The Ghoul Next Door

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.

“My name is Jane Howe.” She stuck out her hand as if she expected him to kiss it. “I can’t wait to try that coffee.”

Callahan shook her hand gently. “Well, thank you, I hope you like it.”

“I’m sure I will.” She winked.

Ugh. She was so obviously flirting with him. How rude, but whatever. As long as I didn’t have to deal with her as an employee I was happy.

“Well, I’ll see you around, Larue.” She sashayed off, tossing me a wave over her shoulder.

Callahan took a sip of his wine and watched me over the edge of the glass. When he set the glass down, he said, “Well, that was a little odd. Are you friends with her?”

I let out a sigh. “No. She’s working for Cooper now. It’s odd. She just popped up looking for a job the second after I told Mindy I needed someone to work the bookstore.”

“That is odd.” He set his glass down.

“I thought it was too much of a coincidence, so I told her I wasn’t looking for anyone. She proceeded to walk right across the street and Cooper hired her.”

“That’s even stranger.”

“I just get a bad vibe from her.” I glanced over to where she stood.

Callahan touched my hand. “You’re still on edge from what you’ve been through. She’s probably okay, just a little strange. There are a lot of odd people around, you know that.”

Did I ever. This town attracted them. It must be something in the water.

I nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure you’re right.”

Thankfully, when Jane walked out of the restaurant with her order, she didn’t come back over to talk. She waved and gave me another smirk, but I could deal with that.

After dinner, instead of walking directly back to Callahan’s car, we turned left out of the restaurant toward the park. The air was crisp, so I cuddled up next to Callahan. I didn’t mind the cool air as long as he was around.

Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling in the pit of my stomach. I was happy with Callahan for sure, but underneath my happiness was an agitation that I couldn’t explain. I had no idea what would cause that feeling. I should be happy. Callahan was next to me and I had an exciting new venture into television. The opportunity had just fallen into my lap. How many people could say they were that lucky? I counted my blessings for the things that I had.

We walked in silence for a while and I continued to shove the uneasiness to the back of my mind.

After a few seconds, Callahan said, “I do hope you understand about me taking on the other job.”

I waved off his statement. “Of course. I’m glad you have a chance to help someone.”

Silence lingered again as we moved a few more steps down the sidewalk. Even when we didn’t talk, I felt comfortable with Callahan and this time was no different.

Finally Callahan said, “You’ll be working with Cooper, huh?”

Was Callahan jealous? I sensed something in his voice when he asked.

“Yes, it looks that way.” I glanced up at the twinkling stars in the indigo twilight. The crisp scent of fall surrounded us.

“How do you feel about that?” he asked.

“Maybe I should ask you how you feel about that.” I brushed my hair back from my shoulders. Maybe I was coming down with something because suddenly it wasn’t nearly as cool as it had been. Again my face felt really hot. Callahan seemed fine though.

He met my gaze, then paused. Finally he said, “I actually like the idea that you won’t be fighting any demons by yourself.”

I searched his gaze. He seemed sincere. I’d take him for his word. After all, he had nothing to worry about as far as Cooper was concerned.

Callahan slipped his arm around my shoulders and I took in a deep breath. He smelled so good—like sandalwood and musk. Getting lost in his arms was easy.

Elvis followed us around the park at a good distance. He was like my ghostly body-guard. Mr. Fine and Candy Cherry were nowhere in sight again. I had no idea where those two were always slipping off to.

Callahan and I chatted for a while longer as we made a loop around the entire park, stopping to kiss and gaze up at the stars halfway through. When we reached the entrance, we headed back toward Callahan’s car. It had been a wonderful evening, but that was about to change.