Haunted Ever After (28 page)

At the sounds of my sniffles, Ty pulled me closer to his side, and when we reached the car, he leaned me against it and wrapped me tenderly in his arms.

Words weren’t necessary. His touch said it all. We’d shared something amazing together this weekend, something beyond anything I ever thought possible. And I didn’t just mean being around Nancy’s spirit and solving the secret of her death. We had a connection. A
strong
connection. Things would not end here, today. Time would pass and I would focus on getting my new life on track, he would study and save money and prepare for his interview to get into medical school. We’d do our own thing for a while. But when the great healer called time had travelled enough cycles around the clock, I would take that next step. I would be ready.

Yes
, I thought, as Ty kissed my cheek softly and caressed my hair, and I looked up into his beautiful, dark brown eyes. I would take Nancy’s advice. I would not let this one get away.

‘It’s okay, you’ll be at peace now,’ I said to the dead body lying on the hospital bed in front of me. George Wilkins. He’d suffered far too long, and although sad, I was relieved knowing it had come to an end after the last few months of being my patient. I adjusted the white sheet a little, wanting everything to be as perfect as possible for when his family arrived to say their goodbyes. I would comfort them and tell them that he was at peace, and this time I would mean it.

I stepped away from the bed and squirted anti-bacterial hand sanitiser onto my palms, rubbing it over my hands. As I went to walk out the door, a strange sensation that I wasn’t alone turned my head back to the direction from which I came. A sharp gasp entered my lungs. George stood right there in front of me, looking down at his body. My heart pounded as he looked up and his eyes met mine.

‘Thank you,’ he whispered, his voice missing the usual rasp I’d become accustomed to. He held his hand over his heart and smiled, deep crinkles fanning out from the corners of his eyes. Then he gave a final wave, and disappeared in a swirl of light and colours.

My mouth hung open, then slowly turned upwards into a smile. I had not seen a spirit since my experience with Nancy eight months ago, and didn’t know if I ever would. But this…this was amazing. A reminder that there was a whole other realm out there. My nursing had changed; I was more aware of people’s feelings and better able to counsel them with their worries, fears and grief. I stood in awe for a moment, then turned and walked out of the room.

‘Ouch!’ Something ran over my foot. A crash cart. Wheeled by an attractive man with a stethoscope around his neck.

‘Ty!’ I said. ‘I was wondering if I’d be seeing you soon in these halls.’

‘Good to see you, Sexy Sally.’ He winked. ‘Though please forgive me for running over your foot, is it okay?’

‘It’s fine.’

‘I wasn’t trying to get you back for the supermarket situation or anything,’ he added.

I nodded. ‘Oh sure, whatever you say,’ I laced my words with sarcasm. ‘How have your first couple of weeks been?’

‘Full on. But so great. I’m loving it.’

‘And how’s Cody?’

‘He’s doing well. He’s learning to play a musical instrument now; the keyboard.’

‘Good for him!’ I smiled. ‘And are you still stripping?’

‘Nope. Thanks to all your referrals I had a ton of bookings, and saved up enough to quit. There’s no time for that now, anyway. But I do get to play doctor here, which is fun. Except I have to keep my clothes on.’

I rose up and down on my toes. ‘So, I was actually going to call you this weekend.’ I hadn’t seen him for six months, not since Ruby’s first birthday party. I now lived in a small apartment about ten minutes from work, and forty minutes from Barron Springs. Lorena now had baby Callie keeping her busy and sleep deprived, and Mel and Michael were going strong. Georgie seemed happier too, had more of a glow about her these days, and she’d had her TV contract renewed.

‘You were? Or are you only saying that to be nice?’ He winked.

‘I was, look.’ I took my phone from my pocket and showed him the reminder I’d set in my phone calendar:
Saturday: Call Ty
.

He smiled. ‘Looks like I saved you some time by bumping into you.’

‘Yes, literally.’ I grinned. ‘Although I’m sure a phone chat is in order anyway. There’s only so much that can be discussed in a hospital corridor.’

Ty tilted his head slightly. ‘Why don’t we make it a face-to-face chat? If you want to, that is.’

I raised my eyebrows. ‘I think that sounds like a perfect idea.’

‘How about The Valley Restaurant? I can book a table for, say, seven on Saturday night?’

‘Deal.’ I held out my hand and he shook it. Oh, how I’d missed the touch of his skin. ‘I’ll meet you there.’

‘And will you be carrying a red rose or something, so I know how to recognise you in case you’re all dressed up?’

I chuckled. ‘No, but I
will
be wearing a dress.’

‘Let me guess, a purple one? Mauve?’

I shook my head. ‘Cobalt.’

A smile grew on his lips and he nodded his approval. ‘I look forward to seeing you then.’ He glanced down the corridor. ‘I better get this cart back where it belongs; have to be a good student.’

I nodded. ‘See you on Saturday.’

After he smiled and began walking off, he turned back around. ‘Oh, ah, will there be any other
guests
joining us for dinner?’ He raised his eyebrows.

‘No. Definitely not! It will just be you and me.’ I smiled softly.

‘Sounds good.’

We held each other’s gaze for an extra moment. ‘So, you’ve really given up stripping, hey?’

‘Yes. Although… I
could
make an exception at some stage, if it was absolutely necessary.’ He eyed me with that sexy, teasing look from his business card.
Ty Roxford ~ Quality adult entertainer and dancer
had now become:
Ty Roxford ~ Medical student and potential love of my life
.

‘I’ll hold you to that,’ I said, with a teasing look of my own to rival his. And as I watched him walk away, I knew without a doubt that what happened in Barron Springs, certainly would
not
stay in Barron Springs.

THE END

Thanks for reading
HAUNTED EVER AFTER
. I hope you enjoyed it.

If you’d like to know more about me, my books, or to connect with me online, you can visit my webpage
www.julietmadison.com
, follow me on twitter
@Juliet_Madison
, or like my Facebook page
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.

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If you liked this book, there’s information on my other books:
FAST FORWARD, I DREAM OF JOHNNY, STARSTRUCK IN SEATTLE
over the page.

This book was published by Escape Publishing. If you’d like to sample some more great books from my fellow Escape Artists, please turn the page.

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