Haunting Danielle 20-The Ghost Who Was Says I Do

by Holmes, Bobbi

  Danielle stopped what she was doing and turned to face Marie. “Pregnant? Where did he come up with that?”

  “I had lunch with Adam and Melony this afternoon,” Marie explained. “Although technically, I didn’t have any lunch—and they didn’t know I was there.”

  Danielle set the knife on the cutting board and folded her arms across her chest. “And Adam said she was pregnant?”

  “Kelly stopped by their table and visited a while,” Marie went on.

  “Kelly said she was pregnant?” Danielle frowned.

  Marie shook her head. “No. Kelly just mentioned Lily was home sick this morning with food poisoning, and Adam said maybe she was pregnant. It would be lovely if she was having a baby. Eva tells me babies can see spirits. I saw Eva when I was in the cradle. Perhaps Lily’s baby will see me? Do you think she could be pregnant?”

  Grabbing some more vegetables to dice, Danielle said, “I know Lily’s on the birth control pill, and she and Ian are planning to go to Europe this summer when school is out. I don’t really see her getting pregnant right now. If she was in the early stages of pregnancy, she would be like seven months pregnant for their Europe trip.” Danielle shook her head at the thought. “I think Adam just likes to stir up rumors.”

  Marie chuckled. “You know, dear, that is pretty much what Melony said. However, even in this day and age, not all babies are planned.”

  “Who’s having a baby?” Walt asked when he entered the kitchen the next moment.

  “That’s how rumors are started.” Danielle chuckled.

  “I was just telling Danielle that Adam suggested that perhaps Lily doesn’t have food poisoning, but is pregnant,” Marie told him.

  “And Adam would know that, how?” Walt asked before placing a quick kiss on Danielle’s cheek.

  Danielle grinned up at Walt and said, “Just diner gossip.”

  “You two were also the topic of conversation,” Marie told them.

  “I bet we were.” Danielle snickered. “I imagine everyone in Frederickport is talking about our engagement, the way news travels in this town.”

  “Not long after Kelly arrived, Joe and Brian showed up. They didn’t sit with Melony and Adam. But I popped over to their table briefly, and they were talking about your engagement announcement. And I must give sweet Melony credit. She scolded Adam for gossiping about you two with Kelly.”

  Now dicing several carrots, Danielle’s grin widened. “I like Mel. I’m glad she’s my cousin, even if it’s only by marriage.” Danielle’s great-aunt Brianna, who had left Danielle Marlow House and her estate, had been married to the brother of Danielle’s grandfather. Brianna had been born out of wedlock, and since moving to Frederickport, Danielle had discovered her great-aunt’s father had been Melony’s great-grandfather, which made them sort of distant cousins.

  Scooping up all the diced carrots, Danielle put them into the stainless steel bowl with the other vegetables. She grabbed a second bowl, a pair of tongs, and headed to the stove to remove the chicken from the pot and add the vegetables to the broth. Yet, just when she was a few feet from the stove, the broth began to boil over. Danielle let out a little yelp, scrambling to find someplace to set the bowls so she could grab a pair of hot pads and remove the pot from the burner. But before she could set the bowls down, the pot of boiling broth lifted like magic up from the stove, hovering in midair.

  Unfortunately, the heavy iron pot, filled with boiling broth, seemed too cumbersome for whatever invisible hand held it, and it began to rock back and forth, splashing hot liquid in every direction, barely missing Danielle, who jumped backwards away from the stove just in time.

  Startled from his nap by the outburst, Max lifted his head and looked to the commotion. Seeing the pot floating chaotically in midair, the cat leapt off the chair and raced out of the house into the side yard, sending the metal pet door swinging back and forth.

  “Walt!” Danielle shouted. “Be careful! You almost burned me!”

  The pot quickly righted itself and settled back on the stove.

  “I’m so sorry,” Marie said in a contrite voice.

  Danielle looked to Marie and frowned. “Why are you sorry?” She glanced from Marie to Walt, who flashed her a half smile.

  “I thought I could do it. But I’m obviously not very good at it and need more practice,” Marie said weakly.

  “Are you saying you lifted the pot off the stove?” Danielle asked.

  Marie nodded guiltily. “I was just trying to help. I’m so sorry. I could have burned you if Walt hadn’t taken charge.”

  Danielle looked to Walt. “You knew she moved it?”

  “Well, I knew I didn’t move it, and the last time I checked, cooking pans don’t float around the kitchen on their own.”

  “Thank you, Walt,” Marie said sheepishly. “I shouldn’t have tried that with a pan filled with boiling water. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  Danielle set the stainless steel bowls she had been holding on the counter and turned to Marie. “How long have you been able to move things?”

  Marie shrugged. “Not long. You didn’t notice I moved the chair?”

  “Chair?” Danielle frowned.

  “When I came in the kitchen earlier, all the chairs were tucked under the table—aside from the one Max was using. You were busy and I didn’t want to ask you to pull one out for me. And I really do hate sitting around cut in half by the tabletop. Recently I’ve managed to push pieces of paper around a bit. So when I came in here and tried to move the chair on my own—and it worked—well, I suppose I got a little cocky and figured I could lift the pan up off the burner. Obviously, I was wrong.”

  Danielle looked to Walt. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. I…I thought you had moved it.”

  “He did, dear—but only after I about dumped it on you.” Marie sighed.

  “No problem,” Walt said, dropping a kiss on Danielle’s nose. “I’m just glad you didn’t get burned.”

  “Aside from the mishap, it’s rather exciting you’ve managed to harness your energy,” Danielle said as she wiped up what broth had spilled. “All you need is more practice.”

  “Have you been able to do anything else?” Walt asked.

  “I seem to be rather good at this.” The next moment the kitchen light turned off and then on again. “I’m also rather adept at turning off computers.”

  “Not sure why you would want to do that,” Danielle said.

  “You would be surprised,” Marie muttered under her breath.

  “Can I help you?” Walt asked as he watched Danielle return to her cooking.

  “Thanks, but I got it. And the pot boiling over in the first place was my fault anyway. I should have been paying more attention.”

  “You’re just trying to make me feel better,” Marie chided.

  Danielle flashed her a smile and finished wiping up the spilled broth.

  “You say we were the subject of conversation today?” Walt asked Marie as he took a seat at the table.

  “Interestingly, Brian and Joe seem to accept the engagement without much speculation. As does Melony, who said you are a cute couple.”

  “Oh, we are.” Danielle giggled.

  “Kelly and Adam seem to have an issue with it.”

  “I don’t know what Kelly’s problem is,” Danielle said as she removed the chicken from the pot and set it in a bowl.

  “Kelly finds the resemblance between the Walts—unsettling,” Marie explained. “I think for my grandson he just feels protective. I do believe he looks at you like a sister.”

  Danielle grinned. “I have to say, Adam and my relationship has taken an unexpected turn.” Standing by the counter, Danielle dumped the diced vegetables into the broth, and then began removing the chicken from the bones, returning the meat back to the pan with the simmering vegetables and broth.

  “I will confess, there was a time I thought you might make a nice couple,” Marie said.

  Danielle resisted the urge to cringe.
>
  SIX

  “What’s this?” Lily asked after she answered her front door late Monday afternoon. Danielle stood on the Bartleys’ front porch, clutching a covered pot wrapped in a kitchen towel.

  “Homemade soup. I didn’t expect to find you out of bed. Where’s Ian?” Danielle asked as she walked into the house.

  “He took Sadie for a walk.” Lily followed Danielle to the kitchen. “That smells so good!”

  “How are you feeling?” Danielle set the steaming pot on the stove. “You look good.”

  “I feel better now.” Lily hungrily eyed the pot of soup.

  “Can I fix you a bowl? It’s still pretty hot.”

  “I can get it,” Lily offered.

  Danielle shooed Lily to the breakfast bar. “No. Sit down, and I’ll get it for you.”

  “If you insist.” Lily grinned and took a seat at the breakfast bar.

  She watched as Danielle removed a bowl from an overhead cabinet and began filling it with chicken soup. Danielle opened a drawer and grabbed a soup spoon, and then she picked up a napkin from a basket on the counter.

  “Your guests all gone?” Lily asked.

  “Yes. They left this morning.” Danielle carried the bowl, spoon and napkin to Lily.

  “When’s your next reservation? I remember it was always pretty slow this time of year.”

  Danielle set the steaming bowl in front of Lily with the napkin and spoon. “We have one reservation that was made about six months ago. They’re arriving Friday. They’re coming to see family who live in town.”

  “Anyone I know?” Lily picked up the napkin and put it on her lap.

  “I don’t think so. We didn’t expect to have any other guests until the following week. But just this morning, two more reservations came in. Both are arriving Friday and staying until next Thursday. So I’ll have three full rooms.”

  “Really?” Lily picked up her spoon and dipped it in the soup. “Who are they?”

  Danielle took a seat at the counter next to Lily. “Two sisters made one reservation. I’m giving them the room with the twin beds. And then a couple.”

  Lily blew on her spoonful of soup a moment before tasting it.

  “You know what’s interesting?”

  “What? Oh…mmmmm…this is delicious!”

  “Thanks.”

  “So what’s interesting?” Lily asked, taking another bite of soup.

  “Both the guests who made reservations today are from Huntington Beach, California.”

  Lily looked up. “Maybe they’re friends?” she suggested.

  “I don’t think so. Neither one of them said anything about meeting someone here.”

  “Huntington Beach, isn’t that where Clint was from?” Lily asked.

  Danielle shook her head. “No. But he didn’t live far from there.”

  “Is that where Chris had his boat?”

  “It wasn’t his boat,” Danielle reminded her.

  “I know. But was that where it was?”

  Danielle shook her head. “No. That was Dana Point.”

  “This is really good soup. You going to have some?”

  “No, thanks. I’m not hungry.”

  “I’m famished.”

  “Ian said you threw up all morning. You feeling okay now?”

  “I’ve been feeling crappy every morning for the last week. But this morning was the worst.”

  Danielle frowned. “I thought Ian said you had food poisoning.”

  Lily set her spoon down and looked at Danielle. “Yeah, well. That’s what he thinks. I didn’t tell him how I’ve been feeling all week.”

  “Have you been running a temperature?” Danielle asked.

  Lily shook her head, picked up her spoon, and then looked at Danielle. “I have a favor to ask you.”

  “What?”

  “Would you pick me up a pregnancy test? And please don’t tell anyone. Not even Walt.”

  Danielle’s eyes widened. “You think you’re pregnant?”

  “Shhh…not so loud!” Lily looked around nervously. “Ian might walk in at any moment.”

  “You think you’re pregnant?” Danielle repeated, this time in a whisper.

  “All I know is that I’ve woken up every morning this past week feeling nauseated.”

  “Was this the first time you threw up?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does Ian know about the nausea?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  Lily shrugged. “He was always sleeping when I’d get up feeling sick. By the time he woke up, I’d had some cereal and my stomach seemed to settle, so I didn’t say anything to him. I didn’t think I could really be pregnant, since I hadn’t missed a period and we always use protection.”

  “When are you supposed to start?”

  “Yesterday.”

  “I thought you were on the pill?”

  “I was.”

  “Was?”

  Lily set her spoon on the table again and let out a deep sigh. “I went off the pill. Ian and I decided to go off of all birth control after we get back from Europe, and try to start a family.”

  “You never mentioned it.”

  Lily shrugged. “I just figured, considering everything, it would probably take me forever to get pregnant. I didn’t want anyone—even you—asking if I was pregnant yet.”

  “If you didn’t want to start trying until after you got back from Europe, why did you go off the pill already?”

  “I wanted to get the pill out of my system. All that crap in it can’t be good for a baby. Mom told me that’s what she did when she decided to get pregnant. So I went off the pill, we started using condoms, and I figured when we got back from our trip, we’d stop using the condoms.”

  “Does Ian have any idea?” Danielle asked.

  Lily shook her head. “No. He’s so looking forward to this trip. And it could just be a bug. But I need to take a test. And I don’t want to worry him. I just thought, if you could pick up a pregnancy test for me, take it to your house, and I can come over and take it there.”

  “If you aren’t pregnant, are you going to tell Ian you thought you might be?”

  “Of course. But when I tell him, I’ll start with ‘I’m not pregnant but,’ and we can both get a good laugh out of it. But why freak him out now?”

  “And if you are pregnant?” Danielle asked in a whisper.

  “Of course I’ll tell him. And well…then I guess we’ll postpone the trip until right after the baby is born, and you and Walt can babysit. Newborns don’t scare you, do they?”

  Danielle laughed. “Oh right. You’d leave your newborn with us and take off to Europe.”

  Lily grinned. “Well sure, sounds like a great plan, doesn’t it?”

  KELLY CURSED herself for not picking up the allergy medicine when she had left the diner earlier that day. She had chili cooking in the slow cooker, and at lunch she had invited Brian to join them for dinner. Joe and Brian would be at their house within the next thirty minutes. She considered calling Joe and asking him to pick the medicine up on the way home, but the last time she had asked him to pick up allergy medicine for her, he had gotten the wrong brand.

  Reluctantly, Kelly turned the slow cooker to low and grabbed her car keys, heading to the pharmacy. The moment she pulled in the parking lot, she noticed Danielle’s Ford Flex parked by the entrance.

  When she entered the pharmacy, she didn’t see Danielle. Wanting to say hello, she started looking down all the aisles. It was in the last one she spied her. Heading her way, Danielle’s back to her, she was about to say hello when Danielle reached for a pink and blue box on the shelf. To Kelly’s surprise, it was a pregnancy test.

  Without saying a word, Kelly turned quickly and headed back down the aisle and ducked around the corner. Once out of sight, her curiosity got the best of her, and she peeked down the aisle again. Danielle was carrying the box with the pregnancy kit to the checker by the pharmacy counter, but by the way she was holding it, con
cealing it with her purse, she obviously did not want anyone to see her purchase.

  Kelly stood there a moment, wondering if she was wrong. Perhaps it’s a box that just looks like a pregnancy test, she asked herself. Turning down another aisle, Kelly headed for the display with the allergy medicine. After picking up what she needed, she headed for the front checker. Still thinking of what she might have just seen, Kelly failed to pay attention to where she was going and found herself about to walk into the very woman she had been thinking about.

  Rattled, Kelly forced a bright greeting. “Hello, Danielle. I thought that was your car in the parking lot.”

  “Umm…hi, Kelly,” Danielle stammered, clutching the paper sack concealing her recent purchase.

  “I’m just picking up some allergy meds.” Kelly held up the bottle. She couldn’t help herself from looking at the bag in Danielle’s hand, yet she didn’t expect her to tell her what was inside.

  “Well, nice to see you. Twice in one day! Hope your allergies get better. Gotta go!” With that, Danielle dashed out of the pharmacy with her package.

  Still holding her bottle of allergy medicine, Kelly looked from the door Danielle had just run out of to the free cashier. She stood there a moment, then turned around and headed to the back of the pharmacy again, where she had first seen Danielle.

  Curious, she walked down the aisle, to the spot she had seen Danielle take the box. Kelly stared at the items on the shelf. It was a pregnancy test.

  KELLY TOLD herself it was the journalist in her that made it difficult to simply pretend she hadn’t seen Danielle buy what she had seen her buy. She was dying to call her brother, but he would probably tell Lily, and the last thing Kelly wanted to do was embarrass Danielle by letting her know she had seen her purchase. Plus, she didn’t want Danielle to think she was gossiping about her. Kelly considered Danielle a friend, and if she was pregnant, it explained a lot.

  “Kelly—hello?” Joe repeated for the second time. Kelly looked up from her bowl of chili and looked sheepishly to Joe and then to their dinner guest, Brian. The three sat around the dining room table eating.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Did you say something?” Kelly asked.

  “Brian was just saying how good your chili is,” Joe said.