Laure Donavan 2 - Ghouls Night Out (4 page)

A country song played softly in the
background. The hostess directed us toward a spot in the back,
which gave the locals ample time to check us out. Given the
opportunity, they’d probably ask us twenty questions. Where were we
from? What did our mama and daddy do? That kind of thing. They
really would be in for a shock if they saw the line of ghosts
following us. Why my ghoul friends couldn’t at least wait in the
car was beyond me. I knew they wouldn’t leave me alone.

Callahan pulled out my
chair.

“
Thank you,” I
said.

“
What a true gentleman.”
Mae beamed. “And a handsome, strappin’ man, too.”

I was so happy to know my new ghostly
friend approved of my date.

The waitress hurried over. Her blonde
hair was thin and fell like strings around her head. She wore black
pants with a plain white button blouse.

“
What’ll I get ya?” she
asked.

She’d given us little time to make a
decision, so I selected the first thing I saw. “I’ll take the
cheeseburger and fries. And I’ll have Diet Coke.” Like I said, no
salad tonight.

“
I’ll have the same,”
Callahan said when the waitress looked at him.

When she walked away, I said, “I’m
sorry for turning our date into some kind of adventure out of a
Scooby Doo cartoon.”

He took a sip of water, then said,
“Hey, it was fun, so please don’t worry about it. Definitely a
unique date. You’re one in a million.” He reached across the table
and placed his hand on top of mine.

I felt heat rise to my cheeks. But
relishing in the delight of my date wasn’t meant to be. The ghostly
gang stood beside our table, drawing my attention away from
Callahan. They looked like three waiters ready to take our order,
only no one saw them but me.

They’d come from the kitchen area. No
telling what kind of trouble they’d stirred up back there. When
Callahan glanced down at his glass, I flashed a stern glare at them
and motioned with a tilt of my head toward the restroom. A ghostly
gathering in the girl’s room was in order, or was that ghoul’s
room? I’d get to the bottom of this situation, once and for
all.

Chapter Six

The faster I got rid of them, the
better off I’d be. Keeping my date waiting wasn’t an option.
Callahan looked so good. With his mouth pressed against the edge of
his water glass, the cool touch from his full lips as he delivered
soft kisses across my skin seemed almost real—okay, I was
daydreaming, but it was all I could get at that moment. The dim
light hanging above the table cast a glow across Callahan’s face,
making his eyes sparkle in the light. As much as I wanted to stay
there and stare at his gorgeous face, I had to attend to business.
Get rid of the ghosts, then come back to my sexy-as-hell
date.

“
If you’ll excuse me for
just a moment, Callahan, I’m going to the ladies’ room.” I stood,
gesturing over my shoulder.

“
Of course.” Callahan
jumped from his seat as I moved away from the table. He smiled,
displaying his perfect teeth and adorable dimples. He had no idea
how crazy my life really was. If he thought ghost hunting was
exciting, would he think the same about talking to
spirits?

I headed toward the hallway where I’d
spotted the ladies’ room on our way in. When I thought no one was
watching me, I glanced over my shoulder. Seth, Mae, and Anthony
followed in a line like a row of ducklings behind their mama.
Thankfully, they’d gotten the message about our little
meeting.

When I stepped into the restroom, my
ducklings greeted me. One advantage in being a ghost: the use of
doors was optional. That had to be the only perk, well, other than
the biggie: spying on people without their knowledge.

I may have been the only living person
in the tiny space, but it was cramped with my spirit friends. I
hoped no one else needed to use the facilities.

After checking under the stall, I
said, “I thought you were leaving. Following me in the car, and
then to dinner is not what you agreed to do.”

“
You’re beautiful when
you’re angry.” Anthony leaned against the counter.

“
He’s got a little crush on
you,” Mae said.

Seth scowled.

“
Stop it, Anthony. I don’t
want to hear how beautiful you think I am. No matter how flattering
it may be, I want you to leave me alone. You’re dead and I’m alive.
No offense, but I think you’d like any woman who was
alive.”

Mae smiled and said, “We have nothing
else to do, doll. Besides, now that I’ve seen that hunk of a man
you’re with, I think I’ll stick around.” She wiggled her eyebrows.
“You can’t beat that kind of scenery. This one is gorgeous.” She
pointed at Anthony. “But now with your friend, I have two men to
admire.”

Wonderful. Wouldn’t Callahan be
thrilled to know a ghost had the hots for him, although I couldn’t
say I blamed her. Then again, the ghost with the hots for him was
Mae West. He’d probably find that kind of cool.

“
Ms. West, listen to me.
May I call you Mae?” Ms. West seemed so formal.

She nodded. “Just don’t call me
anything worse.”

“
Oh, of course not.” Maybe
I should stick with Ms. West; she was a little intimidating. “I
know we’ve only just met and, pardon me for saying, but don’t you
realize how many gorgeous men are on the other side? Just think of
all of them. Elvis Presley, James Dean, and what about Cary Grant,
you liked him, right?”

She folded her arms in front of her
ample chest. “I’d rather stay here.” I glanced around the tiny
bathroom. Flowery paper covered the walls—cream with pink
roses.

Nearby was the pedestal sink and
toilet stall. “Yes, a public restroom is just where I’d want to
spend my afterlife,” I said sarcastically.

She scowled, a line forming between
her brows. It was the first time I’d seen that expression from her.
I had a feeling I didn’t want to piss Mae West off.

Anthony chuckled. “You are a feisty
one. I find that extremely sexy.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Larue,
tell me, would you date me if I were alive?”

“
Would I date you?” I
snorted.

“
Oh, come on. If I were
alive? It’s a simple question to answer.”

“
Okay, what do you want to
hear? Yes, I’d love to date you. You are so handsome. I’m crazy
about you.” I rolled my eyes. I’d say almost anything to get him to
shut his trap.

“
Be still my non-beating
heart,” he said while clutching his chest.

“
Oh, for heaven’s sake,
enough with the flirting already. I don’t want to hear how sexy you
think I am. You love women, I get it.” I gave a heavy sigh,
exasperated. Ordinarily I’d enjoy compliments from the opposite
sex, but not when coming from a spirit who I wanted away from me.
Far, far away.

Seth remained quiet, huddling in the
corner. He drank in every word of the conversation. I almost felt
the anger waving off him, like steam spewing out from his pores.
For a moment, we were silent. Tension dangled in the air. We
exchanged glances—all looking from one to the other.

“
I give up.” I threw my
hands up and stormed out the door.

Letting out a deep breath, I tried to
regain my composure before I rounded the corner and Callahan saw
me. When I made my way from the hallway, our table was empty. Our
glasses of water remained on top and his chair was pulled away from
the table. Where had he gone? I scanned the restaurant, but didn’t
see him. I slid back onto my chair, hoping none of the other
patrons noticed me.

No such luck. Every eye in the place
watched me. Obviously, these people didn’t care for strangers. The
waitress plopped our plates down on the table, setting one in front
of me and the other in front of Callahan’s vacant seat.

She brushed a strand of hair behind
her ear that had come loose from her ponytail. “Can I get anything
else for you?”

“
No, I think we’re fine.” I
glanced around. “Have you seen the man who was with me?” I pointed
at the empty chair.

Before she answered, movement out of
the corner of my eye drew my attention away from her. Callahan
emerged from the hallway where the restrooms were located. My
stomach fell. Had he heard my one-sided conversation? Could he hear
from the men’s room? Assuming that’s where he’d been. Of course
he’d been in the men’s room. Where else? Had my voice carry over
from the ladies’ room? Oh please God, let the walls be soundproof.
He’d think I was talking to myself.

Callahan pulled out his chair and sat
without saying a word, a disappointed look on his face. The air
seemed a bit breezy, and this time it wasn’t because a ghost was
hanging around. Was I getting the cold shoulder suddenly? I knew
it. He had heard me and now thought I needed to be measured for a
little white jacket and a butterfly net.

I met his gaze. His expression
remained unreadable. “The burgers look good. Do you need ketchup?”
Acting as if nothing was wrong was my strategy. But would it
work?

Callahan picked the top bun off his
burger. “Sure, ketchup would be great.” He took the bottle and gave
a half-hearted grin. “So um, someone thinks you’re beautiful and
sexy?” He shrugged his shoulders. “I mean, it’s no surprise because
you are. But…I didn’t think you had a boyfriend.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but he
continued.

“
I don’t want to step on
anyone’s toes, and I don’t want to be involved with someone who is
already in a relationship. I mean, I know things started out rocky
for us because of Brianna, but I thought we’d started
over?”

If the ghosts weren’t already dead,
I’d kill them. It was all that James Dean wannabe’s fault. I should
have been more careful and watched what I’d said. The idea of
Callahan overhearing me never crossed my mind, obviously, or I
wouldn’t have said a word to those irksome ghouls. I wasn’t their
babysitter. Why I hadn’t let the ghosts roam around the restaurant,
I wasn’t sure. That’s what I got for wrangling them into the
restroom and trying to help a soul out.

Heck, they may have even gotten so
bored they would have run screaming into the light. But no…I had to
be Miss Fix-it. Always trying to lure the spirits to the other
side. They always made it look so easy in the movies…it
wasn’t.

My mind raced for a reasonable answer.
All the while, Callahan watched me, waiting for a response. I
needed to jab myself with the fork to cause a distraction.
Anything. Something. Someone save me.

Callahan placed his hands on top of
the table, almost in position to help himself stand, no doubt to
walk out on me if I didn’t provide some sort of an answer
soon.

Finally my mouth moved. “It’s not what
you think.”

“
No, then what is it?” His
tone was calm as he pushed his plate away. His gaze fixed on mine
with expectant eyes.

Dinner ruined. I was at a loss for
words. No logical explanation entered my brain. My nickname should
be brainless. I couldn’t let a misunderstanding come between us,
though.

“
I’m in a play,” I blurted
out.

Did they sell duct tape in bulk?
’Cause I needed it. Using it on my mouth was the only way to stop
my stupid responses. In a play? What was I thinking? I didn’t know
the first thing about acting, and not a whole heck of a lot about
plays. What details would I provide? I had none. And surely
Callahan would ask.

“
A play?” He quirked an
eyebrow. “What play? Where?”

See, there you go, he had asked. I
knew he would. There were no plays in Magnolia. Well, other than
the upcoming kindergarten class. Mindy’s niece was in it, I didn’t
think he’d believe that I had a part.

Chapter Seven

My cell phone rang, the theme from
Ghostbusters bouncing off the walls. The room full of locals
glared. I didn’t blame them. I knew how annoying a cell phone in a
public place could be, but at that moment, I was grateful for the
distraction from the topic at hand.

I snatched the phone from the confines
of my purse and flipped it open. I wanted to kiss whoever was on
the other end of the line.

“
Hello,” I whispered. Being
discreet at that point was moot, but I’d make an
attempt.

“
How’s it going?” Mindy
asked.

Why was she calling me when she knew I
was on a date? Probably because she knew my track
record.

“
Not so good.” I avoided
Callahan’s gorgeous stare.

“
What? Is he still acting
weird? I thought the spell was broken?”

“
It is.” I glanced his way.
He probably knew I was talking about him.

Callahan watched me as he popped a
couple of French fries in his mouth. At least he was eating, did
that mean he believed my story? “Listen, I can’t talk right now.” I
turned my head and covered my mouth with my free hand. “I can’t
believe you called me while I am on a date.”

“
I’m your best friend. I’m
allowed.”

“
If you don’t hang up now,
you’ll no longer be my BFF.”