GhostlyPersuasion by Dena Garson Page B

spicy.
“That’s exactly what happened with Seamus.”
    “He’s been cursed then?” Riona stopped arranging things on
the tray and looked from Katie to where Seamus stood then back again.
    Katie nodded. “The curse is how he became a spirit. Or took
on a spirit form, anyway.”
    Riona studied Seamus’ shape. “That explains the difference.”
    “The difference in what?” Katie asked.
    “He looks different than the spirit of someone who has
crossed over. I had wondered.” Riona selected a couple of crackers and spread
some kind of dip on the edge of a plate then handed it to Katie. “He retained
his aura but the colors are very watered down. I can barely see it around him.”
    “Really?” Katie turned to look at Seamus. “Did you know
that?”
    “I cannot see myself in a mirror, nor can I see auras, so I
was unaware of that,” Seamus said.
    “You can’t see yourself in a mirror?” Katie asked in
surprise then turned back around to Riona. “I don’t know why I didn’t think
about that.”
    “It’s not surprising that he can’t,” Riona said. “His spirit
form doesn’t register to the human eye. He, in a manner of speaking, still has
a human eye.”
    “Ah,” Katie said.
    “So tell me about this curse,” Riona prompted as she and
Katie nibbled on the snacks. “Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t ask.” She looked up at
Seamus. “Seamus, would you like something also or can you partake?”
    “Thank you, no,” Seamus answered.
    “He can’t eat or drink,” Katie explained. “He said thank you
for the offer, however.”
    “I didn’t want to be rude,” Riona whispered to Katie.
    “Of course not,” Katie whispered back.
    “You two just met. Don’t take up your time talking about me
and my curse. You need to get to know each other,” Seamus pointed out.
    “That’s very sweet of you, Seamus,” Katie said then turned
to Riona. “He said we should get to know each other and not worry about his
curse.”
    “That is very nice of him,” Riona agreed.
    Katie and Riona shared a grin.
    “By your accent I would guess that you are from America.
What brought you home?” Riona asked.
    “Mother’s last request.”
    “What did she ask you to do?”
    “She wanted her remains to be brought back to Ireland,
Tullamore specifically, and scattered on one of the beaches.”
    “If you don’t mind me asking, why did you wait three years
to do this?”
    “I didn’t know of the request until a few weeks ago. Mother
planned this trip before she died. Everything from booking and prepaying the
hotel to leaving enough funds in an account to pay for food and transportation.
She even picked the days of travel.”
    “How did you find out about it then?”
    “The law firm that handled her will. They managed the
account she left and booked the travel as she instructed. Then a couple weeks
ago, they called me in and gave me a letter mother had left.” Katie pushed a
cookie around on her plate. “The letter told me more about my father and why
she left home.”
    “Why did she leave? Ma never knew.”
    “In a word, me. She was pregnant and she had it in her head
that she couldn’t stay in Ireland.”
    “I can’t imagine that Ma or even Grandmamma would have
criticized her for getting pregnant. Even back then,” Riona said.
    “According to her letter, it was because of who my father
was.” Katie’s cheeks heated but she wasn’t sure why the idea bothered her. “He
was a married man. Mom knew there could be no future for them together so she
left and never told him about me. She didn’t want him to worry or to create
bigger problems with his already estranged wife.”
    “How sad.” Riona’s voice dropped. “I wonder who he was.”
    “Mother’s letter just said that he was a photographer and
somehow related to the Byrne family. He had been staying at Tullamore when they
met.”
    Riona frowned. “I remember a man coming here looking for
Aunt Deirdre when I was young. I was probably about ten at the