That Thing You Do (Whispering Bay Romance Book 1) (Volume 1) (9 page)

She dug in her purse to retrieve the paper and dialed his number. It immediately went to voice mail: “
BOO!
Thank you for calling The Sunshine Ghost Society. All of our investigators are currently busy, but your haunting is very important to us, so please leave a brief message and a number where we can reach you. And remember,
ghosts are people, too
.” This was followed by an eerie sounding cackle. “
At least…they used to be
.”

W
hat?
The Sunshine Ghost
Society? Allie immediately hung up. She thought she’d been calling Roger. But it was no coincidence that the number he’d given her belonged to a ghost investigation group.

Allie checked the names of the groups from her Internet search. The Sunshine Ghost Society was one of the groups she’d put on her short list. Their website described them as a non-profit organization
dedicated to the investigation of the paranormal. Allie had to admit, she rather liked the name. It sounded almost…friendly.

She thought about it a few minutes, then called again and got the same message. The voice on the phone sounded like a cross between Kathleen Turner and Harvey Fierstein.

She waited until the beep.

“Um, yes, this is Allison Grant. I’m a journalist for
Florida
! magazine and I got this number from Roger Van Cleave. I’d appreciate it if someone could give me a call back.” She gave her cell phone number then hung up.

She briefly thought about contacting one of the other groups from her Google list, but immediately eliminated that idea. She didn’t want anyone else stealing her scoop, so it was best not to get too many people involved. Hopefully someone
from the Sunshine Ghost Society would call her back ASAP.

Next, she Googled the Margaret Handy Senior Center but, unlike her search for mediums, this one produced only a few links, all from the Whispering Bay Gazette, a local paper that used to come out daily, but now only printed once a week. She called their number and got a recording saying that their office was open till 1 pm. Since
she couldn’t drive without breaking the law, she’d have to wait till Mimi got home and throw herself on her sister-in-law’s mercy. Thankfully, Allie didn’t have to wait too long.

“This is actually kind of fun,” Mimi said, backing out of the driveway.

“What? Playing chauffer to your husband’s ditzy little sister?”

“Investigating ghosts. Maybe you can give me a byline?”

“If this article lands me a permanent gig with
Florida
! then you’ll get more than a byline. What do you want? Champagne? Chocolate? Eternal baby-sitting duties?”

“I hardly need a babysitter anymore, but chocolate sounds pretty good right about now.”

“Doesn’t it?”

“You know what they say about chocolate, don’t you?”

“That it’s a substitute for sex?” Allie snorted. “In that
case, I need a couple of crates.” She glanced at her sister-in-law. “Everything is cool between you and my brother, right?”

 “Why do you ask?”

“I thought maybe the chocolate thing…”

“Zeke and I have been married sixteen years. We’re not kids anymore.”

“But you’re happy?” Funny, she’d asked Tom that same question just last night. Irrationally, she stiffened, as if preparing
herself for an answer she might not want to hear.

“Sure we are,” Mimi said in a perfunctory way. Then she smiled, and Allie relaxed. Of course Zeke and Mimi were happy. They were the most in love couple Allie knew.

*~*~*

T
hey arrived at the
offices of the Whispering Bay Gazette, where they were greeted by the receptionist, who happened to be none other than Boston Betty, the
Prepper.

“Nice to see you again,” Allie said, inwardly cringing. Not that Betty didn’t seem like a nice enough lady. Except she was so… negative.

Betty immediately honed in on Mimi. “Hey there, Mrs. Chief-of-Police. You bring your hottie husband with you?”

“Zeke is at a police conference in Tallahassee.”

“Too bad. I could have used some pretty scenery around here today.”

Mimi smiled as if she were used to this kind of thing.

Allie coughed. “Um, yeah, Betty, I was wondering if you could help me?”

“I take it this visit has something to do with that anonymous letter and the ghost?”

It occurred to Allie while she was doing her computer research that Concerned Citizen might have contacted other journalists with a similar version of that anonymous
letter. Her vanity hated to think that, (after all, Concerned Citizen
did
state they’d chosen her because of the Perky the Duck story) but the pragmatist in her had to consider that a slightly different version of that letter could be in circulation.

“I was wondering if maybe the Gazette had received a similar letter.”

“Would have told you this morning if we had,” Betty said, cracking
her knuckles. “Anything else I can do for you?”

“Well, maybe if you know of anything unusual that ever happened in the senior center? Something that would inspire a person, or, I guess a former person, to come back and haunt the place?”

“That’s it?” Betty said. “Sounds like you don’t have much to go on.”

“I have other leads. This is just one facet of my investigation,” Allie
said, putting a little steel in her voice. The thing was, Betty was right. Allie had precious little to go on. “So, back to the information I need. Can you recall anything dramatic happening in the building?”

 Betty perked up. “Like a murder?”

“Um, well, I was thinking more along the lines of a heart attack or something. But yeah, a murder. That would be unusual, all right. Especially
for Whispering Bay.”

“I’ll say, this town is about as boring as it gets.” She warmed up her computer and went through the files but all Betty came up with was some general background information on the building. Nothing Allie didn’t already know. Not that Allie was surprised. If anything as sinister as a murder had ever occurred in Whispering Bay, she’d have heard of it. No matter how long
ago it had occurred. What she was looking for was probably something much simpler and less…evil. Of course, the ghost (assuming there
was
a ghost) could be attached to the senior center because he or she just liked hanging out there while they were alive. The journalist in her, however, wanted to scratch out that possibility. One, because it opened the field to too many potential ghosts, and two,
it simply wasn’t as good a story.

Betty provided her with a few old black and white snapshots of the original building that could prove helpful if the piece ever made it to print, as well as some more recent photos.

“These are really good,” Allie said, studying one photo in particular. It was a candid shot of Viola and Gus along with another couple playing cards. They were sitting
in the building’s back porch with the gulf in the background. The blues from the water and the bright sky were muted causing the viewer to focus on the subjects’ faces. Both couples looked happy and somehow younger than what Allie knew them to be. 

She stuffed the photos in her leather tote, next to her story notes, and promised to mail a waiver for their use.

“Good luck,” Betty said.
“Sounds like you’re going to need it.”

*~*~*

“S
orry that wasn’t more
helpful,” Mimi said. She slipped a key into the van’s ignition. “Any more ideas?”

“I think I’m fresh out of those.”

“In that case, I need to go by Doc Morrison’s office to pick up an immunization form so Cameron can play soccer.”

Doc Morrison was Whispering Bay’s only medical doctor.  Most of the
town’s population drove to nearby Panama City or Destin for their medical care, but there was a staunchly loyal core of the community who wouldn’t dream of going to anyone but Doc Morrison. Including the Grant family. To Allie’s surprise there was a new and familiar name on the office door.

Dr. Nathanial Miller
, MD, Family Practice.

Holy Cow
. Nate Miller, another blast from the past.
Allie had gone to high school with Nate. She knew he’d gone to medical school but she had no idea he’d moved back home to practice.

The waiting room was packed with a mixture of senior citizens, children, and everything else in between. Mimi went to the front desk to get the paperwork she needed. They were about to leave with the forms when Allie came up with an idea. She pulled out a business
card, scribbled on the back of it, and handed it through the little glass window to the receptionist.  “Would you mind giving this to Dr. Miller? I went to high school with him and I’d like to pick his brain about something.”

The receptionist stared at the card for a few seconds then smiled politely. “Sure.”

“What was that all about?” Mimi asked once they were back in the car.

Allie shrugged. “Just a long shot.”

Ten minutes later, she got a call from Nate Miller. He was about to break for lunch and wanted to get together to talk over old times. They agreed to meet at The Bistro by the Beach.  She’d no sooner hung up on Nate that her cell phone rang again.

“You’re popular,” Mimi joked.

Allie glanced at her phone screen. The number was blocked.

“Hello,” she said tentatively.

“Is this Allison Grant?” asked a gravelly voice.

Allie’s heart did a somersault. It was the voice from the Sunshine Ghost Society recording.

“Yes, this is she.”

“Phoebe Van Cleave, here. President and current top investigator for the Sunshine Ghost Society.”

“Van Cleave?”

“Roger’s little sister. He’s already filled me in on your
ghost.
Please
tell me you haven’t been foolish enough to have contacted any other agencies.”

“You’re the only one. So far,” Allie admitted.

“Excellent!” Phoebe’s voice dropped. “Are you alone? Can you talk freely?”

Allie glanced at Mimi who was looking at her with a
what’s going on
face.

“Yes, I can speak freely.”

“Because it’s imperative that you keep this between
us,” Phoebe said. “Lots of kooks out there. Yes, siree. But here at the Sunshine Ghost Society we’re strictly one hundred percent legit. If this ghost is a fake, we’ll know right away and that’s what you want, right? To know if this is a legitimate haunting? Or are you one of those journalists who don’t care if the story is for real? One of those hacks who’ll print anything for a nickel?”

“Of course I want to know if this for real.”

“Don’t get all huffy. I was just testing you. If you’re a legitimate journalist then the Sunshine Ghost Society is who you’re looking for. You won’t find anyone better than us.”

There was something about this Phoebe Van Cleave that Allie didn’t like. Of course, it was probably the threatening know-it-all tone to her voice. But Phoebe seemed
eager to investigate. Other agencies might not be available. Plus, there was the time factor to consider. As in, Allie didn’t have a lot of that.

“Is there a fee involved?”

“No fee,” Phoebe said quickly. “We receive our payment in knowing that we’ve helped someone from the other side make contact. It’s what we live for.”

“Okay,” Allie said. “I guess that sounds all right. So
what happens now? I have permission to stay inside the building tonight but it’s scheduled for demolition tomorrow morning.”

“Tomorrow? That doesn’t give us much time.”

“I know. I’m sorry for the short notice but it couldn’t be helped. I only found out about this ghost yesterday,” Allie said.

“The thing is my top crew is going to be over in Destin this evening. We’re going to
try to make contact with the Dolphin Ghost.”

“The what?” Could animals come back as ghosts, too? According to the Wikipedia definition, then yes, they could.

“Surely you’ve heard of him? He’s the guy who jumped off the harbor a few years ago and drowned? He’s been seen swimming with a pack of dolphins. Don’t tell me this your first ghost investigation,” Phoebe added suspiciously.

“Oh,
that
Dolphin Ghost, well, of course I’ve heard of him,” Allie lied.
Good Grief
. This took the old adage ‘fake it till you make it’ to a whole other level. “So, back to my ghost—”

“My team is already on it. Don’t worry, if there’s a ghost inside that old senior center, we’ll find out. Expect to hear from me soon. Phoebe Van Cleave, over and out.”

M
imi dropped her off
at The Bistro. Allie got a table in the back and was about to sit down when Nate Miller walked in. Even though it had been twelve years she’d have recognized him anywhere. In high school he was tall and gangly and wore wire rimmed glasses. He was still on the thin side, but the glasses were designer and his shaggy brown hair was cut short, emphasizing a surprisingly strong
jaw. He’d also filled out in the shoulders.

They hugged awkwardly then laughed about it.

“You look great,” he said.

“Thanks, so do you.”

“You haven’t changed a day since high school.”

Allie winced. “Ouch.”

“Hey, that’s a compliment.” He smiled and an appealing set of twin dimples came on display. Did he have those back in high school?

They ordered sandwiches
at the counter and sat at a table facing the water. Frida brought them their drinks. “I had a crush on you, you know,” Nate said to Allie.

She struggled to keep the diet coke from squirting out her nose. “No you didn’t!”

“Senior year AP chemistry class. You probably don’t remember I sat across from you.”

“Of course I remember.” The truth was, she didn’t. But it wasn’t because
she hadn’t liked Nate. AP Chemistry had been the class she’d shared with Tom. Matt Damon could have sat across from her and she wouldn’t have remembered him either.

“You had the longest pair of legs I’d ever seen. I almost flunked out first semester because of them.” He said it without the slightest hint of flirtation, as if he were reciting the menu.

Allie laughed, thoroughly charmed
by the adult Nate.

“I tried everything I could to get your attention but you only had eyes for—” He stopped himself.

“Tom Donalan,” she said with a sigh.

“
That
would be the guy.”

Did everyone know about her mega crush on Tom back in high school? Probably, she thought glumly.

“So, Nate, are you married? Seeing anyone?”

“Not married. At least, not yet. But I’m
hoping to rectify that soon.” He told her about his girlfriend, Jessica, whom he had met while he was in med school at FSU. She had studied law and was now a practicing attorney in Miami.

“That’s a woozy of a long distance relationship,” Allie said.

“I think an engagement ring will convince her to move up here.”

“You’re not interested in moving to the big city?”

“No, I’ve
always wanted to come back home and practice family medicine. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.”

“Whispering Bay is lucky to have you.” Allie put down her sandwich. Running into Nate seemed almost too good to be true. She decided to follow her instincts. “Would you be willing to do an interview? For a potential article? The future of health care in Florida and the lure of returning
to your roots to practice medicine, that sort of thing? You know, life as a small town doctor.”

“Don’t you think…I’d be a little boring?”

“Not at all.” She smiled. Nate Miller was technically single, handsome, and intelligent. Not to mention he was a doctor. He was like catnip to ninety-nine percent of the female population. But what made him really attractive was that he didn’t seem
to have a clue. Allie hoped his girlfriend knew how lucky she was.

“Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?” he asked.

“Not exactly.” She told Nate all about her ghost story and how she’d tried to find out if anyone had died in the senior center. “So, what I’m looking for is any evidence that someone might have had a heart attack or a stroke inside the building. I know it sounds
ghoulish, but according to my research, ghosts tend to haunt places that held deep meaning to them, and a life threatening event sounds pretty deep to me.”

“And you want me to go through Doc Morrison’s records to see if I can verify that?”

“I would never ask you to go through records. That would be too time consuming. But I thought maybe you could ask Dr. Morrison if he remembers anything
that would fit that description.”

He shook his head. “Even if he was willing to share that information with me, I couldn’t relay that on to you. HIPPA violation and all that.”

“Oh, yeah, sure.” Well, there went that idea.

The door to The Bistro opened. Nate glanced up. He stuck a finger inside his shirt collar to loosen his tie, like it was too tight all of a sudden.

Allie
turned to see Lauren Handy, or rather, Lauren Donalan, standing at the food counter. Lauren’s gaze drifted through the small dining room. She spotted them and froze, but quickly recovered her surprise and waved, leaving Allie no choice but to wave back.

“Looks like a high school reunion,” Nate said. He wrapped up what was left of his sandwich and stood. “I hate to run, but I got to go. Sorry
I can’t help with your research but I enjoyed catching up. Maybe we can do it again before you leave town.” He took her business card and promised he’d think about doing an interview.

Allie noticed that Nate didn’t stop to speak to Lauren on his way out the restaurant. It wasn’t that he particularly snubbed her, but he didn’t take the time to stop and say a simple hello, either. Maybe they
hadn’t interacted all that much in high school. Or maybe he was in a big hurry to get back to his patients.

Allie took a few bites of her sandwich, willing herself to stay calm. Not that she was nervous at the thought of running into Lauren, she just didn’t know what she’d say to her if she—

“Hi, Allie.” Lauren’s soft voice cut through her thoughts. “I’d heard you were back in town.
It’s good to see you again.”

“Hi there, yourself.” So much for not knowing what to say to Lauren Donalan!

Lauren looked different from the way Allie remembered her in high school. Gone was her signature long Barbie hair. Instead, she sported a jaw length cut with side swept bangs. Not many women could get away with hair that short, but on Lauren it looked terrific. It made her blue
eyes bigger and her pink lips plumper and everything else about her seemed more intense. Despite having had a baby she still looked like she could fit into her cheerleading outfit, but today she looked like she’d stepped straight out of a sixties fashion magazine. She wore a bright yellow unbuttoned raincoat over an orange shift with tiny purple flowers. Lauren also wore galoshes, which was a little
weird because it was probably about eighty degrees and sunny outside. Allie had never seen anyone but little kids wear galoshes. The whole thing should look ridiculous. But it didn’t. Not on Lauren.

“You look great,” Allie said, still a little in awe.

“Thanks!” Lauren held back the edges of her raincoat to give Allie a better look. “I just got this at an estate sale a few weeks ago.
I was going to sell it, but I couldn’t resist.” There was a shy excitement to her voice that instantly won Allie over. “You look great, too. But then, you always did.”

It was just like high school all over again. She wished she could dislike Lauren. But she couldn’t. The whole thing seemed unfair somehow.

“Thanks,” Allie said, searching for something to say. “So, you own the shop next
door?”

“I’m renting for now, but yeah, the shop is mine.”

“Congratulations.” And then because it would seem strange not to mention it, she said, “I was sorry to hear about you and Tom getting a divorce.”

“It was hard on Henry, but Tom is a great dad.” She fidgeted with the hem of her raincoat. “He’s made everything a lot easier by following us back here to Whispering Bay.”

“You didn’t like Atlanta?”

“Oh, I liked it enough. But it wasn’t home, you know?” She seemed pensive for a few seconds, then brightened. “Cameron is a sweetheart. You must be really proud of him.”

At the mention of her nephew, Allie smiled. “I hear he’s in the same class as your son.”

“And the same soccer team,” Lauren said. “I was relieved when Henry made a friend. Moving
is always hard on kids.”

Allie nodded, not sure what else to say.

“So are you back home permanently?” Lauren asked.

“Work assignment,” Allie said. “Tampa is home. For now.”

“What kind of work assignment?”

Allie shrugged. “Just following up on a lead.” For some reason, she didn’t want to get into the ghost thing with Lauren. She didn’t know what Lauren’s attitude might
be toward the paranormal, and on the chance that she agreed with Tom’s opinion, Allie didn’t want the former Mrs. Donalan thinking she was a quack.

“I’d love to stay and talk but I really need to get back to the shop.” Lauren hesitated, then rushed out her next words. “Maybe you’d like to come next door to see it?”

“Sure,” Allie said. Lauren stared back at her expectantly. “You mean,
as in right
now
?”

“There’s no time like the present. You can pick out anything you want. On me.”

“Oh, well, thanks, that’s really generous, but I have a lot of work to do on this article I’m writing…and Mimi should be back here any minute to pick me up.” Nothing against Lauren and her shop, but it all sounded a little too cozy for Allie. She wasn’t about to be BFFs with Tom’s ex.

Lauren nodded, like she had expected to be turned down, but she still had the good manners to look disappointed. “Promise me you’ll stop by before you leave town. There’s something I’d love to show you.”

Allie wasn’t into vintage clothing. Nor could she afford it. And she wasn’t about to take a freebie. But Lauren had been nice and she didn’t want to seem rude. “Thanks. Maybe I will,”
she lied.

Lauren went to the counter to pick up her order and waved goodbye on her way out the door. “Don’t forget your umbrella. It’s going to rain tonight!”

Allie glanced out the window and frowned. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Where was Lauren getting her information from?

She’d just finished her lunch when her cell phone pinged. It was a text message from Tom.
Wait
. How
had he gotten her number?

Then Allie remembered they’d exchanged phone numbers after he’d promised to let her spend the night at the senior center. For logistical purposes, he’d said.

I’ll pick you up at eight p.m.
Read the text.

Pick me up?
She texted back.

You’re not thinking of driving, are you? Did you fix your suspended license?

No, darn it. But she didn’t want
to admit that to him.

It’s a beautiful night. I plan to walk.

It’s going to rain.

What are you, the weather channel?
What she really wanted to ask was if he’d been talking to his kooky ex-wife. Nope. Not gonna go there.

Tom ignored the weather channel dig.
Who do you think is going to let you into the senior center? Or have you managed to swipe a key?

Ha! Don’t give
me any ideas.

She waited a few minutes to see his response, but none came. Allie was about to put her cell phone back in her purse when her phone pinged again.

What ideas would you like me to give you?

She stared at the tiny phone screen. Was Tom Donalan
flirting
with her? She really shouldn’t answer. But then, she couldn’t very well ignore him, could she? Before she had a chance
to fashion a response, he texted her again.

Cold front coming in after the rain. Dress warm. I’ll bring extra blankets.

Okay, this she could certainly answer.
Thanks, but I’ll bring my own blankets.

He texted back:
Extra blankets are for ME.

Allie almost dropped her cell.
For you?

You didn’t think I was going to let you stay the night alone?

Her fingers flew
faster than she would have thought humanly possible. 
I’ll be perfectly fine.

Yeah, but the company’s insurance won’t allow it. Either I stay the night or the deal is off.

That’s ridiculous. I don’t need a babysitter.

Afraid to be alone with me?

What? No!

I’m not afraid of you.
She texted.

Good
. He texted back.
Because I’m not afraid of you either.