Me and My Ghoulfriends (17 page)

“I knew it! She’s going into
Full Cup
.”

Mindy eyed me and raised her eyebrows.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think the only reason she was going in there was to piss me off.”

Unfortunately, if that were true, it was working.

“I think you’re right.” Mindy flared her nostrils.

We trudged back to the counter. I wanted nothing more than to stomp right into the coffee shop and snatch every short hair out of her head. That wouldn’t solve anything, though. Plus, I’m not a violent person.

“I thought he was smarter than that. Surely he can see through her fake façade.” I stuffed another piece of the candy in my mouth. I probably looked like a chipmunk hoarding nuts, but I didn’t care.

“I wish there was some way to get Brianna out of town. Like maybe the whole town could band together, sign a petition and let her know she’s not welcome here,” Mindy said.

“If only it were that simple. Look, there she goes back.” I pointed.

Mindy groaned.

“Well, apparently the town doesn’t mind her all that much, because they still shop in her store.” I pointed to the people walking single file into
High Fashion
at that very moment.

“You know, I’ve noticed that. Not nearly as many people complain about her as they used to.”

Mindy grabbed her purse and pulled the big black binoculars out.

“Why on earth do you have those binoculars again?”

“So I can see exactly what she’s doing?”

“Why do you care what she’s doing?”

“Because she hurt my best friend, that’s why.”

“It doesn’t matter.” I shrugged. “I mean, clearly Callahan is a jackass. So let them have each other. They’re perfect for each other. He’s not worth my time and energy.”

“It makes me so angry Brianna thinks she can have anything or anyone she wants,” Mindy sneered.

“Well, why do you think she thinks that?” I said.

“It’s because she
does
get everything she wants.”

“Exactly!”

249

             
Me and My Ghoulfriends

Chapter 15

Another gloomy morning; the sky threatened rain as ominous clouds hung in the air. I desperately needed sunshine to help me lift my down-in-the-dumps mood. I was placing books on one of the top shelves when the bell on the door chimed. Mindy waltzed in, looking overly chipper for her, especially that early in the morning. A few stray leaves scuffled in under her feet.

“What are you so happy about? Did you learn a new move on your stripper pole?”

“Funny, very funny. What, are you a comedian now?”

I laughed.

“No, I just thought I would stop by and visit my best friend before I went to work.”

“Right. What do you really want?”

“I told you, nothing. I don’t have doughnuts or coffee, either. Although I brought diet cokes.” Mindy retrieved two cans of soda out of her bottomless-pit purse.

“Thanks,” I said, grabbing the can and popping the lid.

Mindy was standing by the front window, her eyes fixed on something across the street. Which let me know right away she really was up to something.

“What have you done to Brianna?” I tapped my foot. Not that I should really care if she had done something.

“Nothing.” Mindy set her jaw. “Trust me, I’d love to do something, but I’ve done nothing. Zip. Nada. I’m just watching that’s all.” She held up her hands in surrender.

“Uh huh.” I continued my work, and tried not to focus my attention on what Brianna may be doing. I didn’t need the negative energy that inevitably popped up any time I thought of her.

Finally, after a few minutes of silence, I said, “Are you going to stare out that window all morning? What if a customer sees you?”

Mindy sighed and then walked over to me as I sorted through a stack of books. “I’ve been thinking.” She paused.

Oh no, I was about to hear something I undoubtedly wouldn’t like.

“Is that right?” I said without looking up from my work.

“Brianna is up to something. And I’d bet every penny I own that it is not good.”

I slowly raised my head and looked at her. “I’m listening.”

“All right, this is what we know so far.” Mindy took a quick sip of her drink before she continued. “Brianna is weird.”

“Check,” I said.

“Brianna is evil.”

“Check.”

“Brianna has weird candles.”

I paused and raised my eyebrow, giving an I-am-not-sure-that-counts look.

“Check.” I finally continued the game.

“Brianna has some kind of hold on Callahan,”

“Check.”

“Maybe she’s really good in bed,” Mindy added, as she ran her finger over the edge of her can.

“Not what I wanted to hear.” I gave her a disgusted look.

“Sorry about that.” Mindy gave me a pitying look.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.” I took a big gulp of my drink to numb the sting of her words. “It’s suspicious that he’s following her around like a lost puppy dog. What does she have that I don’t?”

“Nothing. Nothing, at all. No wait, I’ll tell you what she has. A nasty attitude, that’s what she has.” Mindy gestured, using the hand with her diet coke dangling in it.

I silently prayed she wouldn’t spill it all over the display of books next to her as I nervously watched it hover.

“Well it doesn’t feel that way right now. Although I guess I do need to stop feeling sorry for myself and get on with my life. I can’t let people disturb me like that.”

“Yes! That’s exactly what you need to do. Forget about them.”

“Although, it is kind of hard to do, when they are parading around town like two love birds in front of me. Earlier today I witnessed them practically making out on the sidewalk. I went to the grocery store last night, and even the cashier was talking about them. ‘Oh they seem so in love,’ she said, all too happily. I wanted to scream. They don’t even know each other. And, the whole town now thinks they’re some perfect couple. A match made in heaven, I suppose.”

Just then, Mrs. Williams came up with a cross expression on her face, which was nothing new, as she always had that scowl.

“When are you going to visit my husband again instead of worrying over your non-existent love life? Quit your whining and help us.” She furrowed her eyebrows.

Wow. That was unexpected—she was yelling at me.

“Mrs. Williams, I tried to visit your husband. It got me absolutely nowhere. He doesn’t want to listen to me. I’d say he must be just about as stubborn as you are.”

Talk about a match made in heaven. They were made for each other.

“You two were perfect for each other.”

She continued staring at me with a huge grimace plastered across her face.

I continued. “He didn’t want to talk to me. There’s not much I can do about that. I can’t force him to listen to me. If I keep harassing him, he will have me arrested. Not to mention tell everyone in town I am some kind of crazy person that talks to dead people. I don’t need that problem in my life right now. Got it?”

For the first time since she’d popped up in my life, I could see hurt in her eyes. I had just hurt a ghost’s feelings. That was becoming a habit with me recently. What a lousy day.

As usual, being a pushover that I am, the guilt got to me and I said, “I’m sorry Mrs. Williams. I didn’t mean to be so harsh. I’m just having a bad week.”

She snubbed me and turned her back, pouting like a small child that hadn’t been given any candy.

Well, so now I had one ghost mad at me, I hope she didn’t start throwing books.

Mrs. Williams’s behavior had been becoming increasingly feisty. When a customer walked in and I spotted Mrs. Williams immediately follow them to the back of the store I knew I was in for trouble. I didn’t know what to do. I was going to have to convince her husband to talk to me, and soon. Before I lost all my customers.

Speaking of customers, one had walked in and I cringed when I saw Mrs. Williams leaning over the young man’s shoulder. She occasionally turned her head to look at me, with a smirk on her face, as if she were daring me. What was she going to do? Suddenly, I knew what her first plan of attack was. She grabbed the young man’s arm and yanked as hard as she could. He jumped, spun around and then looked my way to see if I was the one touching him.

When he spotted me still standing in the same spot at the front of the store, he flashed me a worried glance, but after a few seconds went back to his book. Unfortunately, I couldn’t yell at Mrs. Williams to stop. Having an unruly ghost around was the pits. What I really wanted to do was drag her out of there by her stuffy business suit collar and tell her not to come back until she knew how to behave.

As I watched her, I realized that she hadn’t finished her mission. No, by the look in her eyes, I knew she wouldn’t be finished until my customer was gone. With venom boiling up inside her, she then hastily stomped over and jerked the man’s other arm, this time even harder, knocking the book right out of his hand. Right then, he let out a scream and jumped, almost tumbling backward on his heels.

The customer hurriedly rushed my way, running past Mindy and I, and knocking over a stack of books on his way to the door. He just gave us a frightened look and dashed right out of the store without saying a word. The bell jangled furiously, marking his departure.

“I’m sure he’ll never return,” I said, giving Mindy a frustrated smirk.

“Are you happy now? You scared that poor guy to death,” I scolded Mrs. Williams, wagging my finger at her.

“Well, maybe now you will talk to my Robert.”

“What’s going on?” Mindy asked, looking in the direction that I was talking.

“She is driving me crazy, that’s what’s going on. She wants me to talk to her husband still. And he doesn’t want to talk to me.” I glared at Mrs. Williams.

Mindy nodded; she knew all about Mr. Williams.

Mrs. Williams stretched out her arms and heaved them across the shelf, sending books toppling to the floor with a loud crash.

Mindy gasped at the sight. She looked as if she was ready to run from the store as well. She would probably try to catch up with the poor boy who had just been chased out.

“Fine! I’ll try again! But please, just stop that! Give me a chance to talk to him before you scare the rest of my customers away or make any more messes,” I pleaded.

Over the past few days, I had attempted to talk with Mr. Williams, but he still wouldn’t answer his door. I’d been trying to talk to him, really I had. The man was so distraught, and missing his wife so much, that he was staying behind locked doors, although with her behavior I honestly couldn’t see why.

Nonetheless, I suppose someone had to love her. There was someone for everyone, obviously. I had to think of some way to talk with him fast, before she put me out of business. I knew the young customer might tell others about his weird experience and word would spread like wild fire. In a small town like Magnolia, nothing goes unnoticed for long.

“Anyway, back to Brianna,” Mindy said, spinning around to face the window again. Clearly, she was trying to shake the ghostly incident out of her mind. “Somehow, even though no one in town supposedly likes her, they still shop at her store. Why is that? It’s as if they can’t get enough of her now.”

“I’m not sure what’s going on, but those women want to spend their money. Brianna would have to be caught in bed with their husbands or something to get them not to go to her store. And, even then, I think they would still shop there.”

“I suppose you’re right. But I still don’t understand it,” Mindy said.

Walking closer to Mindy, I stared out the window, my eyes fixed on nothing, really. I was just trying to absorb the events.

“More snooping is needed, you do realize that?” Mindy turned up her soda to get the last drop out of the can.

“I think I’m all snooped out.” I rubbed my temples trying to relieve the tension building in my head.

“Are you sure? We may find some juicy details.”

“I don’t doubt it. I think I may be better off not knowing those details.”

“Fine, suit yourself.” Mindy shrugged. “You may be sorry.”