Intuition
Intuition
Kate Allenton
Copyright © 2012 Kate Allenton
All rights reserved.
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DEDICATION
This is dedicated to my daughter, Taylor,
Think big, the possibilities are endless.
Happy Birthday.
And
To my son, Thomas,
You can be anything you want to be.
Congrats on graduating.
And
To my dad,
I miss you more than words can say.
I want to thank, my family for their patience. Without them, I would have never finished the rough draft.
My mom, who will always be my biggest fan.
My awesome sister, Vicki, for being on the cover of Touch of Fate- Book 2 in the Bennett Sister Series.
Jeannie, if it hadn’t been for you dragging me to see a Vampire movie of all things, I would have never started reading the sequels, which in turn lead me to my writing.
Lisa, may we grow older than any speed limit sign and always remain friends.
All of my critique partners, you rock.
All of my friends for their valuable input, especially Carol, for insisting my heroine be true to herself.
To my co-workers, who had to listen to every detail about this book on more than one occasion, especially you Sherri.
And a special shout out to Kate Freiman for bringing some structure to my book.
Table of Contents
Out of all the unique gifts she and her siblings had inherited, one of Emma Bennett’s was the ability to see the dead. Not all dead people, just one in particular: a stubborn, old, crazy woman who wouldn’t go away. The old spirit was just one of her many secrets. Heck, each member of her family had at least one of their own to deal with, some worse than hers, so she wouldn’t complain.
Emma glanced at the clock and jumped to her feet. “Abby’s going to kill me for making her wait.” She shoved her supply order into her desk drawer. Family dinners were her only chance to be herself with no worries about the oddities surrounding her life.
A chill skirted across her arms, making the little hairs stand up, announcing Momma Mae’s ghostly presence before she materialized in the micro-suede brown chair across from her desk. “You’re never on time, Emma. It’s a wonder destiny hasn’t passed you by.”
Though Emma was the only one able to see Momma Mae, the ghost was as real to her as any other person in her life—a part of her family that seemed here to stay, no matter how many times Emma wished her away and chanted “Just go toward the light.”
Momma Mae’s spirit had shown herself for the first time thirty years before when Emma had almost drown, and she didn’t seem to be leaving any time soon. The ghost looked in her early seventies. She had an even laid-back temperament and did nothing but talk in riddles. Emma had quit trying to make sense of her gibberish a long time ago.
“Why don’t you tell me what the future holds?” Emma asked while rolling her eyes. “Then I’ll decide if I’d rather just skip it.” She gave a lopsided smile before grabbing her black leather purse and maneuvering through her now-crowded office stuffed with furniture she’d ordered from the Internet.
“Your future doesn’t include that young man you were dating. I can tell you that much.”
Hell, that was a no-brainer. “I sort of figured that one out on my own, Momma Mae, when I caught the bastard cheating on me.”
Her last boyfriend, Ben Johnson, had lasted for three months. Emma didn’t love him, but she couldn’t have predicted that he was a cheater. She’d met him at one of her sister’s fundraisers. A prominent attorney in town, handsome, and attentive, she’d decided to take a chance on him and got burned by his deceit.
She tripped over the gaudy couch, hitting her shin. “That’s going to leave a bruise,” Emma mumbled while bent over rubbing the sore spot. She let out a heavy sigh of resignation and narrowed her eyes at the large couch.
It looked better in the catalog.
The back of the café was usually her quiet place, her own personal space, to be alone and free to be herself, flaws and all. Well, today was anything but ordinary. The constant, loud beeping from the construction equipment in the parking lot and the jackhammers chipping away at the concrete behind the café made her head throb. The muscles in her shoulders had tensed when she tried to concentrate on the report she’d read several times and still didn’t understand.
Where's a pair of earplugs when you need them
?
Overnight, her quiet Zen-like place had turned into her own personal hell, and they didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. She wished they were already done; not only did the awful noise cut her work production in half, it nixed her ability to slide out the back door undetected.
The café brimmed with people of all ages tonight. The earthy décor and dimmed lights added to the quiet ambiance, a place to relax and unwind. The Starlight Café was her baby. Her only dream that had come true. There was no way she’d make it to the front door without being stopped. She never could. It wasn’t her staff that stopped her; they were competent enough to run the café. It was her patrons that seemed to crave her attention.
The little town of Southall, North Carolina seemed to have a magnetic pull against the residents, not letting anyone escape from its grips. Those that grew up here stayed while any new visitors always seemed to leave. Emma had spent her thirty-five plus years growing up in this town and getting to know most of the people in it. Like most small towns, it thrived on juicy gossip. It was only a matter of time before the gossip mill got wind of her and Ben’s fiasco.
Gone were the quiet days when she’d greeted her customers with a smile and friendly hello. Her life seemed more hectic than before, a price she gladly paid for ultimately fulfilling her dream of opening the café. The support from the town and her inheritance had made her dream become a reality. The hefty sum of money had done the job, allowing her to put all of her focus into the café and live comfortably off the rest. After the death of their parents, the same community had opened their arms to the Bennett children and embraced each one in their own way.
Some of her other dreams would always be out of reach no matter how many countless stars in the night sky she wished on or how much she had in her bank account. Money wasn’t going to buy her the one thing she craved the most. True love.
It’s going to be a busy night.
With her head down and hand stuck in her bag, digging for her elusive car keys, Emma bounced off of what felt like a solid brick wall. She shifted her weight and regained her footing before she ended on her butt. The contents of her purse, however, weren’t as lucky. Everything scattered across the floor at her feet.
Crap
. She let out a long exhale and shook her head as she squatted to pick up her things, pausing at the sight of some huge, dusty brown hiking boots.
Her gaze traveled up the mountain of a man, to find muscular thighs encased in blue jeans that hung loose on his hips. A dark-blue t-shirt displaying the words
Tactical Maneuvers
outlined his broad chest and muscular arms.
“Yeah, right,” she whispered.
If he possessed any tactical maneuvers, he could have at least gotten out of the way
. Her upward glance stopped on his handsome face, unfamiliar but damned sexy. With high cheekbones, stubborn jaw, and firm sensual lips that begged to be kissed, this guy had it all, the complete package set off by his striking blue eyes. The color reminded her of the ocean.
Christmas had come early. He would look scrumptious under her tree in nothing but an oversized red bow. Emma settled her gaze on his handsome face. She could feel the heat traveling to her cheeks. She cleared her throat and was glad he hadn’t heard her comment. It wasn’t this stranger’s fault. No, this gorgeous man could delay her any day of the week, and she wouldn’t complain. “I’m so sorry.”
The man chuckled; his lips tilted in a bemused smile as he leaned over and offered her a hand. “No worries, angel. You didn’t hurt me.”
Aw hell, even his deep voice oozed of sex
. Heat crept into Emma’s cheeks as she stood. “I’m late for a meeting and wasn’t paying attention. It was all my fault. Sorry about that.” She walked to an empty table and placed her purse on it, shoving her things inside. His fingers brushed hers as he handed her the lipstick that had rolled by his large brown boots. The light touch sent tingles up her arm, causing an instant shiver to course through her body. She inhaled; his earthy fragrance tickled her nose.
Yep, just what I thought… He’s all man, one-hundred percent prime grade A beef. No need for fries or condiments. He’s all the meal a woman would want.
“It was just an accident. Really, I’m fine.”
“Have a seat,” she said, motioning to one of her staff. “Mister . . .” She bit her bottom lip and raised an eyebrow awaiting his reply. His dimples almost melted her on the spot.
“Jake.”
Emma turned and spoke to her server. “Helen, Jake’s meals are on the house, for him and his guest.” She scanned the dining room, trying to figure out which beautiful woman might be with the stranger tonight. The gazes of several attractive women traveled the length of his body, the women smiling at what they saw. She hadn’t been the only one affected by his handsome, rugged good looks. So which one would it be? The blonde walking in their direction or the redhead coming through the door? Obviously, all he had to do was take his pick.
Jake cleared his throat, drawing her attention from the women’s blatant perusal of their new prey. “Party of one…unless you’d care to join me?”
Emma’s heart skipped a beat.
What I wouldn’t give to blow off my sister and spend the night getting to know this man, even if only for one night
. Just as quick as the thought entered her mind, she knew she was kidding herself. Nope, a relationship would never work. The reason appeared beside her, confirming her rationale.
What a shame
.
Momma Mae held her arms crossed over her chest and tapped her white nurse-looking shoes against the mauve carpet.
“Focus, Emma. You need to go meet Abby,” the ghost said, vanishing just as quickly as she appeared.
Emma sighed and sagged against the table, reclaiming her composure; she pushed her shoulders back and stood. “I’m sorry; I can’t, but please enjoy your dinner.”
She threw the purse strap over her shoulder as she made her way to the door. She could feel his gaze on her, and taking a chance, she glanced back once more at the sexy man. Just what she’d thought; he was watching her walk away. His attention traveled up from her backside to her face, and Emma couldn’t help herself. She grinned and winked. He was one more thing to add to her list of regrets, although images of him would star in her dreams for several nights to come.