Page 38 of My Blind Date is a Ghost

“It wasn’t a date,” I finally manage to squeak out when my throat clears.

Sophia glances at Beverly, then back to me. “If the queen of all matchmakers says it’s a date, then it’s a date.”

“It wasn’t a date,” Beckett repeats.

“Fine,” Sophia says, holding her hands up in surrender. “How was your not-date.”

“It was quite enjoyable,” I have to admit. “Beckett and I are becoming very good friends. You could even say friends with benefits.”

Beckett actually does spit out his pastry this time, while Sophia, Beverly, and Jacob all laugh so hard they cry or their coffee comes out their noses.

“What?” I ask. “I think having Beckett as a friend is a great benefit.”

For some reason, this sends all of them, even Beckett, into such peals of laughter they can’t even breathe. I cross my arms in a huff. I wish someone would tell me what is so funny.

CHAPTER 16

Beverly, Sophia, and Jacob go to look through some of Beverly’s magic books—not the banned books, but her regular collection—to see what else they could find out, if anything, about the ritual, leaving me alone with Beckett.

“They left the actual detective behind,” I say teasingly.

He lets out a big sigh. “Yeah. That happens a lot. It’s the one bad thing about being just a boring human in a town like this. The locals are usually pretty upfront with me, which is great. But there are some things the different groups keep close to their chest.”

“I can see why that would be frustrating, especially when all you want to do is help. It’s kind of your calling.”

“It is,” he says, leaning on the counter and running a hand through his hair.

My heart thumps in my chest and my mouth goes dry. I have to admit that when I was a ghost, I loved seeing him come into the store. He’s tall and muscular. He has to be in good shape for his job. He’s always been so polite to Beverly and so eager to learn about our town.

My husband has been dead for over two hundred years, so I long ago accepted his death. Over the years, I’ve fancied many men. But it was only that, a fancy. I was a ghost, and after a while, I lost all hope of ever being human again. I knew that I would never love again, or, at least, that I would never be loved in return. The idea that I am alive again and that I could actually receive attention from a man is a strange feeling. And the fact that I don’t know how long I will be alive has me afraid as well. I don’t want to grow attached to someone only to once again fade away into almost nothingness.

The bell above the door to the shop rings and I look up, expecting to see my husband, Edward, walk through. I close my eyes and shake my head, feeling frustrated. It’s not Edward. It will never be Edward. Two women come into the shop and walk over to the fantasy section. One of them takes out her phone and starts recording while the other one eagerly picks up a stack of books and talks about how excited she is to buy so many books. It’s pretty clear they are making videos for something called TikTok. I know it has something to do with the internet, but what exactly, I’m not sure.

“Does that happen a lot?” Beckett asks. He has also been watching the women.

“Oh yeah,” I say. “I guess the internet loves books.”

“You use the internet?”

I shake my head. “Not at all. I’ve just heard people talk about it. I’ve watched them use it, but I’ve never used it myself. But The Book Coven is the prettiest bookstore in town, so people come here all the time to make videos.”

“Yeah, there’s a B&N across town with a Starbucks,” one of the women says as she walks over to the counter. She heard us talking even as she messes with her phone. But it’s not like we were whispering. “But I just love The Book Coven and Jumpin’ Beans. Nothing beats local, right?”

The other woman comes over to the counter with three books to buy. One of the main reasons Beverly doesn’t mind people coming in and making videos is that it’s free publicity. Locals and tourists alike all know that The Book Coven is one of the best places to hang out in Mystic Cove.

I look around and see that Beverly hasn’t bothered to come back to check on the customers. My hands shake at the excitement of getting to ring up a sale for the first time in over two hundred years. Of course, Beverly’s cash register is nothing like the large metal one I used back when I ran The Book Coven, but I have seen her use it enough times to know what I’m doing.

I use the scanner to ring up the books and hit the total key. “Anything else today?”

The second woman picks up a couple of bookmarks from a display on the counter and hands them to me. I add them to the total as well. The first woman just taps her card to a card reader to pay. I put their purchases into a paper bag and hand it to them.

“Here’s a coupon for ten percent off at Jumpin’ Beans,” I say, handing them a coupon and their receipt.

“Sweet!” they say, happily taking their bag and waltzing out of the store. They pause outside to take more pictures and videos in front of the sign, holding up their purchases.

“You did that like an old pro,” Beckett says.

I let out a satisfied sigh. “It felt really good. I miss running the shop, talking to customers.”

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