Laure Donavan 2 - Ghouls Night Out (8 page)

“
They do roll up the
sidewalks at ten on weekdays and eleven on weekends.” Mindy
snorted.

Cooper nodded. “So I’ve noticed. I had
the lights out in there too, so no one knew anyone was in the
boutique. I’m sorry they picked your store. If I’d seen them, I
would have beaten the shit out of them. Brianna never left any cash
in the store. Maybe you shouldn’t either.”

Yeah, thanks for the business
advice.

How had he been appointed legal owner
of her store, anyway? Did Brianna give it to him? They had worked
things out rather quickly. I needed to be nosy and find answers to
all of my questions. But that would have to wait until after my
little cleaning session and Mindy’s date. Date. Was it really a
date? She was already dating someone else. They weren’t that
serious, so maybe she was interested in Cooper. Normally, I’d be
happy for her but, now, not so much.

“
I hope none of the books
were damaged too badly, Larue.” Mindy draped her arm around my
shoulders and squeezed.

“
You and me both. But it
looks as if they were only tossed around. Not defaced or
anything.”

Mindy reached down, picked up a book,
and placed it on the table in front of her.

“
Are you ready, Ms.
Winters?” Cooper looped his arm across her shoulders.

“
I should stay and help
Larue clean up.”

“
No,” I said.

Okay, it sounded as if I didn’t want
her around. And that couldn’t be farther from the truth. But I did
want to be alone with Callahan again. Of course, that wouldn’t
happen with the ghosts hanging around, but a girl could dream.
Plus, I wanted Mindy to have a good time. Honest. Maybe I wasn’t
giving this Cooper character a fair chance.

“
Geesh, you answered
awfully quickly.” She scowled. “If I didn’t know better I’d think
you were trying to get rid of me.”

“
Don’t be silly. Go. Have
fun. Really, I’ll be fine.” I gestured with my hands and gave Mindy
a pleading look. She glanced at Callahan and smiled. We didn’t have
to say the words; the best friend connection talked for us. She
knew I wanted to be alone with him. “Have a good time,” I said, to
reassure her.

Mindy didn’t know about my new ghostly
friends yet. She probably figured I’d picked up at least one or two
new ones somewhere along the way, though. I always did.

“
Okay, but you call me if
you need me.” She wiggled her index finger in my
direction.

“
You know I will.” I
smiled.

She adjusted her purse on her shoulder
and faced Cooper. “You ready?”

“
Sure, darling. Let’s see
what this town has to offer.”

“
Oh, there’s nothing to do
here. It’s boring.” Mindy picked up another book and set it
down.

“
There’s always pole
dancing. That’s not boring,” I said, with a smirk.

Mindy shot daggers at me with her
eyes, then stuck out her tongue. I laughed.

“
There’s only one decent
bar in town…,” Mindy said to Cooper, as she waved over her
shoulder.

“
I’ll be back in a jiffy
with the board to fix the door,” Callahan said.

“
Thank you…” I touched the
cover of a book, not meeting his stare. “Callahan?” He turned to
face me again as I looked up at him. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry our date
was completely ruined.”

He reached out and pulled me toward
him, wrapping his muscular arms around my waist. My skin tingled
with his touch. His scent only increased the sensation when I
caught a whiff.

“
There’ll be other dates.
Plenty of time,” he whispered.

Other dates…doing a happy dance right
there in front of him was probably out of the question.

He leaned down and placed his lips
gently on mine, softly at first with no movement, only a feathery
touch across my lips. Then he parted my lips with his tongue. The
warmth of his mouth and the touch of his tongue sent my heart
pounding. For a moment, I forgot everyone around us. Callahan sure
wasn’t shy. I couldn’t say the same; I felt the heat rise in my
cheeks. I felt eyes on us. Anthony and Mae stared.

“
Aw look, a show before
dinner,” Anthony deadpanned.

Reluctantly, I pulled away. Nothing
like an audience of ghosts to ruin the romance.

Chapter Twelve

An hour later and we were finally
finished. So why did I feel as if things were still not right?
Everything seemed unsettled. Like an itch I couldn’t quite reach.
Trying to straighten out my life was like trying to solve a puzzle
with missing pieces.

I’d stacked up the books, swept up the
glass, and Callahan had repaired the door. I couldn’t help but be
reminded of what had just happened days earlier. Brianna had
attempted many things to get revenge, although the only thing I’d
ever done to make her unhappy was to have Callahan ask me for a
date. Just like something straight out of a high school drama. I’d
thought that was behind us now, but the store being vandalized
brought back all the awful memories.

While straightening up the books, I’d
hoped the spirits would at least stay silent, leaving me alone with
my thoughts. No such luck. After years of dealing with visitors
from the other side, I should have known better. They offered their
advice the entire time I talked with Callahan. “Kiss him,” Mae
said. “No, don’t kiss him,” Anthony shot back. “Invite him back to
your place,” Mae said. “Tell him to get lost,” Anthony said. I felt
like one of those rubber stretch dolls with the long arms being
pulled in opposite directions.

As late as it was and in spite of not
wanting my time with Callahan to end, I needed rest—time to forget
about my problems. Sleep meant freedom from my fears. Just like
Scarlett O’Hara, I’d worry about them tomorrow. I’d definitely be
opening the bookstore late in the morning or, rather, later this
morning. When Callahan and I walked out of Book Nook, Seth, Mae,
and Anthony were already waiting on the sidewalk by his car.
Damn.

“
Do you want to grab
something to eat, or just go home and get some sleep?” Callahan
asked as I locked the door behind us. “I know you must be
exhausted.”

“
I don’t know, what do you
think? I’m not sure I can eat now after what happened.”

“
It’s been one hell of an
evening for you. First the ghost hunting, and now this. Why don’t
you get some rest?”

I leaned against the building and let
out a sigh. “I know I should, but I’m not sure I can rest after all
this. I’m still wired, you know, as if I drank about ten of your
chocolate-covered-cherry lattes.”

“
As much as you love my
lattes, I don’t think you could drink ten.”

“
I love his latte,” Mae
said.

Somehow I don’t think she was really
talking about coffee. How could she keep a straight face when
saying such things? It was all I could do not to burst into a
giggle fit. Thank goodness, Callahan couldn’t hear.

Callahan stared at me. “Besides, it’s
over now. I’m sure nothing like this will happen again. And I doubt
they’ll make a repeat performance. If it was a burglary attempt,
they won’t want to take the chance of getting caught. They don’t
usually hit someplace twice.”

“
This is such a small town,
everyone knows everyone else for the most part. Who would do such a
thing?” I asked.

“
Well, just like everywhere
else, there are a few bad apples who are hell-bent on not living
life on the up and up. Taking things that don’t belong to them is
the way they want to live.”

Callahan stepped closer, reaching out
and touching my cheek with his fingers. He brushed a strand of my
hair back and tucked it behind my ear. Silence lingered, but we
didn’t need words. His gaze focused on my mouth. I looked to his
full lips, staring as he leaned in closer. He tilted his head,
pressed his mouth to mine, and our lips blended. Where his lips
ended and mine started, I had no idea. The most desire I’d ever
experienced rushed through my body at that moment.

“
Let me take you home,” he
whispered.

I nodded as Callahan took my hand and
guided me toward his car.

Callahan had boarded up the door just
as he said he would. I was lucky I had him. But for how long? Would
he stick around with all the craziness of my life? Especially when
he discovered I talked to dead people. And undoubtedly, he would
find out. I couldn’t keep something like that from him for long.
People close to you always find out these types of things. I guess
that’s why I kept most people at arm’s length, never allowing them
too close.

I peered up at the Book Nook sign
dangling above the door as I waited for Callahan to unlock the car.
Seth stood right next to him, as if standing guard. Callahan would
probably like to know his grandfather was here. But now wasn’t the
time to break the news to him. I had too much on my
mind.

My cell phone rang yet again. If it
was more bad news, I didn’t know what I’d do. I climbed in the car
and pulled it from my purse.

“
I feel really bad for not
helping you, but I know you need some alone time with Callahan,”
Mindy said through the other end.

“
No, listen, I’m fine.
Forget about me, it looked as if you wanted some alone time with
Cooper?”

“
What? No way. He’s not my
type.” She snorted.

“
Are you crazy? I think
he’s any woman’s type. Well, in the looks department,
anyway.”

“
Yeah, okay, hey, Cooper’s
coming back, I’ll see you tomorrow.” She hurried her
words.

Callahan climbed behind the
wheel.

“
Do you want to meet me at
Book Nook at eight?” I asked, then smiled at Callahan.

“
What? Are you kidding?”
Her voice raised a few decibels.

“
Mindy, I couldn’t kid
about something so serious.” I snorted.

“
I need my beauty sleep and
it’s one now.”

“
All right, calm down. How
about ten?” I asked.

She let out a deep breath. “I
guess.”

“
How about swinging by for
breakfast on your way?”

Dad’s Bakery blueberry glazed
doughnuts always perked up my spirits. My spirits…not the ones
surrounding me. The bakery was on Mindy’s way, and since she drove
right past…

“
The things I do for you.
Diet Coke, too?”

“
Yes, please,” I said with
a smile in my voice.

“
I’d only do this for you,
you know?”

“
I know. Why do you think I
ask? You’re the best.” I hung up as Callahan turned the
ignition.

He pulled the car away from the curb.
Before we made it out of historic downtown Magnolia, the chatter
had started from the backseat. I glanced in the passenger side
mirror. A huge feather hat blocked the view.

“
I called shotgun,” Mae
said.

How she figured she deserved the right
to ride in the passenger seat, I had no idea. Technically, she was
dead, so maybe she should get special treatment, but it would look
a little odd if I slid onto the backseat. Besides, she was needed
in the backseat. Maybe she’d keep Anthony from being glued to my
side until I could figure out how to get him to cross
over.

As we drove toward my old farmhouse on
the outskirts of town, visions of my battered little store ran
through my mind. I fidgeted in the seat, tapping my finger on the
car door armrest. Books had been toppled onto the floor from
displays and shelves. They had smashed my front door open to gain
access, for heaven’s sake. Obviously, that’s how they’d gained
entry. Shards of glass had littered the floor. Not to mention, five
hundred dollars was missing. How stupid could I be? I shouldn’t
have left the money there. Although, maybe not finding cash would
have angered them further and they would have damaged even more. A
hard lesson indeed.

Callahan’s car hummed along as we
navigated the old country lane. Not one cloud hovered in the night
sky. No lights along the way made for a spooky setting and I
already had the ghosts in the backseat to add to the scene.
Although the full moon did illuminate the dark sky, it was still a
creepy setting.

Anthony leaned forward from the back
seat and nestled his lips close to my ear. So close, in fact, his
breath tickled my skin. Funny how I felt such a thing from a
ghost.

“
You have the most
beautiful eyes,” he whispered. “What color are they?”

I let out a sigh.

“
Are you okay?” Callahan
asked.

I’d never felt a spirit as strong as
Anthony. His presence was almost as if he were alive—a living,
breathing person right next to me. No doubt he had been a
heartbreaker when he was alive.

Mae let out a humph from behind
me.

“
They’re hazel,” I
whispered. Short and to the point, I didn’t want to encourage him.
But I hadn’t meant to speak. All the stress was causing me to slip
up.

“
Did you say something?”
Callahan glanced over at me.