A Ghost of a Chance (8 page)

“
But you live in Richmond.”

“
Yes, but it’s worth the commute.”

She sighed, how did she get herself into this? Oh yeah, it was Monica’s fault. “To tell you the truth Greg I have to say that. . . well, that I’m seeing someone else.”

There was a long dead silence and a blankness of expression. Had he heard her?

Then finally, “You are? Monica didn’t mention . . .”

She cleared her throat, trying to buy time to extrapolate on the lie. “I don’t tell her everything. I guess I shouldn’t have gone the other night, but I was led to believe it would all be very casual.”

“
Uh yes.” He still seemed a little befuddled, or was that just the way he was? “But this other guy, who is he?”

“
Oh nobody you would know. He travels a lot on boats. He’s in shipping, on ships.” She fiddled with her donut, hoping that this extraordinary weak fabrication was enough to discourage him.

“
I see,” murmured Greg, still looking confused and remarkably disappointed, “and it’s serious?”

“
Well yes. Probably, I think.”

“
You don’t sound convinced.”

She sipped her coffee eager to fill her mouth so that nothing else stupid would come out. “No, no, I just don’t feel comfortable talking about my feelings that’s all. I’m sorry if you were misled Greg. You seem like a very nice person.”

“
No, that’s all right. I just hope this fellow knows how special you are.” She nodded. “I better get going. I’m expected back at the office.” He’d already stood up. That’s a business type, ready to cut his losses.

She stood up brushing a few donut crumbs off her jeans in the process. “Okay, well thanks for breakfast.”

She felt bad. He looked a bit like she’d kicked him. He seemed genuinely disappointed. That was novel, somebody disappointed about losing her. She’d forgotten that there were men out there unlike her ex-husband. Just for a fleeting instant, she wondered if she was being too rash. After all, there wasn’t really anyone else in her life, not anyone real anyway. But again looking at his so very youngish-looking face, she figured better to leave things as they are. Never would have worked. Better not to look back.

“
I hope you feel better Hallie.”

“
Oh right. Well thanks, Greg.”

There was the slightest touch of sadness in her eyes as she saw the boy off. It bothered Jack. He wondered if he was being very selfish. Perhaps, she did need someone in her life, someone real that she could touch, not Jacob the seafarer or Jack the ghost.

CHAPTER FIVE

“
Hallie.” She opened her eyes. Had someone spoken? She was tired, incredibly tired. She must have dozed for a moment while she was going over some of the pages she’d written earlier that day. The voice, it must have been a dream. She let her eyelids droop again, into that twilight state of sleep.

“
Hallie,” she began to open her eyes. “No here, remember I’m here.” She tensed for a second, and then began to relax. The feeling flooding over her was familiar, but still cold, so cold.

Jack stood on the small screen porch on the far side of the white, wooden farmhouse.

He was puzzled. There was something out here. There must be. It was only moments before that he’d felt the awareness drawing him in this direction. He had left Hallie curled up in the recliner in the den as he and Jack Jr. went off to investigate.

He continued to search around in confusion. There was no one here, but he was sure; it had been so strong.

Turning slowly, he looked suspiciously back into the house. A quick dread spread over him. How stupid of him! It wanted him out. It had made sure that he was not around to interfere.

He moved like lightening back through the kitchen into the den but stopped abruptly on the threshold of the room. Everything looked undisturbed, as he had left it. Hallie remained as she’d been, still quietly asleep in the chair. Somewhat reassured, he moved to be next to her, but slammed smack and painfully into something tangible.

Whatever it was blocked his way. There was nothing visible to the eye, but he would have sworn that he’d collided with a massive sheet of ice. He could still see Hallie just across the room, but was barred from getting anywhere near her. Her head was moving restlessly in sleep. It was evident she was troubled. He felt panicked and frustrated as hell. There had to be a way to reach her.

Again, he tried with all his might, but crashed hard against the psychic wall. He could see her lips moving; she was dreaming, another dream. And then something occurred to him.

He moved to the fireplace on his side of the room, sitting down on the edge of its black stone ledge. “Not so easy friend,” he whispered as much to himself as to anyone else that was listening.

He closed his eyes and willed himself to where Hallie was.

Nobody, but nobody was taking her.

It took a few minutes for his eyes to focus. The air was hazy here. He waited a moment, but it didn’t clear; everything remained hazy. He breathed in deeply. Oh lord, he looked down between his fingers. It was a cigarette. Bless Hallie’s dreams.

He put the cigarette between his lips and inhaled deeply. It felt as though the smoke scorched his throat. But oh, it was good – part of a life almost forgotten.

“
You know, you really shouldn’t do that. Those things will kill you, eventually.”

For the first time he noticed the woman only a few feet away, leaning against the bar and watching him with hard brown eyes. Her lips were painted dark red and her eyelashes dipped a little too heavily in mascara. And as he casually scanned downward, it became obvious that her black dress was fitted a tad too tight, but it didn’t detract from the tasty vision that was Monica Quimby. Her bleached hair was a startling contrast against the sequined black dress.

She reached up to place the long, thin, white cigarette that she held near her brightly polished fingernails between the lips. The lips that he was sure she pouted deliberately to entice him. Expertly she inhaled, seconds later expelling delicate trails of smoke and leaning in closer with a wicked grin. “It’ll kill you, but like you should care.”

She smiled seductively. “We’ve been waiting for you Jack. Is it okay if I call you Jack?”

He reached out for a short glass on the bar filled with an amber-colored liquid. “This isn’t poison, is it?” He took a swig, just as he suspected – scotch his drink of choice or rather it had been.

Monica put one hand on her hip deliberately inching closer to him, so that she could provocatively whisper huskily, or so he assumed. “Now why would I want to kill my date for the evening?”

His eyebrow rose, or so he assumed it did because he couldn’t see it just now. “Your date?”

“
That’s right lover, and I’ll show you a good time later if you play your cards right.”

He breathed in. She smelled of heavy perfume. In fact, she must have taken a bath in it. “So, this was all Hallie’s idea?”

She pursed her lips in an annoying way. “Now, that would be telling.”

“
Look Monica. . . , “ he took another swift drink of scotch, and decided that he might as well play along until he figured out a game plan. “Forget it. How about we get onto the main event. Where is Hallie?”

“
Oh, you are impatient. Are you impatient in everything, Jack?” He didn’t like the way she lingered on his name. He didn’t know who was in charge here, but his taste in women, even in his former life, didn’t quite go this extreme. He half expected her to quote a price for services to be rendered any time now. “Well all right, if you’re sure you don’t want to just spend some time with me.”

He smiled, “Quite sure, Mon.”

She took another puff of her absurdly long cigarette and then extinguished it in the ashtray on the bar. “You better get rid of yours too. Hallie doesn’t like people who smoke.” She grinned, “OOPS, one strike against you,” she giggled annoyingly.

He extinguished his cigarette with deliberateness and a tinge of well-disguised regret. “No problem.”

“
Ooh, aren’t you forceful? Do you like it rough, Jack?”

“
I don’t know what you’re trying for here Monica. But I’ve got to tell you you’re getting downright irritating.”

“
Sorry, I just thought I’d make things easy for you, Jack.”

“
Hallie?”

“
Right, oh do you like your suit? I picked it out myself. I like my men dressed well.”

For the first time, he looked down and noted the dark blue suit he was wearing. It was expensive, as was the cologne that he smelled on his skin. Well, at least when he found Hallie he would have a shot at winning her over. “You look smashing Jack. You’re a handsome man. Why waste that on Hallie?” And then her red fingernails were fingering the collar of his starched, white, linen shirt. “You’re so far out of her league. You need a woman who knows what she’s doing. Who’s been around.”

“
The question is around where.”

“
Now Jack that’s not a nice thing to say, is it?” she pouted her lips again. “Be sweet to me or I won’t take you to where Hallie is.”

He cleared his throat, the powerful stench of her perfume nearly gagging him. “Um Monica, how about we get out of this bar and you take me to her. All right?”

“
Don’t you mean them?”

“
Them?”

“
Hallie and her date. You don’t think she’s alone do you?”

“
Ah. No, I suppose I don’t.” Actually, he hadn’t considered that possibility, although it did make sense. Whatever he was dealing with wouldn’t have made it that easy for him to get to her. “Well, let’s go and see them both. All right?”

“
Sure Jack, whatever you want. But I hope you’re not disappointed.”

Monica grabbed her little black sequined purse and threw a “Put it on his tab” to the burly, Mexican bartender, who made a sound that seemed akin to an affirmative grunt. She slipped her arm through his and whispered again huskily, “Come on Jack. They’re waiting for us in the restaurant.”

“
Oh, is there a restaurant here?”

She snuggled, slinking a little too close to him. But then restraint didn’t seem to be a concern with her this evening. Deep down he had to admit that she was appealing in a very sort of basic, primitive way. But he wouldn’t be enticed by obvious temptations. He was here for Hallie; that thought actually startled him a bit. He hadn’t really acknowledged the gradual, growing attachment that he was feeling for her. But it was true all the same. He was pledged in a way, whatever that meant in this scenario.

“
Haven’t you figured out where we are yet Jack?”

He looked around really for the first time scrutinizing the decor. It was flamboyant, colorful. “It’s through the door Jack.” Across the room there was a huge opening. It seemed as though it must be the connection to the restaurant that Monica had alluded to. He tried to move forward, but she had glued herself up against his side.

“
Look Monica, we aren’t going to make much progress this way.”

She allowed a slight separation. “Sorry Jack, I just love being next to that suit you’re wearing.”

“
Wonderful.”

She allowed him to walk forward, and they passed through the portal into a loud crowded establishment. His eyes quickly scanned the walls, hung with big large colorful sombreros.

“
It can’t be.”

“
I just love this place. You do like Mexican food. Don’t you Jack?” And then she added with excess, “It’s so hot and spicy.”

“
This is the place you took Hallie with that Greg fellow and what’s his name.”

“
Richard, but they’re not here tonight. Just you, me, Hallie, and her date of course.”

And then, out of a cluster of people popped a short, fat, harried-looking Mexican waiter. “Hola Amigos! Ready to get a table?”

“
No, we’re meeting someone. In fact, I see them over there.” Monica grabbed his arm and literally dragged him through a maze of crowded tables. He was so disoriented by her pushing and pulling amongst small groups of semi-intoxicated people that he didn’t see a thing until they were there. She stopped abruptly behind a man with jet-black hair in a dark, grey suit. “Well, we made it.” The man’s broad frame obstructed Jack from seeing the other side of the table. He rose slowly and turned to face them.

Jack recognized the face immediately from Hallie’s previous dream. Samory held out his hand to him. “Glad you could make it Jack.”