Along Came a Ghost: A Beechwood Harbor Novella (Beechwood Habor Magic Mysteries Book 5)

by Danielle Garrett

  “There’s someone eager to see you,” I said, looking down at the silver ball in Scarlet’s hand with a teary smile.

  Posy sprang up as soon as we stumbled through the door of the manor. Her eyes flew open even wider as she took in Scarlet’s appearance and the space blanket wrapped around her. “What happened?”

  “Never seen anything like it,” Lenny said, floating into view beside us. “I’ve been a ghost for thirty-six years and I’ve never met humans, or, well, whatever you all are, who would do so much to help a fellow spirit. You’ve sure got something special here, Mrs. Williamson.”

  Posy swallowed hard and nodded as she considered each of us. “I sure do.”

  Scarlet moved forward. She pulled the silver ball from her pocket and held it up. Before Posy could ask what it was, Scarlet twisted the sides. The top of the orb lifted away and a silver stream floated up. A man in his early fifties appeared, wearing trousers and a linen shirt. It took a moment for him to settle and when he did, his kind eyes went wide. “I don’t believe it—” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Posy Pie?”

  Posy shook her head slowly, as though expecting to wake from a dream. “It can’t be…”

  Earl floated closer to Posy. He stretched out a hand and let it linger beside her face. Suddenly, their spirits merged and his hand rested against her face. Posy jolted at the contact, her eyes wider. “I can feel you, Earl!”

  Scarlet smiled, her eyes filling with tears again. “I hoped she would be able to,” she said quietly.

  I didn’t ask. Mostly because my throat had swelled closed and it was all I could do not to burst into loud, ugly tears.

  “I never thought you’d be here, Posy Pie,” Earl said softly, still caressing the side of her face.

  “Where else would I go? I was waiting for you, my darling.”

  Earl dropped a sheepish look at the floor. “I feel like such a fool. I never should have let my fears hold me back for so long.”

  “That doesn’t matter now.” Posy turned her head and kissed the palm of his hand. She smiled when she found a solid surface. Earl gathered her into his arms and she melted against him, their two forms blurring into one.

  As sweet as the reunion was, I suddenly wondered if we should all make ourselves scarce.

  Adam wrapped an arm around me and kissed my temple. “Maybe show Scarlet to the shower and get her something dry to wear. I’ll put on some coffee.”

  “Of course!” I reached for Scarlet and ushered her toward the hallway.

  “Wait!” Posy cried out.

  We stopped and turned back, and Adam paused on his way to the kitchen.

  “I don’t know how to fully express my gratitude, but thank you,” Posy said, her voice thick. “You’ll never know how much this means to me.”

  “To both of us,” Earl added, looping an arm around his long-lost wife’s waist.

  A tear slid past my lashes as I nodded. “Seeing you two together at last is all the thanks we need.”

  “That’s right,” Scarlet and Adam echoed.

  Later that night, Scarlet, freshly showered and wearing a pair of my pajamas, sat in the corner of the long couch, her legs crossed gracefully at the ankles. A relaxed smile lingered on her pretty face as she watched Earl and Posy at the opposite end of the room. I brushed my fingers over Adam’s arm and then broke away from him to go and sit beside her. I handed her a large mug of coffee and she thanked me.

  “Scarlet, I don’t even know where to start.” I shook my head, still bewildered by the strange weekend. “You have no idea how grateful I am—we all are—for your help with all this.”

  “I was happy to help,” she said, her eyes drifting back to Posy and Earl. She inclined her chin. “As you said, that’s all the thanks I really need.”

  I smiled over my shoulder. Posy remained wrapped in Earl’s silvery arms. Tears glistened on her face but she made no attempt to wipe them away.

  After taking a sip of my own coffee, I asked “What’s next for you?”

  She gave a slight shrug. “I’m planning on staying in Beechwood Harbor as long as possible. In the past, I’ve had to move around quite a bit to escape the unwanted attention. Living in a big city is out of the question.”

  I cringed. “That bad, huh?”

  “You have no idea.”

  She was right, and I’d never been more grateful for my own ignorance. One weekend in ghost land was more than enough for me. I couldn’t imagine living with restless spirits hovering around me all the time.

  Not to mention that annoying talking cat.

  I’d gained a new appreciation for my own—silent—fuzzball.

  “I’ll continue running the ghost support group, of course,” Scarlet continued. “I’ve found that it’s the best way to keep the requests for my help and time to a specific time of the week. Otherwise it’s relentless.”

  “I’ll bet.”

  Scarlet uncrossed her ankles and I got the sense she was preparing the leave. Her work was done—at least for now.

  I scooted to the edge of the couch and angled my knees toward her. “I did have one more question, if you don’t mind me asking.”

  “Sure.”

  “It’s just … I’ve never met anyone like you before. Sure, I’ve known lots of supers who could communicate with ghosts. But never humans. I mean, sure, there are the quacks on TV who make outlandish claims, but from what I’ve seen, most of them are nothing but well-coiffed con artists.”

  Scarlet suppressed a smile. “I’ve always said that if someone can really communicate with the spirit world, the last thing they’ll do is rush out and tell the whole world and get a TV show. I can’t imagine anyone wanting more attention and unwanted visitors—from both the living and dead!”

  I laughed softly. “It does seem a little odd.”

  “As for my abilities, no, I’ve never met anyone else like me. I’ll admit, when Posy first told me who lived in her house, I was pretty shocked—no offense.”

  I smiled. “None taken.”

  “I’d heard of magic and ghosts like Hayward had told me that it was all real, but up until I moved here, I hadn’t realized how common it is!”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment,” I said with a wide grin as I surveyed the room. Evangeline and Teddy had returned and were canoodling in the corner. Adam was bickering with Lacey at the opposite end of the room. Posy and Earl had started a waltz. I shook my head, mesmerized. “Believe me, it isn’t easy keeping this circus under wraps.”

  Scarlet laughed. “I think it looks fun.”

  “It can be.” I considered my new friend. “Have you ever thought that maybe you have some magic in your blood?”

  “No.” Scarlet shook her head. “Not seriously at least. But—” She stopped and chewed on the corner of her lower lip. Her eyes shifted away from mine.

  I leaned forward. “Yes?”

  “Well, I’ve always had a certain way with plants. That’s why I became a florist. There have been times where it…” She faltered again and looked at me with a cautious glance. “It might sound crazy.”

  “Are you kidding? The stories I could tell you!” I tossed my head back and laughed. “Trust me, Scarlet, anything you say will pale in comparison to the things I’ve seen.”

  “All right.” She gave a tentative nod. “There are times, when I’m working, that I swear the plants and flowers kind of … come together. On their own.”

  “Really? That’s awesome!”

  Scarlet smiled. “It doesn’t sound … I don’t know, weird?”

  “Not at all.” I held up a finger. “One second.”

  Without waiting, I sprung from the couch and went through the living room, down the hall, and swung into my bedroom. I flicked my wrist and an orb of light exploded over the bookshelf. I ran my fingertip along the spines of the volumes collected on the second shelf and let out an aha when I found the one I wanted. It was an old and battered book, with a permanent layer of dirt and plant matter dusting th
e outside.

  I carried it out to the living room and passed it to Scarlet. “This is one of the first textbooks a potions student works through in academy. It’s very basic. Mostly it goes over the different botanical varieties and teaches you how to identify them. Naturally, you’ll find some that you’ve never heard of before, but others are common in both the human and supernatural world. As you work toward the end, there are very simplistic spells and potions. Maybe give it a try sometime.”

  Scarlet ran her hand over the front cover, tracing the gilded words. “Are you sure about this?” she asked, looking up at me through her thick lashes.

  I nodded. “Absolutely. Nothing bad can happen. Everything is harmless. So, even if it works, you won’t be in danger of accidentally blowing something up. This isn’t a movie. If it doesn’t work, it just doesn’t work. Nothing happens.”

  Scarlet breathed a small sigh of relief. “Okay.”

  “Take it with you and of course, call me if you have any questions. I just get this sense that there might be more going on than you even know.”

  “Thank you, Holly. It would be nice to have an explanation.” She stared down at the book a moment longer. Her expression split between curiosity and trepidation.

  I patted the back of her hand. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re part of the Beechwood family now.”

  She grinned up at me. “Why do I get the feeling that there’s an implied “whether you like it or not” warning?”

  I laughed. “Probably because there is.”

  When her clothes were dry, Scarlet changed and then made the rounds to say goodnight to everyone. Posy and Earl talked with her for a few minutes, both emotional, before she slipped out into the night. I watched her go from the front window, my mind spinning with the events of the strange weekend.

  It sure was going to make Monday dull by comparison.

  Adam joined me at the window and looped an arm around my waist. “Done fighting with Lacey?” I asked him with a knowing smile.

  He grinned and pressed a quick kiss to the side of my head. “For now.”

  I laughed. “That’s all I can ask.”

  “What are you thinking about over here?” he asked, following my gaze as I peeked back out the window just as Scarlet was swallowed up by the shadows between street lights.

  “I like her,” I told him. “She’s got spunk.”

  He nodded. “I’m just glad she’s on our side!”

  Boots rammed his head into my shins and I glanced down. Groaning, I stooped to pick up the remains of a pixie pepper pod that he’d deposited at my feet. “I’m glad that I have tomorrow off so I can get my disaster of a greenhouse back in order.”

  Adam leaned over and patted Boots on the head. “Careful there, Bootsie, or you’ll be making ghost friends with Flapjack sooner rather than later.”

  I scooped Boots up into my arms and he pressed his face into my chest. “Don’t worry, Bootsie,” I said, scratching him behind the ears. “I’m not going to let Lacey turn you into a hat. But if you keep eating the pixie peppers, I’m going to seriously cut back your tuna rations.”

  Boots looked up at me, unimpressed by my threat.

  Adam chuckled. “I think that’s a much better idea than handing him over to Lacey. I can’t even imagine what he’d be like if he came back talking.”

  “Knowing Boots, all he’d want to talk about is food.” I grinned up at Adam. “And that’s what I have you for.”

  Author’s Note:

  I hope you enjoyed this visit to Beechwood Harbor! What did you think about Scarlet? Would you like to know what happens on her next spooky adventure? Well, you’re in luck! Scarlet is the star of the upcoming spin-off series The Beechwood Harbor Ghost Mysteries. The first book, The Ghost Hunter Next Door will be available soon.

  I will be letting my newsletter subscribers know the moment that it’s available—as well as showing off the *gorgeous* cover in a special email with a sample chapter. So make sure you’re on the list: www.DanielleGarrettBooks.com/newsletter

  Thank you for reading my books; it means the world to me! If you enjoyed the story, I would appreciate it if you would take the time to leave a review. Each review helps me continue to share the world of Beechwood Harbor!

  About Danielle Garrett

  From a young age, Danielle Garrett was obsessed with fantastic places and the stories set in them. As a lifelong bookworm, she’s gone on hundreds of adventures through the eyes of wizards, princesses, elves, and some rather wonderful everyday people as well.

  Danielle now lives in Oregon and while she travels as often as possible, she wouldn’t want to call anywhere else home. She shares her life with her husband and their house full of animals, and when not writing, spends her time being a house servant for three extremely spoiled cats. For more about Danielle and her work, please visit her at www.daniellegarrettbooks.com or at www.facebook.com/daniellegarrettbooks.