died, but he’d done the best he could, and she didn’t think she’d turned out too bad. Except for the major slip of marrying Hank, she had a pretty good track record. And let’s face it, if her dad hadn’t come back from the dead to stop that wedding, she was pretty sure he wasn’t ever returning.
Clenching her fists in frustration, she mentally cursed Hank Henry for about the hundredth time that day. If he hadn’t got a hold of her at the absolute lowest point in her life—just after her dad had passed—would she have fallen for his act?
She liked to believe the answer was no, but the reality was that Hank Henry had charmed the pants off darn near every girl in town at some time or another. But none of them had been stupid enough to marry him. She frowned at her shortsightedness and shook her head as Sabine slid into the chair across from her, the bracelets on her arm clinking together like wind chimes.
“Did you order drinks already?” Sabine asked and brushed the bangs from her eyes.
“Yeah, I got you a glass of wine.”
Sabine gave her a grateful look. “Thanks. It’s been one of those weeks.”
Maryse smiled. Oh yeah, honey. Wait until you hear about my week. Yours has to look better after that. “I haven’t had the best week myself. In fact, that’s what I wanted to talk with you about.”
“I was worried when I didn’t hear from you this afternoon,” Sabine said, “but then I didn’t really know how long the will-reading would take. Is that the problem…something to do with Helena’s will?”
“Sorta.” Maryse inclined her head toward Johnny, who was on his way across the bar with a tray of drinks, and Sabine nodded in understanding. She waited until Johnny had delivered the drinks, did his old-man flirting routine with Sabine, and shuffled back behind the bar before she got down to business.
“Hank didn’t show, but the reading was very interesting,” Maryse said and proceeded to tell Sabine all the events of the morning, from her truck wreck to the list of equipment she was going to buy with her lease money.
Sabine hung on every word, laughing at some points and gasping at others. “Good Lord!” Sabine said when Maryse finished her tale. “What a day. Makes my entire life look simple and boring.”
“And that’s not all. In fact, as screwed up as all that is, that’s not even what’s really worrying me.”
Sabine stared. “You’re kidding me. There’s more?”
Maryse took a deep breath and pushed forward. “This is going to sound ridiculous, but I have to ask you a question. And I need you to answer me in all seriousness.”
“Wow. This must be heavy. You know I’d never hedge things with you, Maryse. Ask me whatever you need to. I’ll give you an honest answer.”
Maryse studied her friend for a moment. Finally, she took a deep breath and said, “I need to know why a ghost would appear to someone when other people can’t see it.”
Sabine stared at her for a moment, then slowly blinked.
“Well, based on everything I’ve ever read or heard about, unless you’re a conduit, a ghost will appear if you have something to do with them.”
“A conduit—you mean like that kid in The Sixth Sense ?”
“Exactly. Conduits are able to see a lot of ghosts, even if they’ve never met them before.”
“Okay. So if someone sees a ghost and they’re not a conduit, why would the ghost appear to them?”
Sabine scrunched her brow and gave her a hard look. Maryse gave her friend points for not reaching across the table to take her temperature. This had to be the very last thing Sabine would have expected from her.
Finally, Sabine cleared her throat and continued. “The commonly accepted theory on hauntings is that unless the ghost is stuck in a certain place, like a house or something, it’s out walking about because of unfinished business or because it doesn’t know it’s dead.”
“Unfinished business—like a murder?”
Sabine’s eyes widened. “Certainly being murdered
Clenching her fists in frustration, she mentally cursed Hank Henry for about the hundredth time that day. If he hadn’t got a hold of her at the absolute lowest point in her life—just after her dad had passed—would she have fallen for his act?
She liked to believe the answer was no, but the reality was that Hank Henry had charmed the pants off darn near every girl in town at some time or another. But none of them had been stupid enough to marry him. She frowned at her shortsightedness and shook her head as Sabine slid into the chair across from her, the bracelets on her arm clinking together like wind chimes.
“Did you order drinks already?” Sabine asked and brushed the bangs from her eyes.
“Yeah, I got you a glass of wine.”
Sabine gave her a grateful look. “Thanks. It’s been one of those weeks.”
Maryse smiled. Oh yeah, honey. Wait until you hear about my week. Yours has to look better after that. “I haven’t had the best week myself. In fact, that’s what I wanted to talk with you about.”
“I was worried when I didn’t hear from you this afternoon,” Sabine said, “but then I didn’t really know how long the will-reading would take. Is that the problem…something to do with Helena’s will?”
“Sorta.” Maryse inclined her head toward Johnny, who was on his way across the bar with a tray of drinks, and Sabine nodded in understanding. She waited until Johnny had delivered the drinks, did his old-man flirting routine with Sabine, and shuffled back behind the bar before she got down to business.
“Hank didn’t show, but the reading was very interesting,” Maryse said and proceeded to tell Sabine all the events of the morning, from her truck wreck to the list of equipment she was going to buy with her lease money.
Sabine hung on every word, laughing at some points and gasping at others. “Good Lord!” Sabine said when Maryse finished her tale. “What a day. Makes my entire life look simple and boring.”
“And that’s not all. In fact, as screwed up as all that is, that’s not even what’s really worrying me.”
Sabine stared. “You’re kidding me. There’s more?”
Maryse took a deep breath and pushed forward. “This is going to sound ridiculous, but I have to ask you a question. And I need you to answer me in all seriousness.”
“Wow. This must be heavy. You know I’d never hedge things with you, Maryse. Ask me whatever you need to. I’ll give you an honest answer.”
Maryse studied her friend for a moment. Finally, she took a deep breath and said, “I need to know why a ghost would appear to someone when other people can’t see it.”
Sabine stared at her for a moment, then slowly blinked.
“Well, based on everything I’ve ever read or heard about, unless you’re a conduit, a ghost will appear if you have something to do with them.”
“A conduit—you mean like that kid in The Sixth Sense ?”
“Exactly. Conduits are able to see a lot of ghosts, even if they’ve never met them before.”
“Okay. So if someone sees a ghost and they’re not a conduit, why would the ghost appear to them?”
Sabine scrunched her brow and gave her a hard look. Maryse gave her friend points for not reaching across the table to take her temperature. This had to be the very last thing Sabine would have expected from her.
Finally, Sabine cleared her throat and continued. “The commonly accepted theory on hauntings is that unless the ghost is stuck in a certain place, like a house or something, it’s out walking about because of unfinished business or because it doesn’t know it’s dead.”
“Unfinished business—like a murder?”
Sabine’s eyes widened. “Certainly being murdered
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