The Shadows Trilogy (Box Set: Edge of Shadows, Shadows Deep, Veiled Shadows)

by Cege Smith

  “You’d better believe it,” Kevin said, turning back to the sink. “You’re early today.”

  “I was out on my morning run, and I had a great idea for the concept of the St. Paul store,” Ellie said.

  “I can’t wait to hear all about it,” Kevin said. “It’s hard to believe that we’ve only been open for three years, and now we’re expanding.”

  “Your bookkeeping and my brain are the perfect combination,” Ellie agreed. “How’s Eric been?

  “He’s fabulous,” Kevin said. “He told me that he has a hot co-worker that he wants to set you up with.”

  Ellie sighed and then chuckled. “You guys act like I’m an old maid. So I’m in my early thirties, and I’ve never been married. So what? The right guy is out there somewhere. I’m not in any hurry.”

  Kevin arched an eyebrow. “Thirty-three is officially your mid-thirties you know.”

  Ellie grabbed a towel off the rack and tossed it at her friend. “It’s impolite to discuss a woman’s age,” she said with a sniff. Then she turned and headed to the front of the store. She had a fantastic life, and a great business, but she did feel the pull of wanting to settle down. Her happy bubble was on the verge of bursting, but she turned her thoughts back to happier things. Her ability to always look on the positive side was another thing that consistently annoyed her friends.

  The pastry case was filled to the brim with goodies, and Ellie felt her mouth water as she looked over all of them. She had a weakness for chocolate. A tap on the front door caught her attention. She looked at her watch and smiled. Seven a.m. sharp and the first customer of the day was already at their door. Ellie caught a glimpse of the person on the other side of the door.

  “Kevin, Lucy’s here!” she called out as she unlocked the door.

  Lucy Rafferty went to college with Ellie and was a reporter at the Star Tribune. When Ellie went into business with Kevin, the three of them became inseparable. Twice a week, Lucy stopped by on her way to work, and they had coffee.

  Lucy was on her cellphone, and she waved to Ellie and pointed at their usual table. Ellie nodded and then saw that Kevin was already frothing milk for Lucy’s latte. She found irony in the fact that, for as many espressos, lattes, and cappuccinos that she and Kevin brewed on a daily basis, they both preferred their coffees straight up black.

  They had a system where one would work the counter while the other chatted with Lucy, and as traffic ebbed and flowed, they would both be up or down. Occasionally a regular would sit with them, and then another, and soon everyone in the shop would be talking and laughing together. Ellie knew that she couldn’t ask for better friends or a better life.

  She had just sat back down with Lucy when her friend looked over her shoulder and gave a low whistle. “Heellooo, handsome.”

  Ellie chuckled. Lucy went through men like Ellie went through milk cartons. She caught a whiff of masculine cologne as the man who had captured Lucy’s attention passed behind her on his way to the counter. Ellie picked up her cup and then cut her eyes over to the tall figure ordering at the register. She saw sandy brown hair and broad shoulders tapering down to a trim waist.

  “If the front looks as appetizing as the back, I agree,” Ellie said.

  “You should go talk to him,” Lucy said.

  “I’m not going to do that,” Ellie scoffed, but there was something oddly familiar about the man, even though she had yet to see his face. She set her cup down and pushed away from the table. She made her way around the counter and was greeted by a pair of friendly blue eyes. She now fully understood Lucy’s comment. The guy was gorgeous.

  “It’s okay, Ellie. I’ve got it,” Kevin said.

  “Don’t be silly, Kevin. I’m still on the clock,” Ellie said, pushing Kevin toward the espresso machine. She blushed as she saw a grin light up the man’s face. She hoped that she wasn’t being too obvious.

  “I’ll ring you up. Can I just get your name for the cup?”

  “David.” His voice was a tawny baritone and matched him perfectly.

  “David,” she repeated writing it down on the cup and trying not to stare.

  “So now that you know my name, it’s not fair that I don’t know yours.”

  “It’s Ellie,” she replied trying hard not to look pleased at his interest.

  “Nice to meet you, Ellie. I just moved here, and believe it or not, it’s hard to find a good cup of coffee in this town.”

  “We have the best coffee you’ll find in the Cities,” she said as she punched a code into the register. “Tell you what? This one’s on the house,” she said.

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m the boss and hopefully this means you’ll come back and bring some friends.” Ellie couldn’t believe how forward she was being, but she wanted to get to know this man better. The only way she could do that was if he came back.

  “Well, with this kind of service I know I’ll be back,” David said. His eyes twinkled. He leaned onto the counter catching Ellie’s eye. “This probably seems crazy, but I feel like I know you. Have we met before?”

  Ellie shook her head. “No, I’d remember.”

  “You want to get a bite sometime? I’m dying to find a great Thai restaurant. Perhaps you have a good recommendation?”

  Over the years, Ellie had been asked out by customers from time to time and had always declined. But something about David made her reconsider her rule, plus she loved Thai food.

  “Sure,” she said. Then she pulled out a pad of paper and wrote down her phone number. “Call me.”

  David took the slip of paper from her hand, and his fingertips grazed her skin. She gasped as she felt a tingle of electricity bolt up her arm. David’s eyes widened, and she knew that he had felt it too.

  Kevin set David’s drink down in front of him. “Here you go. Enjoy.”

  “Thanks. It was nice to meet you, Ellie. I’ll give you a call soon.” David winked at her and then left the store.

  Ellie let out a burst of giggles as soon as the door was shut.

  “You go girl!” Kevin said, swatting her on the arm. “I’ve never seen you flirt like that. You get an ‘A’. Nicely done!”

  “I don’t know what came over me,” Ellie said. She looked back at the door. “There was just something about him. It felt right.”

  Outside on the sidewalk, David pulled his coat closer around his shoulders. The spring morning was still chilly. He looked down at the slip of paper with Ellie’s phone number and smiled. Ellie may have forgotten everything that had happened between them, but he had not. He knew that he would have to take things slow and let her get to know him again, but Ellie was worth it.

  The Afterlife knew that it owed him. As soon as he died as he was supposed to, his soul was released to Heaven, where he belonged. His unselfish deed to save Ellie had been the key that finally sprung his soul from Purgatory. He had found Peter right away, and asked if Ellie’s grandparents still lived. Then he called in a favor. Many souls waited years to be reincarnated, but David’s plea fell on the right ears. Now it was all up to him to make Ellie fall for him again.

  David started to whistle and headed home. He knew that he had nothing but time and everything in the world to live for.

  #####

  This isn’t end of the Shadows story, my friends! In fact, don’t you want to know how it all began? How did Lillian and Joseph Bradford meet, why they chose the spot to build their mansion that they did, and who connected them with Mikel to make the immortality deal in the first place?

  Join the Cege Smith Fan Club now to find out all the scoop of when that story will be available in late 2014. Click here now to join!

  Note from the Author

  Thank you so much for taking this journey with Ellie and David! I hope you are as happy with its conclusion as I am. If you enjoyed The Shadows Trilogy, please consider leaving a review and sharing your thoughts. I'd also love to hear what you liked (and what you didn't!) if you'd like to drop me a line at cege@cegesmith.com.<
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  As always, thank you for your support.

  About Cege Smith

  Cege Smith is a Minnesota based writer who is addicted to lattes and B-rated horror films. She had been crafting spooky stories since she was twelve years old. She lives with her husband, two adorable stepsons, and mini long-hair dachshund, Juliet in the suburbs of Minneapolis.

  Twitter: http://twitter.com/cegesmith

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  Cege's blog: http://www.cegesmith.com