Hamlet’s Ghost

by Jane Tara

  “I’m glad I’m not the only soppy mess around here,” said Annie.

  “I’ve never been so deeply affected by music before.”

  Annie leaned over and whispered in Rhi’s ear: “It’s magic, Rhi.”

  The evening wore on. Stan got up and, accompanied by Ceridwen, sang some old Irish songs. He hadn’t lied when he told Rhi he could sing. He had a deep, rich baritone voice that suited the old drinking songs he chose to entertain everyone with. Then he finished with a heartbreaking rendition of “Danny Boy” to loud applause and the sound system took over with some more upbeat music, which got everyone up dancing.

  Rhi leaned against the bar and watched as Annie wiggled and grooved in between Sam and Jake. So much for encouraging them to date other women. She was tossing wine back as if it were water. Before long they’d have to carry her off the dance floor.

  Beside them were Tye and Crystal. Rhi could see where Tye got her sex appeal. Despite the fact that Crystal was probably fifty pounds overweight, her moves were sexy and graceful. She had an easy rhythm and swayed her hips seductively. Tye and Crystal were chatting loudly as they danced and looked so comfortable, so right together. Rhi could never imagine getting dirty on the dance floor with her own mother—Brigid was more a good bottle of bubbly at a top restaurant kind of woman. Not that her mother was uptight. Rhi had walked in on her parents and ten of their friends playing Spin the Bottle once. Rather than be embarrassed, they had invited her to join in. Rhi declined, but it had been the beginning of her understanding how truly liberal her parents were. Nudity at home was nothing new, and certainly nothing to be ashamed of. Her parents often performed rituals and spells skyclad. But when you walk into a topless tea and scones affair on a Sunday afternoon, and find your mother entertaining a famous actress, a number of witches and a well-known politician with her tits hanging out, the reality of your home life begins to sink in.

  As a result, Rhi was slightly reserved regarding sex and nudity. She wasn’t self-conscious, but it was private. Her body was for the Goddess and the man she loved. Or would love. For a moment Rhi had believed Chandra could be the one, but by the time she had caught him and Victoria in the coffee table Karma Sutra position she had already realized that she wasn’t—and had never been—in love with him. Or anyone. She was yet to meet someone who completely swept her away.

  “Penny for your thoughts.”

  With a jolt, Rhi came back to earth and the faint smell of mint and Gucci aftershave.

  Tad stared at her in amusement. “You were off with the fairies.”

  Rhi thought abut the dryad in her garden.

  “Can we start again? I don’t like getting off on the wrong foot.”

  Rhi waved his concerns away. He’d already apologized at the theater, and certainly made up for any rudeness by entertaining her to cheer her up. She still felt like she’d been slightly sideswiped by the whole Hamlet thing, but it also made sense creatively for that to be the first play.

  “Forget about it. Let’s dance,” she said.

  “I’m not much of a dancer.”

  “Yeah, right, Gene Kelly. Isn’t tap a dance?”

  Tad looked like he was trying to work her out. “Okay, I’ll give it a shot.”

  Rhi led him out onto the dance floor and started to dance. “C’mon, twinkle toes, show me some of those moves.” She did a little tap dance. “I know, I don’t have your finesse.”

  Tad shook his head and laughed. “You’re crazy, Rhi.”

  “You should talk.”

  Without warning, he grabbed her and pulled her in close. “Good idea. Let’s talk.”

  “I thought we were dancing.” She looked around and noticed people were looking at them, smiling.

  “We are dancing…in a swaying kind of way. This way I won’t tread on your toes. I’m not big on shaking my booty in public.”

  “Oh, I get it. You save those dances for private.” Rhi relaxed a little. She had to admit it was nice being in his arms. His body was strong, carved from rock. She could feel the contours under her hands. Her palms began to sweat.

  “Feeling Irish enough?”

  “Feeling something,” Rhi said.

  Tad’s hand pressed against the small of her back and sent a charge of electricity straight between her legs. She concentrated on taking a few breaths. This was ridiculous. She wasn’t at her first high school dance.

  “How about you?” she said. “Any Irish in the gene pool?”

  “I get a bit from both sides, especially my mother.”

  “Does she live around here?”

  “New York.”

  “Do you see her often?”

  “Every weekday at two.”

  Rhi was obviously confused, which made Tad smile. “My mother is Collette Kelly,” he explained.

  Rhi never watched soaps but even she knew of the grand dame of daytime soaps. “Wow, I’m quite impressed. That woman has never been out of work.”

  “Nor has her plastic surgeon.”

  “Meow. Mother issues?”

  “Not at all. I actually like her a lot.” Tad turned his head to watch Crystal wiggle her way past them with a loud laugh. “Crystal has been more of a mother to me. Collette is great, just not maternal.”

  “So you’ve known Crystal for a while?”

  “My whole life. My mother sent me to Crystal’s for school vacations. Tye and I grew up together. They were the ones who talked me into moving back here.”

  “No wonder you and Tye work so well together…musically, I mean.”

  Tad pulled back slightly, his eyes searching hers. “One eye is slightly darker than the other.”

  Rhi flushed. Not many people notice that.

  “Are you embarrassed?”

  “Not by my eyes.”

  “By me looking into them?”

  Rhi realized they’d stopped dancing. There was a space filled with nothing but a gaze. She felt like the rest of the world could disappear in that moment and she wouldn’t notice. It was she who broke the spell.

  “Tell me more about yourself,” she said. “I know that you’re quite a performer. What else?”

  “I write jingles and show openers. Music for commercials and television shows.”

  Rhi noticed a very faint freckle on his lip. It took all her willpower to not reach up and kiss it.

  “Any commercials I’d know?”

  Tad was clearly embarrassed. “Remember the Heartfelt Card Ad?”

  Rhi nodded and burst into song, “She was feeling blue, and then that card came from you, a card in the mail, when she was feeling so frail…You made someone happy today.”

  Tad rolled his eyes, amused. “Nice rendition.”

  “You really wrote that?” Rhi was laughing now. “I used to cry when that came on.”

  “You’re not the only one. I once had an email from the PMS Society asking for an interview for their monthly magazine.”

  “Hilarious. Anything else?”

  “I don’t know. A bunch of things. Mintlip Mouthwash. Air America. Also wrote the theme song for Manhattan MD.”

  “I love that show.”

  “I write if I’m in the mood, but lately I’ve been concentrating on Ceridwen.”

  Rhi had a clear flash in her mind’s eye. She saw big things for Tad’s band. He seemed to sense the unusual energy shift, but before either of them could say anything, they were interrupted by a crash.

  Tad shielded Rhi until the noise stopped, and then both turned to find a drunken guy sprawled out on top of some of the instruments.

  “Hamish! You okay?”

  “I think I’m gonna puke.”

  “C’mon, man, not on the instruments.” Tad turned to Rhi. “I’ve got to…”

  “Of course.”

  “How about I drive you home? Take two?”

  “I’d like that.”

  He gave her a smile and then made his way to Hamish, a huge man who had obviously consumed a huge amount of booze. Rhi watched Tad deal with him w
ith kindness and humor, despite Hamish’s capricious mood swings.

  “Tad, my ol’ pal! Man, it’s good to see you.”

  “I’m going to get you into a cab, Hamish.” Tad swung an arm around Hamish and hauled him to his feet.

  “Get ya fucking hands off me.”

  Tad disappeared out the door with Hamish and Rhi made her way across the bar to another patron who’d had way too much to drink.

  “Annie, grab your things. Tad and I will drive you home.”

  Chapter 20

  It really was take two. Tad agreed to drive Annie home and while she didn’t trip this time, she did drop her keys.

  “Isaall good guys,” she called from her porch. “Jush gotta find ’em.”

  “Should I help her?” Rhi asked, watching her from Tad’s car.

  “No.”

  It took Annie a couple of minutes to find the keys and then unlock her door. She waved as she stumbled inside. “Shanks for the lift.”

  “Perhaps I should stay with her.”

  “No need.”

  “She might be sick.”

  “I hope so.”

  Rhi was surprised by his attitude, which could only be described as tough love. “Does she always drink this much?”

  “Only recently.”

  Rhi turned to Tad. “Does that worry you?”

  It clearly did. “I’m keeping an eye on it.”

  Annie’s behavior was bringing up all sorts of issues for Rhi. “I just lost my best friend because of her drinking.”

  Tad reached out and grabbed her hand. “I’m so sorry. That’s awful.”

  “Yes, it’s been tough.”

  “When did she die?”

  “Die? Oh god, no, I’m sorry, is that how it sounded?” Rhi burst out laughing. “No, the bitch didn’t die. She had sex with my boyfriend. Now ex-boyfriend.”

  Tad threw his head back and laughed too. “Totally different scenario.”

  “Totally.”

  The laughter died down but left an easy comfort in its place that had never been there before.

  “It’s like a death,” Rhi admitted. “I miss her every day. We’ve been friends most of our lives, so it’s a large space she’s left behind.”

  “She’s an alcoholic?”

  “Her father died a few years ago and she hit the bottle hard. She never really stopped. She was high functioning until recently. But lately she’s done some stupid things.”

  “And your ex?”

  “That was on the cards. It’s her I miss.” She stared back up Annie’s driveway. “What’s going on with Annie?”

  “Sam and Jake. It’s messing with her head. So whenever we all go out, she gets wasted. She doesn’t drink alone, or at home. Just around them.”

  “Yeah, I’ve noticed. Perhaps she’s looking for the courage to tell them.”

  “Or to choose.”

  “Do you think she will?”

  Tad started the car and backed down the driveway. “I think she already has. That’s the problem.”

  Rhi watched as Annie’s house disappeared. “You obviously keep an eye on her, Tad. That’s good.”

  “I do.” He smiled at her sideways. “Who keeps an eye on you, Rhi?”

  “No one up here.”

  He angled his head to one side. “That’s no good. You should always have someone looking out for you.”

  “Who looks out for you?” Rhi asked.

  Tad didn’t miss a beat. “Crystal. It’s always been Crystal.”

  “Yeah, well I kind of like it this way. I feel like people have kept an eye on me for years.” Rhi shrugged, a little embarrassed. “It’s nice to blend into the background where no one knows me.”

  “You hardly blend in.” He gave her an appreciative glance. “Especially in that dress.”

  Rhi was grateful for the dark car, where he couldn’t see her blush.

  Tad pulled up outside her house. “Home sweet home.”

  “Where do you live?”

  “Not far from here. Up the other end of Cadman’s Beach.”

  “My house backs on to Cadman’s. I love it. It’s home.”

  Tad stared at her for a moment. She wanted to reach out and stroke his face. He seemed so different tonight. At the theater, with his quips and routines, he was entertaining, but here and now she felt she could rely on him. He was grounded, and she liked that.

  “I never really knew what home was until Crystal dragged me back up here.”

  “I know what you mean. I feel like I’m carving something out for myself that’s both unexpected and just right. I couldn’t find that in New York, even though I was born and raised there.” Rhi turned her whole body toward him. “There was this moment when I saw the theater…I just knew I had to be here. Did you have a moment like that?”

  Tad stared out the darkened windows. “I guess for me that moment occurred after I’d spent a couple of weeks here, hanging out with Tye and Annie. Getting to know Jake and Sam. I was composing, something I hadn’t done for a while. And one day…I had a moment. I realized I was happy and wanted to stay. I realized that being here didn’t make me miss my father more than when I was in New York.” He searched her face. “I’m guessing you know how he died?”

  “I do now, yes.”

  “I was only five when he died, but my memories of him are as clear as if I’d seen him yesterday. I spent holidays here, but I thought coming back to live would be too difficult. It was the opposite.”

  “Perhaps in some ways you’re closer to him here.”

  “I’m certainly closer to the good memories, but if you’re suggesting some sort of spiritual connection, I don’t really believe that.”

  “You don’t believe in life after death.”

  “Now you sound like Tye. I wish I did. I don’t know.”

  “But what is death?”

  “No idea. The lights go out. The power gets switched off. That’s it probably.”

  “What if there’s more to it? Do you believe in spirits?”

  “I was pretty fond of vodka for a few years there.”

  “Is that the reason Crystal talked you into coming up here?”

  “I’d had a few years of clichés. Made a shitload of money from some jingles, had a nasty heartbreak, hung out with the wrong crew, kept making money from jingles even though I wanted to be a serious musician. I went off the rails a bit.” Tad grinned. “I sound like a pompous idiot when I tell that story. So many people struggling for any type of success and here I was rolling in it, but it wasn’t the type I wanted.”

  “I understand more than you realize.”

  He waved his hands in the air. “Bought me my house. Home and security. I have more gratitude now. The jingles pay the way and I get to make music with Tye.” He stared her straight in the eye. “Are you going to stay?”

  “I’d have to bring a toothbrush.”

  Tad threw his head back and laughed. “I meant in Hamlet, but I’m more than happy to follow through on that conversation instead.”

  Rhi went a hundred shades of red. “We’ll have that conversation once I’ve extracted my foot from my mouth.”

  They stared at each other, the car crackling with heat, and yet neither of them reached out. And then, much to Rhi’s horror, she realized she was going to sneeze. She turned her head and tried to stop it—but too late.

  “Gesundheit.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I hope you’re not allergic to me.”

  “I think it’s seasonal. Spring is coming.” She tried to hide her embarrassment. “I cry, I sneeze. But at least I can always ask you for a handkerchief.”

  “Have I missed something?” Tad clearly had no idea what she was talking about.

  Great, he was playing at that again. “Thanks for the lift home, Tad.” And with that, Rhi slipped from the car and ran into her house.

  *

  Tad watched Rhi close the door behind her and then turned the headlights on and drove down the road. He had no idea what ha
d happened. He’d come so close to kissing her. He probably should’ve—just get it out of the way, right? That sort of chemistry didn’t come along very often. But he also knew what chemistry mixed with crazy was like. He’d had a couple of relationships with gorgeous women who stood all his hairs on end, but once they were in a relationship, they turned into Medusa. The signs had been there from the start, but he’d chosen to ignore them.

  But not this time.

  He had sworn off women with issues and as much as it pained him, Rhi fell into that category. She said the weirdest things. Like just then, and that whole thing about him being a tap dancer. Yes, she was flirty and quirky, but there was something about the familiarity with which she’d said it that unnerved him. It didn’t matter that she was already under his skin. Or that she was also gorgeous and smart and interesting. And had the most incredible eyes. For a moment tonight he’d seen his future mapped out in them. But the only thing that really mattered was keeping her at arm’s length.

  Kissing her would only lead to trouble.

  Chapter 21

  Rhi was restless. She was a creature of habit, always wanting to build a strong base for herself. But tonight, the edgy energy consumed her. She wanted to soar. She knew there was only one way to satisfy it, to calm it. But she couldn’t. She’d moved away from New York, away from her parents, to start anew. She wanted to be known as Rhi who ran the theater.

  She didn’t want to be known as the town witch.

  She ran around the house and closed all the curtains. Still, the moon called her. She flicked on the TV. Fox News…she flicked it off. She wasn’t that desperate.

  She went into the kitchen and yanked an old recipe book off the shelf. Perhaps it was time to learn how to cook. But still, like a whisper, the Goddess followed.

  The doorbell rang and she jumped, startled. She still wasn’t used to people just dropping by. Rhi opened the door and found Tye wearing a deep emerald green monk’s cape and hood. She put a finger to her lips. “Let me in.”

  Tye stepped into the light of the hallway and closed the door behind her. She clicked the lock shut and turned back to Rhi, who stared at her, speechless.