Laure Donavan 2 - Ghouls Night Out (14 page)

I had to make Callahan understand that
I wasn't involved with anyone else, but I had to do it without
telling him the truth. Therein lay the problem. I didn't want to
lose Callahan before the relationship was really off the ground.
After a little more time had passed, I’d tell him the truth. He’d
already overheard the conversation in the bathroom at the
restaurant, and now this. Could it get any worse? My mama always
said if the man I had my eye on didn’t understand, or wasn’t
willing to accept everything I had to offer, well, then screw him.
That was her direct quote.

Without another word, my ghostly gang
vanished. If only I could talk with Mindy, but she seemed too
wrapped up in…well, I wasn’t sure what she was wrapped up in. I
even missed her constant badgering me to make a fool out of myself
on that stripper pole. I wished I had time to pop in and take her
class later. That would surprise her. She’d be forced to give me
some attention. I’d show her that her friendship meant everything
to me. I wouldn’t let some random guy come between us. Or black
magic, or demons, or whatever in the heck was going on with her.
But with my upcoming magic lesson and date, I doubted there’d be
time. I needed more hours in the day.

As for Callahan, my only option was to
march right over there and face him. I'd think of what to say when
I got there. Luckily, for this situation, business was still slow.
Not good for my bank account, but good when it came to mending my
love life. Speaking of my love life, it was in desperate need of
help, or an intervention. Mae would be more than happy to help with
that, no doubt. Her advice was starting to sound pretty darn good
right about now.

I locked the door, and paused before
making my legs move forward. I stopped again to gather my thoughts,
then forced my foot to take another step. Making my way next door,
I grabbed the handle, pushed the rickety door open, and ambled
inside. Once inside the shop, much to my chagrin, I noticed people
were lined up at the counter waiting for their orders. Did everyone
in town have to have coffee at this very moment? Hadn't they ever
heard of instant coffee? Couldn't they pick up a cup of joe from
McDonald's for once?

As I moved closer to the counter,
Callahan looked up from the register, as if he sensed my presence.
As I’d expected, he didn't display his usual dazzling smile, but he
didn't tell me to get the hell out either, so that was a good sign.
Sort of.

If only I could tell everyone to be
quiet, or leave, so I could talk with him. They’d probably have a
few choice words for me if I did. My heart thumped. I shifted from
one foot to the other. The smell of coffee and cinnamon whirled
around me as if I’d been sucked into a mini tornado, overwhelming
my senses. Normally, this would have been a good thing, but not
now. Now it just made my stomach turn.

Callahan looked at me, ran his hands
through his hair, and let out a deep breath, a sure sign of his
frustration. Instead of saying anything, he turned toward the
customers, not looking up at me again.

I stood there like a fool for several
minutes. First, I studied the paintings on the wall. Next, I
rearranged the sugar packets on the table next to me. When another
group of women entered, I realized my conversation with Callahan
would have to wait. I had to get back to work; standing there any
longer wasn’t an option. Callahan glanced up at me. The smallest of
grins may have appeared on his face, but it could have been my
imagination. Heck, maybe he just had indigestion. When he looked
away, I made my way out the door, and headed back to Book
Nook.

Just as I neared my door, Mindy came
out of Cooper’s boutique. I desperately needed to chat with her;
she'd know how to help. After all, we'd been best friends since
high school. She knew me well. But she’d probably give me the cold
shoulder again. Somehow, I had to get through to her.

Her advice could be loony and
outlandish at times but, in the end, it was usually
spot-on.

“
Mindy. Hey, Mindy. I'm
over here,” I yelled, waving like mad to capture her
attention.

She didn't look my way, not even a
glance over her shoulder as she walked down the sidewalk. Could she
not hear me? I yelled louder, but she picked up her pace. Just when
I thought about running after her, she made her way around the
corner, vanishing from sight. Something was rotten in Magnolia and
it wasn’t the leftovers in my refrigerator. She’d hadn’t looked my
way, not even once. What was that about? An eerie sensation spread
through my body.

Traffic was light, so noise was at a
minimum. Birds chirped in the distance and there was only the hum
of a few cars as they passed by, so I was sure she had heard me.
Was she ignoring me? Had I done something wrong? Why was I
invisible all of a sudden? This was so strange. No, there was
definitely something going on…it had to be magic, right? I pulled
out my phone and dialed Mindy’s number. After many rings and no
answer, I gave up.

My attention went to the boutique.
Cooper stood at the front door, talking on his cell phone. He threw
his hand up. I gave a half-hearted wave back, then turned toward
Book Nook’s door. As I pushed the key into the lock, someone
grabbed my shoulder and I let out a scream, jumping to my left and
clutching at my chest.

Becky Shultz stood next to me, still
grasping my arm.

“
I didn’t mean to startle
you,” she said.

“
No, no, don’t worry about
it. I’m just a little jumpy after what’s been going on
lately.”

“
Have you ever seen such
craziness in Magnolia?” she asked.

I sighed. “No, I haven’t. I thought it
would all end when Brianna was gone.” I cast a glance toward High
Fashion. “Looks like we’ve got the male version of Brianna now,” I
said.

She looked in Cooper’s direction. “I
am suspicious of him.”

“
You think he had something
to do with the break-in, don’t you?”

“
Don’t you?” She
frowned.

“
I suppose it had crossed
my mind.” I hated to accuse anyone of something so malicious but,
after Brianna, I had to remember that there were a lot of
not-so-nice people out there.

“
I think more information
is needed about our newest resident of Magnolia, don’t you?” She
quirked an eyebrow.

“
Well, normally, I’d say
it’s none of my business, but considering…”

I was turning into Mindy. Soon I’d
have my very own pair of binoculars. She’d get me a monogrammed set
for Christmas.

“
I’ll let you know what I
find out.” She winked.

“
Do you want to come in?” I
asked.

“
Oh, no, I don’t want to
take up any more of your time. But real quick, what I came by to
talk to you about is the coven leader position Karyn discussed with
you.”

“
Yeah. I was shocked by her
request, to say the least. To be honest, I just don’t know what to
say.”

“
Don’t get me wrong, I love
Karyn to death, but… I know she said there wasn’t much to do, but
you have no idea the duties involved with being the coven leader. I
wouldn’t want to do it. I let it be known a long time ago that I
didn’t want the responsibility. There are a lot of negative things
to consider.” She shook her head.

“
Negative things?” I
asked.

“
Listen, I didn’t come here
to scare you off. But Karyn needs to discuss these things with you
before she just lets you take on the position. I don’t want to
steer you either way. This is something you’ll have to figure out
on your own, but sometimes the witchcraft can draw out the evil
spirits. I know you do the ghost investigations and sometimes deal
with demons. This could cause problems with that. It’s just
something you should think about, that’s all.”

Again with the demon talk. What was
with everyone lately?

“
I thought that was only if
you practiced black magic?” I frowned.

“
Not
necessarily.”

Seth paced in front of the store. The
more she talked, the faster he walked. “I don't think you need to
be involved with this witchcraft stuff.”

Mae sashayed from in front of the
window and stood beside Becky. “You need to just stick with your
garden variety ghosts.” She leaned back against the brick building
and adjusted her cleavage.

“
I don't think you're
equipped for this kind of action, kid.” Anthony leaned against the
building beside Mae.

Not equipped? I didn't think special
tools were needed. Besides, why was everyone freaking out over
demons all of a sudden? Sure, they were dangerous, but it rarely
came up.

Chapter Twenty-Two

“
By negative, do you mean
like the black magic Brianna performed?” I asked.

“
That, and other things.
Just make sure you talk to Karyn about them before you make a
decision.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Hey, maybe you’d enjoy the
kind of pressure it comes with. Some people do. I’m not one of them
and I just thought I should warn you.”

I frowned. “Yeah, thanks for letting
me know.”

She looked toward High Fashion again.
“Regardless of what you decide, I do fear that Mr. Garret is a
problem. I don’t have any proof yet, but I have my suspicions and
Karyn has her eye on him, too. I’m sure she’ll discuss it with you
when she gets a chance.” She sighed. “Things are changing in
Magnolia. I hate change.”

“
I know what you mean. But
change can be good.”

She looked off down the street, lost
in her thoughts. Finally, she said, “I sure will hate to see her
go, but I’m happy for her. She’s in love.”

“
And that’s a wonderful
place to be. In love…” I leaned against the building. “I’d just
gotten acquainted with her, of course, and wish we could get to
know each other more, but I’m happy for her.”

“
Yes, me, too. She deserves
it.”

Maybe now was the time to push Becky
for a little more information regarding the demons and
witchcraft.

“
So you say demons are
attracted to magic? I know my fair share about demons and I’ve
never heard this before,” I said.

“
Um, yes, they are.” She
stared over my shoulder and down the street again.

“
Then why would you put
yourself in that situation?”

She finally met my gaze. “I ask for
protection when I perform a spell.”

“
So this is something I
could do, then, if I cast a spell?”

“
Yes, I suppose, but like I
said, you go to the demons when you hunt ghosts, I don’t. It would
be hard for them to find me.”

“
But you just said they
were attracted to the witchcraft?”

She frowned. “Sure, if you go to them
they’re attracted to you. Kind of like bugs to a light. You’re
there and they like you. Well, they want you, in other
words.”

“
So how come you know so
much about demons?” I asked.

“
I don’t know much about
them. I don’t want to know much about them. I know enough to keep
them out of my life. Listen, I’m just trying to help you make a
decision, sweetie. I’d better get going now. You still have that
necklace Karyn gave you?”

“
Um…” I looked down, trying
to focus my thoughts. The necklace was hidden under my shirt. I
wasn’t sure why I was actually wearing the thing. “Yes. I have
it.”

“
Oh, good, not that you’d
lose it or anything, but it will help you. Of course, if you don’t
accept the position, you’ll have to pass it on to the new
leader.”

I nodded. “Right, well, Karyn didn’t
tell me about that. Of course, she hasn’t told tell me much of
anything about being coven leader....”

“
Don’t worry, dear. We
won’t leave you on your own. After all, we need a leader, and from
what I hear, or heard rather, from Karyn, you are a natural born
leader for the coven.”

“
Well, I’m off to the pole
fitness class. I’ll tell Mindy hello for you.”

Yeah, I wasn’t sure if Mindy wanted to
hear hello from me, but I didn’t want to mention that to Becky. No
need to get into that right now.

“
Yes, please do,” I said
through my fake smile. “Well, I’d better get to work.” I gestured
toward the store.

“
Yes, I’ve kept you too
long. Call me if you need anything or have any questions.” She
turned and waved over her shoulder.

As if the decision wasn’t hard enough,
now I had Becky’s words floating in my head. The responsibility.
The negative aspects. Whatever that meant. It seemed as if Karyn
might be keeping some important information from me and I intended
on asking her about it before I made a decision. It seemed like
babysitting. I had enough babysitting with the ghosts. I didn’t
need to add the witches, too. That was the last thing I needed,
more people to worry about, although at least they would be
living.

I needed to weigh the good against the
bad. I had to admit I felt an amazing energy when I’d performed the
magic spell to free Callahan from Brianna’s evil clutches.
Something seemed right, as if it was a natural fit, just like Karyn
had said. But it was a huge undertaking that I wasn’t sure I wanted
or needed to take on. Karyn said it wasn’t much, but could I quit
if I didn’t like it? Something told me it wouldn’t be that easy. As
if once you’re in, you’re in for life. What if the coven members
didn’t want me? They couldn’t possibly want an inexperienced
leader—someone wet behind the ears.