“And since then?”
“Uh . . .” Since then, I’ve been driving around the country helping dead people, making no money at all. “I came in to some money, and it held me over for a while, but I need a job now.” Not entirely untrue. My father basically paid me to disappear. I was given a lump-sum of money and told to travel and meet new people. In other words, I was to disappear because I was too complicated, and I freaked everyone out because I could see the dead. I took the money, hugged my parents tightly, and vanished from their lives.
George gives me a once-over and crosses his arms. “I’d like to help you, but you just drifted into town, and I have no guarantee you won’t just up and leave without notice. Maybe try the grocery store down the way.” He turns and bends down, sorting something in a cabinet, and I glance at Ike and shrug.
“God, he’s an arrogant asshole,” Ike mumbles. “Okay. He’s a betting man. Tell him you bet you can pick out his favorite song on the jukebox, and if you get it, he’ll give you a shot.”
I glance sideways at Ike, letting him know how stupid that sounds.
“Trust me. He’s a cocky son of a bitch. He’ll take the bet thinking you won’t win.”
I shake my head no.
“Do it, Charlotte. Please.” He bats his lashes at me, and I fight the urge to smile. Instead, I glare at him and take a deep breath.
George stands and faces me again, a look of surprise on his face. Maybe he was expecting me to leave after he shut me down.
“You look like a betting man to me.” I stand and start digging in my backpack for spare change. “I bet I can pick out your favorite song on that jukebox. If I do, you give me a job. If I don’t, I leave and never come back.” I find two quarters and smirk at George flirtatiously, challenging him with a cocky shrug.
He snorts and crosses his arms again. “And who’s to say I’ll admit it’s my favorite song? I could just lie.”
“He won’t,” Ike adds, staring at his brother. “He’s not perfect, but he’s no liar.”
“I’m good at reading people. You strike me as an honest man,” I answer, fisting the quarters now. George’s brows furrow as our gazes lock. His eyes are so dark, not like Ike’s. Ike’s are an earthy brown, bright and soft, while George’s are like dark coffee and cold. Not a cruel cold, more like wounded, like a warning to stay away; a broken cold.
“What did you say your name was?” he asks, stepping toward me.
“I’m Charlotte, but people call me Char.” Except for your brother.
“Okay, Charlotte.” He smirks. Apparently, neither of the McDermott brothers plan to call me by my nickname. “You’re on. Pick my favorite song, and I’ll give you a shot.”
I nod in agreement and head toward the jukebox near the entrance. Ike leans one arm against the neon machine as I put my coins in the slot. “Johnny Cash, God’s Gonna Cut You Down,” he says. I can’t help it; I look up at Ike and smirk. “What? You’re not a Cash fan?” He gives me a sad look.
“I am,” I whisper.
“What?” he groans. “Beautiful and fantastic taste in music! Where were you when I was alive?” I smile slightly at his compliment, trying not to be too obvious to George, who is watching me like a hawk.
I flip through the selections until I find the song and enter the numbers. As I walk back toward the bar, the jukebox begins clicking, changing discs, while George and I keep our eyes locked on the other. I stop just before I reach the bar and cross my arms, matching his stance, and raise one eyebrow.
The familiar melody blares over the speakers, and I can’t help but smirk when George mouths, son of a bitch, letting his arms fall. A triumphant smile blooms on my face as I give him a casual shrug. “When can I start?” I grab my backpack and pull it over one shoulder.
“You can start training today if you’d like, but if you suck, you’ll have to move on.”
“Understood. Can I go change and come back?”
“Yeah, you got a pair of black shorts and sneakers?”
Surprisingly, I do. “Yeah.”
“I’ll have a shirt here for you; be back in an hour.”
With a curt nod, I spin around and head for the door.
“Hey, Charlotte!” George calls, and I turn back around. “How’d you know?”
I smirk. “Lucky guess.” I shrug before heading out.
Ike is laughing heartily as we climb in my truck. Well, I climb in, he just teleports or does whatever dead people do. “God, I know him so well. That was too easy.”
“Thanks for the warning about him being your twin, jackass,” I bite out as I start the 4Runner.
“Must be hard having two insanely hot guys around you at once.” I roll my eyes at him, but the truth is—it is hard. They’re two identical make-my-tongue-smack-my-brains-out hot guys. But I won’t tell him that.
“Yeah. Your looks have me quaking in my boots.” I laugh when I make the smart-ass remark. “So George and Misty are together?”