“Well, kicking me after I asked was a moot—and painful point.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to talk her into joining us. Heather is…well…” Kelly glanced over to Heather, who sat alone in a booth reading her menu. “Weird.”
HEATHER SLUMPED BACK in the booth seat looking over the menu. Nothing looked particularly appetizing.
“I should have gone to Beach Taco,” she muttered under her breath.
“Beach Taco, is that near here?” a male voice interrupted.
Heather glanced up from her menu and found an attractive young man standing over her, grinning foolishly. She just stared.
“Well, is it?” he asked, not budging from his place by her booth.
Heather frowned. “Is it what?”
“Beach Taco? Is it far from here? It’s been ages since I’ve had a taco.”
“You were eavesdropping,” Heather accused.
He shrugged. “You’re sitting alone. I don’t think it’s eavesdropping on my part if you choose to talk to yourself and I happen to walk by and hear you.” Without asking, he sat down across from her in the booth.
Heather closed her menu and set it on the table. “Just what do you think you’re doing?”
“Joining you. No one was sitting here,” he said.
“Go away,” Heather ordered, picking up the menu again.
“No.”
Slamming the menu back on the table, she glared at the man. “Listen, I’ve had a long day. Maybe this tactic works with other women, but, well, for one thing, you are way too young for me. So please just leave.”
“Hey, I’m not trying to pick up on you. And if I was, I’m not too young for you.”
“What are you, barely twenty, if you’re out of your teens? Just go away. Do I have to call a cop? I can, you know. There’s one sitting right over there.” She pointed briefly to Joe and Kelly, only to be met by a perplexed frown from Kelly.
“I’m older than I look,” the stranger insisted. “Anyway, you have no idea how hard it is to find anyone willing to talk to me.”
“I can imagine,” Heather said with a snort.
“No, really. Please, I just need to talk to someone.”
Before Heather could respond, the waitress walked up to the table. Heather quickly barked out her order and then added, “He’s not having anything.”
Heather’s comment was met by a confused frown, but the waitress said nothing and walked away to put in the order.
“WHAT IS SHE DOING?” Kelly asked, staring at Heather across the diner.
Joe glanced over to Heather and shook his head. He looked back to Kelly. “Obviously talking to herself. And I have to say, she is having one hell of an animated conversation.”
“I told you she’s weird,” Kelly grumbled. “I don’t see why Chris hired her. But probably a charity case.”
“Maybe she’s talking to a ghost,” Joe teased as he picked up his burger the waitress had brought minutes earlier.
“Ghost?” Kelly frowned.
“Sure, she claimed she could see ghosts, remember?”
“Yeah, well, she also retracted that when I asked her about it once. Said she was just annoyed and trying to pull your guys’ chains.”
“Maybe she just has an imaginary friend,” Joe suggested. “Or is talking on the phone.” He took a bite of the burger.
“She’s not on the phone,” Kelly argued.
After swallowing his bite he said, “Earbuds. She’s probably wearing earbuds.”
“I don’t see any.” Kelly stood up.
Joe looked up at her. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to see if she’s on the phone.”
WALT FOLLOWED Danielle into Lucy’s Diner. They had decided at the last minute to drop in and get something to eat before heading home. The moment they walked into the restaurant, they froze when they spied the ghost they had seen that morning sitting at a booth with Heather.
“He’s here—and with Heather,” Danielle said under her breath, grabbing hold of Walt’s hand. Danielle then noticed Kelly standing up from a booth on the other side of the diner, looking in Heather’s direction.
“Yikes,” Danielle yelped, holding tighter onto Walt’s hand before dragging him along as she quickly made her way to Heather’s booth.
Kelly arrived first and was just saying, “You’re not talking on the phone?”
“Umm, no. Why?” Heather frowned up in confusion.
The next moment Walt and Danielle arrived at the booth. Danielle’s gaze flashed nervously to the ghost and back to Kelly.
“Wow. It’s getting crowded in here,” Heather said dryly.
“We saw your car outside,” Danielle lied, “and thought we would join you.”
Heather looked to the ghost and said in a loud voice, “My friends are here, now will you leave?”
Danielle cringed. The next moment the ghost vanished.
“Oh crap…” Heather muttered, looking across at the now empty booth. Swallowing nervously, she glanced up at Kelly, who was staring at her like she had seven extra heads.
SIX
Danielle and Walt sat on the booth seat the ghost had been occupying moments earlier, while Kelly remained standing mute, staring down at Heather.
With a sigh of resignation Heather looked up to Kelly, her expression devoid of emotion, and said dryly, “Don’t mind me. I often talk to myself.”
“It’s one of her endearing qualities,” Danielle said cheerfully as she picked up a menu from the table and opened it.
“I…ah…just walked over here to see if everything was okay,” Kelly stammered. She then looked back to Walt and Danielle and forced a smile. “How are you doing? I was just across the street from your house a little while ago, visiting with my adorable nephew.”
“He is adorable, isn’t he?” Danielle smiled up to Kelly.
“I get to babysit him tonight,” Heather said.
Kelly turned abruptly to Heather, her eyes wide. “You are?”
“Don’t worry, Connor is cool with me talking to myself,” Heather quipped.
Kelly smiled lamely and said her goodbyes, excusing herself to return to her table. When she was out of earshot, Heather groaned and tossed her head on her arms, which were now folded on the tabletop.
“I had no clue he was a ghost!” Heather groaned again, peeking up from her folded arms.
“Neither did I when he first appeared in our kitchen. I thought he had walked in the door without us noticing,” Danielle said.
“So he was the one I was supposed to be looking out for?” Heather asked dully.
“Yep,” Danielle said as she closed her menu.
The next moment the waitress showed up at the table and took Walt and Danielle’s order. When she left, Walt asked, “Any chance he told you his name?”
Now sitting up straight, Heather shook her head. “No. I’m really sorry. I was trying to get rid of him. He just walked up, started talking to me, and sat down.”
“What was he talking about?” Danielle asked.