I pulled a blue blouse off a hanger and my khaki slacks from the shelf above. “I’m, um...”
“Speechless?”
“Embarrassed. Can I have some time alone to shower and stuff?”
“Yes. I’m going to go find a quiet place and try to forget the things I heard.”
“That’s good. Me too. We can both just forget that nightmare.”
“Please tell me you haven’t fallen for this dreadful excuse for a man again. The doctor is so much better for you.”
“Trust me,” I said with confidence. “I haven’t fallen for him. I love Cal.”
“Thank the heavens,” he said, vanishing.
I did love Cal. He was the world to me. Yet, even while standing directly under the stream of an icy cold shower, images of Shane kept flashing in my mind. I tried to think of Cal, of work, of my morning routine, of feeding my pets and making my lunch, but nothing worked to push images of a shirtless, glistening bare-chested Shane out of my head.
At the table I shoveled cereal into my mouth while trying to think of ugly old men with wrinkled skin and hairy backs.
“Marmi!” I called out, sorry I’d shooed him away so quickly. I needed his company to occupy my mind right now. “Marmi, are you there?”
He appeared at the table, seated in the chair across from me. “Was your shower refreshing?”
“Eh. A shower’s a shower, right?”
“In my day we bathed, so it is difficult to guess.”
“Tell me about that tea set last night. Cool, huh? Start from the beginning and tell me all about how she taught you to do that.”
Marmaduke eyed me suspiciously for a second or two, but then smiled. “I don’t mind if I do.”
I’d never been so grateful for Marmi’s bombastic tendency to talk my ear off. I hung onto his every word. He babbled until we pulled into Cal’s driveway an hour later. I continued listening while I scooted to the passenger seat. I don’t think he stopped for a breath once. Not that he actually needed to breathe.
“And then there you were shouting my name, breaking my concentration, and I watched helplessly as the china pieces fell to the floor and smashed into a thousand pieces. Alas, it was both a sad moment and a happy one.” He finished his story just as Cal slid behind the wheel.
“Good morning, beautiful,” Cal said, leaning over to plant a warm kiss on my inviting lips.
“Good morning to you too, sir,” Marmaduke said.
Cal raised his eyebrow at Marmi.
“I tease,” Marmi laughed. “I shall leave you to your morning snuggles and salutations.”
Cal kissed me tenderly again, then got the car moving.
“So how goes it with the Dianne and Rachel show?” I asked.
“I just don’t get it. My mother has somehow become convinced that Rachel is a good sounding board. They’re going shopping today, then Rachel is taking her to a divorced women’s support group meeting tonight.”
“I still say Glacial is up to something. Even if it’s as simple as getting under your skin with her constant and frigid presence.”
Cal smiled. “Glacial?”
“Yeah, I thought that one up just now. Fits, doesn’t it?”
He nodded. “Like a glove.” I stared out the window at the many storefronts as we passed them. “I’m going to call Tara today about Shane. She can probably help better than me.”
“Of course. Why didn’t we think of Tara earlier?”
Tara Wiley was an amazing medium that had helped us through a sticky paranormal crisis before. Her son was a vision therapy patient of Cal’s. She also guided meetings we called Ghost Group, a small band of people with non-living companions like me and Marmi.
“I thought of Tara right away. I was going to call her about Shane last night, but then he barged in and my organized plans went into the trash.”
When we stopped at a light, I noticed several men repairing the sign above Wilson’s Piano Shop. A man on the ground stared up at two others on the roof. From behind, the man was built like Shane. Even in the cool October morning air, he wore a short sleeved t-shirt that showed off his generous and defined biceps. Before I knew what was happening, my thoughts had drifted to Shane. Not just thoughts, but desires. Desires to have him, to rip the clothes off his body and...
“Kiss me,” I shouted. “Kiss me now!” Cal was more stunned than I when I threw myself at him. I was desperate to stop the Shane cravings by turning them into Cal cravings. My hands were everywhere, but I couldn’t quite get all of me over to his side, despite trying. When the car behind us honked angrily, I was forced to extract myself from Cal’s face.
The car wouldn’t accelerate. He stomped on the gas, but despite a lot of noise, the car wouldn’t accelerate. The guy behind us honked again and a flustered Cal threw his arms in the air. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh,” I cried, “the car is in park.” My knees had bumped the gear shift. I slid it into drive for him and the tires squealed because Cal’s foot was solidly on the gas.
Cal couldn’t hide the grin on his face. “Man, where did that come from? You must have really missed me last night.”
“Yeah,” I said, still panting. “I did.”
He winked. “Did you dream about me?”
I had to figure out how to answer that one without lying. “Oh boy, did I dream.”
Marmi made his usual appearance beside me at the reception desk late in the morning. I’d already left an urgent message with Tara Wiley to please call, the office was quiet, and I was caught up on paperwork, which, unfortunately, gave me time to stew over my preoccupation with Shane.
Marmi, on the other hand, was still giddy about his newfound skills. “Last night was positively invigorating,” he bubbled while twirling his bowler hat on his finger like a basketball. “Shall we be assisting Shane and his companion again soon? I should love to glean additional tips from her metaphorical bag of tricks. She’s dreadfully loquacious and her grammatical skills are ghastly, but she is a superb instructor.”
The only part of Marmi’s speech I could focus on was his mention of Shane’s name. “Hmm,” I offered in response.
He stopped the hat twirling and leaned toward me. “Oh yummy. Having a mid-morning snack?” he asked.
I pulled my attention from the computer screen I’d been staring at trance-like. “What?”
“The thumbnail you are chewing on with such vigor. Wouldn’t an apple be more nutritious? Or possibly a chocolate biscuit with some tea would be tastier.”
I pulled my thumb away from my mouth and tucked it in my lap. “I’m a little distracted. Sorry. You were talking about tricks.”
“Might I assume that your dream is causing you some consternation?”
“You hit that assumption on the head. But it’s worse than that.”
“I do not follow.”
“Something is wrong. Something is very, very wrong.”
“That added in-depth explanation has certainly clarified the issue for me.”
I lowered my voice to the barest whisper possible. “I can’t stop picturing Shane, um...”
“Disrobed?”
“Sort of. But more. There’s more.”
“Sophie, you assured me that you did not have feelings for this man any longer.”
“That’s the problem. They aren’t feelings, like I love him feelings. They’re more like...stirrings.”
“Oh my.”
“I don’t know what to do.”
“Stop them. Stop them now.”
“I’m trying. I nearly attacked Cal in the car on the way to work.”
“Did it provide relief?”
“Well, sure for a few minutes. But just now, when you said Shane’s name. Boom.”
“Stirrings?
”
“Stirrings.” I nodded and checked the room even though we both knew it was empty. “I have a phone call in to Tara. She has to solve Shane’s Myrtle issue without me being involved. I can’t risk being around him. This is just crazy.”
“Oh.” Marmaduke seemed disappointed. “That’s a shame.”
“It’s the only answer.”
He nodded. “Yes, I suppose so. Only, I do find Myrtle’s company enjoyable. And she does possess a charming smile, don’t you think?”
I narrowed my eyes at him and was about to question his comment when the phone rang. Caller ID on the phone’s display told me it was Tara.
“Tara,” I answered. “Thank you for calling me back.”
“We needed to talk about tonight’s Ghost Group anyway,” she said. “I have to cancel. I didn’t realize it was back to school night for the boys.”
“Oh no!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll call everyone and let them know.”
“That’s not why I’m concerned. It’s something else.”
“This friend of yours with the ghost?”
“That’s it. I can’t help him, and I was really hoping you could sort of take over for me. See, he’s not just a friend, he’s my ex-boyfriend.”
“Say no more. I understand. Listen, your office is on my way to the school. I could give him ten minutes or so if he can meet me there. I have to be at the school by seven.”
“Here? Oh. Well, okay. I can get him here. Thank you.”
I hung up. Things were looking up. Tara could field this one for me. No need to worry. My problem was about to be solved.
Or, so I thought.
CHAPTER NINE
I was all smiles after my talk with Tara when Cal brought Mr. Grump to the front desk for billing. Suddenly the note from the referring office made sense. I thought they’d just misspelled his name as Joseph Grump. After dealing with him and his sour mood, I realized it probably wasn’t a mistake.
Mr. Grumpy took up thirty minutes of my time. I had to juggle his demands along with incoming phone calls for scheduling appointments and one telemarketer who didn’t want to take no for an answer. By the time he left I’d caught his crabby bug.
Cal left to get us lunch and fresh light bulbs for the vision therapy room. I set the phones for lunchtime, sending all calls to voicemail and took a deep, cleansing breath. Before I could lock the door and collect myself in peace, Shane plowed through.
He nearly ran me over as I stood there prepared to lock it.
“Hi Soph.”
“Hi,” I said back. Shane had it in the looks department. Dark wavy hair, the nose of a Greek god, and abs that screamed to be stroked. After meeting Cal though, Shane’s handsome features, while obvious, had lost their effect on me. I didn’t get butterflies in my stomach when I spotted him across the room anymore, my skin didn’t tingle in anticipation of his touch. The magic, thank goodness, was gone.
Until now, that is. For some reason, as he stood inches from me, I was keenly aware of the scent of his cologne. My hands ached to reach out and rip off his clothes so I could feel his bare skin. What was happening to me?
“Shane, I have to—”
“I just wanted to see you,” he said.
“Tell him to stay away,” Marmi advised.
Myrtle floated in right behind Shane. “Hey punkin’,” she said, nuzzling up to Marmaduke, “you ready for another lesson?”
Marmi’s eyes lit up. “I thought you’d never ask. Come, let us go where we can have some privacy.”
I blinked and focused on him rather than Shane. “Are you sure? Why don’t you stick around?”
“No, no,” he said. “We’ll be fine.”
It wasn’t them I was worried about. “Well,” I frowned, watching them disappear down the hall, “don’t break anything.”
“You just take care of that Shaney boy,” Myrtle called back. “He’s been a mess all mornin’. He had some kind of frightful nightmare last night.”
Shane closed the door behind him and locked it. “Sophie, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since last night. And that dream she mentioned. It wasn’t a nightmare.”
Ah geez. “It was about me?” I guessed out loud, backing myself against a wall.
He nodded, moving toward me, a muscled tomcat on the prowl.
“But you’re with Amy. You’re engaged to be married.”
“I know,” Shane said, coming so close our lips were nearly touching. “I know. I do love her. But there’s something about you.”
Fighting a powerful force that seemed to be pulling us together like a magnet to steel, I pushed him away. “Shane, stay back. This is wrong.”
“You feel it too. I knew it.”
“I don’t feel anything,” I lied, pulling a chair between us. “Maybe you have the flu. Do you have a fever?”
He shoved the chair aside. “I have a fever all right. A fever for you.”
My brain was telling me to run, but my libido was telling me to jump his bones. With intense will power, I followed my brain and ducked as Shane swooped in for an embrace. “Shane! Stop it right now.” I backed my way toward the reception desk.
“I can’t stop. My body yearns for you.”
I kept backing, hoping I wouldn’t have to start wielding weapons to keep him at bay. “Yearns? That’s not a Shane kind of word. Listen to yourself.”
“I’m listening to my heart. My heart wants you. Say that your heart wants me.”
My heart didn’t want him, but other parts of me did. I fought the desire. “No. My heart doesn’t want you, Shane. I love Cal. You love Amy. And this isn’t love, this is...oh my God. This is lust. Lust. The bottle last night. It didn’t say ‘Lost,’ it said ‘Lust.’ It was a lust potion!”
“You have to be kidding me.”
“I didn’t tell you about the witches.”
That stopped Shane’s advances, temporarily at least. “Witches?” His face blanched. “Maybe I did have a nightmare. Maybe this is all one horrible, hideous nightmare.” He walked to the counter and grabbed it for support. “I had to call in sick again today, Soph. And I can’t keep doing that.” His look turned hungry again. “Everything about you is turning me on. Your hair. Your skin.”
I fought the urge to maul him. Working my way hurriedly behind the desk to put a barrier between us, I stood in front of the computer and quickly opened a search engine. “What was the word? It sounded like a city name. Lussuria.” I typed the word in using my best phonetic guess. There it was in black and white. Lussuria wasn’t a city, it was the Italian word for lust.
With Shane advancing, I tried reasoning with him logically. “Shane. We’re under the influence of a lust spell.”
Ah geez. Why didn’t that sound more logical?
“What’s that perfume you’re wearing?”
“I’m telling you, we have to fight these urges. Think of something else.”
“What else? All I can think of is you and how I want you.”
“Uh,” I tried to think. “Imagine me with bad breath then. Really, really bad, revolting breath. A stench so awful it turns your stomach. And...no teeth.”
He closed his eyes tight. “Okay. Okay. I can do that.” He grimaced. “You’re toothless. Big black gap where your teeth should be. And the bad breath. Yeah, it’s stinky bad.”
“Good. Keep that up. And I’m imagining you bald with a beer belly. Big, whopping beer belly.”
“Is it working for you?”
“Yes. The bigger the belly, the better it gets. Now here’s the thing. My friend Tara is a medium. She’s a good one.”
“It’s working for me too. I’ll throw some saggy boobs in there. Stinky breath, saggy boobs,” Shane muttered with his eyes shut. “Is this Tara lad
y going to help us? Stinky breath, stinky breath, saggy boobs.”
“She knows about you and Myrtle, but she doesn’t know about this latest development. Maybe she’ll have some ideas about that.”
“Stinky breath, no teeth. Saggy boobs, no teeth. What do you want me to do?”
“Come back tonight. She doesn’t have a lot of time though. Um. Get here at six but wait in your car. I’ll text you as soon as Tara arrives.”
“Okay. Should I open my eyes now?”
“Not yet.” I shouted down the hall. “Myrtle! Get back here!”
Marmi and Myrtle materialized beside Shane.
“Aw shucks,” she said. “My little Marmalade was just about to lift some big ol’ electronic box off the ground.”
Marmi giggled. He actually giggled. “She calls me her little Marmalade. And I told you, Pumpkin Biscuit, they call it a computer.”
Good grief. We had all been affected by the potion.
I spun Shane around so he was facing the door. “Myrtle, leave with Shane now.”
“Aw,” Myrtle whined. “Do I have to leave my hunk o’ love?”
“But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Myrtle is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s enough, Romeo.” I unlocked the door and pulled it open. “Myrtle and Shane out. Now.”
Every nerve in my body was on fire for Shane Daniels. I needed him gone before Cal returned.
I shoved Shane out the door with Myrtle behind him. With them gone, I locked the door and slid down to the floor, resting my head in my hands. “Marmi, we’ve got a problem.”
“Are you jealous of my newfound attraction to Myrtle May?”
“Is that another nickname?”
“Oh no. It is her given name. She remembered it. Myrtle May. Is she not magnificent?”
She remembered her name. That was promising. Some light at the end of this horribly muddled tunnel. “Did she remember anything else?”
Some Like it Haunted (A Sophie Rhodes Ghostly Romane Book 2) Page 5