My eyes slid over to Cassie and I grinned. “You sure you don’t want me to talk to Nick?”
“I’m sure.” Cassie sighed. “I mean, what if he’s not interested? That could make things really awkward. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s hard to keep from running into people in this town.”
I laughed. “Oh, believe me, I’ve noticed!”
“If he wants to ask me out, he will. Besides, right now, I’m not sure when I’d have the time anyways. I’m at Siren’s Song sixty plus hours a week and by the time I get home and get my dad something for dinner, I’m so zonked that most nights I fall asleep on the couch.”
“Cass,” I said, worry pinching my voice. “That’s not good for you. I didn’t realize you were going home and essentially working a second job.”
My heart twisted. Her dad was disabled due to a work related injury and needed help around the house. That was the only reason Cassie and Kirra still lived at home. They’d lost their mother years ago. They were all their dad had left.
Cassie shrugged. “I guess I don’t think of it that way. It’s just life. I cooked a bunch of meals and stashed them in the freezer. So usually it’s just warming things up and making sure he’s okay. He can do most things for himself, but he appreciates a good meal, and I feel better knowing he’s not living on take out.”
I nodded. “Well, let me know if you ever want help cooking.”
“Thanks, Holly.”
Ironically, I wasn’t much of a cook. My potion making skills didn’t translate over to cooking or baking. But for Cassie, I would do my best if she needed help.
“I’m actually looking into hiring a caregiver to stay with him during the day. Keep him company and maybe do a little cleaning.”
“That sounds good.”
She pointed out a large piece of driftwood that was flattened on top from years of weathering, sitting, halfway buried in the sand. “This looks like a good place to park it.”
We’d walked quite a ways and the clouds above us were now completely gone, leaving behind a crystal clear sky, and the sun was warming things up fast. I shrugged out of my sweatshirt and tucked it back into my beach bag. Cassie did the same and then we each laid out a large towel. Cassie had brought water bottles and pastries from the coffee shop so we got comfortable and snacked away.
The hours flew by as we sat in the sand, getting sun on our legs and arms, and not doing much of anything for once.
When we both decided it was lunch time, we repacked our belongings and started back for town, plotting to go to the local pizza place and hit the buffet hard. Halfway back to where we’d entered the beach, Cassie’s cell phone rang. She groaned when she glanced at the caller ID. “It’s Kirra.”
She answered and from what I could hear of the conversation, there was some kind of emergency with the espresso machine and they needed Cassie back at the shop to fix it. When she hung up, she looked like she was suddenly carrying twenty pounds across her shoulders. “Well, so much for a day off.”
I frowned. “I’m sorry, Cass. You want me to come with you?”
Magic wasn’t always the best solution when it came to complicated mechanical problems, but if something was stuck or jammed, a little magic might just do the trick.
Cassie shook her head. “No, not at all! Take the day and I’ll call as soon as I get things back together and we can meet up for an ice cream or something.”
Even as she said it, we both knew there wasn’t a way she would be able to leave the shop. Once she got the espresso machine fixed, she’d hop right into working the afternoon rush, and it would be closing time in the blink of an eye. But I smiled and nodded like it was a real possibility. “Okay, Cass. Good luck! I’ll stop by later.”
She nodded and then veered off, walking up the sand to a set of concrete steps that were cut into the hillside and led up to the shops and houses above the beach. The stairs weren’t the closest ones to the coffee shop, but she’d move faster once on solid ground. I watched her scurry up and out of sight before I continued walking down the beach.
Over the course of the morning, a trickle of visitors made their way down to the beach. As I walked, I observed the young families, with children playing at the water’s edge. The dogs running up and down, spraying sand in their wake, as they raced to retrieve tennis balls and sticks. An elderly couple in matching track suits made their way over the sand, holding hands, and talking to one another with faint smiles on their faces.
I dragged in a deep breath and wondered where life would take me. Would I ever be one of the couples in beach chairs, watching their little ones play in the ocean for the first time? Would I ever know what it was like to be in love and have someone by my side even when I was old and gray?
It felt so far away. Out of reach. But maybe—
“Hello! Can someone help me! Please, help!”
I snapped around at the frantic shouts and spotted a young woman up on the hillside, waving her hands over her head. It took me a moment to wonder why no one else was responding to her. People walked down the stairs just feet away but didn’t look her way. The sun hit her arm at a certain angle and I realized why no one could see her. She was a ghost.
I hurried up the sand and stopped in front of her. “Hey,” I said, keeping my voice low to not attract the attention of the other visitors. To them, it would look like I was talking to myself.
“Finally! Why are the people here so rude?” She gave a miffed pout.
I smiled over at a pair of tourists walking down the stairs and waited until they passed. I cast another glance over my shoulder, confirming we were at least twenty yards from the other beachgoers. When I was sure no one would hear me, I grabbed my cell phone from my pocket and held it to my ear, acting like I was talking on the phone while keeping my eyes trained on the ghost. “They can’t see you. But I’m a witch and—”
“A witch?” She took a step back, as though afraid. “What does that mean? Why do you have your phone out?”
I cringed. Oh, bat wings. She doesn’t know she was a ghost.
The girl didn’t wait for my answer, a spew of questions flooded from her. “Can you tell me what happened? Why am I here? Why won’t anyone help me? I’ve been screaming all morning but no one has even noticed before you came along!”
I held up my hands, slowing the monsoon of questions. “Okay, hold on. I’ll explain everything, but not here. Come with me.”
She considered me for a long moment, as though not sure if she could trust me. Trust me, cupcake, I can’t hurt you. You’re already dead.
As I waited for her to decide whether or not to follow me, I studied her face. There was something familiar about her. All at once, I was struck with a sudden realization and I sucked in a sharp breath.
I remembered where I’d seen the girl before. She was Katerina Barkley. Paisley’s missing cousin.
CHAPTER SIX
MY LIPS TWITCHED as I watched the ghost in front of me. Finally, I ventured, “Is your name Katerina?”
The girl’s eyes went wide. “Yes! How did you know that? Have we met?”
I shook my head. Before I could offer an explanation, another group of tourists were making their way for the stairs that ran beside us. “Please, come with me. I promise I’ll help you.”
Katerina nodded and I pocketed my cell phone in my tote bag. I waited for the tourists to pass and then ambled over to the stairs. They were much easier to climb than the hill made of shifting sand and tall, beach grass. Katerina followed me and I wondered how she hadn’t noticed that she wasn’t touching the ground. She moved her legs as though she were still a human. Posy, my landlord at the manor, floated over the ground, as though she were bound to the floor, but she didn’t move her legs in a walking motion. As Katerina moved, she became more transparent and I also wondered how she hadn’t noticed that. Did ghosts see themselves as solid?
I didn’t have the answers, but I knew who would.
The set of concrete steps took me to a side street
that cut through a small, quiet neighborhood of quaint cottages and bungalows. Katerina started to ask questions again. “You said you’re a witch. What does that mean? Like you practice Wicca?”
I gave her a polite smile. “No. I mean, I’m a witch. I’m not human. And neither are you. At least…not anymore.”
“What do you mean?” She pursed her lips and gave me an indignant expression.
I stopped walking and turned to face her. “Katerina, you’re a…ghost.”
“A ghost?” Katerina laughed. “You’re crazy! I’m going back to the beach and looking for someone else who can help me figure out what’s going on.” She turned away, making to leave and go back to the staircase.
I dragged in a sigh. “I know it’s hard to believe. But…trust me. I know ghosts. I live with one, actually. Tell me, what’s the last thing you remember?”
At my question, she stopped, frozen in place. Her head started to shake and then she whipped around. She held her arms up in front of her and stared at them. “A ghost?”
“I’m sorry.”
Stars help me. Why wasn’t there some kind of service for this? Shouldn’t the SPA have agents to go out and help new ghosts get acclimated? It wasn’t something I’d ever thought about before. I guessed, I always assumed that ghosts woke up from death and knew they were…well, dead.
“Why can’t I remember anything? I know my name. But that’s it. I don’t know anything else! It’s like someone took an eraser to my brain and scrubbed it all away!” She ran her fingers through her hair but they passed through without making contact.
I gave her a pitying smile. “Come on, I know someone who can help you remember.”
Katerina walked—floated—beside me as we wound through town. I didn’t risk talking to her anymore and she seemed to be too stunned to speak anyways. When I glanced over at her, she was still marveling at her arms and hands, not even paying attention to where she was walking. Not that it mattered. Anyone she encountered passed through her without incident. She walked right through a parking meter and didn’t even flinch. Could she not see the obstacles? Or was she so distracted by what I’d told her that she didn’t care?
When we reached the manor, I walked her into the sitting room and told her to wait there. I doubled back to the grand staircase and took them two at a time to the upper level of the old house. “Posy!” I called, going for the latch that led to the attic. It was her favorite hangout. “Posy! Can you come down please? I need your help.”
I jumped up to grab the latch and missed on my first attempt. I tried a second time and nabbed it.
Behind me, a door flew open. “Do you mind?” an ice cold voice hissed into the hallway.
I squeezed my eyes closed for a moment. “Sorry, Lacey. I forgot you’d be asleep.”
I craned around to look at Lacey, the resident vampiress, and winced at the harsh expression on her beautiful face. She snarled at me, her fangs on display. “Of course I’d be asleep! It’s not even noon!”
The next door down opened and Adam appeared in the hallway, a black t-shirt pulled across his broad chest and despite Lacey’s icy glare pointed my way, my heart warmed. “What’s going on?” he asked, glancing between me and Lacey.
“Your little girlfriend woke me up,” Lacey sneered. She hated that Adam and I were dating. Although I had no idea why. For a little while, we’d all formed a truce, but it had disappeared quickly.
Adam smiled at me. “Good going. You know how the Princess of the Night gets when she’s dragged out of her bat cave too early.”
“Careful, fleabag.” Lacey flashed her fangs in his direction but he just laughed her off.
He smirked. “You’re gonna have to try a little harder than that.”
“Guys! Stop. Lacey, I’m sorry that I woke you. I need to speak with Posy.”
Lacey rolled her eyes and tossed her long, bottle blonde hair over her shoulder. “And just what in the Otherworld is so important?”
“I found a ghost on the beach. She’s in the sitting room.”
Lacey growled. “What? That mangy cat of yours isn’t enough of a pet? You had to drag home a stray ghost now?”
“He’s not mangy!” Magic pulsed along my palm but I took in a deep breath and released it. “She didn’t know that she’s a ghost and now that she does, she has a lot of questions. Obviously. And I really don’t feel equipped to explain it all to her.”
Adam chuckled and scratched at his jaw. “Holly, how do you always get yourself into these situations?”
I sighed. “I have no idea.”
He sauntered over toward me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Come on, gorgeous. I think Posy’s in the kitchen with Gwen.”
“Oh! That’s actually perfect.” Gwen was another ghost. Two would be better than one.
Adam guided me toward the stairs, and Lacey’s door slammed shut as we hit the top step. “You know she’s not gonna let this go.”
“I know,” I grumbled.
In the kitchen we found the two ghostly gal pals, as well as Boots, who was looking longingly between them and the cupboard where his food was stashed away, not realizing that neither of the women could actually feed him. I smiled as he raced over to me, complaining loudly about his predicament.
“Good afternoon, you two,” Gwen said, smiling broadly as Adam and I walked into the kitchen. “I understand congratulations are in order. Posy told me you’re dating now. Not that I can say it was much of a surprise. The entire town has been buzzing about you two for months!”
I cringed. “Super.”
Gwen laughed, her feather earrings swinging with her long, layered hair. She’d died in the ‘70s, after a tragic stage diving incident, and would forever be immortalized as a flower child. She was in her early twenties, with sun bleached hair, a dark tan, a line of freckles over the bridge of her nose, and a bright, floral print romper that showed off her shapely, mile-long legs. “There was actually a pool going for a while to see if you were going to go for our darling Adam or that handsome new PI in town.”
I bit my tongue to keep from dolling out a tart reply. Gwen was only the messenger after all.
Posy hovered beside Gwen, both of them looking as though they were actually sitting at the kitchen table. Gwen smiled up at me and Adam. “I told Posy she should have you two move into the master suite so she could rent out Holly’s room.”
Posy gave a distasteful look that exposed how she felt about this idea. Posy was old-fashioned and for her, even having men and women under the same roof was a little outside the lines.
My cheeks warmed at Gwen’s suggestion and I felt Adam shifting his weight uncomfortably from foot to foot. “Ladies, listen, we—well, I—need your help with something.”
“What kind of help?” Gwen asked.
“I found a ghost on the beach. She was screaming for help. She didn’t know that she was dead. Or, a ghost, for that matter. I told her the truth and I don’t think she took it very well. I was hoping you two could answer her questions and help her get…situated.”
“Oh dear,” Posy said, frowning. “Does she remember anything? Often times, new ghosts have memory loss.”
“Her name.” I sighed. “That’s where things get sticky…”
“What do you mean?” Adam asked.
“Well, I know her. At least, I know of her. She’s Paisley’s cousin. Her aunt reported her missing and Nick is working the case.”
Adam slapped and hand over his face. “Gorgeous, really?”
“What?”
He chuckled as he gave me a lopsided smile. “Nothing. You just keep life interesting.”
I frowned at him and then glanced back at Posy and Gwen. “Can you help?”
Posy and Gwen rose in unison. “Of course, dear,” Posy answered. “Where is she?”
“The sitting room.”
The two ladies floated for the door, and Adam and I jumped apart to let them pass, not wanting to have them run through us. The result was unpleasant to say the
least. Humans didn’t notice it, but paranormals certainly did. It felt like doing a polar swim at the crack of dawn. Freezing and exhausting. A terrible combination.
When they were gone, Adam and I followed them through the house, to the sitting room.
“So, you’re a new ghost,” Gwen said, spreading her arms wide. “Miss Posy and I are here to teach you the basics of ghost life and will make sure you transition effortlessly to your new life!”
“Technically, your new afterlife,” Posy added.
Adam shot me a look and we both tried to suppress our laughter. “They should teach seminars,” he whispered.
I pressed a hand over my mouth to keep my giggles contained.
“So, dear, tell us, what do you remember?”
Katerina looked between the two ghosts, her eyes wide, like a deer caught in the headlights. “I…I don’t understand. What’s happening?” she stammered. She glanced past them and stared at Adam and me as we lurked in the doorway. “What happened to me?”
I stepped into the room and stood off to the side of Posy and Gwen. “I don’t know, Katerina.”
“But you know my name! How do you know my name?”
“I work with your cousin, Paisley. We’re both baristas at the local coffee shop. She got a call from your mother. She’s worried about you.”
“Paisley? My mother?” Katerina pinched her eyes closed and violently shook her head. “I don’t remember anything!”
Her eyes popped open. “If I’m a ghost, then where’s my…body?”
I sighed. “I was hoping you could tell me.”
Posy raised a hand, drawing the attention back to her. “Dear, it’s best not to struggle. The memories will come back to you. Sometimes it just takes a little while.”
Katerina paced back and forth, kicking her silvery legs with each step. Her ghostly form was still clinging to her humanity. “I don’t understand. How could I be dead? How could I have not known something like that? I was standing on that hill, screaming for help all day. Until,”—she spun around to face me—“you came along to help me. I had no idea that no one else could see me. I thought maybe I was having a nightmare or something.”
Twice the Witch: A Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery (Beechwood Harbor Magic Mysteries Book 2) Page 5