“I was just telling Michael all about your decorations.”
“Michael?” Val asked, turning dark eyes toward him. “Well, well, well. It is you! I barely recognized you in your little pirate costume. How are you?”
“I’m good, thanks. How are you?”
“Thriving, darling! Can’t you tell?” She threw her hands up in the air, just like a witch out of a kid’s movie. Kate snickered.
“You should have been an actress,” she told her boss.
“Trust me, sweetie, you wouldn’t say that if you could remember my performance as Glinda in The Wiz.”
“Ah.”
“So, what exactly are you supposed to be?” she asked Kate.
“I’m a princess, duh,” Kate replied playfully.
“And Michael’s the pirate who captured you and whisked you away to a deserted tropical island under a full Atlantic moon?”
“Or my cabana boy. I haven’t decided yet,” Kate grinned up at him, and linked her arm through Michael’s.
“He’s got too many layers on to be a cabana boy,” Valerie winked. Michael could feel his ears and cheeks getting pinker by the second. “Aw, look, I made him blush! Kate, he is just too cute.” Again, Kate smiled up at him.
“He is kind of cute, isn’t he?” She nudged his shoulder with hers. Valerie watched them wistfully.
“Well, I guess I should let you kids enjoy your evening together,” she said.
“Val, you don’t have to run off,” Kate told her.
“It’s alright. Rumor has it Karen’s very single nephew is running around somewhere and I’m going to see if I can accidentally bump into him. Can’t have the two of you cramping my style.” Val flashed them an impish grin.
“We wouldn’t dream of it,” Kate replied, embracing her friend.
After Val disappeared, Kate led Michael over to the buffet table, which was fit to overflow with a veritable smorgasbord of fancy finger foods: cocktail shrimp and dipping sauce, fruit and cheese platters, sausages, crackers, and rolls. The dessert platters looked even more tantalizing: five different kinds of cookies, brownies, fudge, cupcakes with orange and purple icing, and enough candy to satisfy every trick-or-treater in the neighborhood. Michael hadn’t thought he was all that hungry before, but now, standing in front of the greatest buffet ever assembled, his stomach began to growl.
“Shall we?” Kate asked.
After they’d loaded their plates, they made their way into the dining area, which had been cleared out to make way for the makeshift bar and its tenders. Michael couldn’t help but gawk at the people around them as he and Kate meandered through the crowd. There was a couple completely decked out in Steampunk garb, a woman who must have paid a fortune for her extravagant Elizabethan gown, and a man who looked like he’d stepped right out of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
“What can I get for you?” the bartender’s voice distracted Michael from the extravagant costumes around him.
“Champagne, please,” Kate said. Michael watched her in awe. It was like she wasn’t even intimidated by the glittering mansion or the high society company, like she was used to sipping champagne and hobnobbing at fancy parties.
“And for you, sir?” the bartender, dressed in a full out tux, asked Michael.
“Champagne,” he responded automatically. In a feeble attempt to act like he actually belonged there, he’d blurted out the first thing to come to mind. He didn’t even like champagne.
Unfortunately, it was too late to reject the crystal glass of bubbling liquid.
After they ate, Kate took Michael on a tour of the house. The bedrooms, in particular, were a sight to behold. Each room had a color theme, a king-sized bed, and a collection of antiques placed strategically around the perimeter. One room, the blue room, had a dozen antique brooches, all covered in glittering rhinestones, on display.
The white room, however, was by far the most mesmerizing. With sheer white curtains, lush white bedding, lacquered white dressers, and an old white and gold rocking horse in the corner of the room, Michael almost missed the woman, also dressed in white, hovering around the antique horse. She must have been used to strangers taking tours of the room, because she didn’t even look up at them.
“Pretty neat, huh?” Kate asked.
“It’s unbelievable,” Michael agreed, choosing not to acknowledge the ghost.
“And Karen is okay with people looking around her house?”
“Oh, she loves it. That’s why she had Val decorate all these rooms.”
“Wait, I thought you guys just decorated for parties.”
“We do, but Karen keeps Val on call year-round to help her decorate her rooms. Any time Val is out and sees something she thinks Karen would like, she just picks it up. She’ll go around to estate sales for fun sometimes, and she almost always comes back with some sort of nifty antique for Karen.”
The tour ended with Kate introducing Michael to Karen herself. Michael wasn’t sure what to say. He’d never met a really wealthy person before. Well, except for Luke. But Karen was different. She was elegant, sophisticated, and high-society. Luke was still wearing the same cologne that guys were supposed to stop wearing when they were fifteen.
As it turned out, Michael didn’t need to know what to say. Karen was talkative and enthusiastic enough for all three of them.
“Oh, this is the boy who can see ghosts! Oh, it’s so wonderful to meet you,” she gushed after Kate introduced them.
“Um, thanks. You too,” Michael replied.
“Kate didn’t tell me she would be bringing you. Of course, I know all about how you saved her life in that field. What a heroic thing to do!”
“Actually, she was the one who saved my life,” Michael said. Kate smiled and took his hand. She looked like she was going to say something, but Karen had already moved on.
“I have a question for you, and I hope you don’t mind me asking, but did you see our ghost?” she asked. Michael was a little surprised, not only that she knew she had a ghost, but that she talked about her like she was some sort of beloved family pet.
“You know about her?”
“She’s a her? Oh, good Lord. And here we’ve been calling her Casper all these years. I hope she’s not offended.”
“She didn’t seem to be,” Michael told her.
“Good. She can be kind of a pill at times. I swear, she likes to hide things. One day, I was looking all over for a strand of pearls that John brought me back from India and I kid you not, I found them in the white room, underneath the music box that plays ‘Memory’ from Cats.”
“Oh,” Michael glanced down at Kate, unsure of what else to say. This was the first time someone had gone out of their way to describe a ghost to him.
“I am just so glad you came this evening. Did you enjoy yourself?”
“Oh, yeah. Your house is amazing.”
“Well, thank you. You know, I owe it all to my wonderful decorating crew.”
Karen wrapped an affectionate arm around Kate’s shoulders.
After they bade Karen goodnight, Kate said a quick “Bye, see you Monday,” to Val. Then they walked hand in hand out into the cool October night.
Chapter 4
Kate didn’t really know how she expected the night to end. They’d never officially agreed that it was a date, and she wasn’t sure how to bring it up. She knew for a fact Michael wouldn’t say anything. He was even more awkward than she was. But he had held her hand. That had to count for something, right?
Well, whether it did or not, Kate was going to at least try to get something out of him. It didn’t have to be some huge declaration of love. It didn’t even have to be a kiss. She just wanted to know where they stood.
“I’m really glad you came tonight,” she offered once they’d made it to his doorstep at the top of the stairs.
“I’m glad you invited me.”
“Me too,” Kate said, hoping she wasn’t about to make him uncomfortable. “I miss you. I mean, I know I see you all the t
ime, but I miss spending time with you.”
To her sheer relief, Michael blushed and smiled down at the ground, before raising his eyes to meet her. “I miss you, too. I’ve wanted to talk to you for ages, to ask if you wanted to have dinner, see a movie, maybe. But...”
“I know. You’ve been busy,” she told him.
“It’s not just that,” he admitted. “I wasn’t sure if you... you know...”
She knew what he was going to say. He wasn’t sure if she was ready to date again, or if she even still wanted to date him. Furthermore, he wasn’t sure if he’d given her enough time to get over the shock of Trevor’s death.
“I ran into Trevor’s mom the other day. At the cemetery,” she told him. Michael’s expression was unreadable, so she kept talking. “I’ve been a few times... to pay my respects, to talk to him. I didn’t know what to say when he was actually here. The last time I was there, so was she.”
“Did you recognize her?”
“No, but I knew who she was as soon as she said my name. We talked a little. It was good, you know? To finally meet her. It brought me a lot of peace. And I think - well, I hope - that maybe life will start... I don’t know... getting back to where it was before,” she said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“You mean...?” Michael trailed off.
To answer his question, Kate took a step closer to him, stood up on her tip toes, and rested her arms around his neck. She felt his hand slip around her waist and she closed her eyes. She could feel his breath on her cheek when –
“Oh! I hope I’m not interrupting anything!”
Kate leapt away from Michael and whirled around.
“Gavin!” she snapped. Her older brother was sprinting up the stairs, a cheeky grin on his stupid face.
“Hey, Michael. Hey, Sis. Nice dress.”
“Shut up. What are you doing out so late?”
“Went out for drinks with some people from work. Are you guys just getting home from that party?”
“No, we went out for pizza and a movie dressed like this,” Kate replied dryly.
“You never know. You used to go all out for those Harry Potter midnight premieres. You even stitched that lion thing onto your graduation robe from high school. Did she ever tell you how much of a nerd she is, Michael?”
Kate groaned. Thanks to her drunken, loud-mouthed brother, her chances of spending a magical moment with Michael were all but obliterated. Maybe she should go out and get another ghost to drain the energy out of him. It might make him less chatty.
“Okay Gav, you need to go take an aspirin and lie down. I don’t want you to have another one of those episodes like you supposedly had after your first frat party. What was it again? You woke up in a stranger’s bathtub wearing nothing but a pair of someone else’s pants?”
“She’s trying to embarrass me,” Gavin told Michael. “Good news for her is that I am not that drunk. Bad news for you is that she is that big a nerd.”
“Get lost, please!” Kate snapped.
“Fine. But facts are facts, Kate,” he drawled. “I expect you won’t be long out here. See you, Michael.”
“Bye, Gavin,” Michael replied.
“Please, just don’t even acknowledge him,” Kate said, turning to watch Gavin as he gave one last wave before disappearing into the apartment he shared with Kate. “I’m sorry, he is such a dumbass when he’s drunk.”
“Alcohol does that to people,” Michael shrugged. Kate smiled, thankful that he was an understanding kind of guy. She couldn’t imagine most other guys would want to get within ten miles of her after an encounter like that.
But then, Michael wasn’t most other guys.
“Well, I guess I should go ahead and say goodnight. I’m already in for hell from Gavin, and I can guarantee you, he’s probably watching us from the peep hole,” Kate said. She wished that wasn’t true, but she knew her brother. He was an obnoxious drunk. “Again, I am really sorry.”
“Kate, I have an invisible roommate who takes every opportunity to spy, eavesdrop, and comment on my entire life. Trust me, you don’t have to apologize.”
Kate laughed. “Okay, good.” Then, she rose up and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Then, she took his hands in hers and gave them a light squeeze. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Good night, Kate. Thanks for a fun night.”
“Thanks for being my cabana boy,” she winked. And with that, she headed across the landing and into her apartment.
~*~
The next morning was proof enough to Kate that karma was a joke and life wasn’t fair. She awoke cranky, groggy, and still tired, while Gavin seemed totally fine and alert, even after his night of alcoholic indulgence. Wasn’t he supposed to be the one that was miserable and hungover? She’d only had one glass of champagne and wasn’t even close to being drunk the night before. She guessed she just hadn’t slept all that well.
She’d just helped herself to a bowl of cereal when Gavin joined her at their tiny kitchen table.
“So, I hate to be the one who ruins your morning - ”
“You mean like you ruined my date last night?” Kate grumbled, interrupting her brother.
“Oh, come on. I didn’t ruin anything. Michael is crazy about you and you know it. I was just giving you a hard time. That’s what older brothers do.”
“Well, I’m still mad.”
“Oh, I’m shocked. Always holding a grudge. That’s what little sisters do.”
Kate rolled her eyes. “So what’s going to ruin my morning?” she asked.
“I got a text from Mom,” Gavin began gingerly. He knew how Kate would react as soon as their mother was mentioned.
“Joy,” Kate remarked. “What did she want?”
“She’s stopping by later and she wanted me to make sure that you don’t go running off before she gets a chance to talk to you.” Kate opened her mouth to object, but Gavin cut her off. “Kate, you’ve been ignoring her for weeks. You need to give her a break. She’s your mother, for Christ’s sake.”
“I’m ignoring her because all I ever hear is how I need to move back home with her, and how I need to be more careful because I might trip on a rose petal and break my brain, and Michael is this dangerous little monster who is going to ruin my life and somehow impair my recovery even more than he already has, despite the fact that that’s exactly what she and Dad had been trying to do since the day I woke up from the freaking coma.” Kate wasn’t sure how well all that had translated aloud, but it made perfect sense in her head. Oh well. Gavin knew her well enough to expect these long-winded speeches every now and then. Even if he hadn’t gotten all of it, she was pretty sure he’d understood the gist.
“Be that as it may,” Gavin clearly hadn’t even tried to sort out her messy string of thoughts, “I think you still need to hear her out.”
Kate was disinclined to agree, but she knew she wasn’t going to win.
“Why did you tell me?” she asked. “I mean, if you thought I was just going to run off once I knew she was coming, why would you tell me?”
“Because if the last year has taught me anything, it’s that lying to you is not a good idea.” Then he stood up, ruffled her already-tousled hair, and disappeared into the living room.
~*~
Never one to be late for an engagement, Terri Avery arrived at two o‘clock on the dot. Kate had seriously considered sneaking out and seeking refuge at the mall or something, but after what Gavin had said to her earlier, she decided to stay. Kate knew her mother was desperate to repair the rift between them, and although Kate was still upset, she missed her mother. She used to talk to her about everything, and although she knew she could talk to Gavin or Michael or Val, it just wasn’t the same as talking to her mom.
Even so, Kate wasn’t looking forward to whatever her mother had to say to her that afternoon. She couldn’t know for sure, but she was willing to bet a decent amount that it would have to do with Michael. She’d probably seen him on TV. Or maybe she’d hear
d from some obscure acquaintance that Kate had taken him as her date to Karen’s party.
That was why, when Terri arrived, Kate busied herself applying lip gloss in the bathroom so that Gavin would answer the door.
“Hey, Mom,” she heard Gavin greet their mother.
“Hello, sweetheart. Oh, you’re looking so good. I’m so happy you’re better.”
Kate scowled. Even though she had tried to explain to her mother that it was all thanks to Michael that Gavin was better, Terri wouldn’t hear it. As far as she was concerned, ghosts didn’t make people sick and Michael Sinclair had done nothing to help either one of her children. But Kate couldn’t think about that now. If she did, she’d get angry all over again and she wouldn’t make it through the afternoon without yelling.
“So, where’s Kate? She is around, isn’t she?” Terri asked.
“Yeah, she’s here. Kate!” Gavin yelled. “What’s taking so long?”
“Just fixing my hair,” Kate called back. Then, taking a deep breath, she emerged from the bathroom and walked into the living room. Terri smiled at her, but it was a tense, forced smile. Whatever she had come to talk about, she clearly wasn’t looking forward to the conversation.
After the standard hugs, Hellos, and How Are Yous, Gavin asked if anyone wanted anything to drink. Of course, that was probably his way of getting out of the impending conversation while things were still civil.
Terri filled her in on what she and Rex, Kate’s father, had been up to in the last few weeks. Kate knew now that before her accident, her parents had been planning on getting a divorce, but had reconciled after they found out about Kate’s retrograde amnesia. Kate had wondered if they would drop the charade now that she knew the truth, but it seemed that Rex and Terri Avery had truly resolved their differences. Kate was happy to hear that things were going well for her parents, but she knew Terri hadn’t made the trip over to Riverview to talk about their new refrigerator.
Just when she was beginning to think her mother would never cut to the chase, Terri looked her in the eye and said, “I got a call from Arlene Hanson the other day.”
Oh no, Kate thought.
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