Ghost for Sale by Sandra Cox Page A

the front with those stormy eyes and tantalizing lips. Oh yeah, had to be the front. I wet my suddenly dry throat.
    “I’m thinking we need to move forward with our plan.”
    “Our plan?” Absently, I outlined one of the magnolia imprints on the puffy cushions with my finger, the material coarse against my digit. The silence stretched. The intensity of his gaze drew mine. Realization dawned. “Oh, to find—”
    My soda left my fingers, arced into the air, and tipped into my lap. The next moment the can sat on the table. The cold wet liquid had me sitting straight up. “Urg.” I jumped up and wiped at my slacks.
    Liam raised a finger to his lips.
    “Did you do that?”
    He continued to watch me.
    It took me a moment. “Oh.” I sat back down. I had been about to say William and Anna. “For a gentleman ghost, that was most unmannerly.” I thrust out my lip. “Being drenched in soda from the waist down is extremely uncomfortable.” I grabbed a towel draped across the glass table and dabbed at my slacks, then threw it down and plucked the sticky material away from my legs.
    “I’m truly sorry.” He looked contrite. “But I’m afraid the alternative might have been worse.”
    My nerves, already raw, quivered and jumped. “Do you think it’s dangerous?”
    “It certainly has the potential.” Features grim, he wrinkled his brow in a worried frown.
    “Great.” I flopped back in my seat, picked up my empty can, and set it back down. “Oh, right. Empty.”
    “Do you want me to get you another?” His shoulders hunched, he stared at the dark liquid puddled beneath the chair.
    I brightened and almost said yes before sanity returned. Just the thought of Marcy seeing a can float out of the refrigerator to the pool turned me cold. “Uh no, but thanks anyway. So, do you have any ideas for proceeding with our quest?” Since he wasn’t going to stick around to watch me grow old, we might as well try to reunite the lovers.
    “As a matter of fact, I do. How would you like to take a trip to Ruby Falls?”
     
     

Chapter 7
     
    My mouth dropped. “What? Why?” The light came on. My discomfort forgotten, I snapped my fingers. “You think we’ll find…” It seemed to be okay to mention Anna’s name as long as it wasn’t in conjunction with William, but why take a chance?
    “I’m guessing that’s where she’s headed.” Apparently, Liam was being careful as well. “Never mind. It was just a thought.”
    My mind hopped like a frog. “No. No. It’s a good one. But Marcy’s going to Virginia Beach tomorrow, so the Vette won’t be available.” I jabbed at the air with my index finger as inspiration hit. “I’ll call Dad—no, better make that Mom—tomorrow morning to see if I can borrow their car.”
    “You don’t have one?” He stretched out his long legs on the lounge chair and crossed them.
    “It’s in the shop.”
    “It’s broken?”
    “Yes.”
    “What’s wrong with it?”
    He wasn’t going to let this go. I cleared my throat and swallowed my embarrassment. “I had a little accident.”
    “Were you hurt?” He swung his legs over the chair and leaned toward me, concerned.
    “No, just the car, and since it’s a foreign make, I’m waiting on a part.” I made a dismissive gesture with my hand. “Never mind my car. Like I said, I’ll call Mom tomorrow morning and see if I can borrow hers.”
    “You don’t want to ask your father,” my ghost said shrewdly.
    “Nothing gets by you, does it?” I laughed, then sobered. “You’re right. Dad’s like a hound dog. He can scent when you’re not telling the truth or even stretching it. Let me tell you, growing up wasn’t always a picnic.”
    “Your parents seem very nice, Caitlin.” He toed off his boots. For a moment, his socks floated in the air before dissipating. He wiggled his toes.
    Fascinating.
    The ghost had long, elegant feet. Would I ever get a view of the rest of his anatomy? The clothes of his era kept him pretty well