See Me

by Susan Hatler

  “You know how much this means to me,” he said, brushing his hand against my cheek. “Where did you find it?”

  “At a thrift store,” I said, shrugging. “I guess I picked it up the afternoon of your, uh, death. Besides, what can I say? I have a thing for Maisy’s Meow. I have a thing for the creator’s son as well.”

  “Oh, you do?” He slipped his arms around my waist, pulling me close to him. “Not that Burger Mania didn’t hit the spot when I was starving . . . but does that mean I’ll get to take you out on a real date after all?”

  “Only if you promise not to leave your body ever again.” I smiled, then glanced toward the empty bed across the room. “Do you realize you could’ve gone back into it this entire time?”

  He bent toward my ear. “But then I wouldn’t have gotten to know you,” he whispered, then brushed his mouth against mine. “And that’s not something I would trade for any body in the world.”

  “Me either,” I said, holding nothing of myself back as I pressed my lips to his.

  Our mouths melted together, and my tummy did that special flip. Goosebumps prickled up my arms. Warmth flowed through me, soothing me in the way same way it had when his spirit had mixed with mine. Which made perfect sense. He and I were connected, mind and body, by zombie love.

  Epilogue

  The following Friday night. . . .

  After all the zombying and body-chasing last week, doing homework and serving detention this week had been a breeze. Jonathan’s mom had been a bit possessive of him since finding out he was alive, which was understandable. I hadn’t seen him since the hospital and we’d barely talked on the phone, but tonight I’d get him all to myself for our first official date—taking a burger break while he’d been occupying the minister’s body so did not count.

  I stared at my reflection in my bedroom mirror, eyeing my black pants, trying to decide if I should change back into my pink skirt. I mean, really, the guy had already seen me with mascara streaks running down my face so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to dress up.

  “You look marvelous, sweetie,” Nicole said, dabbing a spot under my eye with a cotton ball. “I would’ve brought my Ouija board tonight, but we already know he’s going to kiss you.”

  “Please burn that thing,” I said, shuddering as I recalled how the planchette had swirled around the board that night. We hadn’t summoned Jonathan through the Ouija board, but he had been trying to communicate with me, and the planchette had been way too creepy of a way to do it even if pens were harder to control.

  “I think you’re ready.” Brynne ran a comb through the back of my wavy hair, then stepped back to eye her creation. “Detention with you was a blast today. Can’t wait to do it again on Monday.”

  “You’re breaking school rules just to drive your parents crazy.”

  She chuckled, her baby-blue eyes lighting up. “It’s working too. Payback for all of the pressure they’ve been putting on me.”

  “Be careful that doesn’t backfire on you,” Nicole warned, then jumped at the bang-bang-bang against my door.

  Raising my brow, I opened the door, and stared at my freckle-faced little brother.

  He grinned his toothless smile. “That guy Jonathan is downstairs for you.”

  “Thanks, Jimmy,” I said, mussing his hair. “Tell him I’ll be right down.”

  “Well, our work here is done,” Nicole said, gathering up her make-up bag. “Have fun on your date.”

  “I will.” My gaze flicked from Nicole to Brynne, then we put our arms around each other for a group hug. I sure loved my BFFs.

  As Nicole and Brynne skipped out of the room, my mom came in. “You look beautiful, honey. But if a boy doesn’t like you for you, then he may as well disappear. Not literally, of course,” she said, frowning.

  I reached for a hug. “Don’t worry. I get your meaning.”

  “Have a good night,” she said, giving me a quick hug.

  I slipped my purse over my shoulder, then headed downstairs to meet my date.

  Jonathan stood in the entryway, making chitchat with my brother, who scurried into the living room a moment later. Jonathan’s gaze lifted as I bounced down the stairs. He wore khakis and a black shirt that made his emerald green eyes stand out even more than they already did. Or maybe that was just the way he was looking at me.

  Butterflies danced in my belly, and my gaze drifted to the small red package in his hand. “It’s about time I got to see you,” I said, wondering about the gift.

  “My mom can be a bit demanding, but we’re working on it.” He smiled, an adorable dimple popping on his cheek. “Wow. You look amazing. What are you up for tonight?”

  “Anything as long as it doesn’t involve Ouija boards, the faux-military, or artificial anything.”

  “There goes the night I had planned,” he said, holding the door open for me. “After you.”

  He slipped his hand around mine as we ambled down the walkway toward the black sports car parked at the curb. “Did you send off your entry form for the comic strip contest?” he asked suddenly.

  “As a matter of fact, I did,” I said, knowing why he was bringing it up. “But I received a card in the mail yesterday, confirming my entry, and informing me that the contest has been postponed until December. That have anything to do with you?” I asked, raising my brow.

  He winked at me. “Maui. My dad decided to make time for, it after all.”

  “Well, I’m happy for you even though your vacation has sabotaged my plans,” I said, my heart warming now that his dad seemed to have figured things out.

  He stopped at the passenger side of his car, then turned to face me as he held out the red rectangular package. “Maybe this will help you forgive me.”

  “My birthday’s not until February,” I joked, ripping through the red-foiled paper. Underneath the wrapping was a book, and a pretty green-eyed cat stared back at me. My heart raced. “The new Maisy’s Meow? It’s not even in stores yet.”

  “My dad autographed it, too.” Jonathan flipped open to the title page, and pointed to the cursive handwriting.

  The inscription read: From one artist to another. Affectionately, Jacob Miller

  I squeezed the book to my chest, then hugged him. “This is the best gift ever. I mean it.”

  “Just one of the perks of being my girlfriend.” He tightened his arms around me as he lifted me off the ground, and my belly did a little flip at him calling me his girlfriend.

  “Oh, really?” I asked, giggling as my toes touched the ground, and I leaned into him. “What are the other perks of having you as my boyfriend?”

  “You’ll have to stick around to find out,” he whispered, then brushed his mouth over mine again and again, making me feel like I was floating in the zombie zone.

  This feeling was the exact reason I’d titled my comic strip series Zombie Love—after that helpless feeling where you’ve lost the ability to speak, move, and maybe even breathe. All you can do is open your heart and trust the one you love will be there for you. It could be your mom, your dad, your friend . . . or maybe a person only you can see.

  THE END

  Acknowledgments

  I can’t begin to explain the incredible feeling of finally being able to share Amy’s story with all of you. I’d written the draft of See Me years ago, and the complexity of Amy’s story made it extremely difficult to complete. Now that I’ve gotten to The End, I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck. Her story pulled every single emotion out of me. Seriously.

  But I did survive, as Jonathan did, so I’d like to acknowledge some people who helped me make it through. Special thanks to Kristin Miller, and to Mike Hatler, who both kept bugging me to finish this book. All of your nudges are much appreciated. It’s done—yay!

  Big hugs to my mom, Ann Rego, who reads all of my books before they’re published. Thank you for always being excited about every story I write. Plus, I can always count on you to ask, “Did you finish yet?”

  Tons of kisses an
d hugs to my hubby, Mike Hatler, for supporting me unconditionally while I’m writing. Your complete faith in me is my security blanket, comforting me even as I freak out—a lot—while I’m striving for the best story possible for my characters. Love you, doll.

  Lastly, I’m so unbelievably appreciative of Virna DePaul, Cyndi Faria, and Rochelle French for helping me through this novel. Not only did your amazing feedback enrich Amy’s story, but you helped keep me (mostly) sane with your never-ending encouragement, support, and love. You ladies are the best. Xoxo.

  About the author:

  SUSAN HATLER is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, who writes humorous and emotional contemporary romance and young adult novels. Many of Susan's books have been translated into German, Spanish, and Italian. A natural optimist, she believes life is amazing, people are fascinating, and imagination is endless. She loves spending time with her characters and hopes you do, too.

  You can reach Susan here:

  Facebook: facebook.com/authorsusanhatler

  Twitter: twitter.com/susanhatler

  Website: www.susanhatler.com

  Blog: susanhatler.com/category/susans-blog

  Shaken

  In high school, it’s tough enough reading Steinbeck and Shakespeare…now Kylie has to read minds.

  High school junior, Kylie Bates, can suddenly read minds. When she touches people’s hands, she’s able to see their deepest thoughts. As if that’s not freaky enough, her dad sends her to help hottie detective, Sam Williams, track down a missing girl. Way too much pressure, especially for a girl who can’t watch Scream without getting nightmares

  Then, finding the missing girl leads to much more than Kylie’s prepared for. Like discovering that her dad has been lying to her. That she has a family she never knew about. That the girls have powers similar to hers. Oh yeah, and that someone is out to get her.

  When the detective’s teenage wanna-be-cop cousin, Trip Williams, approaches Kylie at school insisting she help him solve the case, she discovers Trip might be the only one she can trust, and the only one to help her unravel the secrets behind her mysterious gift.

  See Me

  Amy Love, a high school junior, plays a Ouija board with friends one night and unintentionally connects with someone whose, well, not visible to the naked eye. When her body’s taken over and her soul is stuck watching helplessly—she’s terrified. When the zombie guzzles bologna that she will have to work off at the gym—she’s angry. And, when her zombied bod pulls up a news article on her laptop about a boy named JJ Miller who was recently in a car crash—she’s . . . intrigued.

  When the zombie chooses another host, Amy learns that the zombie is actually teen JJ Miller, the famous son of Maisy Meow comic creator Jonathan Jacob Miller Sr. JJ tells Amy he doesn’t know whether he’s dead or alive, only that when he’s not in a body, she is the only one who seems to know he exists.

  Amy decides to help JJ discover what happened to him and, when they can’t find his body, they try to find a substitute—preferably one that isn’t occupied. On the journey, JJ leads Amy into all kinds of danger. To her surprise, he also leads her heart to somewhere unexpected. She’s always heard of love at first sight, not love at first fright, but how can Amy be falling for a boy she’s never even seen?

  Books by Susan Hatler:

  Love at First Date (Better Date than Never series, Book #1)

  Ellen may not believe in storybook love, but it’s about to rewrite her life . . .

  Truth or Date (Better Date than Never series, Book #2)

  Truth or Dare is all fun and games until a playful dare has Gina falling for the office playboy.

  My Last Blind Date (Better Date than Never series, Book #3)

  Should Rachel risk another dating disaster by trying yet again for love?

  Save the Date (Better Date than Never series, Book #4)

  Kristen swears off men, but temptation swoops in when her sexy friend Ethan starts flirting with her.

  A Twist of Date (Better Date than Never series, Book #5)

  Will Melanie have to follow her best friend’s narrow dating rules in order to find lasting love?

  License to Date (Better Date than Never series, Book #6)

  Kaitlin agrees to five dates in five days only to fall for the mysterious bartender who’s there to witness them all.

  Driven to Date (Better Date than Never series, Book #7)

  When Jill Parnell’s promotion is nabbed by nepotism, she is offered another position on the partner-track, by pretending to date Ryan—the man who got her job.

  Up to Date (Better Date than Never series, Book #8)

  Ginger donates her decorating services to a charity auction and now must work for the one man with the power to break her heart.

  Déjà Date (Better Date than Never series, Book #9)

  She sent Chris Bradley off with a “Rock On Stud” farewell in Truth or Date. She tried to nab Noah Peterson in My Last Blind Date. Blonde bombshell. Office flirt. But things didn’t go so well for her in Up to Date... Get ready for Melinda Morgan’s story revealed in Deja Date!!

  Date and Dash (Better Date than Never series, Book #10)

  Mary Ann’s story.

  An Unexpected Date

  Holly may be living in her dream location, but is her little resort town too small to attract the right man?

  Holly loves living in her cozy mountain town and all the surrounding beauty soothes her soul. She treasures beading jewelry for her own small business while watching nature and its amazing creatures outside her window. But, her mom begs her to move back to the city so she can find a man to marry. Holly doesn’t want to give up on her dreams, but does that mean she’ll have to give up on love?