3 The Ghoul Next Door Page 12

  I hurried over, confused as to what I’d find. When I reached the section, I spotted the books tossed haphazardly around the floor right away.

  “Oh, what a mess. You really are a slob.” Candy Cherry shook her head.

  I couldn’t answer her at the moment. I was too angry. Plus, Beth would see me and Miss Candy Cherry knew that. She was just harassing me at this point.

  “She’s the devil in disguise. Oh yes, she is,” Elvis sang as he moved past.

  “I really don’t think this is the time for singing, Elvis,” I said.

  Beth stared in astonishment. I’d slipped again. But what was the point of hiding anymore? Everyone would know soon enough that I talked to spirits. As soon as the show aired my secret would be out. No wonder I felt like an outcast. I’d always been holding on to a secret. Maybe it was time that I let it all out.

  I must have been in a stunned daze because I didn’t hear Cooper’s new employee, Jane Howe, walk up and stand beside me. She was staring down at the pile of books.

  She tsked. “Wow. What happened here?”

  Her overpowering rose-scented perfume made my nose itch and I fended off a sneeze. I didn’t want to talk about the current situation, but by her intent focus on my face, it didn’t look as if she’d let me drop the subject.

  “Apparently a vandal was in the store,” I said around a sigh.

  “In the middle of the day? Where was your employee?” she asked mockingly.

  I studied her face. I knew exactly what she meant by that comment. She was implying that if I’d hired her, this wouldn’t have happened. Had she been the one who did this? I was already suspicious of the woman. Had the black magic returned to Magnolia? I wanted her out of my store. But I couldn’t accuse her of doing this without any proof.

  “Do you remember me?” she asked around a sly smile.

  She knew that I remembered her. What was her game? “Yes, you applied for a job here, right?”

  “Yes. How are you?” she asked, but the tone of her voice let me know she really didn’t care.

  At least she didn’t kick me for not hiring her. But honestly, how did she think I was at the moment? I wanted to give a snarky answer, but I had to remain polite. My temper was boiling on the inside.

  “I’m fine.” I smiled through gritted teeth.

  “So you’ve got quite a mess here. Such a shame. Do you know who did it?” she asked with fake concern.

  “Never mind about the books. Is there something I can help you with?” I wanted her to get straight to the point.

  She tossed her blonde locks back from her shoulder. “I came over for a newspaper.”

  Why had she crossed the street for a paper when there was a newspaper machine on the same side of the street as High Fashion? I’d keep my eye on this woman. She was bad news and I’d known it from the moment she walked into Book Nook.

  “Sure, the papers are by the register.” I guided her toward the counter.

  “No hard feelings about you not hiring me,” she said as she handed me the cash.

  I took it from her hand and I swore I felt a zap. A tiny one, but it had been there, nonetheless. The sooner I got her out of the store, the better off I’d be.

  “I’m glad you understand,” I said. “It’s just business. Nothing personal.”

  “Of course not. It was for the best anyway. I absolutely love working for Cooper. I hope it’ll last past a short-term gig. I have a lot of great ideas for his store.” She waved her arms in a sweeping motion.

  Why did a cold chill run down my spine when she said that? Suddenly, I feared for Cooper’s safety with this woman around. But I knew Cooper would laugh off my warning. He thought his aura-reading abilities allowed him to judge anyone’s character. Despite psychic abilities, we were only human and sometimes our skills could be wrong. I feared he’d misjudged this one. Maybe I’d try and talk with him. I also needed to find more information about Jane.

  “Well, I’m off. Cooper gave me the rest of the day to myself. Isn’t he sweet?” She flipped her silky blonde hair off her shoulder.

  “He’s a doll,” I said wryly.

  Jane grabbed the paper and bounced away from the counter. Without looking back, she made her way to the door, her hair swaying as she sashayed.

  “What was that all about?” Beth asked.

  “I think she’s up to something,” I said.

  “What do you mean?”

  I stared at the door, then finally addressed Beth. “Are you sure you didn’t see anyone in here when the books were destroyed? Was that woman in here?”

  Beth frowned. “I am so sorry. I didn’t see anything. You can take the cost of the books out of my pay.”

  I shook my head. “No. No way. I wouldn’t think of it. Please don’t let this worry you. It’s just something that happens sometimes.”

  Just one of those things that happened to me on a regular basis as of late. I knew it wasn’t Beth’s fault. It could have easily happened to me if I had been working.

  “I’m going back over to pick up the books. I’m glad you left them so I could see. Maybe there’s a clue as to why this person did this.” I turned to walk away and Beth followed closely.

  “I figured it was better if you saw exactly what had been done.”

  Without looking back at Beth, I said, “Good thinking. I’ll see what types of books were destroyed.”

  One back to the pile of books, I bent down to pick one up. It was a paranormal romance with a half-naked man on the cover. I’d read the book. It had a witch as the protagonist. I reached down and grabbed another book… another romance. It also featured witches. Was there a pattern to all this? I grabbed a few more books, but they had different themes, some vampires, werewolves and fairies. I figured it must have just been a random selection after all. So much for my sleuthing ability. It was probably someone who had been looking for a cheap thrill… someone who liked making trouble. Maybe it was time for me to install a security camera.

  After Beth helped a customer, she returned the pile of damaged books and helped me pick up the few remaining ones. “I wondered how long it took them to tear up all these books. I still can’t believe that I didn’t hear something.”

  I stacked the damaged books into a pile. “You’d be surprised how quickly they probably ripped them up. You could have been helping a customer, and by the time you were finished, they could have destroyed the books and escaped out the front door.”

  “I wonder if they took anything?” Beth asked.

  “By the looks of these books, I’d say the person wasn’t a fan of reading.” I shook my head. “It makes me sick to see books destroyed.”

  I loved the written word. That was why I had the store. Books deserved more respect than to be ripped apart. Not to mention the cost of replacing the books.

  “Please, Larue, let me pay for them,” Beth said again.

  I touched her arm. “I won’t hear of it. Now don’t mention it again.” I waved my finger and smiled.

  She looked down and nodded. If she started crying I wasn’t sure what I’d do. I stopped talking about the damage. Beth already felt bad enough there was no reason to keep mentioning the incident. She needed some time to escape thinking about it. And honestly, so did I. I had enough on my mind already. We carried the books over to the counter and I placed them in a box.

  “That’s a beautiful necklace,” Beth said as I leaned down. “Where did you get it? I’d love to have one like that.” Her gaze was locked on the pendant around my neck.

  I touched the necklace. “A friend gave it to me.”

  “Do you know where she got it?” she asked.

  “No, I have no idea.” I shook my head. “I think it had been in her family for a long time.”

  I wasn’t about to tell her that the necklace was for the coven and helped with magical powers.

  “It has a mesmerizing quality. I don’t know what it is,” she said.

  She had no idea.

  “It’s ugly if you
ask me,” Candy Cherry said.

  Yeah, well, I didn’t ask her.

  With a soft thud, the necklace slipped from my neck and fell to the floor. I glared at Candy Cherry. Had she purposely made the necklace fall off?

  “Oh gosh, let me help you.” Beth rushed over and grabbed the necklace from the ground.

  She hadn’t wasted any time grabbing it up.

  “Let me put it on you.” Beth stood behind me and draped the chain around my neck. After a minute, she let out a sigh and said, “I can’t get the clasp to stay.”

  “That’s okay. I’ll just put it in my purse for now,” I said, taking the necklace from her hand.

  Luckily, Beth didn’t have a chance to ask any more prying questions about the necklace. The bell above the door chimed and we looked up.

  When Callahan walked through the door with a dozen red roses, I let out a huge sigh of relief. But surprisingly, my agitated feeling remained.

  “I’m taking you for a celebratory dinner.” He flashed a wide smile.

  In spite of the unpleasant feeling coursing through my body, I was relieved to see him. He probably had no idea that I’d received a letter from his ex-girlfriend. The next question: should I tell him about the letter?

  “Am I glad to see you,” I said.

  He thrust the flowers forward with an outstretched arm. “I brought you these as congratulations for doing the show. I’m really proud of you.”

  I’d had my doubts if Callahan was really happy for me. Lately I’d sensed a hesitation with him. Well, I thought I’d sensed it. Now I knew it was just my imagination. The expression on Callahan’s face was as relaxed and casual as the blue sweater and khakis he was wearing.

  “They’re beautiful. Thank you.” I took a whiff.

  Beth walked up behind me. “I can put those in water for you if you’d like.”

  “Thanks, Beth. That would be great.” I handed over the bouquet.

  Callahan and I stepped out onto the sidewalk and walked a few steps before I realized I had my huge purse. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing to carry when taking a stroll. Callahan’s car was parked against the curb.

  “Do you mind if I leave my purse in your car?” I asked.

  “Sure, I’ll hide it under the front seat. No one will see it there.”

  Callahan unlocked his car and stuffed the luggage I called a purse into his car. Then we set out for our magical evening. Candy Cherry, Mr. Fine and Elvis Presley followed along behind us like ducklings. I didn’t want to be the mama duck.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  We reached the front door of the French restaurant. Being the perfect gentleman, Callahan held the door open and after Mr. Fine and Candy Cherry slid through the entrance, I made my way inside. Elvis hadn’t bothered to use the door. He was a smart man. I hadn’t mentioned to Callahan that we had an entourage accompanying us. He probably assumed though.

  “I wanted to bring you back to where we had our first date,” Callahan said as the maître d’ led us to our table.

  The cozy corner in the back of the room was the same table we’d sat at during our first date. Callahan had obviously taken some time to plan this date. The fact that it was beside the kitchen door didn’t seem to matter with the romance factor that went into the thought of reserving the table.

  “How incredibly romantic of you.” I winked.

  He chuckled. “I try.”

  It was strange to be back at the restaurant with Callahan after all that had happened in just a short amount of time—crazy witchcraft, crazy ghosts, and now crazy ex-girlfriends.

  Callahan studied my face as he held the chair out for me. “Your eyes look different.”

  “What?” That was a strange statement. “What do you mean, different?”

  “It’s just that they look a different color. I know they’re hazel, but they look very blue now.”

  “Blue?” I looked overhead. Maybe it was the lighting. “Oh, maybe it’s the makeup they put on my eyes for the show today. It’s not what I usually wear.”

  He shrugged, not totally convinced. “Maybe.”

  A single candle flickered merrily in front of us on the red cloth-wrapped table. The dimly lit room added the perfect amount of romance. My stomach tumbled as I contemplated our romantic evening. Would the strange feeling invading my mind leave now that I was with Callahan? It didn’t seem to be the case.

  A subject change was in order.

  “So you had him seat us at the same table?” I asked while picking up the menu.

  Callahan flashed his dimples. “I wasn’t sure if you’d remember.”

  Was I that bad in the romance department? I really needed to try harder.

  Unlucky for us, the same tall, lanky waiter lurched over to our table. The service left much to be desired but the food made up for it. He thrust the menus at us, while muttering something about being right back.

  I held the giant menu up to my face, trying to block Mr. Fine and Candy Cherry out of my sight. They were making faces at me from the table across from us. I’d never seen ghosts so immature.

  Callahan looked at me from over the top of his menu with those sexy blue bedroom eyes and I temporarily forgot about the annoying ghosts.

  “How about I order the scallops with mango glaze for you? That’s what you had on our first date.”

  “Well, I have to tell you, I’m impressed by your memory.” I touched his hand and my body tingled. “You are so sweet.”

  He let out a warm laugh. “It’s probably from eating all the sweets.”

  “You’ve been looking at the dessert section, haven’t you?” I pointed to the menu.

  “Guilty,” he said while setting his menu on the table.

  After what seemed like an eternity, the waiter shuffled over to our table and stared at us without saying a word. He was just as creepy now as our first visit.

  “What do you want?” he asked in his monotone voice.

  “I like this guy,” Candy Cherry said.

  She would. Candy Cherry ran her fingers through his hair but he didn’t move an inch. I wasn’t surprised that he didn’t notice her touch.

  Callahan didn’t seem to notice our waiter’s rude attitude. His gaze was focused on me the entire time. “My beautiful girlfriend will have the Noix de St. Jacques a la Mangue and I’ll have the same.”

  Okay, Callahan knew how to make me melt every time.

  “We’ll have a bottle of your best wine,” Callahan said still looking at me.

  The waiter didn’t utter a word in response as he snatched the menus from the table and hurried away as if we were part of a quarantined section of the restaurant.

  “You look like you don’t feel well. Is everything okay?” Callahan asked with a furrowed brow.

  I used my napkin as a fan. “I just got a little hot. I’ll be fine.”

  The restaurant was a cool temperature so I knew that I was the only one feeling like a boiled potato. Elvis was across the room checking out the wine, Mr. Fine was staring blankly out the window and Candy Cherry was following around the cranky waiter. At least they were leaving me alone. I was in no mood to deal with any antics.

  Callahan and I chatted about the show. I filled him in on the distressed homeowner, the camera following our every move and Matt apparently not knowing how to button his shirt. In spite of the pleasant conversation, a pervasive malaise hung over me.

  Outside the restaurant the wind had picked up. A man rushed by holding his hat so that it wouldn’t fly away. It hadn’t been that windy when we’d entered the place just a few minutes before. How had it picked up so quickly? Not to mention that the hairs on the back of my neck were sticking up. Finally our food arrived and I prayed that it would distract from the strange sensation. I tried to ignore the feeling and focus on the delicious food in front of me.

  As I lifted another forkful to my mouth, I sensed a gaze on me. I glanced over and spotted Jane Howe walking toward me. Another visit from this woman? Twice in one day was two times
too many. I wondered if I could hide behind the menu but remembered that the waiter had taken them away. Maybe Jane wouldn’t notice me. With any luck, she’d keep walking and we could avoid another awkward conversation.

  I glanced down at my plate and prayed that she’d keep on walking. No such luck.

  “Hello,” she said cheerily. “Lovely evening for a romantic dinner, huh?”

  I tried to avoid locking gazes with her, but she wasn’t backing down. We were in a battle—she wanted me to acknowledge her and I wanted to ignore her. With much reluctance, I placed my fork on my plate and looked up. I could have pretended I didn’t recognize her, but I wasn’t that good an actress. She’d know I was lying.

  “Yes, it is.” I faked a smile.

  “I was just walking by and thought, wow, this place looks delish. So I thought I’d come in for some takeout. I’m looking forward to a relaxing evening in before my big work day tomorrow. At Cooper’s.” She smirked.

  Yeah, I got it. She worked at Cooper’s. If she thought I felt guilty for not hiring her, well, she was wrong. I still stood by my decision not to hire the woman. Whatever mistake Cooper made, that was all his puppy.

  “Can you tell me what’s good?” Finally she glanced over at Callahan.

  I’d hoped she’d go away before I had to introduce them. The less we talked the better off I’d be.

  “Oh, I am so sorry to disturb you.” She stared at Callahan and I knew I’d better introduce them before I looked like an evil witch.

  “This is Callahan Weiss, he’s my boyfriend. He owns Full Cup.”

  I wondered why she hadn’t applied at his shop. Maybe she had and he hadn’t mentioned it, although they acted as if they’d never seen each other.

  “Oh, I’ve heard wonderful things about your coffee and pastry. I’ll make sure to stop in real soon.”

  I bet she would. Everything about her made my stomach twist… her voice, the way she walked, the way she looked at people. Maybe I had been burnt by the recent events, but I didn’t think she could be trusted. Jane still stood next to our table, but I didn’t speak, hoping that she’d take a hint and go away.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Callahan said.