her neck immediately stood at attention, and she whipped around. “Do you hear that?”
Adam glanced toward the auditorium. “It sounds like a cat crying in there.”
“Oh God.” Caitlin lowered her voice. “It’s Mary.”
“That’s her hollering?”
“I’m sure of it.” Caitlin took a couple steps in the direction of the noise, but Adam grabbed her arm.
“Caity, what are you doing? It’s time to go.”
She shook free. “Don’t you know what this means? If we can hear her, maybe we can see her, too. I’m going in.”
“Caitlin, don’t go in th—”
“She’s not going to hurt us.”
Caitlin headed down the hallway, turning on all the lights. She reached the double doors to the auditorium and took a deep breath, trying to suffocate the fear inside her. “I can do this.”
Pushing through, she took a step in. Adam was right behind her, but judging by the sheer terror on his face, he’d be fleeing the first chance he got and would, no doubt, pick her up and haul her over his shoulder.
She put her finger to her lips, ordering his silence, and then glanced down to Mary’s reserved seat. It was empty. “Mary, it’s Caitlin. Are you upset?” She took two bold steps forward and then three more. “I can’t see you, but I heard crying.”
“I’d like to see the movie,” the words shot up the aisle, paralyzing Caitlin in her tracks.
“Demanding little ghost,” Adam whispered.
“Shh . . .” She mustered all her courage and continued toward the empty seat. “I would be happy to play a movie for you. Same one, Mary?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, it’ll only be a second.”
“Where is Josh? He always watches it with me.”
Caitlin couldn’t help but smile. The ghost missed her movie companion just as much as she did. “He had to go out of town for work, but he’ll be back soon.”
Having an idea, Caitlin motioned for Adam to join her. “My fiancé is here. He’s Josh’s best friend. Would you like to watch it with him?”
Adam’s eyes widened at that invitation. “Oh, hell no.”
Caitlin lowered her voice. “I’ll go start it. You’ll do fine. Just talk about the wedding.”
“You owe me big time for this.”
Caitlin smiled and gave him a supportive squeeze. “Mary, this is Adam Reed.” She annunciated Reed for Mary’s benefit. “Adam, Mary.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mary,” he said with trepidation. “I mean . . . um . . . er . . . I can’t see you, but you have a pretty voice.”
“Reed,” repeated the voice. “Please have a seat.”
“Okie-dokie.” Adam didn’t move from his spot.
“Sit down, honey, right next to Mary.” Caitlin pulled down the seat’s cushion. “I’ll start the movie and get you some popcorn and a soda. Tell Mary all about the surprise honeymoon you’re planning for me. I’m sure she’d love to hear all about it.”
“Extra butter, please,” Adam muttered his request and reluctantly took a seat. As Caitlin rushed up the aisle, she heard him awkwardly asking Mary how her day was going.
Caitlin headed into the booth and started the reel. She’d have sixteen minutes before she’d need to start it again. Plenty of time to heat up the popcorn machine and make Adam some.
How was any of this possible? Maybe Mary had the magic ability to make her voice heard since Adam could hear her, too.
It took a bit longer than she’d planned to heat up her machine, but thirty minutes later she took a hot bucket of buttery popcorn and a Coke back in with her.
“Hey, babe.” Adam glanced behind him. “Can you do me and cousin Mary a favor and hit replay?”
Caitlin’s eyebrow shot up. His light and breezy tone was much different than the “scared out of his mind” one he had earlier. Apparently, Adam and the ghost were hitting it off. “You got it, love.” She headed up to the booth but stopped. “Adam, can you help me bring down the snacks?”
“Sure thing, Caity-Bug!” He shot up out of his seat. “Be right back, Mary-Berry. Don’t go anywhere.”
Mary busted out into a fit of giggles to Caitlin’s complete astonishment. “Mary-Berry?” She shook her head and climbed the stairs to the booth.
“What? You asked me to talk to her?”
“And in thirty minutes you’re on a nickname basis?” Caitlin set the popcorn down on the new work table she’d ordered for the booth and handed Adam his Coke. “I should have known she’d be eating out of the palm of your hand.”
He grinned and reached into the bucket, grabbing a handful of popcorn. “I think you’ll be interested in what I learned,” he said in between bites. “That ghost likes to talk. Another trait of the Reed women. My grandmother back in her day could ta—”
“We’ve got sixteen minutes,” she interrupted. “Tell me everything Mary said.” She started the movie.
“Adam is not your soul mate. He’s hers.”
Her eyebrows knitted at that news. “But aren’t you related?”
“Not me.” He pointed at the screen. “That guy.”
Caitlin stared at the familiar scene of her grandfather and his side-kick doing slapstick.
“But my grandfather’s name was John, and he was already married to my grandmother when the movie came out.”
“Not him. The other guy.”
Caitlin’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, my God! The other actor is named Adam?”
“Yep. She was supposed to meet him here opening night. They were getting married the next day, but he never showed up to the theater.”
Caitlin stood stunned. How could she and Josh have overlooked what was right in front of them? Not once had they thought about the other guy in the film. “Is that why she’s haunting the theater? But didn’t he dump her?”
“That’s the part of the story you had wrong. After her Adam didn’t show up, she had a vision that he had met an unfortunate death.”
“And did he?”
“Yeah, I guess it was a train robbing or something. He never made it to the premiere.”
“And did she commit suicide?”
“Yes.”
“How awful.” Caitlin leaned against the desk. “I can’t believe you got all that out of her. Josh has been trying for over a week.”
“What can I say? Chicks like to tell me things.” He laughed and grew serious. “She did tell me two other things.”
“What?”
“Well, first, that blue spoon you found was indeed hers.”
Caitlin’s mouth dropped. “So, it is true. She created the Batter Up spell with Josh’s grandmother.”
“Yep. And after they did it, Gwendylyn Stevens kept the pink one and Mary took the blue one.”
“So, Josh’s grandmother did know about the blue spoon.”
“And that my distant cousin was a witch, yes, she did.” He stared down into the auditorium, shoving his hands in his hoodie pockets. “Mary’s trip to town all those years ago was to be a big surprise. Apparently, she liked to build up drama like someone else we know.” He raised a knowing eyebrow.
“I have no idea who you’re talking about,” she scoffed. “What else did she say?”
“She was going to surprise my grandmother and Josh’s the next day and introduce them to her new husband, but that didn’t happen.” He took a swig of his
Coke. “After she had the vision of his demise, she’d put an enchantment on the blue spoon to reveal itself to anyone looking to reunite with his true love. She then left it in her room at the inn, hoping that Adam’s spirit would come looking for her and find it. The spoon was to bring him to the theater where she’d be waiting to finally marry him. They’d cross over together.” He paused. “Then she took her life.”
Caitlin pushed off the table. “He never found the spoon because—”
“He’d already crossed over,” Adam finished her sentence. “She’s been stuck in the theater all these years because of the spell she’d cast. She’d given up hope until she saw us.”
“You and me?”
“Yeah.” He pointed to the balcony. “She was sitting up there and heard everything. Your resident ghost still has her magic powers. The reason she’s insisting we get married is she cast a spell on us.”
Caitlin’s eyebrow shot up. “On us?”
“She’d overheard us that night talking about the blue box and spoon in the hallway. She also heard you say my name.” He pointed to the balcony. “She cast the spell when we were over there. She thought maybe she could transfer the spell she’d done for her Adam onto me—modern-day Adam. We marry and her spell would be complete. She could finally cross over.”
“Oh, my God.” Caitlin put her hand to her mouth. “That rush of energy we both felt that night was a curse?”
“You think marrying me would be a curse?” He put his hand to his chest. “That hurts, Caitlin.”
“Stop joking. What else did she say?” Caitlin couldn’t believe all that Adam had learned. “That’s it. She needs us to marry so she can cross over to her one true love.”
Those last words made her heart squeeze. One True Love was the name Josh had given his perfume creation. She turned, peering down at Mary’s empty seat below. Her laughter still filled the auditorium. She understood now why the ghost wanted to see this movie over and over again. It was the only way she could be reunited with her one true love.
Until now . . . Caitlin began to pace, an idea forming. Would it work? Could they really pull it off and give Mary her eternal happily ever after?
“What are you thinking?” Adam asked, adding, “And will Josh kick my ass?”
“He might.” She grabbed his hand. “Let’s go tell Mary the news.”
“Tell her what news?”
“We’re getting married tonight.”
18
Josh said good-bye to Bill, stepped inside his office, and closed the door. He fist-pumped the air in jubilant celebration. Everyone had loved his new perfume that he’d introduced as One True Love. It would be manufactured this winter and hit perfume counters next year.
He reached in his pocket and took a long whiff, letting the familiar fragrance of his first and only true love float down his lungs. It wasn’t her exact scent but with the honey notes added in, it was pretty damn close.
Tightening the bottle, he put it back in his pants pocket and headed over to his desk. He wanted to send a few e-mails and get out of the office at a decent time. He’d be going home to Buttermilk Falls first thing tomorrow morning and needed to pack for a longer stay.
His boss wasn’t thrilled to hear he’d be leaving again, but after Josh knocked his presentation out of the park, he agreed to let Josh take two more weeks off.
What would happen after those two weeks? That was certainly the question on his mind. Two months ago his life was here. Now it was wherever Caitlin and their children were.
Caitlin would never agree to her moving with the kids to Manhattan. Not after all her hard work with the theater. She was realizing her dream and he couldn’t ask her to give that up. And he wouldn’t.
He grinned at the picture of Caitlin and the kids he’d swiped from her fireplace mantle. His dream was to be in that picture, and he’d move heaven and earth to make it come true.
He wasn’t sure what his future held professionally, but he’d land on his feet. He could see about teaching chemistry at a nearby college, or maybe he would reinvent himself like his brother-in-law did and open up a business in Buttermilk Falls. He’d have plenty of time to pick Brandon’s brain on how he liked working for himself, but the first order of business was to help Mary cross over.
He hated to admit it, but he kind of missed his daily movie and chat session with the ghost. That is, when she wasn’t flying off the handle. Still, he’d sleep better when she was no longer haunting the theater.
His phone buzzed, jolting him out of his thoughts. He hit the speaker button. “Hey, Beverly. Did you book me on the six a.m. flight?”
“Yes, I did. Your sister is on line one.”
“Send her through.” He put the photo of Caitlin and the triplets in his briefcase and leaned back in his chair. “Miss me, little sis?”
“No, but you need to get home right away.”
He straightened. “What’s wrong? Are the kids okay?”
“The kids are fine.” She sighed. “It’s their mother.”
His heart began to race. “What’s the matter with Caitlin?”
“She’s getting married tonight.”
Josh shot up. “What did you say?”
“She and Adam are going through with the wedding. They are marrying in the theater tonight.”
“And why exactly are they doing that?” he asked through gritted teeth. He hadn’t even been gone a full day. This had to be a mistake, but somehow he suspected it wasn’t.
“She said that Mary needed to cross over tonight, and it was the only way. She begged me not to tell you, but of course I couldn’t not tell you.”
Josh began to pace. “Did she tell you why this has to happen tonight?”
“I guess Mary told Adam that . . .”
“Wait. Start over.” Josh sat back down and stared at the phone. “Adam talked to Mary?”
“Yeah, both Adam and Caitlin did. They couldn’t see her, but they were able to have a conversation, I guess. I wasn’t there.”
Dammit. He told Caitlin not to go to the theater. Was it that difficult for her to do the one thing he asked? He shook his head. Who was he kidding? Of course Caitlin went back to the theater. Caitlin Reynolds did whatever she wanted. Damn the consequences. “Do not . . . and I repeat . . . do not let them go through with it.”
“I don’t know if I can stop them. Caitlin was pretty determined when she came by the bakery to order her cake.”
Josh ran his fingers through his hair. The woman he loved was picking out her wedding cake to cut with his best friend. This wasn’t happening. He stood and threw some papers into his briefcase, snapping it shut. “Okay, do what you have to to stall. I’m leaving now.”
Josh clicked off the call and tried Caitlin. It went directly to voicemail. He then tried Adam’s number with the same result. He grabbed his briefcase and flung open his door. “Beverly, get me on the next flight out.”
“To Buttermilk Falls?”
“Yes.” He flew past her. “I need to stop a wedding.”
* * *
Caitlin smoothed her long hair, glancing at her reflection in the boutique’s three-way mirror. The gown was just as gorgeous as the day she’d tried it on.
“Adam told me I’d find you here.”
Caitlin spun around to see Abby staring at the dress, arms crossed. “And I’ve come to stop you.” She raised her hands.
“Oh please.” Caitlin laughed sarcastically. “You know that I know that the only spells you can pull off involve Brandon.”
Abby lowered her hands. “Remind me not to tell you anything during our playdates with the kids.” She came over and picked up the white veil Marilyn had set on a blue velvet chair earlier. “So, you’re really going through with it.”
Catlin nodded. “Adam’s at the theater now. How long do I have before Josh gets here?”
Abby gave her an innocent, blank stare. “Josh is in Manhattan.”
Caitlin raised an eyebrow.
“Okay, maybe an
hour.”
“Abby!” Caitlin should have known Abby would blab to her brother.
Everything had happened so fast. After dropping the bomb on present-day Adam that they would be getting hitched, they’d told Mary the news. Though they couldn’t see her reaction, judging by her jubilant shrieks, they’d given her what she’d always wanted. The opportunity to reunite with her Adam. She could almost feel the ghost hugging her.
Caitlin motioned for Abby to help her with her veil. “How did Josh take the news?”
“He’s pissed, of course. Why are you doing this again?”
“I told you earlier at the Sugar Spoon. Mary thought Adam and I were the ones who found the blue spoon, which she’d put a spell on to reunite her with her love all those years ago. She truly believes our marrying will allow her to finally cross over.”
Abby raised an eyebrow. “But you and Adam didn’t find the box.”
“I know that, but Mary cast another spell on Adam and me because she thinks we did. She’s desperate to be reunited with her one true love,” Caitlin’s voice cracked at the last three words, knowing what she was doing might prevent her from having a chance with her own.
Abby helped Caitlin pin the veil. “I get it. I mean . . . trust me . . . I understand. It’s Josh who isn’t going to be happy.”
“I wanted to tell him myself. I just thought I’d wait until . . .”
“After you were married?” asked a deep voice. Caitlin turned her head and her breath hitched. Standing in front of her was Josh wearing a black business suit with a blue tie, the same color as the pretty blue box that had held the magical mixing spoon.
“I think that’s my cue to let you two kiss and make up. I’ll be over at the theater.” Abby patted her brother.
“Not so fast.” Josh grabbed her arm.
“What?”
“That whole Kiss and Make Up on the marquee. That was you, wasn’t it?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Abby . . .” Josh raised an accusing eyebrow.
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine. Emma may have done a little hocus pocus to get the lights working again, but I borrowed Brandon’s ladder to place the lettering on it.”
