Double Dating with the Dead (18 page)

“Who?” he casually asked.

Winnie smiled sweetly.

Oh, no, here it comes.

“Why, Angela. She loves antiques.”

Selena watched the changing expressions on her mother's face. A little bit of worry, then that same stubborn streak that she saw in Winnie. Lord help them, they were two of a kind.

“Yes, I was quite pleased when Winnie asked me if I would like to work for her. We have so much in common.”

Trent choked on his coffee.

Winnie's forehead creased. “Are you okay, Trent?”

“Okay? Am I okay? You actually have to ask if I'm okay?”

“It's my store and I can hire whomever I please.”

“Mom…”

“Now, don't you Mom me, young man. Is it my store or not?” She clasped her hands in front of her and clamped her lips together.

“Yes, but…”

“Then I believe you should let me tend to my business and you can see to yours, but let me tell you this, my great-uncle Abner came to me one time in a dream. It was right after he died.”

“Really?” Angela asked, her eyes widening.

“Mother,” Selena whispered, not wanting Angela to get involved.

“What, dear?”

“Shh…” Couldn't she see that Trent and his mother had come to an important crossroads?

“You saw your uncle Abner after he died?” Trent said, ignoring everyone except his mother, his frown deepening.

“Yes, he went to the store to get some crackers for Aunt Lucille and was hit by a car.”

“Oh, I'm so sorry,” Angela said. “Did he die quickly?”

“He was in the hospital for a good week.” Winnie shook her head. “It was just awful. I was a girl at the time, but I still remember it.”

“So he died a week after the accident?” Selena asked, suddenly curious.

“Oh, no, it was some twenty years later.”

Selena bit the insides of her cheeks.

“Then what does the accident have to do with anything?” Trent set his cup down and ran a hand through his hair.

“Why, everything, dear.” Winnie's eyes grew wide.

“Tell us.” Angela patted Winnie's hand before frowning at Trent.

“Well,” Winnie began, only to stop and draw in a deep breath. “It was just like I said. He came to me in a dream. He was wearing a nice gray suit.” She frowned. “Funny thing is he was buried in a black one as I recall. Although, it could've been a deep blue. I was awfully young…”

“Mother!” Trent's face had started to turn red.

Selena quickly looked at her hands. No wonder her mother had wanted to go to work for Winnie, even though she didn't need the money. Winnie was quite infectious.

“I'm getting there, son.” She reached for a doughnut, then apparently thought better of trying to eat and talk at the same time. “Well, he looked very happy about crossing over to this other place. He was smiling.”

“That's it?” Trent wore a look of exasperation.

“Of course that's not all.”

“Take your time, Winnie.” Angela's eyes narrowed on Trent.

“The morning after the funeral, I woke up, and there was Uncle Abner's watch on my bedside table.”

“Oh, my,” Angela breathed.

“What the hell does that have to do with the wreck?”

Trent's expression grew darker by the second. Selena didn't know who she felt more sorry for—Trent or Winnie.

“Why, it has everything to do with Uncle Abner. He'd always promised me the watch, but it had accidentally gotten buried with him. I was so devastated.”

“And rightly so,” Angela said.

“How do you know it was the same watch?”

Winnie looked quite smug. “Because it was cracked! The exact same crack where it had been busted in the car wreck. The exact same watch that had been buried with him.”

Angela sucked wind.

“Good Lord, Mother. You actually believe in that crap? Selena's mother has been filling your head with a lot of nonsense. The woman is wacky. I mean, look at her.”

Wacky! Did he just say her mother was wacky?

“She is not, and don't you dare take that tone of voice with me, Trent Sanders.”

“Okay, then, what the hell does that have to do with hiring Selena's mother?”

“Angela and I are soul sisters. We sensed it from the very moment we met.”

“Yeah, right after she convinced you. Mom, that's how cons work. They make you think you're friends.”

Now her mother was a con! “You just wait a minute.” Selena came to her feet, planting her hands on her hips. “Don't you dare blame my mother for all this.”

Winnie stood. “Don't worry, Selena. My son is as stubborn as the day is long. Come, Angela, it's time we opened the store.”

“Mom…” Trent began.

Winnie raised her hand. “No, I won't let you ruin the rest of my day with your foolishness.”

“Okay, fine.”

As soon as they left the room, he turned to Selena.

“Can you believe my mother?” He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her.

“Remove your arms,” she said between gritted teeth.

“What did I do?” He stepped back.

“What did you do? You talked like their becoming friends was my mother's fault.”

“You don't think your mother's trying to get close to mine in an attempt to help you?”

Oh, that was it. The straw that broke the camel's back, the icing on the cake…. “Trent Sanders, you're an ass. You can't see that someone like my mother could be friends with your mother.”

“My mother is gullible.” He glared at her.

“Your mother has a brain, and she can think for herself. Maybe you're the gullible one. Maybe you need to look around and see the world as it is.”

She turned and left the room before he could say another word. She was so going to make him grovel when Dixie and Wesley showed themselves!

Damn it, how could the morning start off so well and turn to utter crap. And now she wasn't even going to have sex. Double damn!

T
rent wondered how one morning could start off so well only to slide down the drain like dirty water.

Damn it, he wasn't even going to have sex. He'd thought about mentioning to Selena that they'd both been gung-ho to do a repeat performance of last night, but from the expression on her face, he didn't think that reminding her would be such a good idea.

Selena knew how he felt, so what the hell was different? Maybe he shouldn't have called her mother wacky.

Even if she was wacky.

Damn, and now his mother had hired Angela to work in her store. If that wasn't a scheme to undermine him, then he didn't know what was. Why couldn't his mother see what was going on?

He poured another cup of coffee and headed toward the porch.

Trouble was, the more he was around Selena, the less he thought she might be scamming to make money off innocent people. Maybe that was what rubbed him wrong more than anything.

He started to sit in one of the rockers, but at the last minute changed his mind and sat on the rail, leaning back against the post.

If she wasn't scamming the public, then it meant she really believed in ghosts.

She was crazy.

Oh, great, it was much better to think about her that way. He was having sex with someone who thought she could talk to dead people. Much better situation.

“I see you made it through the storm last night,” Matilda said, startling him so that he almost spilled his coffee.

He set his cup on the rail. “Morning, Matilda. You and Hiram make it okay?”

“Downed a limb in the back but other than that we're fine and dandy.”

She wiped her hands on her apron and took in a deep breath and looked around. She bent and brushed the petals of a dainty blue flower.

“Isn't it odd how something so fragile could weather the storm and look all fresh and pretty the next day? Makes you wonder how it survived.” She looked up with a smile on her face. “There are lots of things in this world that a person can't explain. You just have to open your eyes and accept.”

She'd been talking to Selena again. “I don't believe in ghosts if that's the point you're trying to get across. Sorry.” And he realized he was apologetic. Maybe Matilda had hoped to convince him, but no matter what happened between him and Selena, he would never believe in ghosts. It just wasn't going to happen.

“How long have you and Hiram lived here?” Rather than get into an argument with her about whether ghosts existed or not, Trent changed the subject.

Matilda placed her hands on her ample hips and looked around. “Hiram and I have lived here for as long as I can remember. Lot of changes been made since we first came to the area. Some good and some not so good.”

She suddenly laughed.

“You know, Hiram rode up to my daddy's house one day on his horse. We knew each other from church socials and what not. He just up and asked me if I wanted to marry him.”

She must be older than she looked. He knew it wasn't unheard of that a country boy wouldn't have a car, and a lot of the World War II generation married really young.

“I guess you said yes.”

There was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “Not right off. I made him wait a few days before I told him I'd be his bride. I never regretted a day we've been together, though. He's been a good husband.”

“I'm glad for you both.”

“Once you find the woman you were meant to be with, you'll know it, too. Won't matter what she does or what she believes in, either. Not when she's your soul mate. A soul mate can weather any storm and the love lasts forever.”

Great, now she was matchmaking. He didn't know which was worse, trying to make him believe in ghosts or getting him hitched to Selena.

“I best be getting back to Hiram. He doesn't like me to be away from him for very long.”

“It was nice talking with you.” And he meant it. He enjoyed his visits with Matilda.

She turned before going around the corner of the hotel. “You and that girl spoon last night?”

“I…uh…” He could feel the heat rise up his face.

“You make an honest woman of her. Don't want to ruin her reputation.” Her gaze lingered. “Yep, you'll make it right. You wouldn't do nothin' to hurt that gal. I can see in your eyes that you're a good fella.” She turned and disappeared around the side of the hotel.

“An honest woman? I'm not sure Selena would ever be that even if she were married,” he mumbled.

His cell phone rang. He brought it out of his pocket and flipped it open. Not Tye. Ken, his agent.

“Hello, Ken.”

“How's it going? Not too bad, I hope.”

He laughed, and for the first time Trent realized just how much Ken's laugh irritated him. Maybe it always had, but Ken had a good head for business, and he'd gotten Trent some decent contracts.

“It's okay. If you can call staying in a run-down hotel good.”

“I saw this Selena's picture in the paper. Now, that's someone I wouldn't mind crawling between the sheets with.”

For some reason Ken's words left a bad taste in his mouth, but before he could tell his agent to take a flying leap off the nearest cliff, Ken continued.

“And after reading that article, it looks like you haven't wasted much time, either.”

Trent took a slow breath and then let it out. “You handle my business affairs, but what goes on in my personal life is none of your concern.”

“Hey, don't get me wrong. The publicity has been great. If you can add sex to the book you're writing, it's going to fly off the shelves. Oh, man, I can see it now. Selena the psychic—even she couldn't predict how hot she would be in bed.”

“I'm not sure I'm going to write the book,” Trent blurted.

What sounded like a strangled gurgle came over the phone.

“What the hell do you mean you're not going to write the book? Are you crazy? I've been talking with your editor, and it means a six-figure advance. I'm not going to let you throw this opportunity down the drain.”

“You don't really have a say in the matter. Just remember, my name is the one on the contract, not yours.”

There was a brief pause.

“Trent, boy, now think about what you're doing.” The tone of his voice changed, becoming silky. “You know I was just joking about the sex part. Remember why you started writing these books in the first place. Don't let this chick scam you, too. I mean, yeah, she's a looker. How do you think she's able to take so many people in?”

Trent glanced around the yard of the hotel. Even unkempt there was something about it that tugged at him. If ever you could describe a place as peaceful tranquility, then sitting on the hotel porch would be exactly that. The rains last night had washed everything clean, and there was a fresh, earthy scent in the air.

Yeah, it was run-down, the paint peeling, and the yard still had weeds.

But haunted?

No.

He just didn't know which side of the fence Selena was on. A con artist? If she was, then he had a duty to let the public know what she was up to. Right now, duty sucked.

“Tell me you're not being swayed by her,” Ken broke into his thoughts. “You're still going to write the book, right?”

“Unless she proves me wrong, then yeah, I'll still write the book.”

“Good, good.”

They talked for a few more minutes. Then Trent closed his cell phone and slipped it back into his pocket.

Why did the thought of writing this book about Selena make him feel as if he was the one in the wrong? Damn it, she was turning him inside out. Just like Celeste had. Exactly like Celeste had.

 

Selena knew there was something different when she woke up the next morning. She just couldn't put her finger on what it was.

Slowly, she sat up in bed, running a hand through her hair. She'd slept through the night. She hadn't even dreamed.

That was it.

Hell, now she couldn't even dream a good orgasm.

She sat on the side of the bed. This wasn't going to work. She had to convince Trent there were ghosts. Speaking of which, what mischief were Dixie and Wesley thinking up now? They'd been way too quiet.

“Dixie! Wesley!”

“You don't have to yell,” Dixie said as she popped into the room. “I've never been a morning person.”

“Yeah, well, you two shouldn't have borrowed our bodies.” She frowned. “I didn't think you could without our permission. Damn it, I'm supposed to be psychic, but since I came here I barely have any sense let alone a sixth one.”

“Did you find our bones?” Dixie said, switching to another subject.

“No.” When Dixie's face fell, Selena felt her misery. “I'll keep looking. I just don't know why I feel so out of sync.”

“It's because there's too much going on. Spirits create a lot of electrical activity. We short-circuit some psychics. The storm didn't help, either.” A slow smile curved her lips. “In one instance I guess it helped.”

Heat rose up her face. Dixie could only be referring to sex with Trent. “You know about that?”

Dixie snorted. “How could we not know as much noise as you two were—”

“Enough! I don't want a replay.”

“If I were you, I'd want a replay.” Dixie hugged her middle. “The energy you two created was…fantastic.”

Selena glared at the ghost.

“Okay, okay, I won't mention it again. You really need to loosen up, though. You know, once you're dead you look at things a whole lot differently. You won't worry so much about little stuff anymore.”

“Until I'm dead, then, I think I will, if you don't have any objections,” she grumbled.

“But we didn't watch or anything. We just felt your energy.” She shrugged. “So you and Trent like each other now?”

“No, we argued.”

“That's fun, too. Then you get to patch things up.” Her brow wrinkled. “If you don't carry it too far and get yourself shot. That's not good.” She sighed, then looked at Selena again. “So what did you two argue about?”

“He said my mother was wacky.”

“She is wacky.”

Selena arched an eyebrow. “It was the way he said it.”

“Oh.” She paused. “How did he say it?”

“My mother went to work for his mother. He thinks mine will corrupt his.”

Dixie laughed.

“It's not funny.”

“Yes it is.”

Selena stood and went to the dresser, pulling out the clothes she planned to wear. “If you would only show yourselves, then he would know ghosts exist.”

“You like him, don't you?”

She squared her shoulders. “Pffft. Of course I don't like him.”

“You had sex with him.”

“That's different. You don't have to like someone to have sex with them as long as there's chemistry.”

“And this…chemistry—it was there?”

Selena thought back to the way it felt having his hands caressing her. His mouth kissing her. She drew in a long, shuddering breath. “Oh, yeah, there was a lot of chemistry.”

“I think you like each other but you don't want to admit it.”

Selena began to dress. “It doesn't matter. He's too close-minded. Our beliefs are too far apart. But if you did show yourself, he would know you do exist, and maybe we could have some kind of relationship.”

“Too easy.”

“And you have something against easy as opposed to hard.” She frowned when Dixie raised her eyebrows. “That's not what I meant and you know it.”

“It's an unwritten law of the dead.”

“What kind of law,” she asked with more than an ounce of suspicion. She'd never heard of ghosts having laws.

“If we meddle too much, then it upsets the balance of things. We'd have to answer to the ghost tribunal.” She shook her head. “Not pretty. They're really testy at times.”

“I've never heard of a ghost tribunal.”

“Like you know everything. Sometimes it's people like you who really aggravate me. Some psychics are so positive they know exactly what's going on when a person crosses over.”

“I've never claimed…”

Dixie left in a poof. Ghosts could be so touchy sometimes. Well, she'd never claimed to know everything.

She ran her hands through her hair and headed toward the bathroom. A few minutes later she looked more presentable and felt as though she could face Trent.

Except Trent wasn't in the kitchen this morning. There was a full pot of coffee, but no Trent. She poured a cup and went to the table. Odd how she felt as if something were missing.

Did married people feel like this?

Married people? She shook her head and laughed. Nope, she wasn't even going there. Especially not with Trent. Sex with him was great, fantastic even, but they certainly weren't a couple.

Then why did she feel a rush of giddiness when he sauntered into the kitchen a few minutes later?

Because the sex was that good
, she told herself.

“Morning,” he said.

“Morning.”

She covertly watched him go to the coffeepot and pour himself another cup before turning back toward her. She quickly lowered her eyes and took a drink.

“Thanks for putting on the coffee,” she told him.

He pulled out a chair and sat down. “I'm sorry I called your mother wacky,” he said without looking at her.

That was it? Just I'm sorry? She frowned. “That was a very heartfelt apology. Thank you so much. I bet you thought long and hard before coming up with those exact words.”

“Sarcasm doesn't suit you.”

“That's only your opinion.”

He set his cup down, his frown deepening. “I meant it when I said I was sorry. I thought that would be enough.”

Maybe she
was
being a little testy this morning. Having sexual dreams, then the real thing, then being denied sex had a tendency to put her on edge.