Laure Donavan 2 - Ghouls Night Out (12 page)

“
Thankfully, I just had
paper cups up here. Imagine the mess if these were real cups
instead of paper?”

I picked up packages of lids and cups,
stacking them on the counter while Callahan did the same. So much
for breakfast and coffee this morning, thanks to Cooper and my
ghosts. I thought things would settle down after the mess with
Brianna. Whom was I kidding? Once again, stress overwhelmed my
life.

After everything was up from the
floor, Callahan said, “You go open your store. I'll repair the
shelf and then bring you coffee. And how about a cinnamon roll,
too?”

Had he read my mind or what? “That
sounds perfect. You sure you don't need help, though?”

“
I'm positive. Now scoot.”
He leaned down and planted a soft kiss on my lips, then patted me
on the rear.

That was dangerous territory. I'd have
to drag him to the ground and have my way with him. Damn he was
sexy. Did I say that already? He must have read my mind because he
blushed just a little bit.

I grinned all the way out the door.
With a spring in my step as I walked past the window, he gave a
wink. I liked the playful side of him and I hoped to see more of
it. I didn't even look at Anthony or Seth, they were too busy
arguing anyway. Men. They're the same living or dead.

The smile was wiped off my face when,
as I unlocked the door to Book Nook, I glanced over my shoulder at
the boutique. Mindy and Cooper still sat perched at the counter,
savoring the remnants of the doughnuts that should have been mine.
My doughnuts. I wasn't bitter though, oh no, not me. Anyway, I
would ignore Mindy's temporary insanity and finish my work for the
day.

I couldn't wait until the repairmen
came to replace the glass in the door. The board looked awful. As
if it were a huge billboard that read: Crime takes place in this
store. What person would want to shop in a store that could be
vandalized at any minute?

Chapter Eighteen

After work, I’d trudged home exhausted
by the latest crazy events in my life. I’d just settled down with a
sandwich and a magazine to browse through when a knock rattled the
front door.

“
Who could that be?” I
looked at Seth and he shrugged his shoulders.

I eased over to the door like a
skittish cat ready to run at the slightest sign of danger. After
all the recent chaos, who could blame me? When I peered out the
window, I saw Callahan’s gorgeous face.

When I opened the door, he said, “I
thought maybe we could just talk since we didn’t get much of a
chance on our date last night.”

“
We didn’t, did we? I’m
really sorry about that.”

“
No need to apologize.
After all, I agreed to go with you on the investigation, and you
can’t help the other things that happened.”

Couldn’t I? Maybe if I left this crazy
ghost chasing life behind, things would be more normal. I was just
asking for trouble by going to haunted locations. I should stay far
away from anywhere a ghost may be as possible. It was bad enough
that sometimes they tracked me down. I didn’t need to seek them
out.

Callahan held his picnic basket in one
hand, and a blanket in the other. It was one of those cute picnic
baskets with the red-and-white checked tablecloth stuffed inside. I
had no idea he was so detail-oriented to think of such particulars.
He was really getting use out of that thing. It seemed like forever
since we’d been on a picnic in the park for the summer concert. Had
it really only been two weeks? I looked down at his
hands.

“
I guess you’re wondering
why I’m holding this.” He lifted the basket.

I nodded. “The thought had crossed my
mind.”

“
Oh, come on. Who does this
guy think he is? You’re not falling for this malarkey, are you?”
Anthony stood behind me.

If there was any way to shut Anthony
up permanently, I needed to find it. I would so get him later.
Okay, who was I kidding, I couldn’t get rid of the guy. He refused
to move on.

“
Don’t fall for the nice
guy act. He just wants to get you into bed.”

Okay, that comment was completely
uncalled for…Callahan was a complete gentleman.

“
How about a picnic?” He
gestured with the basket.

“
But it’s dark outside,” I
said.

“
Grab your jacket and we’ll
go right outside on your lawn and have a night picnic.” He motioned
over his shoulder. “The weather is so nice for this time of year, I
figured we should take advantage of it.”

This was about the most romantic thing
anyone had ever done for me. Scratch that. It was the most romantic
thing. I guess it wouldn’t take much to make it to the top of that
list, though. Considering most of my previous dates thought it
romantic to make out in the Dairy Queen parking lot after sharing
an Oreo Blizzard. I’d been offered that ever-so enticing option by
a former date. I had turned down the offer. He seemed offended…go
figure.

“
A night picnic?” I asked,
still amazed at this man standing on my front porch.

The outside light cast a faint glow
over his strong features. But as his smile widened, I saw past
those good looks and into the spirit of Callahan. He was truly
unlike any man I’d ever met. My stomach flipped at the thought.
Giddy is what my grandmother called it. He made me positively
giddy. I’d never felt that before.

“
Let me get my jacket,” I
said, bouncing back through the door and down the
hallway.

Anthony followed along beside me.
“You’re not falling for this lame attempt at romance, are you? I
didn’t think you were that big of a sucker.”

“
Buzz off, you pesky
ghost.” I swatted at him.

“
Oh, so this is how it’s
going to be? As soon as he shows up, I don’t exist.”

“
Look, Anthony, in most
people’s world you don’t exist, so you’re just going to have to
deal with it.” I grabbed my jacket as Anthony stood there silent,
obviously contemplating my words.

Thank heavens for small miracles. I
think that was the first time he’d shut his trap since I met
him.

“
Fine,” he said, from over
my shoulder as I made my way back to the door.

I knew it was too good to last. He
couldn’t not talk; he must have the last word.

“
Why can’t you be more like
Callahan?” I asked.

“
I’ve had it with that
guy,” Anthony fumed.

I slammed the door in his face before
I heard something else that he’d regret.

Callahan spread the blanket across the
lawn near a tree in the front yard.

“
I figured since our date
was cut short last time we tried a picnic, we should have a
do-over,” he said.

“
I like the way you
think.”

I smiled and he laughed.

The stars twinkled above as I
stretched out on the blanket. Callahan set the basket
down.

“
So what’s in there?” I
peeked inside at the contents.

“
Just a few snacks…cheese,
crackers, and wine.”

“
Sounds perfect.” The
tingly feeling in my stomach was out of control.

“
Crazy last few days, huh?”
Callahan smiled. “I’m glad the spell is gone.”

“
Me too. I’m still trying
to grasp what really happened.”

“
I’m ready to get on with
my life and put that ugly period behind us.” He lifted the cork out
of the bottle.

I sighed and looked away. “Me
too.”

“
Is something wrong?” He
cupped my chin in his hand and tilted my face toward
him.

I nodded. “It’s Mindy. She hasn’t been
acting herself since Cooper came to town.”

“
What do you mean ‘not
acting herself?’”

“
She isn’t really talking
to me. She spends all of her time with him.”

“
Do you think they’re
dating?”

I shook my head. “I didn’t think so,
but I’m not sure what to think. She had been dating someone else. I
just have this sinking feeling in the bottom of my stomach that
something’s wrong.”

“
If there’s anything I can
do to help, you know I will. Please don’t hesitate to ask. I owe
you.” Callahan handed me a glass of wine.

“
You don’t owe me anything.
And I don’t want to hear you say that again. Deal?”

He chuckled. “Deal.”

The bright moon smiled down on us with
approval. Lying there on the grass, looking up at the star-strewn
sky, I felt save in Callahan’s arms. As we watched the glimmering
stars, Callahan and I laughed over stories about high school and
college. He told me more about his parents and brother, and I told
him about my father who’d abandoned us when I was a baby. I had
shared more with him than I’d shared with anyone except for Mindy.
In between sips of wine and nibbles of cheese, we shared passionate
kisses. Callahan’s eyes flashed with desire, a raw sexual
excitement.

His lips whispered over my mouth, then
his tongue slowly found mine. He deepened the kiss as he ran his
fingers through my hair. Callahan’s movements were slow and
deliberate, as if he wanted to savor every moment. He opened his
mouth wider, slow, and sensual. I let out a soft moan when he
nibbled on my bottom lip. I wrapped my arms around his waist. He
tasted sweet like the wine. Callahan nibbled and licked a path down
my neck. My heart hammered against my ribs. I ran my hands across
his chest, and he sucked in a deep breath. Callahan traced the
outline of my arms, stomach, and legs.

“
Are you cold?” he asked
breathlessly.

“
I’m okay.” I snuggled back
against his chest and he wrapped his arm around me as we stared at
the sky. The next thing I knew, it was morning. Birds chirped and
the sun popped up over the horizon.

The whispers of ghostly talking had
woken me.

“
I can’t believe they slept
out here all night,” Anthony whispered.

“
They make the sweetest
couple,” Seth said.

“
I can’t believe they
didn’t do it,” Mae remarked.

After kissing Callahan goodbye, I
jumped in the shower, still on a lover’s high from my moonlit
picnic with a gorgeous hunk of a man. The soap flew from my hand
when Anthony belted out the lyrics to “Your Cheatin’
Heart.”

“
Get out of here,” I
yelled, pulling the shower curtain close to hide my
body.

Chapter Nineteen

Several days had passed since Cooper
had showed up in Magnolia. Something wasn’t right. I felt it. He
remained close with Mindy, and she remained distant with me.
Anytime I’d called her, she’d come up with different excuses as to
why she couldn’t talk to me. When I drove by her house, she was
never home. Cooper was occupying all of her free time. It was as if
her soul had been kidnapped. Somehow, I didn’t think this was a
coincidence. I needed to find out if something more sinister was
going on, or if I was just being paranoid.

If I didn't know better, I'd say I was
jealous, but I had to remember I'd been spending a lot of time with
Callahan, too. Some might say we were getting hot and heavy…but not
that heavy yet.

All that might change tonight though,
as I'd invited him over for dinner. I'd picked up a sexy red dress
(not from Cooper’s), and I hoped Callahan wouldn't be able to
resist it. Wine, a candlelit dinner, and...a house full of ghosts.
Yes, they were still thorns in my side. The police had no leads on
who had broken into my store, but no other incidents had occurred
in town. At least none that I was aware of.

Karyn had given me a couple of lessons
on becoming the coven leader, but I still wasn’t sure of my answer
on taking the position. I felt as if I was trapped and couldn’t
tell her no. Not to mention I wasn’t sure how well said lessons
were going. No one had written a Coven Leading for Dummies book
yet. Perhaps I could help Karyn out until she found someone more
suitable for the job. We had another lesson scheduled for this
evening before my date. How would I concentrate with thoughts of
Callahan floating around in my head?

When I glanced up, I noticed High
Fashion was closed. Where was Cooper? I didn’t trust him. He was
probably slinking around some corner, just waiting for his chance
to pop out and attack.

The bell above the door
jingled.

“
Well, well, well. I knew
it wouldn’t take long before that cat came slinking around. If he
makes one false move against you, I’ll let him have it.” Anthony
twisted his hands together, mimicking having Cooper’s neck in his
grip.

I didn’t bother responding because I
was too fixated on watching Cooper walk toward me. He had a huge
smile plastered across his face. The only way to describe the
expression was devilish.

“
What is he doing here?”
Seth asked.

Mae popped up beside me. “Will you
look at that body.”

Cooper’s presence sure had stirred up
the ghosts. They were all worked up at the mere sight of the man.
Did they ever think maybe he was just stopping in to buy a book?
After all, we were in a bookstore. But they knew better than that
and so did I. He most definitely wanted something other than a
book. I had to be nice, although I couldn’t help thinking of
Brianna and the trouble she’d caused every time I looked at the
man.