by Lisa Freed
“That’s putting it mildly,” I said, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice.
“You must understand and please believe me,” he pleaded, then his head snapped around to stare at Dan who stood next to the table, a strained smile on his broad face.
“Yes, we’re ready to order,” Mateo said shortly.
The moment we were done, before Dan had even turned from the table, Mateo’s eyes softened and he implored me once more. “I was overwhelmed in Greece, and afraid.”
“Afraid?” I couldn’t contain my snort of disbelief.
“You’re beautiful and a clairvoyant, finally someone who understands me.”
I couldn’t help but nod my head in agreement, I had felt the same.
Mateo’s mouth twisted and he looked away. “But the whole thing with Victor. It was exciting but crazy too! I’m thinking what have I gotten myself mixed up with.” He laughed, his gaze seeking mine out again.
But I had to look away, staring down at the crisp white linen of the tablecloth. “I know…”
“Please, let me finish,” Mateo interrupted. “Also, the business between you and Victor- a ghost! And your ex-boyfriend is right there too.”
That caused me to look up and squirm in my seat. I couldn’t blame him for that.
“So, I kept my distance despite my feelings. Then this opportunity came up and I knew this was my second chance.” Mateo rubbed at his mouth. “It’s crazy, I know. We live in different countries, we have jobs, families…”
“We can take it slow.” I couldn’t believe the words spilling out of my mouth. Slow had never been my thing and despite telling Lotte I was swearing off men, I wanted nothing more than to haul Mateo across the table and see if his lips were as soft as they looked.
It was then that I noticed where Mateo’s gaze had landed, on my mouth. Oh my, was he reading my mind again? I doublechecked the mental wall that I had erected in Greece and had maintained ever since. It was sound.
He was looking at me not because my thoughts had transferred to him, but maybe because he felt the same urge to kiss me as I did for him. The very idea liberated me and all previous nervousness melted away.
When our meals arrived, we ate while sneaking glances at each other. From time to time, his hand would drift across the short distance of the tabletop and grip mine.
I had just taken a sip of my soda when Mateo asked, “How is your sister doing? The dreaded visit with your parents went okay?”
The carbonated beverage stayed in my mouth far too long, my throat unable or unwilling to swallow. When it finally went down with an audible gulp, I coughed, raising my napkin to shield my mouth.
Mateo began to rise but sat back down when I waved him away. “I’m fine,” I croaked out. What was with me and gagging on drinks around men?!
“To be honest, I haven’t spoken much with Megan,” I confessed even as an idea formed in my head. I could take Mateo along with Amber to Longwood Gardens this weekend. A romantic time together in a beautiful setting.
But that wouldn’t be taking it slow. Plus, Amber had really liked Lance. I didn’t know much about kids, but I did know showing her a revolving door of Aunt T’s boyfriends was a big no. And I doubted Megan would be very keen on that either. She still labored under the delusion that my trip to Greece was some romantic makeup vacation between me and Lance. I so was not looking forward to bursting that bubble.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Mateo commented. Then his gaze shifted slightly. “What about Lance and Victor? Everything settled with those two?”
Letting out a long sigh, I placed my fork down recalling the blonde with Lance just a few hours ago. “Lance is just peachy. As for Victor, things ended on odd terms with him.”
“Ended?” There was a sudden edge to Mateo’s normally mellow voice.
“Well, I doubt that’s the last I’ll ever see of him.” I forced myself to not look away in embarrassment. If Mateo truly wanted to be in my life there were some things he needed to understand. Maybe not accept, but a little understanding went a long way.
“Look, Mateo, Victor has been a friend of sorts for a long time. He’s part of why I am the way I am.”
Mateo patted at his mouth with his napkin, carefully smoothing it next to his plate before he asked. “He is responsible for your psychic abilities?”
I let loose a few giggles. “Oh no! I’ve had them probably since birth. But his friendship has helped me over the years hone my senses and improve myself.” I left it at that. No way was I going to mention my lottery winnings or that it had been Victor’s suggestion to do so.
“Interesting. So, he’s kind of like your advisor.”
“You could say that,” I agreed. “I’m not happy with his recent behavior but he’s still my friend and I’m positive he will pop back up when he’s ready.” I leveled a glance at Mateo’s face to gauge his reaction to that.
He sat there, a slight upward tilt to his lips that I would hardly call a smile but he didn’t seem upset. “So, you don’t know where he currently is?”
“No, but he’s probably somewhere enjoying his new body.”
“And you’re fine with that?” he pressed.
Tossing my napkin down, I couldn’t prevent snapping back. “I didn’t say that!”
Mateo held his hands up in front of him. “Peace.”
“Listen, Victor is a sore subject, obviously…”
“Obviously,” Mateo echoed. “But Teresa, you’re going to have to face the truth about him…”
“I know the truth about him,” I hissed back, struggling with the need to get up and leave.
Visibly we both struggled for a few moments. Then with a snort of exhaled breath Mateo’s pale blue dress shirt rippled as his shoulders shrugged and he pulled his black leather wallet out, tossing down some bills. “Let’s get out of here.”
Nodding my agreement, I stood up and plucked my purse off the floor where it had rested against my feet. He ushered me forward and followed closely behind as I weaved through the still crowded restaurant, the sounds of the other diners loud in my ears.
Outside I snuggled into my coat, unsure what to do or say.
Mateo started walking and I kept pace next to him, our hands tucked into our pockets, neither talking. He stopped after a few minutes and looked out onto the harbor.
“Thank you for meeting me here, Teresa.”
“Thank you for calling and for dinner,” I replied, feeling tears start up. I didn’t want it to end like this.
Mateo’s body turned toward mine. “I’m sorry if I pressed too much back there. I’ve never been jealous over a ghost before.”
I laughed even as a few tears slid down my cheeks. “Trust me, you have nothing to be jealous of.”
“Is that a fact?” Mateo’s voice lowered as his thumb brushed a few of my tears away.
“It is,” I said, my lips parted anticipating his kiss.
The kiss never came, though the smile that broke out across his face was almost as good.
“Good.” His hand withdrew from my face to be tucked back into a pocket of his dark wool mackinaw. “It’s getting late and we both have to face traffic. Can I call you again?”
“Absolutely.”
“Goodnight, Teresa, safe travels.”
“Night, Mateo, you too.”
He turned away before I did and began walking back the way we came. I eyed his tall form briefly before the cold air made my reluctant legs begin to move in the direction of the parking garage. When I glanced back a final time, he was gone.
CHAPTER SIX
The next morning, I woke up feeling refreshed and all around awesome. Curled up, snug in my blankets, I reflected that I hadn’t felt this good in a while. At least since before my trip to Greece, if not even further back. And I owed my good mood to Mateo.
Stretching, my toes wiggling and digging into the sheet, I stared up at my plain white ceiling as I replayed our date. I glossed over the part about Victor. Then rewound and beg
an to giggle a little. Jealous over a ghost? Had he really said that? Only two psychics could have had that conversation, I mused.
Pushing off the covers, I heard a disgruntled meow and pulled the blankets back to reveal Daisy who had been sleeping in the middle of the bed. She allowed me to stroke her warm, black and white fur before doing some stretching of her own and hoping off the bed in search of a quieter spot.
Maverick, her brother, promptly jumped up for some petting.
“Hey, big boy? How are you?” I asked while scratching behind his ears and along his jawline.
His deep purrs vibrated his entire body making me smile. “Guess you’re doing good, huh? Are you happy that bad old ghost isn’t around anymore?” I asked. Maverick and Daisy had never warmed up to Victor the way Agnes had. Not that I could blame them. Cats and ghosts either got along or didn’t. Cats had amazing senses and not only could see ghosts, but I fully believed they could sense danger and upcoming natural disasters. Whether they chose to relay that news to us humans was another story.
Next to my bed, on the nightstand, my phone vibrated. Picking it up, I didn’t recognize the number so let it go to voicemail. Lately, I had been receiving a lot of lame calls about my student loan debt (had none) and my computer software was expired and I needed to act urgently. My favorite was the ones where I actually answered and they acted like they were old chums and I was harder to reach than a, insert whatever annoying nonsense their script told them to say. Why they were always laughing, is what I questioned the most.
But today I wasn’t in the mood for that or anything that could remotely bring me down. With that firmly in mind, I grabbed my phone, opened up Instagram, and enjoyed countless cat pictures and videos. Basically, all I used my phone for. I didn’t have many friends and used Facebook only for business purposes. Which reminded me, I should put up another cute meme about being kind to black cats.
After thirty or so minutes, I was forced to get up out of bed by my stomach. Downstairs, with a bowl of Cheerios, getting nice and soggy, just how I liked them, in front of me I pressed play to listen to the message.
“Teresa, it’s Adrian…. Victor’s friend,” the message began.
I rolled my eyes. Yeah, whatever you have to tell yourself, buddy.
“I miss you,” he continued, in a heavily accented voice that failed to thrill me the way Victor’s normal speaking voice always did. Probably a good thing, I thought with a wince, remembering my conversation with Mateo last night.
“I’ll be in touch very soon. Goodbye, darling,” he finished the message with a loud kissy noise.
I stared down at my phone in disbelief. What in the world was all that about? Then my pursed lips spread into a smile. Money, he must be running out. Blah, he was so transparent. Rather than be annoyed by the whole insane mess, I merely shook my head and ate my now completely mushy cereal.
As the day wore on, I spent it tidying up my house. Since my twice weekly housekeeper Helen was due in tomorrow, the place was a tad messy and I felt bad about that. Just a few months ago I had only needed Helen once a week and now looking around, I thought how sweet it would be if she came three times. Just as quickly as that thought came, I dismissed it and picked up some dirty clothes that I hadn’t made any attempt to get into the hamper in the bathroom.
While balling it up and launching it toward the tall white hamper, a wave of warmth rushed over me. My arms went out to settle myself though I hadn’t moved.
Whoa! That was odd. I made my way to the toilet and sat down, pressing icy palms to my face. I didn’t feel warm, no fever. Extending my hands, I did notice a slight tremor.
My eyes flickered to the bathroom mirror and there was the unsmiling face of Adrian, his dark eyes serious as they bore into me. On shaky legs, I rose and staggered over to stare into the mirror at the man Victor had taken over. He didn’t attempt to speak, merely continued to look at me, then without a noise, he faded out.
I dashed out of the bathroom and grabbed at my phone from where I had left it on the bed. I hit the redial button for the number Victor had called from but it rang and rang without ever going to voicemail. I debated calling Mateo but after yesterday and the damper Victor had put on things, I didn’t want a repeat of that so instead, I paced.
What I was seeing was clearly Adrian’s spirit and if he was appearing to me that meant he knew about my connection to Victor. This also made the second time he had materialized for me and I could only assume that meant he was reaching out to me for help. But if that was the case, why wasn’t he speaking? Or trying in some way to communicate?
And my odd reaction to it, that worried me most of all. Other than when Victor had passed through me, I had never had such a negative reaction to a spirit’s presence before.
I longed for someone to talk to about this and since I was unwilling to call Mateo, my thoughts turned to my friend John. He knew about my abilities and dealings with the spirit world and hadn’t run screaming into the night. No, it was me falling for the wrong guy that had driven him away.
But it had all been a misunderstanding and perhaps now was the time for me to stop being such a wimp and talk to John. I called up the fire station and asked for him and after telling them who I was, and getting a few laughs over my seer gig from the carnival over the summer, the guy on the other end told me it was John’s forty-eight hours off.
And that had been just what I was hoping for. I called in a pizza order for pickup, tossed on some clothes, not bothering with a shower, I was going to see John after all, and brushed my teeth before I grabbed my keys and walked into the garage to get my SUV.
After a brief stop to get the pizza and a bottle of Dr. Pepper, John’s favorite, I arrived at his house just after eleven in the afternoon and pounded on his door.
When he opened the door, he was barefoot and in just long dull gray thermal looking sleeping pants. I did a doubletake at the impressive display of his pecs, John had been working out and it showed!
His brown hair was sticking up on one side in wild spikes and his blue eyes were at half-mast and sleepy looking, he rubbed at one while peering at me. “T? What are you doing here?”
I practically shoved the steaming pizza box at John while slipping around him in the doorway and setting the two-liter bottle of soda down. “I’m here for lunch,” I said brightly.
He set the pizza down on his counter with a frown, his hands hanging loosely at his side.
“And to see if my best friend will talk to me again?” I said, my voice low and sad as I tried not to break into tears.
His frown wavered then he grabbed me, hauling me against him for a hug. My arms encircled his lean waist as my head rested on his chest, the steady beat of his heart in my ears as his slightly musky scent and chest hairs tickled my nose.
I peered up at him. “Still friends?”
His mouth tugged upward in a smile. “Always.”
I pulled away before he did and looked up at him with a grin. “You ready to eat?”
John laughed while dragging a hand through his messed-up hair. “I can always eat.” He went over to his cabinets and pulled out two plates and two glasses.
“Real dishes? Not paper? What’s the occasion?” I teased taking the plates that he handed me.
“You only live once right?” He gave me another grin then looked down at his bare chest as if seeing it for the first time. “You woke me up, give me a few to toss some clothes on.” Without waiting for my reply, he went off to his bedroom and I heard the slam of a dresser drawer.
I was sprawled out on the couch, had both plates loaded down with slices of thick pizza covered in ham and green peppers and our glasses filled with the nectar of the gods, namely Dr. Pepper, on the table in front of me when John returned a few minutes later. He was wearing jeans and a baby blue Wilmington Blue Rocks sweatshirt and he had taken the time to wet his hair down in a failed attempt to tame the spikes on the left side of his head. How had Lotte turned this man down? I wondered.
&nbs
p; “Ham and green peppers? You are trying to make amends, aren’t you?” John said sitting down next to me and grabbing his plate. “Lance okay with you being here?” he asked around a mouthful of pizza.
“Lance doesn’t know I’m here,” I said waiting until his head whipped my way, his eyes comically wide before I continued, “Why would I tell him? We’re not together anymore.”
“Since when?”
“Since before Greece. I told you I only went there because of Victor.”
John sighed before taking a gulp of his soda. “Things didn’t look that way at your house.”
“And looks can be deceiving, we both know that.” Now I was the one sighing. “I’m not going to lie and say I wasn’t about to kiss him because obviously, you saw that with your own two eyes. The thing is it was a goodbye of sorts since we never had the big official this is the end talk.”
John polished off his first slice of pizza and looked down to my untouched plate. “That makes sense. And you better start eating before it’s cold.”
“I thought we were good after you sent the rose,” I said before picking up a slice.
“And we are or were, however that goes.”
“Then why haven’t you called?” I asked.
“Why haven’t you?” he countered
We ate in silence for another few moments. Me mulling things over and at the same time wondering how much to tell John about current things, like my date with Mateo last night.
Finally, he broke the silence, “Listen, T, I just don’t want you getting hurt.”
It took me a minute to realize he was talking about Lance and not Mateo. I was the one with my head stuck on him. I realized it was probably for the best that I not mention Mateo at all. That could all come later.
“I’m not going to be,” I told John, giving him a light, friendly punch in the arm. “And what about you? Lotte is seeing someone else,” I said hoping to break it to him gently.
He stood up abruptly, his empty plate in hand. “Good for her. T, I know you had the best of intentions but stop playing matchmaker for me, okay? You suck at it.” He went into the kitchen and got two more slices of pizza.