The Ghoul Next Door

chapter Nineteen

Before Mindy and I had even crossed the street, my ghosts were waiting by the front door of High Fashion. When we stepped through the door, Cooper’s eyes widened.

“Elvis Presley follows you everywhere you go? I thought that was a one-time thing. I’m impressed.”

I smirked, as if to say, yeah, I’m good. “Never mind that. I have another bone to pick with you. What did that woman want?” I pointed toward the street.

“Oh yes, Jane Howe. She seems great. She said you turned her down for a job. A little intimidated, huh?”

Okay, maybe Cooper could be an ass at times.

He focused on his iPad. “Anyway, I hired her.”

“What?” Mindy and I said in unison.

“I can’t believe you hired her.” I stepped closer. I wanted to snatch the device from his hands and force him to look at me.

He glanced at me, then back down. “I needed someone to work.”

“But you don’t know anything about her,” I said.

“She gave me her resume.” He pointed at the paper. “She had references and experience.”

I crossed my arms in front of my chest. “So she claimed. How do you know she was telling the truth?”

“Yeah,” Mindy agreed. “Cooper, you can be so dense sometimes.”

He smirked. “Well, I guess I’ll find out. But I have someone to work for me while we tape the show. You don’t.” He quirked a brow.

“He does have a point,” Mindy said.

I narrowed my eyes. “I’ll find someone, just you watch.” I pointed. “And I guarantee you’ll discover that your worker isn’t on the up and up. Don’t come to me when she casts a spell on you.”

I turned on my heel and gestured for the ghosts to follow me. “Come on, guys. Let’s get out of here.”

I groaned as I walked through the door of Book Nook and marched to the counter. I hadn’t even turned around to make sure the ghosts were still with me. Honestly, did I really need to look? They always followed me. Even Candy Cherry was hanging close at the moment.

“Can you believe that guy?” I asked Mindy. “He’s crazy.”

Elvis leaned against the counter and my stomach flip-flopped at his nearness. “Men sometimes don’t think things through when a pretty woman is involved.”

Since he was all man, I was sure he knew what he was talking about.

“Who are you going to get to work?” Mindy asked.

I bated my eyelashes and flashed a smile her way.

“Oh, Larue, you know I would if I could, but my place is barely hanging on. I don’t have anyone to instruct the classes.”

My shoulders slumped a little. “I know, but it was worth a shot, right?”

She patted my hand. “If we put our heads together, we could find someone.”

“Do pardon me for interrupting.” Candy Cherry sashayed closer to the counter.

As if I had a choice. I was shocked that she’d been polite enough to ask before injecting her wisdom.

“What about the woman who stopped in to say hello?” my crabby ghoul friend asked. “Beth was her name. She said she was bored since her wee one started school. She even left her number for you, remember?”

Why had it taken a ghost to point that out to me? Beth would be perfect, actually. I didn’t know her, but she knew Karyn and she had seemed like a very nice lady. People in town knew her. At least I figured they did since she’d lived here all her life as far as I knew.

Take that, Cooper. I’d show him. He probably hoped I wouldn’t find someone so I wouldn’t be able to do the show. He’d love that. Well, too bad, because Larue Donavan was there to stay.

“Candy Cherry just reminded me about Beth. She would be perfect,” I said.

Mindy glanced around. “I’m shocked, but she does have a point.”

“I’ll call her right now.” I grabbed the phone and found her number.

Candy Cherry smirked and sashayed back to some corner in the room. Why was she being nice? There had to be a motive behind her pleasantries.

After several rings, the woman answered. “Beth, this is Larue from Book Nook.”

“Oh, hi, Larue. Is everything okay?”

“Oh yeah, everything is fine. Listen, the reason I’m calling is, and this may seem so random, how would you like to work for me at Book Nook?”

She didn’t speak. Had I scared the poor woman away already? “I know you haven’t applied for a job, but I really need some help while I work on a project. I know you mentioned that you’re looking for something to do now that your son is in school. So what better way to occupy your time? I’d pay you a good wage and you can have a discount on all the books you want.”

“Remember this was my idea,” Candy said from across the room.

I ignored Candy Cherry.

Beth’s response pulled my attention back. “I think that is a fantastic idea, Larue. When do I start?”

I let out a sigh of relief. Finally, something had gone right. “You can start right away.”

After a few minutes on the phone, it was all set. But why did a nervous lump sit like a rock in the pit of my stomach? I felt as if I was leaving my baby with a stranger, that was why. I hated the idea of not being in the bookstore. I’d never liked leaving anyone else in charge. My motto was if you wanted something done right, then you had to do it yourself. “Trust other people,” Mindy would say.

Easier said than done.

***

Callahan had cancelled our dinner plans because he said he needed to help Mike with the carwash business. I couldn’t lie; I was disappointed because I’d wanted to celebrate the beginning of the show with him. But I knew he was trying to help out a friend, so I forgave him. Later that night, I’d taken Matt Kelly’s advice and gone to bed early. But my anxiety over what would happen the next day, plus the strange feeling growing within me, made sleeping next to impossible. The three ghosts sitting in my bedroom didn’t help either.

“Maybe we should leave her alone to get some sleep,” Elvis whispered.

“Sleep won’t help her at this point. She’s hopeless,” Candy Cherry said sarcastically.

I sat up in bed. “Candy. Mr. Fine. Get out!”

Without waiting for a response, I plopped back on the bed, grabbed the pillow and covered my head, trying to drown out their nonsense.

After a minute, I felt a slight weight on the side of my bed. I was almost afraid to open my eyes to see who was there. Please let it not be another ghost. Easing back the pillow, I opened one eye and realized I might have died and gone to heaven. Elvis was sitting on the edge of my bed. The sweet sound of his voice hit my ears as he started singing Love Me Tender. Like a baby, I began to doze off. But someone had to ruin all the fun.