The Ghost Who Was Says I Do

by Anna J. McIntyre

  Kelly shook her head. “No. Just stupid allergies. Hey, what’s with the moving van across the street?”

  “Didn’t I tell you? We have new neighbors.”

  “I didn’t even know the house was for sale.”

  Ian shrugged. “We didn’t either. The people who owned the house were never here, and a for sale sign never went up. The only reason I know it sold, Adam told us.”

  “Do you know if they’re going to live here full-time or be absentee owners like the last ones?” Kelly asked.

  “No clue. I haven’t met them yet. So, what are you up to today?”

  Kelly took a seat at the kitchen counter with her cup of coffee while watching her brother absently sort through his mail. “I finished my blog early, and I had some time to kill before I meet Joe for lunch over at Lucy’s Diner. Thought maybe you and I could catch up. We never see each other much these days.”

  Ian started to rip open one of the envelopes and said, “Don’t be silly. We all went out to dinner a couple of nights ago.”

  “I meant just you and me.”

  “That’s because you’re always with that Joe dude you live with,” he teased.

  “I was also wondering if you might have some time to help me with an article I’ve been working on.”

  “Sure…” Ian muttered, his attention on the letter he had just pulled from an envelope instead of what Kelly was asking.

  “This should have gone to Walt.” Ian shoved the letter back into the envelope.

  “What?” Kelly asked.

  “My agent. He needs to get a new assistant. This is the second time this has happened, mailed something here that should go to Walt.”

  “Oh…” Kelly sipped her coffee.

  Ian let out a sigh and then looked up at his sister and smiled. “What were you asking me?”

  “If you could help me with that article.”

  “The one you told me about the other day?” he asked.

  “Yes. I’d really appreciate it.”

  “Sure. I have some free time Wednesday morning.”

  Kelly smiled. “Great!” She glanced down at the mail for Walt. “You want me to drop that across the street when I leave?”

  “Would you?”

  “Sure.” Kelly took another drink of coffee.

  “I’d appreciate that. I hate to leave Lily alone if she wakes up and needs something.”

  “I wouldn’t mind stopping over there. I haven’t seen Danielle since Lily told me about their engagement the other night.”

  “I’m sure it surprised some folks.”

  “It surprised me. They haven’t even been dating two months.”

  “But he has lived under her roof for almost a year,” Ian reminded her.

  “Yeah. And I remember when he first started staying with her, she couldn’t stand him.”

  Ian shrugged. “She really didn’t know him back then.”

  “You don’t know him now.”

  Ian frowned at his sister. “What do you mean? Of course I know him.”

  “He doesn’t even know himself. What happens when his memory suddenly returns and with it the feelings he had for his now dead fiancée? You don’t think that’s going to be a little awkward?”

  “I don’t think his memory is going to come back,” Ian said quietly.

  “You don’t know that.”

  “If it does, then they’ll deal with it. But it really isn’t our business. And I’m just happy for my friends. After all, I found the woman I love. You found Joe. I think it’s nice Danielle and Walt found each other.”

  “I think it’s creepy.” Kelly cringed.

  If someone had asked Walt Marlow about plaid flannel shirts and denim jeans, he would have told them lumberjacks wear flannel shirts and farmers wear denim jeans. He was neither a farmer nor a lumberjack, and until this last Christmas, he had never owned denims or flannel. But his friend Lily seemed to think he needed to expand his wardrobe.

  He sat quietly in the parlor, waiting for Danielle to get off the phone, wearing his Christmas present from Lily and Ian. It was his first flannel shirt—and first pair of denim jeans. While he wasn’t thrilled with the jeans—they were stiffer than the slacks he normally wore—he had to admit the flannel shirt was rather comfortable on a damp chilly day. And January in Frederickport was normally cold and wet. While the jeans were stiffer, they did keep him warmer than what he normally wore. However, the verdict was still out on if he would add more flannel or denim to his wardrobe.

  “Sorry, we don’t have a room with two queens,” Walt heard Danielle tell the caller on the phone. “But we do have a room with two twin beds. Yes, it’s available this coming week.”

  Danielle grabbed a pen. “Claudia Dane? Is that D-a-n-e? Okay. And Rachel Dane? Got it.”

  The doorbell rang and Danielle glanced up to Walt. He flashed her a smile and then stood up to go see who was there. A few moments later he opened the front door and found Ian’s sister, Kelly, standing on his front porch.

  “Hi, Walt,” she greeted him. “Ian wanted me to drop this by.” She handed him the opened envelope.

  Walt opened the door wider. “Would you like to come in?”

  “Is Danielle here? I’d like to say hi.”

  Walt stood to the side, making room for Kelly to enter. He nodded down the hallway. “She’s in the parlor. You can go on in. She’s on the phone taking a reservation, but she should be off in a minute.”

  Walt shut the door after Kelly stepped into the house and then glanced down at the envelope. “What’s this?”

  “I guess it’s from your agent. They sent it to Ian’s address by mistake,” Kelly explained. “Ian said to tell you he’s sorry he opened it.”

  “No problem. I guess having two clients on Beach Drive in Frederickport is challenging for our agent’s assistant.” He sounded more amused than annoyed.

  Walt walked Kelly into the parlor just as Danielle was getting off the telephone.

  “Hi, Kelly, what’s up?” Danielle greeted her.

  Kelly nodded to Walt. “Ian wanted me to drop a letter off to Walt. Something their agent sent to his address by mistake.”

  “Again?” Danielle asked.

  “I offered to bring it over. I wanted to stop by anyway and say congratulations. I haven’t talked to you since I heard the announcement.”

  Danielle looked from Kelly to Walt and smiled. She looked back to Kelly and said, “Thanks.”

  “How’s Lily feeling?” Walt asked.

  “You know she’s sick?” Kelly asked.

  “I talked to Ian earlier this morning,” Danielle explained. “He told me she had a bad case of food poisoning.”

  “She was sleeping when I was over there.”

  “I’ll leave you two to visit,” Walt said, holding up the opened envelope. “I’m going to go see what this is about.”

  Kelly gave Walt a parting goodbye before he left the room, and then she took a seat on the sofa while Danielle moved from the desk to one of the chairs facing her.

  “Lily told me you’re getting married on Valentine’s Day.” Folding her hands on her lap, Kelly glanced around the room and gave a little sniff. She wrinkled her nose and then turned her attention back to Danielle.

  “Yes. We’re having a small ceremony here, something like Lily’s wedding. I was going to ask the chief to do the ceremony—but I decided I would like him to walk me down the aisle instead. So we need to find someone to officiate.”

  “Really? Does a woman need a man to give her away? I’m surprised you don’t want to just walk down the aisle by yourself.”

  Danielle leaned back in the chair and studied Kelly a moment before responding. With a smile she said, “I don’t really think of it as the chief giving me away, exactly. And I’m curious, if you and Joe get married, aren’t you going to have your father walk you down the aisle?”

  “I’d have Dad walk me down the aisle. He would be hurt if I didn’t ask him. But if I didn’t have a father anymore, I d
on’t think I would have anyone else do it.”

  Danielle arched her brows. “Not even Ian?”

  Kelly shrugged. “I don’t know. To be honest, I’ve never really given it much thought.”

  “You’re lucky.”

  Kelly frowned. “Lucky how?”

  “You have a father—and a brother. When I married Lucas, my father was already gone,” Danielle said quietly. “And you have a brother. A really great one. If I had an older brother—and if I was close to him like you are with Ian, I’d want him to walk me down the aisle if there wasn’t a father to do it.”

  Kelly shifted awkwardly on the sofa and shrugged. “Yeah…well, Ian and I were always close. Of course, things have changed a lot. He’s married…and…”

  “That’s life. Things change. But now you don’t just have a brother, you have a sister.”

  Kelly smiled weakly and nodded. She glanced around the room and sniffed again. With a frown she looked at Danielle and said, “So strange.”

  “What?” Danielle asked.

  “That smell…it’s really gone…umm…not that I’m saying your house smelled bad or anything…just that…umm…”

  “Ahh…” Danielle smiled. “You mean how it used to smell like someone had been smoking a cigar?”

  Kelly nodded. “Yeah. It’s not like I smelled it all throughout the house. Sometimes I would catch a whiff of it in here—or maybe the living room or library. It’s like it moved around. But I haven’t noticed it in months. Did you do something to get rid of it?”

  Danielle smiled and glanced briefly up at the ceiling, wondering if Walt was upstairs in their attic room. She looked back to Kelly and said in a soft voice, “When a house is boarded up for as long as this one was, I don’t think it’s uncommon to have some lingering smells—remnants of those who once lived here. This place had been closed up for almost a hundred years when I moved in. It just took a while for the rooms to air out—for life to come back to the house and to get rid of all the old ghosts.”

  Three

  If anyone in Lucy’s Diner could see Marie Nichols, they would assume she was a perky gray-haired elderly woman, severely underdressed, with her pink and green floral sundress, white sneakers, and floppy straw hat. Considering the frigid and wet coastal weather outside, a heavy sweater, slacks, boots and a wool cap and jacket would be more appropriate apparel for any person, regardless of age. Of course, Marie wasn’t a person exactly. She was a ghost.

  Sitting next to her in the booth was her grandson, Adam, and across from them was Melony Carmichael. Neither could see or hear Marie, which suited the spirit. If they knew she was there, Marie didn’t imagine they would be as candid in their conversation. Marie didn’t consider herself an eavesdropper—exactly. It was more that she was looking out for Adam and trying to find ways to guide him on the right path. At this moment, she believed the right path would be an escalation of his relationship with Melony. Before Marie moved on to the next level, she was determined to see her beloved eldest grandchild married and starting a family.

  “I still can’t believe this is true,” Adam said for the second time as he absently fiddled with the handle on his coffee cup.

  “It is rather quick, considering they only started dating after Thanksgiving,” Melony conceded. “Although, I’m not totally surprised. Ever since he got out of the hospital, it seemed they were always together.” Melony picked up her cup of hot chocolate and took a sip, leaving a bit of whipped cream residue on her upper lip.

  “Maybe you should consider a double wedding,” Marie said to deaf ears.

  “Nice ’stache,” Adam teased.

  Melony swiped her upper lip with her tongue, removing any evidence of whipped cream. “A tasty one too.” She grinned.

  Before Adam could respond, a female voice said, “Afternoon, Melony, Adam.”

  They looked up and found Kelly Bartley standing next to their booth, smiling down at them.

  Adam glanced around briefly, looking to see who Kelly was with. “Hi, Kelly. You alone? You’re welcome to join us.”

  “Yes, please do,” Melony agreed.

  “Thanks, but just for a minute. I’m waiting for Joe. He just called, and he’s running a little late.”

  To Marie’s annoyance, her grandson scooted over into her spot, making room for Kelly.

  Grumbling, Marie instantly moved from the seat next to Adam to the empty spot next to Melony.

  Kelly sat down. “Did you hear about Walt and Danielle?”

  “You mean about them being engaged?” Melony asked.

  Kelly nodded. “Yes.”

  “We were just talking about it,” Adam said. “I can’t believe it.”

  “You need to stop saying that,” Marie admonished. “It’s getting tedious. You need to accept Danielle and Walt are getting married, and be happy for them.”

  As if she had heard Marie, Melony said, “Stop, Adam. I think they make a great couple. Be happy for them.”

  Now sitting next to Adam, Kelly wiggled out of her jacket and set it and her purse on the seat between the two of them. “I have to agree with Adam. I find the entire thing—well, odd.”

  “I don’t know why you guys think it’s so strange.” Melony leaned back in the seat and looked from Kelly to Adam.

  “Maybe it’s just that I always found him—well, sort of creepy. But please don’t tell Danielle that,” Kelly explained.

  Melony frowned at Kelly. “Creepy, how?”

  “He looks so much like Walt Marlow. I mean the first one. And I know Danielle has always had a thing for the original Walt Marlow.”

  “A thing for him?” Melony laughed. “That’s a little overstated, don’t you think?”

  “If you only knew,” Marie muttered.

  “Kelly sort of has a point,” Adam said.

  Melony flashed Adam a frown.

  “No, I’m serious. I remember once, when I first met Danielle, she didn’t like me talking about how Marlow was killed—it was like she didn’t want to offend his spirit. Back then, most of us thought he had committed suicide.”

  “And wasn’t she the one so determined to prove he was murdered?” Kelly asked.

  “I can’t blame her. I would have been curious too, had it been me,” Melony said.

  Setting her elbows on the tabletop, Kelly leaned forward and said, “And you know what else is sort of strange?”

  “What?” Adam asked.

  “Do you remember how it sometimes smelled like someone was smoking a cigar over at Marlow House?”

  “What about it?” Adam asked.

  “That smell is gone. I haven’t noticed it in months over there. Have you guys?” Kelly asked.

  Melony wrinkled her nose, considering the question. “Now that you mention it, I don’t think I have. But what does this have to do with Walt Marlow—I mean the Walt Marlow who lives there now?”

  “Because I can’t remember the last time I smelled it, but I’m pretty sure it was before Clint Marlow’s accident.”

  Melony shrugged. “That house was boarded up forever. Maybe it finally aired out sufficiently.”

  Kelly let out a sigh. “Yeah, that’s pretty much what Danielle said.”

  “I wonder what Lily thinks about the engagement,” Adam asked.

  “Lily’s the one who told me about the engagement,” Kelly told him. “She sounded excited and happy for Danielle. So does Ian. I was over there this morning, talked to my brother some more about it. Lily was there, but I didn’t talk to her. She was in bed sick.”

  “Sick? Oh no, what’s wrong?” Melony asked.

  “Ian said food poisoning. She was throwing up all morning.”

  Adam arched his brows. “Is he sure it’s food poisoning? Maybe she’s pregnant.”

  Kelly frowned. “Pregnant? No way. They’re going to Europe this summer.”

  “So?” Adam said.

  “A baby? Wouldn’t that be wonderful?” Marie beamed.

  “I think what Kelly is saying, it’s highly unlik
ely they’re planning to go to Europe while Lily is in her final stages of pregnancy,” Melony said.

  “Accidents do happen,” Adam suggested.

  “Oh, Adam.” Melony laughed. “Stop trying to start rumors.”

  Adam shrugged. “It could be true.”

  “I know for a fact Lily is on the pill,” Kelly told him.

  Before they could continue their speculation, Joe walked into the diner with Brian Henderson.

  “Oh, Joe is here.” Kelly started to stand up.

  “He’s welcome to join us,” Melony offered.

  “Thanks. But he has Brian with him,” Kelly said as she picked up her purse and jacket.

  “We really should not be gossiping about Danielle,” Melony told Adam when they were alone again.

  “I wasn’t gossiping.”

  “Yes, you were,” Marie said with a nod. Of course, neither one could hear her.

  “Yeah, we were,” Melony argued.

  Adam shrugged. “Okay. Maybe we were. But at least I know I’m not the only one who finds the entire thing odd. In fact, there are lots of things that are odd about Marlow House.”

  “You mean because the cigar smell has finally faded?” Melony teased.

  “I never told you about the croquet balls,” Adam said in a low voice. “Or the television set.”

  Melony frowned. “What croquet balls?”

  “Oh, this is going to be interesting.” Marie snickered.

  “Remember when I told you about the time Bill and I broke into Marlow House, right after Danielle moved in. Looking for the Missing Thorndike?”

  “Yes. You were lucky she didn’t throw your butts in jail.”

  “I used to think she had security cameras in the house, and that’s how she knew it was us. But I don’t think so anymore.”

  “One of the neighbors could have seen you,” Melony suggested.

  “But the strangest thing were those damn croquet balls. Well, that and the television set in her room that kept turning back on.”

  “I remember you said something about you and Bill tripping over an old croquet set in the attic.”

  Adam let out a sigh and slumped down in his seat.