Ghost for Sale (20 page)

“Liam?”

“Yes, Liam.”

“I still don’t understand, why didn’t you tell me? We tell each other everything.” She looked hurt.

“I should have. I’m sorry. I just couldn’t bring myself to share him, even with you.”

“I see.” A little smile played on her face, her gaze perceptive. She looked around. “Is he here now?”

Liam had floated into one of the other chairs. His elbows on the table, he swiveled his head back and forth between the two of us, rapt attention on his features.

I pointed toward him.

“So all the times you were practicing your lines, you were talking to Liam.”

“Yeah.”

Her eyes narrowed. “And the time I got an electric shock from the pool chair?”

“You sat on him.”

“My apologies. It wasn’t very gentlemanly of me.” Liam looked chagrined.

“He apologizes.”

“What about the other test tube?” She pulled a delicate white ceramic sugar bowl toward her and put enough sugar in her tea to make a Northerner wince.

“That gets a bit tricky,” I admitted as she passed me the sugar bowl. I added several heaping teaspoons to my tea and sipped. “The broken test tube held his twin, who escaped en route when the test tube broke.”

“Really?” she breathed.

“Yeah.”

“Was it his sister who threw things around tonight?” She set down the mug and wrapped her hands around it as she kept glancing at the empty chair where Liam sat.

“No. But there’s a connection. Both Liam and his sister were killed on her wedding day. She loved Wil—”

“Don’t say it,” Liam shouted, jumping out of the chair and waving his arms.

“Right.”

“She loved her fiancé so much she refused to move into the light and leave him, so she’s caught in a vortex looking for him.”

“Oh, the poor thing.” Marcy’s eyes filled with tears. “And Liam?” She sniffed and wiped her eyes.

I tipped my cup. The caramel-colored liquid swirled in circles round and around. Finally, I said, “He wouldn’t leave her behind.”

Her eyes widened. “That’s truly heroic.”

“One of the most heroic things I’ve ever heard,” I agreed.

“Cut that stuff out, you’re embarrassing me,” my ghost grumbled. His face glowed bright red.

“We’re embarrassing him.”

“Really?” She looked at the empty chair, then back at me. “So you can see and hear him?”

“Yeah.”

“I’d love to see what he looks like.” Marcy rested her chin in her hand, her voice wistful.

“Be right back.” I hopped up. My heart expanded and warmth flooded me. Finally, something about Liam I could share with Marcy. “Where did I leave my purse…. Oh yeah.” It was at the other end of the table near Liam. Duh
.

“Would you toss me my purse?” I was showing off, but I couldn’t help it.

He grinned at me and slid it across the table. Maybe he was showing off a bit too.

Marcy’s jaw dropped. “I’m not sure I can get used to this.”

“You will. Trust me.” I dug out my phone, punched up the picture of Liam with his horse, and handed it to her. I couldn’t wait to see her reaction.

“This is Liam?” She blinked, then stared.

“Yes.”

“What a hottie.” She glanced at the empty chair. “Liam, you’re worth every penny of the three thousand I paid for you.”

I burst into laughter and couldn’t stop. My stomach hurt I laughed so much. Leave it to Marcy. Liam’s chair, which he’d balanced on two legs, came down with a thump. After one startled moment, Liam laughed too.

While I regained control, Marcy reached for her tea and sipped it thoughtfully. “I need chocolate.” Her chair scraped against the floor as she pushed it back. “What happened to Liam’s twin’s fiancé? By the way, what’s her name?” She rummaged in the pantry, pulled out a couple of Swiss chocolate bars, and tossed me one.

“Her name’s Anna. And her fiancé is like Liam. He won’t cross over without her, either.” I spoke thickly around a mouthful of chocolate.

“So what’s keeping them apart?”

“Ezra Ames,” Liam and I said in unison.

“I never saw that one coming.” Liam leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.

“I did,” I said smugly. “In the church picture, he was looking at Anna the way she was looking at Wil—”

“Don’t say it,” Liam interrupted.

“Can’t link their names or Ezra goes on a tear,” I told Marcy, who looked understandably lost. I’d finished the chocolate bar in record time so I yanked a daisy out of the fresh flowers that sat on the kitchen table and began to pluck at the petals.

Marcy got up, trotted to the cabinet, and threw me another candy bar. “Don’t decapitate the poor flowers.”

“Sorry.” I ripped open the wrapper and crammed a large piece in my mouth.

“This is unbelievable. You should write a book.”

I choked, then swallowed. “Thinking seriously about it.”

“What happens now?” Marcy’d grabbed another chocolate bar for herself as well. She sat down and began to unwrap it.

“Now that we know who it is, we’ve got to convince him to let Anna and her fiancé reunite. I’m just not sure how to approach it without him destroying the house.” A chocolate smear was on my blouse. I scraped at it with my nails, but it didn’t come off.

Marcy chewed on her chocolate and stared into space. “The Ouija Board almost worked. But we need something stronger when trying to contact the spirits. We’ll hold a séance.”

I spent the night and the next day trying to think of a good excuse not to have it. I didn’t want to lose Liam. It was small and selfish of me, but there it was. Unfortunately, it didn’t matter. We had to do this. If I truly loved Liam, I’d let him go. And Anna and her beloved William had been apart too long.

The doorbell rang as we prepped for the séance.

“Who could that be?” Marcy asked.

“I forgot to tell you Patrick picked up a couple movies and a pizza. Why don’t you stick around and join us?”

“Three’s a crowd.” She waved her hand airily.

“Then stay and we’ll have a foursome,” I said dryly and headed for the door.

Marcy giggled. “Okay with you?” she asked the air.

“The more the merrier,” Liam replied, floating with me to the door.

“He’d love for you to stay,” I responded. I’d gone from talking to a ghost to acting as interpreter for his and Marcy’s conversations. They were getting along like a house on fire.

I opened the door. Patrick balanced a large pizza box in one hand and held movies in the other. He wore jeans with a hole in the knee and a faded gray T-shirt.

“Come in.”

As he entered, the smell of sauce and herbs mingled with soap and clean cotton.

“Hi there.” He looked me over and smiled appreciatively. “You look great. But then you always do.”

“Thanks.” I wore a pair of jean shorts, a plain white silk tee with a scooped neck, and black thong sandals with white bows.

“He’s right, lass, you look…”

“A fair treat,” I mouthed under my breath.

“I was going to say fair beautiful, but fair treat works.”

We smiled at each other.

Patrick gave me a puzzled look. I came back to reality with a thump and headed for the living room. Marcy came out of the kitchen carrying a tray loaded with cans of soda, mauve and white striped paper plates, and matching napkins and cups filled with ice, the paper the same color as Marcy’s mauve tee.

“Nice accessorizing.”

“Thank you.”

“Marcy’s joining us,” I told Patrick as I placed the warm cardboard box on the coffee table.

“Perfect, I’ll get to spend the evening with two lovely ladies.” He smiled at Marcy, a friendly smile that held no intimacy, before he turned and looked at me. His eyes lit up and guilt seized me. Patrick was a good man. I didn’t want to hurt him. And right now the only man I wanted in my life was my ghost. I had a sinking feeling that wasn’t going to change, even when he left me.

“Hey, Cat, you okay?” Patrick tapped my elbow.

“Oh, yeah.” I shifted toward him.

“Sometimes you just go away. You’re with me one minute and the next, it’s like you’re someplace else.”

That brought me back. “Just spacing. Underneath the black is pure blonde.” I pointed at my head and laughed.

“No. You’re a very intelligent woman. I’m not sure why you’d want to hide it.” He didn’t smile, just studied me. Frown lines wrinkled his brow.

Marce glanced at Patrick, then me. “Let’s eat this while it’s hot.” Steam rose in a warm, sensuous tide of mouthwatering scents.

Thank you, Marcy
.

“Patrick, plug in a movie,” she ordered.

“I brought a chick flick and a comedy. Which do you want to see first?”

“You brought a chick flick?” Marce and I asked in unison.

“Trying to score points.” He grinned.

“Chick flick?” Liam asked, puzzled.

I cleared my throat. “Picking up a movie aimed for a female audience definitely gets you points.”

“Oh, I see.” Liam nodded. “Smart move.”

I did a mental eye roll. Guys.

As the previews rolled, we settled on the couch. Liam stretched out about a foot above the back of it, his legs crossed, his chin resting in his palm. He’d tossed his jacket over the chair.

The background music of the movie nearly drowned out the doorbell.

Marcy and I looked at each other. I shook my head and hunched my shoulders.

“I’ll get it.” Pizza in hand, she pushed up from the couch.

Liam floated after her. In a few moments, he drifted back, a scowl on his face. “You really need to get rid of that one,” he said, clueing me in to our visitor’s identity.

“Look who dropped by,” Marcy said in a cheery voice, a bright smile plastered on her face.

“Hello, Clayton,” I said with a notable lack of enthusiasm.

Clayton’s gaze swept our cozy little tableau. “Caitlin,” he said, his manner stiff.

I stood up, Patrick rose, and I made the introductions. The men clasped hands and studied each other. Clayton grimaced and flexed his fingers as he pulled his hand back. “Caitlin, can I talk to you a moment?”

“Sure.” I headed for the kitchen.

“Is that the boyfriend?” Patrick asked. I didn’t hear Marcy’s reply.

When we got to the kitchen, Clayton snapped out, “Who is that?”

I hadn’t noticed that Liam had come with us. I shouldn’t have been surprised. He circled Clayton. “I don’t like his tone.”

“I don’t either.” My back straightened and my body stiffened.

“Excuse me?” Clayton arched an eyebrow.

“I said it’s none of your business.”

“No, you didn’t. You said ‘I don’t either.’” Confusion had replaced stiffness.

“What do you want?”

“I hadn’t seen you in a while so I thought I’d stop by and say hello. Are you dating that guy?” His jaw jutted, he leaned forward.

“And if I am? We’re not an item, Clayton, remember? You see other people. Well I’m seeing someone else, too.”

“You’re trying to make me jealous, aren’t you? Well it worked, darling.” He reached for me.

I stepped back.

“What a pompous ass.” Liam’s features were sharp and defined. Electricity crackled off him. He rolled his fingers against his palms, a look of anticipation on his handsome features.

Uh-oh.

“No, I’m not trying to make you jealous.”

The pompous ass dropped his arms, but his expression remained confident. My ghost was bouncing up and down on his toes, the light of battle in his eyes. Unease tightened my tummy.

“Is it because I haven’t been around in a while?”

I’d never noticed quite how conceited Clayton was. I’d never been interested enough to find out. “No. It’s because I like Patrick. He’s nice and he’s fun.”

“Come on, he’s not one of us.”

“Not…one of us?”

He continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “Well, slum all you want now, but once we’re engaged that will have to come to a halt.”

“Engaged,” I shrieked. “Are you delusional?”

“Oh, come now. You must know it’s what your uncle wants.”

“If you think marrying me will cement your banking career with my uncle, you are sadly mistaken. And if it’s your job you’re so concerned about, why didn’t you go after Marcy?”

His eyes shifted.

“You did, didn’t you? When?”

“It was a long time ago.”

Great. Another of Marcy’s castoffs.
Why hadn’t she told me?

“You need to leave.”

“I understand you’re upset.”

“Now.” I gritted my teeth and jammed my fists in my pockets, forcing myself to stay calm. Momma would be appalled if I hit him.

“You heard the lady.” Liam took Clayton by the collar and hauled him through the house toward the front room.

I hopped in front of them, raced for the door, and threw it open.

Patrick and Marcy came to their feet as Clayton went stumbling by, his arms flailing, yelling, “What’s going on? What’s going on?”

Eyes wide, Marcy put her hand over her mouth.

Patrick started forward, but he wasn’t quick enough.

“Goodnight, Clayton.” I shut the door on him and leaned against it.

“I’d had all of that sanctimonious horse’s arse I could take.” Liam glared at me, his arms crossed.

I bit my lips together. My shoulders shook as I began to giggle. The giggles escalated until tears ran down my cheeks. Then, I stopped laughing but the tears continued. Thick and hot, they dripped down my face.

“Caitlin.” That was all Patrick said. He took me in his arms and held me. Liam watched, his expression unbearably sad.

“What did the bastard say to upset you?” Patrick murmured.

I shook my head, grateful he refrained from asking why the bastard left flapping his arms.

“Perhaps, I should go teach preppie some manners.”

“Take a number.” I began to giggle again. Patrick’s arms tightened. Once I got myself under control, I stepped back and sniffed loudly. Marcy handed me a tissue.

“Are you okay?” Patrick asked.

“Yes.” I sniffled.

“I should go home.”

“I’m sorry, Patrick. But it might be best. I’d be pretty lousy company.”

“No problem. I’ll give you a call.” He leaned forward and gave me a chaste kiss on the forehead.

My nerves tightened as apprehension filled me. Liam’s gaze shifted away from mine. This time there had been no electrical surge when Patrick touched me.