by Olivia Swift
She stood there frozen for a few seconds and then sent the photo to Sam, Rula, and to Branston, then poured herself a glass of wine and waited for the replies. Sam texted that he was on his way and she smiled.
“Having him around all the time is becoming normal.” Magda did not want to look at that picture by herself. She needed company and was seriously wondering if the café was not going to work.
Then Branston called and asked if she was still up and around.
“If you are, Merle and I will come straight over to see you.”
“Yes thanks. Will be good to see you. Sam is on his way.”
By the time she had straightened cushions and glanced at herself in the mirror, Sam was at the door and wrapping her in his arms. Merle and Branston found them still standing like this a few minutes later.
“Oh, having company and people around feels so much better,” she said. “Come inside.”
12
Merle and Sam were introduced, and Magda made everyone a drink while they looked at the photo.
“What do you all think?” she asked, as she carried in a tray with mugs of coffee. Crystal was sitting on Sam’s knee with an air of ownership and Magda smiled. “That little madam is starting to think she is your cat,” she said to Sam. He grinned and made room beside himself for her to sit.
“What do you think, Merle?” Branston asked, and the woman ran her hand over the photo.
“She is definitely there and she feels lost and lonely. She is hiding something. I can’t feel what it is,” Merle told them.
“Do you think she will always be there?” Magda asked anxiously, and Sam put his hand over hers.
“I think we need to find out what bothers her and then maybe she will leave. Does it frighten you, Magda?” Merle asked, and Magda admitted that she wondered about running the café if it was haunted.
“She means no harm,” Merle told her. “The sadness is with her and not with you. I think there is a connection to you and that has started this off.”
“And to cats,” Sam added. “The ghost cat appeared, and only people who like cats have seen it. Then the three kittens that somebody left look very much like the ghostly one. There are lots of coincidences.”
“I definitely got the feeling that the cat had been frightened by a fire,” Merle said.
“Maybe she was looking for it,” Magda remarked.
“So, if we find out if there was a fire and what happened, that might help?” Merle nodded and told them that it might be a good idea if they all met in the stable and tried to talk to the woman.
“It does look as if it is Irina, your great-grandaunt. That makes a connection as well as the cats. I have done one or two things similar before to try and help people with possible spirit activity. Can’t guarantee it would work though.”
“Got to work at the stable tomorrow,” Sam said. “Wood being delivered and walls going up.”
“The evening would be best,” Merle told him.
“And if I call Melissa first thing, she might track down the fire,” Magda added.
“That sounds like a plan,” Sam said. “You feel better now?” he asked Magda.
“Thanks for coming over,” Magda told them. “I do feel better knowing there might be something we can do.”
“Seven in the evening,” Merle said as she stood up. “We can meet you there.”
Magda gave her a hug and thanked her again. Sam stood in the doorway with her and waved the couple off. Then he closed the door and wrapped her in his arms.
“I can feel the tension in you,” he said into her hair. “Come and sit on the sofa and let yourself settle down.”
She put her arms around his waist and a few tears started to run down her cheeks. When he asked why she was crying she rubbed the tears away and told him that it was just not fair that a stupid ghost woman might ruin her lovely café.
“The cat I don’t mind, but a woman who looks like me standing in the doorway, that is really freaky.” He picked her up and carried her to the sofa. She rested her head on his shoulder and let the tears fall unheeded.
“I’m glad you’re here, Sam. Thanks.”
“I’ll stay the night,” he offered, “and I’ll behave myself. I don’t want to go and leave you upset.”
“When did I ever think that Sam Barnes would be my savior?” she queried with the first glimpse of a smile.
“Merle might well be able to do something to help the spirit go away. I don’t know about these things but she seems to.” He spotted the iPad on the table. “Go get us some blankets, then we’ll look now to see if we can find anything out.”
He knew the Magda of old, and action was always the answer for her. She stood up and went for some blankets.
“Let’s get comfortable and look for this blessed fire,” he added and laid her legs along the sofa before fitting himself on the edge and pulling up the covers. He laughed.
“Hang on, I might fall off the edge here!” He pulled over the armchair to give himself some support, then he slid alongside her, pulled up the covers and swiped the tablet. “Like kids having a sleepover. Let’s enjoy it.” He grinned, and she smiled and pulled out her phone as well.
“Okay. Who will find the fire first?” she added. There was a studious silence as they both waded through site after site to find the news from between nineteen thirty-five and nineteen forty.
“Ye gods, who would think there would be so many fire references in newspapers in nineteen forty?” Magda rubbed her eyes. “The cell phone is too small, and I can’t be bothered to get up for the laptop.”
“Might not need to,” he answered and turned the tablet for her to see. The headline halfway down the page declared a fire in the stables of Tomas Caraganic.
“Lord. You found it.” She took the tablet and enlarged the writing to read about a fire that had broken out in the yard and workshops of Tomas Caraganic. His wife, himself, two sisters, son, and workers were all safe, but the workshops and stables were almost completely ruined. Only one building was left standing.
“That must be my stable.” Magda said, and Sam took back the tablet to read the rest of the article.
“The son must be your granddad. I wonder how old he was then?” Then he found a sentence that said the ten-year-old son was very frightened by the fire and would not go back near the ruins. His aunt had been missing in the smoke for some time, and it was feared she had died but later was found unhurt.
“So, he was born around the year nineteen thirty,” Magda said. “That means we can track him down on census reports. If he was born then, the photo in the box from Jennifer Cartland would be about nineteen fifty something.”
“I’m guessing his aunt was Irina, and she looked like you.”
“If I bookmark this page, Melissa can go on from there tomorrow. She and Rula will want to be at the ghost-buster event.”
“Who ya gonna call?” Sam joked and then asked if she felt better.
“I do,” she answered and put the tablet and phone to one side. “I wonder what the cat was called.”
Sam settled himself under the covers and considered that they might find out when Merle visited the stable the next evening.
“The more we find out, the better,” Magda added.
“On another subject entirely,” Sam murmured, “If you had a free hand with that new extension, which at the moment is a cattery, how would you decorate it?”
She almost sat up in surprise at the question.
“You are actually asking for my opinion on interior decoration. I do not believe I heard that.”
He gave a chuckle and confessed that he was pulled in several directions and another opinion might be useful.
“I finished the room a few weeks ago and cannot decide what to do with it.”
“You decided on the floor because it is a ceramic finish. Is it radiant-floor heating?” she asked, and he said that he had actually put the heating on for the cats.
“Sam Barnes, you are turning softhear
ted in your old age,” she declared and then said that she would splurge on good leather sofas, probably in dark green with rugs that blended to soften the ceramic floor. “Your coffee table and other furniture would move from the present lounge. You could leave the existing sofa over to one side and keep it for a comfy seat in the kitchen.”
“I knew another opinion would help. Thanks. I like that idea and maybe a water feature would work in the new place as well.”
“I suppose those furnishings are neither very old world or very modern. We must have grown up.” She laughed and turned sideways to make more room. Sam took the opportunity and took her lips with his own, as they were right there in front of him.
The same sensations raced through her body as the touch of his lips against hers made that magical feeling return. There was nothing else in the world that she wanted to do but keep that feeling forever.
“Oh, Sam.” She sighed when the kiss came to an end. “I can’t believe what happens between us.”
“I guess I can live with it.” He smiled. “I did say I would behave myself. Go to sleep, and we’ll see what Merle finds out tomorrow.”
Magda settled happily into his arms and despite thinking that sleep would not come, he felt her relax and drift away. He ran a hand over her hair and swept it back off her face.
“Magda Caraganic,” he murmured, “I always knew the magic would be there.” The magic word brought his mind back to the café, and he went to sleep going over in his mind the jobs that needed to be done the next day.
She woke first in the morning and found Abigail and Crystal both sound asleep on top of her legs. It made it difficult to move without a great deal of effort, so she contented herself with kissing the side of Sam’s face. His eyes blinked open.
“The cats are on my legs and very heavy,” she told him. He sat up and dropped the cats lightly onto the armchair that was still his support. Then he slid back down beside Magda and wound his arms around her to pull her close.
“We spent the night together, Magda.”
“And you were a gentleman. Nobody would believe me.” She laughed.
He could not resist the chance to try and not be a gentleman, and the kiss that he gave her was charged with emotion and desire.
It would have been so easy to just melt into his arms and let the feelings take over, but her business head took over, and she held his face between her hands. “I would love to stay and enjoy this but—”
“I know. Work calls. It does for me as well, and I have to feed the cats before I start the job.” He tried one last taste of those lips that were so close and then reluctantly pushed away the chair and fell onto the floor.
Magda laughed and stood up herself. She offered a hand and pulled him to his feet.
“Thanks for staying,” she said and went to make some breakfast.
“Do you want me to pick you up tonight?” he asked, and she nodded and accepted the offer.
“I have to deliver some truffles, so the lift would be good. Thanks.” She looked at her watch. “Katie will be here soon, and I need this place clear. Can you put the cats in the bedroom, please?”
He raised his eyebrows and grinned before picking up a cat in each hand and going to the bedroom.
“In you go, girls,” he said. “Take it easy.” His eyes glanced around the room and stopped at the headboard. His sketch of the café was in a beautiful frame and right over the bed.
“Let’s hope we get these ghosts figured out,” he thought and closed the door on the two Birmans.
13
“I’ll go and feed the cats and then be back for the wooden walls arriving. Text if you need me.” He kissed her quickly on the lips and left her standing at the doorway. Magda shook herself and bustled around the kitchen to make it clear and clean for truffle making.
Katie arrived, and they looked in the display case to see which varieties were the most urgent to make.
“I have a delivery to make this afternoon, and that will really make a hole in the stock. We need full batches of violet crème, pecan, marzipan and brandy praline,” Magda told her and pulled out the recipes for all four. They put the chocolate ingredients into the vat on a low heat and Magda demonstrated the violet crème filling. They both pressed the mixture into molds, and Katie did the pecan and marzipan.
“That is great,” Magda told her as they pressed those into a mold as well. “If you stir the chocolate now, I’ll do the brandy praline.”
The girls got on well together and made a good team. Katie never seemed to get in her way. They talked about how to build up a stock before the café opened.
“Can I buy some framed prints for the café to sell?” Magda asked and said that she had looked at Katie’s website. “I absolutely love the shades-of-green picture.”
“It’s sold—the original I mean,” Katie told her, “but I’m glad you like it. The green theme is popular. I will have to do some more.” They talked about price, and Katie said she would bring some samples over the next day, and Magda could decide what she wanted.
“Do you think I should sell some other things as well?” Magda asked, and her new worker suggested things to do with the chocolate.
“Pretty mugs and plates would be nice,” she added.
“Kitchen accessories. I’ll have to look online and see what is available,” Magda said. “It is exciting. I just hope Merle can sort out the ghost situation.”
“Heavens,” Katie said when she heard the latest happenings. “The ghost doesn’t bother me, I have to admit, but I can see why it worries you.”
They stopped for lunch and then Magda took the delivery away and left Katie working with the packaging. She was tempted to drive by and see the work in progress but thought she might be in the way and put it to one side.
Danny and Sam were pleased to have no interruptions. The whole workforce, apart from the plumber, was involved in putting up the pre-made wooden walls, verandas, and then the roof. The place was transformed by late afternoon, and the group stood back to admire their handiwork. It looked like a modern version of an old-time cabin, and it fitted into the space as if it had been there for years.
“Gonna look great,” Declan declared. “She’ll love it.”
“Thanks, fellas,” Sam said. “Let’s call it a day.” The men took no second bidding, and Sam stood on his own and smiled.
“She will love it,” he thought and set up the line of lights into a finished socket. As he drove away he reminded himself, “Need to sandblast those doors though.” Then he called the company to book a time to have the job done.
The kittens heard him coming and were watching the door when he let himself into the extension.
“How ya doin’, guys?” he said as he refilled their food and changed the water. The little girl who was almost all black with four white paws came and rubbed against his legs. “Irina, you are becoming a little flirt.” But he picked her up and gave her a rub. She purred delightedly, and then he set her down with her brother and sister.
Sam made a coffee, then sat down to eat the sandwich he had bought on the way home. He showered, changed, and looked at the photo he had taken of the café. It was looking better than he had envisioned, and he was anxious to see Magda’s reaction. He had Declan ready to put up the wooden spars to hold the mirrors and that would be done the next day, but he wanted her to choose the mirrors herself.
Making sure the kittens could not escape into the rest of the house, he drove over and bought another rose on the way.
“You’re early,” she exclaimed as he arrived at the door. She was still padding around in jogging pants and a sloppy T-shirt. For an answer he handed her the rose, kissed her cheek, and told her to get ready.
“Why?” she grumbled and made him grin.
“A surprise and I want us to reach the stable before the others.” She gave him a suspicious look but went and changed anyway into jeans and a sweater. She grabbed a flashlight and found a warm jacket in case it was chilly later.
“Right. I’ve done as I was told. Now what?”
“That’s never happened before,” he admitted, but grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door. In the end, she had to smile at the enthusiasm, and they drove over to the main street. He took her hand as they walked the distance to Mikey's store which was closed for the night and then turned into the alley.
He pulled her to a halt.
“Close your eyes and trust me,” he ordered.
“Bet you say that to all the girls,” she answered, but she closed her eyes and took steps forward as he guided her.
“You can open them now,” Sam said quietly.
Magda opened her eyes and saw the line of colored lanterns, which were lit and hanging along the veranda. The extra building spread out into the garden and the balustrades were in place right around the building. The color of distressed and muted green was exactly what she had wanted and for once in her life, she was completely lost for words.
She held out a hand and he took it and put an arm around her shoulders.
“Is this a good sign or a bad sign?” he asked, and she put her arms around his waist.
“You are a genius. It is exactly what I saw in my head, but I could never have put it into words. Oh, Sam. Thank you. It is. It is just gorgeous.” She rested her head against him and let a few tears of joy roll down her face.
“I’ll take genius,” he said. “Come on. Look inside.” He opened the double doors and they stepped onto the wooden floor that was in the new part of the building. She saw the size of the new room. “Declan is putting up the wood for the mirrors tomorrow, and if you can find some time, will you come and choose which ones you would like?”
Magda nodded and said she could see how the whole place would look double once the mirrors were in place.