Only slightly worried, she wracked her memory, desperately trying to remember where she was supposed to be. Where would she usually go in a snowstorm?
An instant later, she was standing in the middle of a very busy Starbucks. She scanned the room for a familiar face. Was she supposed to meet someone here? She didn’t see anyone she recognized. Maybe they hadn’t arrived yet.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a large man walking directly toward her. She expected him to maneuver his way around her, but when he didn’t alter his course, she had to dive out of the way in order to avoid a collision.
“Hey!” she cried. He ignored her. As if almost running her over wasn’t rude enough. She hoped he spilled coffee all over his extra-large T-shirt.
That is, if he even ordered coffee. From the lack of smell in the usually potent coffee house, everyone in the entire room had ordered odorless tea.
“Latte for Dennis!” the barista called.
Kate looked around the room. Everybody in the room seemed to be sipping at a steaming cup of hot coffee. The entire room should have been reeking of coffee. And yet, she couldn’t smell it. Why? She wasn’t congested. In fact, her nose felt as clear as it had ever felt.
So why couldn’t she smell anything?
And why hadn’t she felt the cold?
And why, for the life of her, could she not remember where she was supposed to be?
Something wasn’t right.
What had happened? Before she’d found herself standing beside that barren winter road, she must have had some sort of destination.
So why wasn’t she there now?
Something definitely wasn’t right.
Suddenly, the room felt like it was beginning to close in on her. She looked frantically around the room, desperate for any sort of explanation, or even the simplest form of recognition, but she found none.
Just then, she was struck by a powerful jolt across her upper body. It felt like someone had hit the center of her chest with a baseball bat. She inhaled sharply and clasped a hand over her heart.
“Are you alright?” The young man’s voice was full of concern. She turned to see who’d addressed her and was met with familiar dark eyes.
“Michael?” she whispered, and reached out to touch his face.
Then she woke up.
~*~
Kate somehow managed to fall back asleep before she climbed out of bed a few hours later, but her mind was still reeling. Eager to see Michael again, she showered quickly and changed into a skirt and tank top before bounding into the living room and greeting Gavin with a cheerful, “Good morning.”
“Morning? It’s almost noon. I thought I was having a stroke when I woke up and realized that I was actually up before you.”
“Had a late night.”
“Oh God, Kate, if you were with that Luke person - ”
“Relax, I was with Michael.”
“Oh.” Gavin sounded a lot more okay with that. Meanwhile, Kate slipped her shoes on and grabbed her keys and wallet off the coffee table next to the sofa. “Going somewhere?”
“Yeah, I have a lunch date,” she replied. “See you later!”
“Hey, wait - ” But Kate was already out the door and practically sprinting across the landing to Michael’s apartment. She rapped quickly and a little more loudly than she intended on the door. He answered within a few seconds.
“Hey. How are - ”
“You were there,” she interrupted.
“What?”
“The day of the accident. You were there at the coffee house. That’s why I recognized you the first time we met,” she explained breathlessly. “You saw me.” She watched the expression on his face shift as the memory dawned on him.
“That was you?” he asked. Kate grinned.
“Yeah. You talked to me. You asked me if I was okay.”
“I thought you were having a panic attack,” he explained. “I didn’t realize you weren’t...”
“Alive?” Kate asked. Michael shook his head.
“I only saw your face for a moment before you disappeared. Then I realized that I’d broken my own personal vow of never speaking to a ghost in public.”
“Well, since I didn’t stay a ghost, we can say your record is still clean,” Kate grinned. “So are you ready?”
“Yeah. Yeah, let’s go,” Michael replied. Kate stared up at him, almost like she was seeing him for the first time. Which, in a way, she guessed she kind of was. Everything he’d told her last night had been unbelievable, and although she had believed him, she hadn’t really appreciated how miraculous it was until she remembered looking into his eyes for that brief moment before her heart began to beat again. “Everything okay?” Michael asked. Kate smiled.
“Everything’s fine,” she assured him. Then, she leaned in and kissed him as she had the night before. When she pulled back, she could see the blush creeping up his neck and settling in his cheeks. She grinned nervously, her own heart beating erratically. “Shall we?” she asked. He nodded, looking like he was still trying to process what had just happened. Kate laughed and took his hand.
They decided on Chili’s for lunch, which turned out to be both a poor decision and good decision. It was a poor decision because Chili’s was quite literally packed to its full capacity at lunchtime. It was a good decision because with so many people talking, they were far less likely to be overheard by some nosy eavesdropper. And since Kate had about a million and a half questions to ask, she preferred a room full of loud chatter to a calm, quiet cafe.
“What can I get you to drink?” their waiter asked once they were seated. Michael looked at Kate. She ordered a Sprite and a water. He ordered a Dr. Pepper.
“Do you know what you’re going to get?” Michael asked, as they perused the menu.
“I might get some fajitas,” Kate answered. “How about you?”
“Everything looks good. I haven’t eaten since the car ride last night.”
“Same. And we’ve done a lot of running since then,” Kate remarked, closing the menu. “So are there any in here?”
“You mean ghosts?” Michael asked. She nodded. “Only two that I’ve noticed so far. One’s standing behind that guy over there,” he indicated a boy who looked to be in his early teens, sitting with a group of friends, but not looking particularly cheerful. “And the other is over at the bar.”
“And they just look like regular people?”
“Yeah.”
“Then how can you tell?”
“Sometimes it’s hard. Like when I saw you. I really had no idea that you were a spirit. But most of the time, it’s pretty obvious. Their behavior gives them away. For example, the way they’ll stand in a place where no one would usually stand. Odd stuff like that usually wouldn’t go unnoticed unless no one could notice them.”
“That was something that really scared me that day. That no one knew I was there. Then I heard your voice. Knowing you saw me brought me so much peace, even if just for a moment. I think that’s why I felt so comfortable around you when we first met.” As she spoke, Michael’s eyes shifted down to his napkin. “What’s wrong?”
“I feel so guilty,” he admitted.
“Why?” she asked.
“Because if I had figured out that you were dead, I would have gone out of my way to ignore you, just like I do all the other ghosts. I wouldn’t have said a word to you. I wouldn’t have even looked you in the eye. I’d have just gone about my business, pretending you didn’t exist.”
“You’re trying to protect your family. There’s no shame in that.”
“But there is. My grandmother has always told me that there’s a reason for everything. She even believes that there are reasons that people get sick or lose their jobs or have their houses broken into. She’s always said that there is a reason that I can still talk to her. She thinks it’s such a wonderful gift and I... it’s completely wasted on me.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Kate said, crossing her arms on the
edge of the table. “I think that if you’ve used your gift even if only to help one person, then it’s not a waste. And who knows? Maybe the time will come when you will find a reason for it. Maybe you’ll find it on Cemetery Tours,” she teased.
“Ha, funny.” Michael rolled his eyes, but grinned nevertheless.
“So you really wouldn’t want to be on the show? Even if Luke said you could keep your secret?”
“I really wouldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“You mean the fact that I would have to work with Luke Rainer isn’t enough?”
“Come on, he’s not a bad guy.”
“He’s obnoxious.”
“He’s enthusiastic.”
“Which is a polite word for ‘obnoxious.’” Kate laughed. “I guess the real reason I don’t want to be on the show is because I couldn’t handle the lifestyle. You’re talking to a guy who has spent his entire life trying to live below the radar. Being on a television show... it just sounds like a nightmare.”
“I don’t know,” Kate grinned. “I still think it would be kind of fun. But then, you’re talking to a girl who has spent a good portion of her life in front of a television screen.”
“So that’s why you’re so okay with the ghost thing. All those hours of TV fried your brain. Now it all makes sense,” Michael quipped.
“Cute,” Kate remarked as their waiter returned with their drinks and asked if they were ready to order. Once he’d disappeared again, Kate asked, “So what was the worst experience you’ve ever had with a ghost? After the one that got you arrested. I’m guessing that one sort of takes the cake.”
“Yeah, pretty much. There really weren’t too many other bad experiences. Though there was this one lady. She was huge, and I’m not saying that to be mean, I’m saying that because she was this rock solid tower of a woman. And she was really scary-looking. She had really stringy hair, a puffy face, and these beady little eyes. When she first appeared, I thought she was going to hit me.”
“Can they do that?”
“Oh yeah. Remember when I fell in the pool yesterday? That was Brink. Shoving me in.”
“Are you serious?”
“Unfortunately,” Michael said. “Anyway, this lady comes up to me, I don’t even remember where I was, but she starts yelling and screaming something about her son and this girl and she kept telling me, ‘You’ve got to get it back! She doesn’t deserve it! It’s mine! You’ve got to get it back!‘ It turned out her son had given her favorite necklace to his girlfriend, and his mother hated his girlfriend.”
“Snap,” Kate quipped.
“Snap?” Michael laughed.
“Yeah, snap,” she grinned. “Okay, so is there anything you like about what you can do?” Michael thought about it.
“I like that I can still talk to my grandma. I like having a roommate, even though he doesn’t help with the rent and makes talking to girls I like really difficult,” Michael said. Kate grinned. “I like that death has never been much of a mystery. I was four years old when my grandmother died, and a lot of people commented on how well I was taking it. A few of them worried that I was taking it a little too well. But she was sitting right next to me at her funeral. I didn’t understand that no one else could see her. I didn’t know that I was supposed to be sad. And although I don’t know where people go once they pass on, I at least know that life doesn’t end when your heart stops beating.”
“You know, Luke said almost the exact same thing after I told him about my accident,” Kate told him, taking a sip of water. “I think you and he are more alike than you think.”
“That’s not nice,” Michael said.
“I’m serious. I don’t know how much you’ve actually talked to him about this stuff, but I think together, you guys could make a pretty big impact.”
“Is he paying you to say this?”
“No. I’m just saying it,” Kate assured him. “So what about animals?”
“What about them?”
“Can you see them too?”
“Oh, yeah. My dog, Lollie, still lives with my mom.”
“Lollie?”
“Yeah. Like a lollipop.”
“That’s adorable,” Kate said.
After lunch, neither of them was ready to call it a day, so they decided to head over to the adjoining shopping center. There wasn’t much to look at; a few trees planted along the sidewalk, a bench here and there, and a lot of stores that held no real appeal for Kate, but were still fun to explore.
“So how many ghosts have you actually talked to in your life? And how often do they realize that you can see them?” Kate asked. They strolled along the sidewalk, sort of window shopping, but mostly enjoying the weather, the scenery, and each other’s company.
“You know, we’ve been talking about me a lot this afternoon. I want to know more about you,” Michael said.
“Oh, but I’m so boring,” Kate groaned.
“Not true. I don’t know many other girls who would be so cool in this... situation.”
“See, when you put it that way, it makes me feel like Bella from Twilight.”
Michael laughed. “Sorry.”
Kate looked up at him. “So what do you want to know?”
“Well, I guess for starters I’ve got to know, did you actually read Twilight?”
“All four,” Kate answered matter-of-factly.
“Seriously?”
“In less than a week.”
“That’s kind of sad.”
“No, the sad part is that I reread them. Twice,” Kate admitted. “Next question.”
“Okay. What’s your favorite holiday?”
“Tie between Halloween and Christmas. How about you?”
“I like Christmas.”
“Too many ghosts around Halloween?” Kate teased.
“Too many weird people in masks,” Michael shuddered. Kate raised an eyebrow.
“Really? You see ghosts on a daily basis and you think masks are creepy?”
“Ghosts are just normal people. Some of those masks have eyeballs hanging out of the sockets!”
“That’s twisted,” Kate told him.
“Okay, so what are you afraid of?”
“Bugs, Yoda, germs, and guys who wear socks with their sandals.”
“Not ghosts?” Michael asked. Kate thought about it.
“There’s only one who really scares me,” she confessed.
“Trevor.”
“Have you seen him?” Kate asked.
“Yeah. I saw him the day you moved in.” Although there was no doubt in her mind that Trevor existed, Michael’s confirmation made her shiver.
“What does he look like?”
“He’s tall. He’s got an army haircut, dark eyes. He sort of looks like a biker.”
“And um... do you think he’s angry at us?”
“I think he’s angry at Gavin,” Michael answered slowly.
“Why?”
“You know him better than I do.”
“I can’t think of anything. Gavin’s never been in trouble a day in his life. Growing up, he was the golden child. Straight A’s, athletic, multiple scholarships... I was the one who would get in trouble for staying out late or getting a tattoo or - ”
“Wait, you have a tattoo?”
“Maybe,” Kate grinned. “The point is whatever problem this guy has with Gavin, it wasn’t Gavin’s fault. I don’t even know where he would have met a guy like that.” Michael’s brow furrowed, like he was doing some serious considering.
“We could always ask him.”
“Oh no. Gavin made it very clear that he doesn’t want to hear anymore ‘ghost talk.’”
“I meant Trevor.” Michael stopped and turned to face her. It took Kate a moment to process what he was proposing. After everything he’d told her the night before, she understood that this wasn’t just a simple favor between friends. She wanted to say that she couldn’t ask that of him, that he’d already helped them so much. But maybe, just maybe
, if they could find out why Trevor was there, they would be able to help Gavin.
“You’d do that?” she asked.
“It’s something I should have done the day I met you,” Michael told her. Kate wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
“You will never know how much this means to me.”
“Then let’s go talk to him.” He turned to walk back toward the car, but Kate stopped him.
“One more thing,” she said. Then she took his arm and pulled him down into another kiss. This time, he kissed her back.
Chapter 16
Throughout the ten-minute car ride back to their apartment complex, Michael tried not to show how anxious he was about talking to Trevor. That he hadn’t willingly spoken to a ghost who wasn’t Brink or his grandmother in ten years would have made him nervous enough, but the fact that he was going to talk to the guy who’d been making Kate and Gavin’s life a living hell...
He’d rather be off chasing a bunch of pioneers with Luke Rainer.
As nervous as he felt, however, Kate seemed ten times worse. While he was more the kind to remain silent in the face of a nerve-wracking situation, Kate dealt with her anxiety by listing every single worst-case scenario that she could possibly imagine. Surprisingly, it wasn’t making Michael feel any better.
“Okay, so say this guy does have a problem with Gavin. You don’t think we’re going to make it worse by talking to him do you? Or what if he hurts you? You said ghosts can do that right? Maybe we shouldn’t do this. But if we don’t and it gets worse, then I’ll never forgive myself for not helping Gavin when we had the chance. But if we make him angrier and things get worse, we might have to call an exorcist. Do you know if there’s a Cathedral around here?”
“If you don’t want to talk to him, we don’t have to,” Michael told her, halfway hoping she took the out. And by “halfway,” he meant “desperately.”
“No, I know we need to. I’m just nervous.”
“Me too,” Michael admitted.
“I mean, what if Gavin did do something? I’m sure he didn’t, but still. What if it was a hit and run? Or what if Gavin owed him money and he died and Gavin never paid him the money and now he thinks it should go to his family, but Gavin thinks that since he’s dead, he doesn’t need to pay but his family is starving and their only hope for money is the money that Gavin owes him?”
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