Forty-Four Box Set, Books 1-10 (44) (171 page)

“No, nothing’s wrong,” I said, hoping he would let the lie slide. “Well, maybe I’m a little worried about Kate, you know, being out there with all those infectious diseases.”

“She knows how to take care of herself,” he said. “Kate will be fine. You’ll see.”

“I know.”

“You sure there’s nothing else?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t eaten anything all day. Maybe my brain’s just shutting down.”

“Can’t have that,” Ty said, standing up. “Hey, remember that time you hit me in the head with the soccer ball and I sort of went all woozy, not from the blow but because I hadn’t been eating? That was pretty feeble. Tell you what, you sit here and drink your beer and I’ll get to grilling.”

“Let me help,” I said, but he waved me off with the tongs.

“Every once in a while, a man needs to feel manly,” he said. “You know, when he’s not busy swaying, swooning, or having spells.”

I smiled and a few seconds later heard the steaks sizzle as they hit the heat. Soon the corn was popping.

“Oh, I have news,” I said. “It seems Kate and Ben
are
back together.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah, she said they’re taking it slow, but I can see that energy around her when she talks about him. She’s in love.”

“She’s not the only one,” Ty said, coming over and giving me a kiss.

His lips were tender and sweet, like summer and kindness and love, like a soft breeze whispering through the leaves.

“I love you,” I said.

He took my hand, fingering my ring.

“It’s going to be great, Abby. Don’t worry so much.”

Love and guilt and desire bubbled up inside me and I kissed him again, harder, trying to kiss away what I had done.

“Hold your horses.” He pulled away and laughed. “You need to let me tend to my grillin’ before those expensive steaks go up in flames.”

I watched him walk away, the fire from the grill reflecting in his sunglasses.

CHAPTER 51

Dinner was what I had hoped. The steak melted in my mouth like butter. It was the longest I had gone without thinking about Jesse since the night before and I was grateful for the break.

But it wasn’t long after Ty left for work that my thoughts veered back into those dangerous places again. The guilt was swelling inside me like a balloon, stretching my sanity to the bursting point. I was way too full to go on a run, so instead decided to take a walk around the neighborhood.

I walked and walked and before I realized it I was miles away, having reached the stretch of churches that lined Shevlin Park not far from the roundabout at Mt. Washington. I turned around and started heading back.

Dusk turned dark and then pitch-black as I made my way through the quiet streets. I finally reached a familiar section without sidewalks that told me I didn’t have far to go. A couple of times I was forced to cut over onto the lawns when cars rolled by. My legs were sore by the time I made it back to my block, but the walk had served its purpose. My body and mind were too tired to dwell too long on one thing. Even Jesse.

Crickets hummed in a steady rhythm as I walked by familiar houses, thinking about the people who had lived in them over the years. Mrs. Kurtz, the nice old lady in the two-story house who gave me a plate of cookies each Christmas. She had died a few years back from a stroke. The Gibsons, who had moved to Minnesota when I was in middle school, and who had two small boys who lived on the trampoline in the front yard all summer. The hermit, Mr. Clemons, who I only saw once every few years, usually while he pulled stacks of mail free from his overstuffed silver box.

A car came toward me, its headlights turning the black pavement into day, and abruptly stopped halfway down the street. A moment later the driver killed his lights.

The car lingered there, not moving. As I walked closer I saw that it was in front of my house. It was probably just the darkness, but something about it made me uneasy. I stopped in my tracks and watched, trying to think who it could be.

A dog howled in the distance, the crickets grew louder, a door opened and closed somewhere, and the car didn’t move.

I could faintly hear music coming from its direction, something old and familiar. After my eyes adjusted to the dark again, I could see that it was a sedan of some sort. Feeling silly I started walking again, but just then another car came down the street behind me.

The sedan pulled away sharply without turning on its lights, wheels screeching as it flew past me before disappearing around the corner.

I stepped out into the street, confused.

In the other car’s headlights I had seen that it was a dark Audi.

And I had also seen that Dr. Benjamin Mortimer behind the wheel.

CHAPTER 52

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Still, I wondered why Ben hadn’t gotten out of the car and knocked on the door. I walked up the driveway and then sat on the porch, thinking he might come back. But he didn’t. I figured he must have been looking for Kate and then remembered that she was in Atlanta. Maybe he was sitting there texting a message. 

I went inside, changed into some sweats, and hoped that sleep would come soon and, this time, without Jesse.

But an hour later, I was still up, swimming again in bad thoughts, thinking about the wrong kiss, thinking about the wrong bed.

Thinking about the wrong man.

CHAPTER 53

“Abby Craig!” David screamed. “Sorry I missed your call. I was in the shower. Wait! First off, tell me that everything is all right with my baby.”

I could hear the television on in the background, along with the sound of ice cubes crashing against a glass.

“Yes, the car is fine. More than fine. It’s great, really. Thanks again for letting me borrow it.”

“I’m not a library, Abby Craig. I told you, he’s yours now. I’m glad you’ve fallen in love. It warms my heart.”

I remembered how David liked to refer to his car as a
he
. I was quiet, trying to think of a way into the conversation.

“David,” I said after the world’s longest sigh. “Something happened and I need your help. Well, not so much your help. Your advice…”

“Advice from
moi?”
he said, clearing his throat. “Well, then. Hold on.”

I heard some shuffling in the background and everything went silent.

“Okay, Dr. David is in and all ears. Tell me what the problem is.”

I let the story out in one long burst. I told him about the dream and Jesse, about how it had felt so incredibly real, and how it felt like I had cheated on Ty. 

“So let me get this straight. You had a sex dream and you’re calling it a
problem?
”

He started laughing.

“Hey, that’s not very professional, doctor, laughing at your patients. I’m serious here.”

“I’m being serious too,” he said, laughing some more. “What’s the big deal?”

The wheezing began. I walked to the kitchen and opened a Coke while I waited him out.

“Come back, David Norton,” I said finally.

“Girlfriend, it’s a dream!” he screamed through the phone. “It’s something to savor, not freak out about. Honestly, only you would actually feel guilty about this.”

I didn’t want to tell him what I was really afraid of. That it had been real. That it wasn’t even a dream. That it was Jesse in my bed that night.

I sighed.

“So just relax. These kinds of dreams are normal. I’ve pretty much averaged one a night ever since ninth grade, when I fell in love with the boy who played George Gibbs in the school play. He had the most beautiful, long dark eyelashes.”

The ice smashed against the glass on the other end of the phone.

“They’re perks of sleeping. And God knows you deserve it with all those nightmares you have. Enjoy them! That’s my official doctorly advice.”

“Okay, that helps. Thanks.”

“You’re just saying that,” he said. “I can tell from your voice that it’s still bothering you.”

“Well, I wouldn’t be Abby Craig if it didn’t.”

“Try to remember how good you have it. I mean, you have a real boyfriend and a ghost boyfriend and they both love you. Together they can meet your every need. The ghost listens to you and looks after you in that paranormal way and the real one is a hunk who is there ready to fulfill all your physical fantasies. It’s perfect, so stop your bitching. You’re living the dream, and the saddest part is you don’t even know it!”

I smiled.

“Maybe you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right.”

I sat back on the sofa and put my feet up on the coffee table and changed subjects.

“Hey, when do you start filming your movie?”

“Next month. And I’m expecting you to come visit. You’ll stay with me at my house in the hills. We’ll go to the Hollywood Walk of Fame and find some of those old movie stars you go gaga over. Maybe buy a map and look for celebrities.”

“Sounds awesome,” I said. “Can’t wait.”

“Anything else, bestie? I have some memorizing to do if I’m going to nail my scene tomorrow.”

“No, that was it. Thanks again. You’re a good friend, David Norton.”

“Well, yeah,” he said. “And remember, love isn’t a script. Love is just love.”

“I’m not sure what that means, but I like the sound of it.”

“Me too.”

I hung up and flipped on the television.

The guilt was still there, but it wasn’t as bad. It had helped to talk about it. In his own way, David had reminded me that my life was complicated, and complications were just part of the deal. And he was right about being lucky. I had Ty, and I still had Jesse. And most of the time the two could coexist with each other and inside my heart.

I smiled. Every once in a while, when hell froze over or snow fell in August, David made some sense.

CHAPTER 54

I walked in through the back door, put down my bag in the cubby, and clocked in.

“So does this make you a celebrity chef?” Hector said.

“What are you talking about?”

I put on an apron and washed my hands.

“The story in the newspaper. Haven’t you seen it?” He handed it to me. “Look.”

I opened up the main section of
The Bugler
and there on the front page below the fold was my old high school senior picture.

“Ah, hell,” I whispered under my breath as I read the headline.

“Local Woman Dreams Big, Saves Lives.”

I leaned up against the wall and quickly read the story. Thomas Richardson was a small part of it. Somehow, I was the main focus. The reporter had rummaged through my life and my ghost closet, mentioning both the Emily Ross case and the school bombing from a few years back. For six years I had worked hard to keep this part of my life a secret. But now it was out there for everyone to see. 

“Hey, why are things so quiet back there?” Alberto yelled. “Make some noise, people.”

Hector got back to work and I joined him, cracking eggs and frying ham and bacon, glancing out occasionally to see if anybody was staring at me. But no one was. I did my job and mostly kept my head down.

“She saved a man who was hurt in the fire,” I heard Hector whispering to Misty later when she took her break. “I don’t know. She has these magic dreams. She’s a mystic. Or maybe a saint.”

When Alberto came in the back, he smiled and shook my hand.

“Abby, I wish you had told me that was why you took the day off,” he said. “To go save that man in the fire. Now I understand. Good work.”

I managed to get through the rest of the shift without too much disruption. The few people who mentioned it were friendly, but I still felt weird about it. Exposed.

At Back Street, it was the same. Lyle let me hide behind the machines and make coffee the entire time, and a few customers put in extra tips as they waved from the counter.

Ty stopped by to say hi.

“Nice article,” he said. “Can I have your autograph?”

I sighed and then smiled.

“Maybe later.”

“But seriously, it was a good story, and all of it was true. You should enjoy it. Just ride the wave, babe. You’re beloved.”

I held out my arms like I was surfing before hiding again behind the machines.

CHAPTER 55

As I drove home from the store, my phone rang.

“Hello, Abby, it’s Ben Mortimer.”

I sailed through the intersection as it went from yellow to red and checked the rearview mirror, hoping there were no flashing lights coming for me.

“Hey,” I said. “How are you doing?”

“Good. Listen, I know this is last minute, but I was wondering if you’d like to get some dinner tonight. My schedule changed and I’m free.”

“Sounds good,” I said. “I have a few errands to take care of but I can meet you in an hour. Does that work for you?”

“Perfect. How about Dante’s?”

“Haven’t heard of it.”

“It just opened. The Old Mill District, a few doors down from Red Robin. It’s a stone’s throw from my new place. I can give you a tour after dinner.”

“Cool,” I said. “Meet you out front.”

CHAPTER 56

I smiled when I saw Ben. He looked pale and tired, but he seemed happy. Maybe it was being back together with Kate.

He wore a striped shirt, rolled up at the sleeves, khakis, and an old pair of Birkenstocks.

I reached up and gave him a hug.

“Where’s your place?” I said.

“Right over there.”

He pointed to a row of houses just down the river.

“I remember when they built those last year. It’s close to everything, but isn’t it kind of noisy in the summer with the concerts and all the tubers and rafters floating by?”

“Yeah, but I like it. That way I’m never too lonely. Anyway, I didn’t buy it. I’m renting it from another doctor. At some point I’ll get my own place again.”