Laure Donavan 2 - Ghouls Night Out (13 page)

“
May I help you?” I asked
as he drew near.

Okay, that sounded way too formal.
This was an awkward situation because I didn’t know what to say. I
should just come out and tell him I was suspicious of him…that I
wanted to know why he had come to town. He was trying to be
friendly, but was it sincere?

“
I think I’ll toss a book
at his head,” Anthony said.

Oh no. I glanced over in Anthony’s
direction as nonchalantly as possible, but there was no way to tell
him to knock it off. The last set of ghosts had gotten a kick out
of tossing books at Brianna. I didn’t need a repeat of that
situation.

“
Do you greet all your
customers with a frown? If so, I have to tell you, it’s not good
for business.” He gave an impish grin.

Oh no, I hadn’t realized I’d been
frowning. I was losing my touch at being able to keep my ghostly
world and living world separate.

“
Sorry about that. I have a
bit of a headache and guess I didn’t realize.” I rubbed my temples
for emphasis.

“
Aw.” He nodded. “Well, I
certainly hope you feel better soon.” He leaned against the counter
and flashed his thousand-watt smile at me.

“
I wouldn’t push him out of
my bed for eating crackers,” Mae said.

I looked down to keep from
laughing.

“
So, um…” I shuffled a few
papers. “What can I do for you today?”

“
Just thought I’d do the
neighborly thing and stop by to say hi.”

“
No way. He’s lying. He’s
up to something. I wouldn’t trust him further than you can throw
him. And judging by the size of your arms, that’s not far.” Anthony
hovered near Cooper.

Oh, if only I could get my hands
around a ghostly neck. They always had quips like that when they
knew I couldn’t respond.

“
Since we’re neighbors
now…bridge the gap that Brianna made, and all that. I know you
can’t trust me overnight, but I hope with time you
will.”

“
Don’t trust the guy.” Seth
moved closer.

If I listened to the ghosts, I’d never
trust anyone. They had told me not to trust my own mother when she
had called, until they figured out who she was.

“
Well, that’s very nice of
you. Thank you.” I waited to hear the real reason for his
visit.

“
As I said before, I’m very
sorry for my cousin’s actions.”

“
Don’t worry about it. I’d
rather put it behind me, we don’t even have to discuss it.” The
faster I got him out of there the better off I’d be.

He leaned in closer to me. “Listen,
about what I said the other night.” He focused his gaze on me. “The
demon stuff…I was serious. I’m not trying to be a smart ass. I’ve,
um, done some reading on the subject and it can be very serious.
Mindy was telling me a little about what you do.” He looked over
his shoulder as if he saw someone. No way did he know Anthony was
making faces behind his back. “Well…I know there can be certain
situations where these demons attach themselves to
people.”

Did he think he was talking to a
novice?

“
Tell him to take a hike,
Larue,” Anthony fumed.

“
Is it true what he says?”
Seth asked with a concerned look on his face.

“
I’ll keep that in mind,
Cooper. And I’m glad you’re concerned, but I’ve been doing this for
a while now and I take precautions.”

“
Do you?” He raised a
brow.

What did he mean by that? “Of
course.”

“
I’d hate for you to have
something attached to you that got a hold of Mindy. That wouldn’t
be very fair now, would it?”

I didn’t like where he was going with
this conversation. If anything had gotten a hold of Mindy, it was
him. I wanted to confront Cooper about his newly formed friendship
with Mindy, but he’d only deny any ulterior motive.

“
I would never put my
friend in harm’s way.” I glared at him.

“
I didn’t say you would on
purpose, but these things happen. I just want you to be careful.
For yourself too, of course.”

Yeah, of course. Since when did he
become an expert? Unless he was an authority on the subject, I
didn’t want to hear about it. And watching Casper the Friendly
Ghost or Scooby Doo didn’t make him an expert in the
field.

He continued, “I have a book on the
subject if you’d like to take a look at it.”

“
Okay, this guy might be
good-looking, but he’s even getting on my nerves,” Mae
said.

“
As a matter of fact, I
would like to see it, thank you.” I met his gaze.

I wanted to find out what this guy had
been reading that made him such an expert. What kind of mumbo jumbo
ideas had this book put in his head?

“
Sure, no problem. I’ll
swing by with it later. I hope you don’t mind that I said
something. I usually mind my own business, but I like Mindy, and
you too, of course. I don’t want anything bad to happen to
her.”

This guy was making me feel uneasy.
Like I said, I never took Mindy on investigations and there would
be no reason for a demon to attach itself to her. Why would I worry
about something like that ever happening?

He tapped the counter with his hand.
“Okay, thanks for taking the time to talk with me, and make sure to
stop by and say hi sometime. I’ll bring that book by
later.”

I nodded. “Yeah, okay, thanks. I’ll
see you later.” I forced a smile through gritted teeth as he turned
and walked toward the door.

Yeah, I didn’t like that guy one bit.
He needed to mind his own business as far as demons were
concerned.

I finished my paperwork for the
morning, then stacked new books on the shelves. All the while, Seth
and Anthony bickered, and Mae complained of a headache. I was
pretty sure ghosts couldn’t get headaches; she was just being
dramatic.

I hated the way I felt when my books
were out of order. Something about my world wasn't right when
titles littered the space all willy-nilly. When the men finally
finished with their arguing, they popped up next to me at the
register. I hated when the ghosts did that—and they all did
it.

“
Oh, for heaven’s sake.” I
clutched my hand to my chest. “Would you guys please not do that?
It's kind of scary, you know?”

“
Sorry,” Seth said. “But
this young man here needs to go, Larue. I'm an old man. I can't
spend my days arguing with this fellow.”

“
Please.” Anthony pointed
at Seth. “I'm not going anywhere. Not when I've found the love of
my life. Too bad I found her when I was dead. Doesn't that beat
all?” He rested his elbows on the counter, then propped his chin in
the palms of his hands.

“
Yes, what a pity.” Seth
rolled his eyes and I covered my mouth to stifle a
laugh.

Chapter Twenty

“
Please stop fighting,
guys. And Anthony, I am not the love of your life. I don't think
I'm the love of anyone’s life, for that matter.”

“
What do you mean? What
about Callahan? I think the two of you are soul mates.”

“
That's sweet of you,
Seth.”

Anthony snorted.

“
We’ll see, I suppose. Who
knows what the future holds?” I moved around the front of the
counter. Now, if you’ll excuse me, guys, I have to get some
paperwork from the office in back.”

Anthony followed along closely,
keeping pace with my stride. “Let me help you. I can carry the
papers for you.”

“
I think I'm all right to
carry a few papers.”

He smiled when I cast a glance his
way. How was I going to get rid of this guy? He was persistent,
that's for sure. I grabbed the papers from the desk in the office
and Anthony moved along next to me yet again.

“
Won't you get rid of that
Callahan guy? He's a real pill, in my opinion.”

“
Well, I don't remember
asking your opinion, now did I? Like I said, Callahan is a great
guy. I won't do anything to hurt him on purpose.” I moved past him
and out of the office.

Anthony gave me a look that would have
made any girl melt. Well, if he were alive, she would have melted.
If a girl saw him now, she'd probably scream her head off. Anyway,
his deep brown eyes rimmed with long lashes would make even
Grandma’s legs turn to overcooked spaghetti. His eyes were almost
hypnotizing. He must have had a way with the ladies back in the
day.

“
You are more than
beautiful on the outside.” He fell into step beside me. “Do you
understand that?”

“
Understand what? Yes,
you're saying you think I'm beautiful on the outside and inside. I
appreciate the compliment but, Anthony, I think you’re just
confused. I’m the only girl you’ve been around for a long time. Of
course, you think these things about me.”

“
Can you give me a chance?”
he asked.

Typical man…in one ear, and out the
other. Why did Anthony seem as if he were starved for
attention?

“
Listen, Anthony, I don't
think it's possible. Sorry. You know I can't, and you know
why.”

He did realize he was dead, right? He
had said he did, but...if not, I had a much more serious problem
than I could ever imagine.

“
I know you think you want
me, but it's just a crush. Trust me. I have work to do and I have
to go.”

“
Just a kiss.” He stepped
in front of me.

“
I can't kiss you, even if
I wanted to, I can't. First, I’m interested in Callahan, and then
there is the little fact that you’re dead.”

“
Details.
Details.”

“
It’s kind of an important
detail in the romance department, don’t you think?”

“
Don’t you think I’m sexy?”
The puppy dog eyes look wouldn’t work with me.

“
You’re very good-looking.
I find you very attractive.” For a dead guy.

“
Would you date me if I
were alive? Just one date? I really know how to show a girl a good
time.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

“
Yes, one date. I’m sure
you really know how to show a girl a good time.”

A thump rang out in the front of the
store and I realized I’d left the place unattended. Anthony had
taken up several minutes with his flirting. Not a smart thing to do
right after I'd just been robbed. What was I thinking? I darted to
my right and moved around Anthony’s ethereal form.

Maybe it was a customer? Or maybe the
burglar had returned to take the rest of my cash. As I made my way
toward the front area, I spotted Callahan as he stormed out the
door. I glanced over at the counter. He'd left a bag and a tall cup
of coffee.

Oh crap. He’d called and said he’d
bring over coffee. How could I have forgotten he’d be here? Anthony
was too much of a distraction. Had Callahan overheard my
conversation with Anthony? I was willing to bet he'd been
listening. He probably thought a real person was in there with me.
Then I realized he had only heard one side of the conversation and
it had probably sounded as if I’d just agreed to go on a date with
someone else. This was going from bad to worse, quick. Just like
when he heard me in the ladies’ room.

Anthony was nothing but
trouble—trouble for my relationship with Callahan. Just when I
thought it would work out and I’d have someone special in my life.
I'd struggled to find Callahan, now that was in jeopardy because of
a lovesick ghost. He was woman crazy. I needed to find him a female
ghost love interest pronto, or make him cross over. I didn't care
which, as long as one of the two happened soon.

What could I do? My legs didn’t move.
I was frozen on the spot. I wanted to chase after Callahan, but
something stopped me. I wanted to explain everything, but I didn't
think he would believe me. Was now the time to tell him I talked to
ghosts? Not yet, but I hoped soon. I wasn’t sure I was prepared for
the outcome if Callahan didn’t accept my supernatural
talent.

Seth popped up. Where had he been when
I needed him?

“
He's really upset, Larue,”
he said.

I sighed. “What can I do? I don't know
what to say to him. Tell him more lies? I can’t do that anymore. I
wish you could talk with him.”

“
I wish I could talk to him
for you, honey, but you know that's not possible. You need to get
rid of that character there before the damage is too far gone and
can't be repaired.” He pointed at Anthony.

“
What you need to do is
sleep with him. Blow his mind away in the sack.” Mae studied her
fingernails without glancing up at any of this.

Seth let out a gasp.

Chapter Twenty-One

“
I think maybe I need some
alone time, y’all? I need my space right now.” I needed some
Larue-needs-to-get-her-head-together time.

Seth nodded. I could count on him to
understand. A sadness ringed his eyes. For once, Anthony nodded in
agreement—no chatter about how beautiful he thought I was, and no
compliments. Any other time, I’d love to hear these things, just
not right now. I could laugh off his antics, but this time he’d
driven a wedge between Callahan and me.