A Triple Scoop of I Scream by Gabrielle Holly

wonderful. They’d pulled back a yellowed sheet to find the shop’s original hanging planters and plant stands in near-perfect condition. A cache of framed 1920s advertisements had been stacked neatly against one wall, their colours still vibrant behind dusty glass.
    A sheet-covered box—taller than Toni—had stood against the far wall and piqued her curiosity, but it had been blocked by decades of clutter. They’d had to haul boxes full of garbage down to the dumpster before they could get to it. Once the path was clear, she’d hesitated. It felt as though the mysterious object held the last of the building’s secrets and uncovering it would be like saying goodbye to her resident ghosts. Bridget had finally been the one to break the stalemate. “Oh, for Pete’s sake, Toni,” she’d said, yanking away the cloth.
    The women had stood, hands on hips, facing an oak two-door armoire. “Victorian?” Toni had asked.
    Bridget had nodded. “Probably late 1800s. That would make sense given the age of the building. Nice piece.”
    Toni had tugged open the doors. A single item hung inside on a simple wire hanger. Toni had reached in and gently lifted out the short-sleeved, white work shirt. A black bow tie was stuffed into the breast pocket. Above it was an embroidered monogram. Toni traced the letters Vinnie .
     
    * * * *
     
    Toni walked into the cool building, smiling at the jangle of the polished brass bell above the door. Lush green ferns filled antique wicker planters and hung from the ceiling in woven baskets. The freshly painted walls were decorated with advertisements from another time. On display, in a shadowbox, behind the counter was Vinnie’s shirt—complete with bow tie—and Daisy’s journal, open to the last entry. The booths and most of the bistro tables were filled with people chatting and laughing. Bridget was manning the candy counter and Toni blushed when the redhead handed a length of liquorice laces to a young couple.
    Mike was working the soda fountain and joking with a man to whom he’d just served an enormous banana split. Thomas was sitting beside the customer on one of the newly-upholstered stools. Mike caught Thomas’ eye and motioned to Toni. Thomas swivelled in his seat and smiled at her. He got up and took her hand. The two wound their way through the crowd and into Liam’s shop. Ex Libris also was teeming with customers. Liam smiled when he saw Toni and Thomas enter. He told his part-time clerk that he was calling it a day and walked out from behind the cash register. Thomas released Toni’s hand and let Liam gather her into a bear hug.
    “Can you believe this?” Liam whispered into her ear. She could barely hear him over the din of patrons.
    Toni pulled away and winked at him. “Who’s up for dessert? It’s on the house.”
    The three waited for a break in the stream of people passing between the shops, then found seats at the counter with Toni in the middle.
    “What’ll it be?” Mike asked.
    “Chocolate sundae with three spoons,” Toni answered.
    “Heavy on the chocolate sauce and whipped cream,” Thomas added.
    Liam looped his arm around Toni’s waist. “Should we take that to go?”
    A wicked grin crossed Toni’s face. “You read my mind.”
     
     
     
     
     
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    Ghost Encounters: Soldier of Love
    Gabrielle Holly
     
    Excerpt
     
    Chapter One
     
     
    It was well past sunset and Toni Bianchi stood shivering in the stinging rain, up to her ankles in icy mud, her ridiculous Civil War costume clinging to her curves. She glared at the decrepit pickup truck—its bed made over to look like a mid-nineteenth-century military chow wagon—and wondered at exactly which moment her life plan had gone astray.
    Admittedly, her ‘life plan’ was a bit fluid. Toni had always believed that spontaneity made life—and her—more interesting. But, as her wet curls clung to her neck and her toes grew numb, she was