44: Book Six Read online

  I smiled and gave him another long hug.

  “Where did you find it?” I asked.

  “In a little New Age shop in northeast Portland. It just jumped out at me and said, ‘Abby Craig!’”

  “Thank you, David.” I put it on and touched it. “It’s perfect.”

  Kate walked in, her arm around someone I didn’t know. They both seemed to glow, their energy fast and swirling like paint.

  “This is Evan,” she said.

  “I’ll say,” David said.

  “Nice to meet you,” I said.

  “Very nice meeting you,” he said, his eyes sparkling. “I’ve heard so much about you. And about what a great cook you are. I can’t wait to eat!”

  “Well, let’s hope it all works out tonight,” I said.

  “Abby always says that,” Kate said. “When are you announcing the menu, oh, modest one?”

  I handed her a piece of paper.

  “Here,” I said. “I’ll let you. Or maybe you can just hang it up outside the kitchen.”

  “I can do it,” Evan said.

  He walked out and I smiled at Kate.

  “So you really like him, huh?” I said.

  “Yeah,” she said.

  “Me too,” David said.

  “I thought they were firing reporters over there, not hiring. He’s new, right?”

  “No, he isn’t a reporter. He’s a firefighter,” she said, looking around. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Well, I think everything’s under control,” I said, taking off my apron. “Maybe you could just keep an eye on things and play bartender. I’ll be back in 15 minutes.”

  “I can play bartender, Abby Craig,” David said.

  “Isn’t that like leaving Dracula in charge of the blood bank?” I said, laughing.

  “No, blood jokes from you, young lady,” he said. “Thank you very much.”

  I grabbed my jacket and scarf and drove to the Community Center. Angie was waiting for me with Carl, the old man with the sick cat.

  “Ready, Carl?” I said, opening the passenger door for him.

  “You bet I am.”

  “That’s real nice of you,” Angie said. “Merry Christmas!”

  “Merry Christmas,” I said.

  Carl talked about his cat the whole drive back.

  ***

  After dinner we all sat around the living room, laughing and drinking wine, listening to each other’s stories while Chet Baker played softly in the background.

  David reenacted his audition and everyone clapped at the end. I talked with Dr. Krowe about getting back on the racquetball court when his cast came off in late January. Erin and Kate whispered in the corner. Carl talked about how his cat seemed to be feeling better. And I even thought I saw Mo smile once.

  As I got up to check on dessert, I heard Lyle telling Paloma that he would love to take her out for a photo shoot in the trees. She shrugged and caught my eye, smiling. But I noticed she hadn’t said no.

  I walked into the kitchen with a stack of plates and took out the biscotti and wine.

  “Hey, Craigers,” I heard from behind.

  I smiled and turned around. Jesse was standing by the sliding glass door, his eyes bright and shiny. I walked over and gave him a long hug.

  “Merry Christmas, Jesse.”

  “Looks like dinner was a big success,” he said, staring at all the pots and pans. “And that you’ll be out here cleaning up until New Year’s.”

  “Tell me about it,” I said. “But it was worth it. Everything came together. It was special.”

  A wave of laughter rolled in from the living room and he smiled, pushing up his cap.

  “So this is what you’re going to do, huh? Head back to school?”

  I hadn’t told Jesse about the Culinary Institute and I stared at him for a moment.

  “Have you been spying on me?”

  “A blind man could see how happy all this makes you,” he said. “So it’s not so hard for a dead man to see it too. You look good when you’re cooking.”

  I laughed at that. My hair was a mess and the constant sweat as I stood for hours over the hot stove had left my face in a state of major meltdown.

  “I mean it,” he said. “You glow when you’re in the kitchen. Seems like a good career choice.”

  I heard the doorbell.

  “Sounds like your last guest has arrived,” Jesse said, pausing. “Finally.”

  He leaned down and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

  “Merry Christmas, Craigers,” he said. “See you out on the court.”

  CHAPTER 56

  I opened the door, the cold air hitting my warm cheeks, trying to hold back the laugh until I couldn’t anymore.

  Ty was dressed up, wearing a dark suit and tie, and carrying a bouquet of roses in his arms.

  “Hi, Abby,” he said, smiling. He handed me the flowers.

  “Thank you,” I said, smelling them.

  “Thank you for inviting me,” he said.

  My heart raced as I looked up into his eyes, those happy eyes that I had missed so much.

  “Nice threads,” I said. “I didn’t know it was you at first. I thought somebody was trying to sell me roses.”

  He laughed.

  “Well, it only seemed fitting for your Christmas dinner. Sorry again about being late.”

  He had called me earlier to let me know he would be working late. With all the time he had missed when he was away in Montana, he couldn’t get out of it.

  “You’re just in time,” I said. “Come on, I’ll fix you up a plate before I serve the biscotti.”

  He took a deep breath. I could tell he was nervous.

  He took my hand and pulled me outside with him. We walked to the edge of the porch.

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he said, watching the snow.

  “It is,” I said. “Looks like we got a white Christmas after all.”

  He squeezed my hand. His palm strangely moist. He was nervous.

  I was good with it. With not being a couple anymore.

  I smelled the roses again and stared at the fat snowflakes falling fast in the dark, wondering what he had on his mind.

  “Ty, we should—”

  “Wait,” he said, pulling me close. “I have something I need to say first, if that’s okay.”

  I looked up into his eyes.

  “I want you to give me one more chance,” he said. “That’s it. That’s all I want. We both know that I’ve been a fool, or worse, and there’s really no excuse for what I’ve done. I should have been here for you, Abby, through all of this. And through Clyde. I just want you to know that I’m sorry.”

  “You were here for me,” I said. “If you hadn’t been, I wouldn’t be here right now. I’d be dead.”

  “Well, I want that to just be the beginning. I want you to know that if you take me back, I’ll always be there for you. Whatever ghosts or spirits that come your way, I’ll be there by your side. I see it now. That it’s all real. I didn’t get it before. I couldn’t. But I understand now. I love you, Abby.”

  I looked up into his eyes, shining and dancing and full of light and energy.

  I started to say something but before I could, he leaned over and kissed me.

  The night shook as his lips pressed on mine, gentle at first and then harder. It was a kiss full of longing and passion, full of stars and glittering snowflakes and love. I closed my eyes and fell away, back into our world that we had found up in the mountains, the one I ached for but was sure had burned away forever in a feverish fire.

  We stood there in the snow, breathing each other in as I felt the force of that world rush through me like the rapids of a roaring river, sweeping away and destroying the brick walls and barricades between us and then gently lifting me up with the lightest of touches and delivering me into his arms.

  When we finally pulled away, I had trouble catching my breath. But a moment later I was kissing him again, losing myself deeper and deeper
in his white, swirling energy.

  Lost, lost, lost.

  Lost in the blinding blizzard of his love, never to be found.

  CHAPTER 57

  Ty and Kate helped me in the kitchen and while it didn’t take us until New Year’s to get it cleaned up, it did take a long time. It was after two in the morning when we loaded the last of the dishes into the dishwasher.

  I was exhausted. After Ty left, I said goodnight to Kate and threw myself in bed.

  I soon fell gently, like the snowflakes outside my window, down, down, down into a deep sleep…

  ***

  The smell hit me like a train.

  It was intoxicating.

  Chocolate chip cookies.

  Just out of the oven.

  Just like Mom used to make.

  It smelled like home, so very long ago.

  The happiness of the house filled me with its warmth. I breathed it in as I stood in the kitchen. I walked over to the stove and watched the steam rising off the cookies and reached out to grab one.

  But the voices stopped me.

  The voices of children, coming from the living room.

  My heart pounded as I crept out and saw the giant Christmas tree in the far corner. Green and bright and full of life. Full of color. Colors I could see, blinking and beautiful. Red, green, blue, orange. Purple. A huge glittering gold star on top and a large stuffed Santa underneath. Two red stockings were hanging above the fireplace.

  There were two kids sitting under the tree, surrounded by boxes and boxes of opened toys.

  I stepped closer, desperate to see their faces. Trying to see Kate’s long ponytails and my dark hair.

  Looking for Mom.

  But it suddenly struck me that I wasn’t in our house. I was somewhere else. It wasn’t our living room. This one was enormous. I rubbed my head, trying to think of our Christmases of the past, if we had visited any relatives or friends. If we had celebrated somewhere else.

  And now I could see that it wasn’t Kate and me sitting on the floor next to the tree.

  “You can play with my fire truck if you want,” the younger boy said in a high voice.

  “Maybe later,” the older one said.

  I stared at them. I didn’t recognize them, but something was familiar. Maybe they were our cousins. Or maybe childhood friends from the past.

  “Okay, boys, the cookies are ready!” a voice yelled from the kitchen. “Do you want milk?”

  “Yes, Mrs. Morrison,” the older boy shouted.

  The younger one kept playing.

  “Hey, Nathaniel, Mrs. Morrison is asking if you want milk.”

  My stomach dropped to the floor like an elevator falling fifty stories as I realized what I was watching and who I was seeing.

  Suddenly, I felt his breath on my neck. I stood frozen in terror.

  “Abigail,” he purred. “So good of you to join me here in my Christmas Past.”

  It was the moment I had feared for more than a year now. Since the day he died.

  Not a day went by that I didn’t think about seeing his ghost. I had dreaded it. This moment.

  And here he was, standing right behind me.

  I turned around slowly, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end, and found those cat eyes staring at me. Except for being a little pale, he looked exactly the same. His hair, as always, was slicked back into a neat, thin ponytail. I fought hard to hold back my scream.

  “Stay away from me,” I said, my voice shaking as I took a step back.

  He smiled.

  “It was nice seeing you that night,” he said.

  I shook my head, not knowing what he was talking about.

  “That night. Remember?”

  I still didn’t understand.

  “It was when you were picking out your Christmas tree with your sister. I hope your Christmas was as nice as the tree you both chose.”

  A chill swept through my body.

  A plump woman emerged from the kitchen, carrying a tray. She put it down next to the two boys and they said thank you at the same time.

  “Ben, when can I play with your chemistry set?” the small boy asked, reaching for a cookie.

  “In a few minutes,” the older one said. “We can do an experiment together.”

  The ghost of Nathaniel chuckled, moving closer.

  “I just dropped by because I wanted you to be the first to know.”

  I gathered my courage.

  “Know what?”

  “That I’m back. But don’t worry,” he said, his eyes narrowing, staring at the children. “It’s not you I’m coming for.”

  I took a deep breath, and then another as he started walking away.

  “Merry Christmas, Abby,” he said, turning. “See you again soon. Real soon.”

  THE END

  The adventure continues…

  44 Book Seven

  Coming 2013

  And look for the new paranormal mystery series from Jools Sinclair this Christmas

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Like her main character, Jools Sinclair lives in Bend, Oregon. She is currently working on 44 Book Seven.

  Learn more about Jools Sinclair

  and the 44 series at…

  JoolsSinclair44