by Olivia Swift
“I’ll have to order the tables and chairs,” she said.
“The vat comes tomorrow as well”—and he pointed to the floor. “The channel is in place, and the plumbing and electricity are underway.”
“Then the counters, dishwasher, display case, and ovens. Oh, it is so exciting.” She turned to face him. “And you know what? No ghost is going to make me not have this chocolate fountain.”
They were still talking about the kitchen area when the sound of oohs and aahs came from the courtyard outside.
“Magda, this is fantastic. I cannot believe how much has been done. A whole new room and entrance has appeared since I was here,” Rula exclaimed as she pushed in the wheelchair with her mom, Branston, and Merle.
“This is wonderful,” Merle joined in. “I never could imagine what it would look like, but it will be just right for this town and this area. The muted green color is so good.”
“Nice one, Sam,” Branston said and stood beside his friend. “You have been cracking the whip here.” Magda explained about the mirrored wall and the vat for the chocolate, and everyone explored the whole place. Magda could feel their excitement as well as her own, and she completely forgot for a short while why they were all meeting there.
Sam was explaining about the discovered stone floor when Merle and Magda both looked at the doorway together.
“Did you see the shadow of a woman?” Magda asked and Merle nodded and closed her eyes.
“I can see her better inside my head and she has moved away.” She opened her eyes and looked at Magda. “I know it feels odd but she must be related to you. She must be from your family.”
Magda agreed and said she had gotten used to that idea.
“Why is she here?”
“I don’t know but she feels very sad. Something has always made her sad. I don’t think it’s the cat,” Merle said.
Sam explained about the cat in the doorway and suggested they do the same thing again to see if the feline appeared. The rest of them stood well back out of the way, and Magda pretended to close the doors and then open them and come back in. She stood in the doorway and heard the others gasp. She glanced down and saw the black-and-white cat against her ankles and then he went toward the wall that wasn’t there anymore.
“Pushkin,” Merle said, and the cat stopped his journey and moved back toward Magda.
“Pushkin?” Magda echoed, and Merle nodded and said the name just popped into her head. Pushkin rubbed against Magda’s ankles and then moved away back to his regular pathway.
“Well, that is a step forward,” Sam said.
“Call for him again,” Merle said to Magda.
“Pushkin, Puss, Puss. Pushkin.” There was no response for a few seconds and Merle said to try again. This time the cat appeared at the doorway as before and went to Magda.
“Hello, Pushkin. Good boy,” she said, and the little shadow went away through his invisible wall.
“We know his name, and he comes if you call for him,” Merle said, “but the woman and the cat are not here at the same time.
“If they could meet, do you think that might settle things?” Branston asked Merle, and she thought that it might help.
“Trouble is that the cat comes when you call but I don’t think the woman will.”
“When has she appeared?” Sam queried, and they went back over the times they had caught a glimpse of the coat.
“Declan saw her when he was standing outside of the doors,” Magda said.
“We were standing outside the doors each time as well,” Sam added. “Let’s try that.”
Everyone went back outside and stationed themselves with a view of the doorway and then Sam and Magda stood approximately where they were when Declan saw the shadow as well.
“Where was Declan?” Merle asked and then put herself in that place. When all was quiet, Merle asked if there was a woman there. She asked three times without a response and then she appeared in the doorway. “Can you hear me?” Merle asked, and the woman looked in her direction and then she faded away and disappeared.
She did not, however, go into the stable but walked toward Sam and seemed to go through him with a smile on her face.
14
“Wow,” Magda said.
“That was quite scary to see a ghost come toward you and then just fade,” Sam admitted. Merle shook her head.
She went right through you. Did you feel anything?”
“No, nothing,” he answered.
“She fancies you,” Branston joked.
“Thanks, Branston. That’s a really helpful remark,” Sam said and was obviously a bit unsettled by the whole thing. Merle wondered if her sadness was about a man.
“Maybe Branston has hit on something.”
“Wants a hit on the nose,” Sam grumbled but smiled and looked more like himself.
“As far as I can see from the records, she never married,” Melissa said from the wheelchair. “Maybe I should look for other stories about the family.”
“And Sam has been drawn into the whole cat thing with the kittens. The cat connection seems to come through all of the time,” Magda observed.
They went back inside and with an electric light plugged in the ghost events just seemed to be so unlikely.
“Even if we can’t get the ghost situation solved, I think I can live with it,” Magda said.
“But it would be good to find out what happened,” Melissa answered. “I’ll do some more searching tomorrow.”
“What about,” Rula joined in, “if Sam brought one of the kittens in, and we closed the doors so it couldn’t escape and see if that is a trigger to bring her here—sort of Sam and a cat,” she added a bit uncertainly.
“It’s worth a try,” Merle told her. “Pushkin would probably come if we called.”
“We know her name is probably Irina,” Magda said. “Maybe if I called her name it would help as well.”
Merle suggested the following evening and they all agreed.
“On a non-ghostly note, this place will be fabulous,” Rula said. “I can’t wait to be behind the counter.”
“I love it,” Magda answered. “Can’t you just see the glass covers over all of the different truffles and then cheesecake, muffins, cupcakes, tray bakes, coffee, and hot chocolate with all the trimmings?”
“Raspberry-and-white-chocolate cheesecake,” Sam murmured and the others laughed. “Come on,” he added. “Let’s lock up.”
They all went their separate ways. Sam and Magda found the two Birmans sitting on the sofa looking cross.
“Oh, girls. I am sorry. Your dish is empty.” She went to bring some treats that they liked and some cat food, then found them both sitting on Sam pushing at him with their feet. She sat beside him. “They are trying to say calm down,” she said and held his arm. “This is you shaken by the ghosts and not me.” She went and brought two shots of whisky and he downed the drink immediately, so she tipped her own into his glass and he drank that as well.
“Sam. This is us. We can deal with it. Remember—together.” She laughed. “I can deal with Irina as well as Loretta.”
That made him smile and she felt him relax.
“Anyway, all the girls fancy you. No reason why a girl from nineteen forty would be any different.”
“It’s not every day that a ghost lady walks right through you though. I must admit, it gave me a shake.”
“And strangely enough, the more I see and hear about the family, the easier it is for me to deal with. I think we can reunite Irina and her cat and get on with making the chocolate fountain.” She paused and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Incidentally, I haven’t told you how wonderful it is and how right you were about the design. Forget the ghost. You are one great architect and builder.”
He looked into her eyes and knew he had gotten the café design right. She was thrilled with the work.
“I am pleased with it. The men have worked really hard. That day you dealt with the tart gave them a real k
ick.”
“When do you want to choose the mirrors?” she asked. She made a mental note to leave Katie with the packaging jobs. The girl had used her artistic talents and improved the finish of the boxes.
“If I look in on the build, Danny will keep it going and then we can go. Maybe ten o’clockish?”
“Right. Settle down and relax. No ghosts around to flirt with you,” she said and ran her hand over his hair. “Kiss me, Sam, and see if it chases the ghost away.”
“No doubt about that,” he answered. Their lips met with the same surge of emotion that they knew would happen each time.
Magda moaned softly as he let his lips move over her eyes, and down her throat.
“I don’t want to be a gentleman tonight,” he whispered.
“I don’t want you to be either,” she answered and took his hand. They left the two cats on the sofa.
The morning found them happily entwined together. Magda woke and saw this man beside her. This man that she had refused to date at fifteen and argued with ever since. The man who could have any girl in town if he wanted.
“We’ve changed everything now, Sam,” she whispered and ran a finger over his lips.
“Thank the Lord for that, Magda Caraganic,” he said with a sleepy smile, and her heart did a somersault inside of her chest. “I think maybe we can skip the first-date thing.”
“I guess all the fights over the years was sort of like dating,” she told him. “What time is it?” He laughed and said that if she thought she was getting away, she should think again. She sank back onto the pillows and let him claim her lips again.
They had to make a mad rush to start the day properly. He grabbed a croissant as he passed through the kitchen. Katie stepped in as his car sped away and Magda threw up her hands.
“Don’t say a word.”
“All right. All I’ll say is two opposites attract.”
Magda smiled and wrapped her huge apron around herself.
“I have to choose the mirrors at ten, so I’ll make the centers if you can do the chocolate and then the packaging please.”
She then told Katie all about the ghost lady from the night before.
“Tonight, we are taking the little, black-and-white cat with us and try to reunite Irina with her Pushkin. Sounds so far-fetched to say that but it seems like the right thing to do.”
Katie hesitated and then asked if she could maybe come along as well.
“Only if you not say one word about Sam being here when you arrived this morning,” Magda warned, and Katie said she would have kept it quiet anyway.
“You might have to fight off his ghostly admirer.”
“Pfft,” Magda told her and then remarked that it would be like fighting herself. “Isn’t that just strange?”
“I have those prints in the car if you would like me to leave them,” Katie told her, but Magda decided to have a quick look right away. Both girls went out to carry in the two boxes of prints and spread them out in the living room.
“I think the framed ones will look best on the walls with prices on them, and I also get to look at them until they’re sold,” Magda told her. “I love the foliage and grasses ones the best, and they will go with the green and the potted plants.” She decided on ten of those, and they separated them out.
“There is a potter lady on the edge of town who makes really pretty natural-themed mugs and plates. Buying local would be good,” Katie suggested, and Magda said she would go and look at the pieces.
“I can almost feel the thrill of setting up the whole place. I must sit and order the tables and chairs.” She smiled. “After the ghost busting, I guess.”
Sam arrived, and they showed him the prints Magda had chosen. He agreed that they would match the theme.
“I’ll just finish these centers and then we can go,” she told him and left Katie happily stirring the chocolate.
“I’ve just got the car because the mirrors will pack flat in the trunk,” he said as he drove them to an out-of-town industrial park.
“Always wondered what they sold in here,” she said and was not surprised when the people inside knew Sam and made them both welcome. The young man showed them to the mirror displays and left them to browse. The number of choices was amazing, and she had not realized that some mirrors were etched, and the whole wall could have a design on it.
“They are quite beautiful,” she said to Sam. “Are the etched ones expensive?”
“I’ve got an account here. Which ones do you like?”
She said that the grasses were elegant and would work and wasn’t keen on the ones with birds and then she laughed and pointed. “Has to be that one. It’s got Pushkin in it.” The one she had spotted had a twirling design of leaves and curling stems and stalking along beneath them was a cat.
“Definitely. I like it,” he said and took out his notebook for measurements. The assistant came back, and between them they worked out how many would cover the wall, put them on the account, loaded the trunk, and drove away with the mirror wall decided.
“You’ll need my cat carrier tonight,” she told him as they drove away and arranged to meet at six thirty.
“By now, Declan will have a lot of the wooden frames up, and I can start to fit the mirrors.”
“Tonight I will get a flavor of what it will look like. That is exciting. Thanks Sam,” she said as she jumped out of the car and waved as he drove away.
“Well?” Katie asked.
“Chose a design with a cat walking along the bottom,” she answered and went back to making truffle centers. “I’ll have to order the tables and chairs soon and think about the potted plants.” Taking a quick breather, she pulled out the leaflets and asked Katie what she thought about the tables and chairs. The two girls browsed quietly for a few minutes and then both came up with similar suggestions.
“As an art thing,” Katie said, “don’t keep it all one color. Pop in something different.”
“Like mostly green with some blue?” Magda queried and Katie nodded. “If you can manage for a short while, I’ll pop over and ask what Rula thinks. She has to be in there with it.”
“No problem,” Katie answered and started to coat the latest batch of chilled centers for the truffles. She asked if she should pipe the decoration onto the violet creams and smiled because she knew that it still worried her new boss. “I’ll be careful,” she finished. Magda gave her a quick hug and said thanks before grabbing the leaflets and calling Rula as she went.
Melissa and Rula were delighted to see her and help choose the fittings for the café. Melissa was still delving into stories about the family and had pulled out one or two smaller facts that gave an insight into life in Magda’s family.
Rula found another set of leaflets that Magda had missed which had some floral-printed tables.
“That would be the pop of color that Katie suggested. I think we go for the dark green with some of the brighter floral ones.” Rula and her mom agreed and said they were looking forward to the evening ghost trip.
“I hope most of the mirrors will be up, and we can see what the place will look like.” Magda said she would see them at the café.
“Branston is picking us up again, and I will remind him to talk to his gran,” Melissa said. “I think he has forgotten that.”
15
Magda drove over to Sam’s house with the cat carrier and said that they could use her car. They got the little cat into the crate and set off for the café.
“What an adventure for Tomas. I hope he doesn’t mind,” Magda said. “Do you think I should take him home and introduce him to the girls?”
“See how he does. If he’s frightened, he might be better going back to his sisters,” Sam answered.
They found a parking spot, and Sam carried the crate with a slightly miffed kitty inside. Every now and then there was a little protesting meow.
They were first at the café and opened up the double doors. Sam found a light switch, illuminating the place as if by
magic. He held his hand out to display the mirrored wall.
“Oh my goodness,” Magda exclaimed. You were so right. The place looks enormous.”
“And fantastic,” Rula’s voice said from the door. “I love it.”
“Oh yes. Me too,” Melissa’s voice echoed as Branston pushed in the wheelchair. They looked at it from all angles and declared it a success. Katie arrived and was introduced to Merle and Melissa. The little pathetic meow came from the crate and Magda said they should make a start. With the door closed and no escape possible, they opened the cat carrier and waited for Tomas to be brave enough to exit. He stayed determinedly inside the crate.
“I can’t open the doors to see if Pushkin appears,” Magda said.
“Stand beside the doors. That seems to work,” Merle said and asked Magda to call for Pushkin. There was no sign of the ghostly feline, and it was starting to look as if it wouldn’t work when Tomas decided to be bold and leave his little hiding place. He tried one paw and then another and gazed around.
“Good boy,” Sam encouraged and the cat looked at him and made to walk across the room. Sam went down on his knees and gave the cat a reassuring rub. Tomas turned his head very suddenly. At the same time, Magda gasped and looked down at her feet. Pushkin was winding between her ankles, and Tomas left Sam to investigate.
“Hello, Pushkin,” Magda said quietly. The shadow of the cat wound around her legs one more time, walked straight through Tomas and headed for his opening in the wall that didn’t exist anymore.
“Well we know that worked,” Melissa voiced what they were all thinking, “but what next?” Everyone looked at Merle for a suggestion, and she had a very glazed look in her eyes.
“You okay?” Branston asked her, and she nodded and reached out for his hand.
“We need to get them both here at the same time and she is not far away.” She blinked as if to bring herself back into the room and asked Magda to call out for her Great-Grandaunt Irina. “I think she will come for you rather than me.”
“What if she comes?” Sam asked. “How do we get the cat to come as well?”