Betwinx (Paranormal Erotic Romance Novella) (9 page)

He
glanced
a
t
Lorna
. Worry creased her brow.

“I don’
t have any money
.”

“Don’
t move.
I’ll be right back.” She walked away from the window and returned moments later with a vanilla cone. “Here you go. It’s on the house.”

Lorna
’s fingers pressed hard
er
into hi
s. He could feel her
tense
body tremble as she leaned against him.

“Take it,
Travis
.” Her voice quivered.

“Are you sure?”
He glanced at
Lorna
again
. Her eyes were wide and lips pursed tight.

“Of course I am,” the woman said. “I own this place and if I want to give a handsome
young
man a free
ice cream
cone, then I will.
Co
me on over here and take
this
before it melts.”

He stepped forw
ard and took the
gift
. Her warm fingers brushed his sending a jolt of electricity up his arm. How could this be? His mind whirled with the possibilities.
Had he manifested in the physical realm?
“Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.
I hope you enjoy it. We’re going to have a hot one today
.” She smiled at him, closed the window and went to the counter to help another customer.

Travis
faced
Lorna
. Tears glistened in her eyes.

“Taste it,
”
she said.

He
bit the top of
the
ice cream from the cone
and drew her into a kiss, pushing the cold dessert into her mouth. She broke away and swallowed. Tears
spilled from her eyes
even though she gave him a weak smile. “It’s wonderful.
Exactly what I was wishing for.
That’s t
hree
people who can see you,
Travis
.
”

“
Lorna
…”

“No, don’t say it. I already know.
I saw your face—you felt her touch when she handed you the cone.
Let’s go back and spend what little time we have left together.”

“We’re not going anywhere.” Holding her hand he walked up to the counter
and opened the small sliding window
. “Miss, could you come here for a minute?”

The shop owner
crossed behind the freezer bins and counter to lean on the windowsill.
From the table against the wall,
Valerie turned in her seat to
look
over
at
Travis
.

“Is the cone all right?” the owner asked.

“It’s perfect.” He drew
Lorna
closer. “I wondered if you’ve seen
my wife?”

“What does she look like?”

He put his hand above
Lorna
’s head. “She’
s about this tall,
with jet black hair that’s
long and
straight
. She’s wearing denim cut offs and a
blue
tank top.”

“No, dear, I haven’t seen her this morning. I
f she stops in
I’ll tell her
you’re
looking for her
.”

“Thanks.” He
led
Lorna
over to
the metaphysical kiosk
. “Excuse me
,
Delores
.
I overheard you telling
Valerie that you
saw
me. Can you see my wife?”

Ms. Delores looked up from her book and studied him. “
Yes, I see you,
Travis
, but not
Lorna
. I really wish I could, she
was the best friend I ever had
.
Please tell her I miss her.
” She sighed and
laid
the book on the wooden cart.
“
I hate to be the one to break
this
to you
but
Lorna
isn’t
your wife. The explosion happened before the marriage ceremony could take place.”

“What?
”
Shock
seized him.
“
No, you must be wrong.
What time…”

“You died in the afternoon before the haunted house even opened. You were to be married at midnight.”

“Oh god!
We aren’t married?
”
Lorna
sobbed,
jerked her hand out of his grasp
to cover
her mouth.

Travis
stood there in stunned silence, ice cream
dripping onto his hand
, watching
Lorna
’s
tears turn to hysterics.
He wasn’t usually at a loss for words but this news left him speechless. He could only watch
Lorna
as she hurried
down the sidewalk
,
sobbing,
staring at
people
,
jumping up and down in
front of them,
screaming,
Can you see me?
Lorna
’s
movements were jerky, panicky, and she looked like she’d
sprint away
at any second.
Travis
’s heart broke
at her desperate attempts to be seen
.

Lorna
’s despair hit him square in the chest. Now she thought they were going to be separated forever. What in the hell was wrong with him? He shouldn’t be thinking about himself when she was so devastated.
Without another thought about Delores, h
e
threw the cone into the trash and
ran after
Lorna
. S
he disappeared in
to the
crowd.

“
Wait!
Lorna
, come back!”

P
anic
ripped through his heart.
He felt
her
loss in
the
instant
she
disappeared from his sight
.
It couldn’t end this way.
He
didn’t want to
feel this deep pain of being without her for all eternity.

“
Lorna
!”

Now that he’d been seen, would he move into the light at any time or
would it happen
at the end of the day? He didn’t know but he
had to find
Lorna
before
it happened. If he was touchi
ng her, maybe he could take her with him.

In a desperate attempt to find her,
Travis
s
hove
d
through the crowd
,
yelling
Lorna
’s
name.
Her panic gripped at him, filling him with the same frenzy.
How could she just disappear
like th
is
?
Even if no one else could see her, he could.

“Watch it dude!” a young man said when
Travis
bumped
into him.

He ignored the complaints coming from everyone he touched as he
shoved
his way by each person, looking over their head
s
.
It was as if she’d just vanished. How could he lose her? This crowd wasn’t even huge. How long had he stood there in disbelief? Long enough for her to get away from him that was for sure.

“
Lorna
!” he yelled.
Where the hell
wa
s she
? Maybe
she went
back to the
House of Terror
.

He headed in th
e
direction
of his old home
. Further down the sidewalk he found
her
standing in front of
the
house
. The crowd had dissipated and she was the only one
i
n that part of the neighborhood
. She
just stood there, staring
into space
.
Travis
could feel her sadness radiating around him. He sprinted to her.

“I’ve been
looking everywhere for you,
” H
e said
,
stopping in front of her. H
is breathing was ragged from
the frantic search
. He held her in a tight embrace
. “I’m so sorry,
Lorna
. I
thought we were
married
too
.”

“I don’t want to talk
about it
.
No one
has seen
me so this
must be
our last day together
. L
et’s spend it in each other’s arms. I want to feel you so intensely that the memory will stay with me for
all time
.”

“I’ll find a way to fix this.”
Travis
kissed her forehead and tightened his arms around her back.

“It’s out of your control.
”

“No it isn’t.
Let’s think about this for a minute
.”
Travis
wiped the tears from her face. “Our unfinished business must be that we didn’t get married and we’re stuck here until we do. If we’re married, then we should both go into the light together, as one.”

“It’
s hopeless
.”

“Never give up hope. We will beat this curse or whatever you want to call it. We will be together.”

“Look at the house
,
Travis
.”
She nodded her head
toward
the
building
behind him.

He turned around.

No, this can’t be right.

The house
was a burnt out, decaying shell of the home he’d once known.
For the first time in twenty years, they could see the house as it really was, not as it had been.

“
Now do you understand?
You’ve manifested in
to
the physical, the house is destroyed.
It’
s over
,
Travis
. I’m going to lose you.”
Lorna
laid her head on his shoulder and cried.

Chapter Three

Valerie
ate a bite of ice cream while gazing at Philip. How could she get him to agree to help her without telling him what she had to do? If he thought she was ghost hunting he’d never
help
.
And i
f she told him what Ms. Delores
had
said
about true love
then he’d think she was testing his feelings for her. She
didn’t want him to
think
that even though
she’d know his feelings
if he saw
Lorna
.
And what was up with
Travis
talking to the shop owner. Could everyone see him now?

“
I saw you talking to Ms. Delores. Did
yo
u get a reading
?”
Midge, Philip’s sister,
asked
.

“No, but she told me some things.” Valerie wasn’t sure how much she
wanted to tell
Midge either
.

“That woman is so freaking dead-on accurate she’s
scary sometimes.
Once she told me—”

“Come on, Midge!” Philip rolled his eyes. “You really don’t believe in all that woo-woo crap do you?”

“
You know
I do.” Midge’s tone dropped into defensive mode.
“Have
you
ever had a reading from her?”

“Hell, no.
I never plan to have one either.” Philip scraped the bottom of the
dish
to get the last bit of dessert.

“I dare you to go out there right now and get a reading. I’ll even pay.” Midge dug some money out of her pocket and held it out to him. “I bet she scares you with her accuracy.”

“Keep you
r
money, sis. I’m not getting a reading of any kind, any where, any day.”
Philip picked up the empty plastic bowl then bent down and
gave
Valerie
a quick kiss
. “I’m going to
catch some rays
. Meet me on the beach when you’re
finished
.”

“Okay. I’ll see you in a few.” Valerie watched him swagger to the
door and
toss the trash in the bin. She
knew he was trying to act cool in front of her
so when he dropped the spoon and napkin on the floor she giggled.

“He really likes you.” Midge said.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this serious about anyone.”

“Well, he might change his mind after tonight.”

“Why,
are
you finally g
oing to
sleep with him?”
Midge took her
sunglasses from the top of her head
and
laid them on the table
.
She
gathered
her hair back into
a ponytail with
the scrunchie she had around her wrist.

Valerie choked on the spoonful of ice cream she’d just put in her mouth. “How do you know if
we
have or haven’t?”

“He told me. He wants to
,
you know
,
but your wait
ing
is
making him like you even more. Most of his
conquests are just that. A wham-bam-thank-you-
ma’am and he loses interest after he gets in their pants. You’re making him get to know you first and that’s something I don’t think he’s ever really experienced before. At least, that’s what he said.
Personally, I think you’ve kind of grown on him. He’s probably had a secret crush on my best friend for years.
”

“
I doubt it.
Did he really
say those things
?
”

“Sure did.”

“
Well, good, b
ecause I really like him too. But
sex isn’t
what I was talking about when I said he might change his mind after tonight.
” Valerie took another bite. “Tell me about your reading
s
with Ms. Delores.”

“
They’re
amazing,” Midge said.
“
She
’s
told me so many things
that ca
me true.
One time s
he even told me about this guy I’d meet
who
would be the most awesome lover in the world but wouldn’t have the brains to keep me interested. And she was right. Steve was
marvelous
in bed. Man, he could make my toes curl, but he just wasn’t interesting enough to hold my attention for long.
She also predicted that I’d get my metaphysical degree and I did.
” Midge glanced through the window at Ms. Delores.
“
You know, I’m
about due for another reading.”

“So you believe what she tells you?”

“Absolutely. W
ithout a doubt
.
I know there’s th
e
whole free will thing and that my decisions can change the outcome of what she sees…
Haven’t you ever had a reading with her?”

“
S
he
stopped me
before I came inside
and
told me some things
if you consider that a reading
.
” Valerie pushed the
plastic bowl away.
S
he should trust Midge and tell her the situation
. She couldn’t do it alone.
“Listen, I need your help but only if you promise not to
say anything to Philip about this
.”

“You’ve got to give me more than that to go on, girlfriend.
What do you need my help with?
” Midge
sat
back in her chair
and stretched
.

“It’s something I have to do.”

“
Then spit it out. O
r do I have to go get a reading right now to find out?”

“Come on.
I don’t want anyone to overhear.” Valerie
stood, picked up her trash and tossed it in the receptacle before walking
outside
.
She held
the door for Midge
.
“
Let’s go to the park.”

They waited for a car to pass
and then crossed
the east bound lane
. The west lane
curved around
the other side
of the park and was flanked with
more shops lining the sidewalk.
With its central location,
Sea Breeze Park
was a
shopper
’
s rest stop.

“
It
has to do with the Hutchinson
Place
,
”
Valerie
said, as they sa
t on
a
bench in the sun, away from
several
people lounging in the shade of the trees
.

“Get the hell out!” Midge leaned in close.
“Are you kidding me?”

Valerie shook her head. “Have you heard that story?”

“My gosh, Val. Everyone in town knows
about
Travis
and
Lorna
.”

“Obviously not everyone. I know where the
Hutchinson
place is but I’d
never heard
the story
before today.”

“Well, that’s because you’re a transplant from up North.
But still, you’ve been living here long e
nough to have heard it before. It’s o
dd that you haven’t.
For
us natives
, we’ve heard
the
story about the
Hutchinson
Place
since we were little.
As long as we’ve been friends, I can’t believe we haven’t talked about it before now.
” Midge’s eyes widened in
realization
. “
Oh my go
d
, you saw one of them didn’t you
?
”

“Yeah
, I saw
Travis
.
Ms. Delores told me I have to release him
into the light
. I don’t have any idea how to do that.”

“I think
that you just have to say ‘go into the light’ or something to that effect.
” Midge
said
.
“
One of my friends is a medium. Do
you want me to call her and ask?
”

“Would you? It would help to have some input from someone who knows mor
e about the spirit realm than I do
. Ms. Delores wasn’t much help at all.”

“I’ve got her on speed dial. This’ll only take a few minutes.” Midge pulled out her phone and slid the top to open it.

“Wait
!
” Valerie
grabbed her friend’s arm. “There’s
Travis
.”’

“Where?”
Midge looked around the park. “I don’t see him.”

“He’s walking this way. Oh geez….he’s looking right at me. I think he’s coming to talk to me.” She looked at Midge. “What
should
I do?”

“Talk to him. Find out how you can help. Damn
.
I wish I could see him too.”

“
He’s standing right in front of us.
” Valerie scooted a little closer to Midge.

“Valerie? That is your name right?”
Travis
held
Lorna
’s hand tightly so she couldn’t run away again. He’d managed to calm her down some now he was on edge after seeing the house as a burned down shell instead of the beautiful home he’d grown up in.

Valerie nodded.

“What’d he say?”
Midge asked,
her voice barely audible.

“Shh…I’ll tell you in a minute.” She grabbed Midge’s forearm. “Just don’t go anywhere.”

“Did your boyfriend see
Lorna
earlier?”

“No. Is she with you now?” Valerie concentrated on trying to see
Lorna
.

“She’s right beside me.”

“I’m sorry, I
wish I could
see her
too
.”

“
It’s okay.
We need your help.”

“
What do you want me to do?
”

“Delores just informed
me
that we were never married. We think that is why we’re still stuck between your world and the next realm. We were supposed to be married at midnight on the day we died. Could you
bring
someone to the house tonight to marry us?”

“I’m sure I can find someone to
perform a marriage ceremony
.
”

“Oh!
Oh! I can!
I’m a licensed Minister of Metaphysics
. I can perform marriages. I haven’t done one yet but that’s beside the point. Do you want me to do it?”

“Who is she?”
Travis
asked.

“I’m sorry, I should have introduced you. This is my best friend, Midge. She’s my boyfriend’s sister.”
Valerie stared at Midge and
darted her gaze from Midge
to where
Travis
stood
and back again
. “Say hello, Midge.”

“Hi
Travis
and
Lorna
.”

“Did she see me?”
Lorna
asked.

“Valerie, can your friend see
Lorna
?”
Travis
repeated.

“No, I’m sorry Midge can’t see you.
Ms. Delores
said you both have to be seen
or one will get left behind.
I can’t see
Lorna
and
that bothers me because
I don’t want the two of you to be separated. What if I fail? The
n
it will be my fault
if you don’t both go into the light
.”

“
I can’t see either of them
,” Midge
whispered.
“This is so unfair!”