Page 19 of The Pumpkin Spice Cafe
Maybe they’d found a ghost after all.
ChapterNine
Phew. That was close. Jeanie tiptoed behind Logan on their way to the back door to investigate. She was actually thankful to the ghost for interrupting what was sure to be a mistake. Logan had been about to kiss her, and she was totally about to let him. And then what?
Her imagination very helpfully filled in the ‘then what?’ with a pornographic slideshow of ideas. She shook her head free of the wildly inappropriate things she wanted to do to the grumpy farmer on her café floor. Now was not the time for that. She had an angry spirit at her back door.
‘What do we do?’ she whispered, nearly crashing into Logan’s back when he stopped suddenly.
The scratching stopped and then started up again, like fingernails on wood. Oh God, oh God, oh God. Was there really an angry ghost at her back door? WHY HAD HER AUNT NOT MENTIONED THIS PLACE WAS HAUNTED?! She needed to call her up and have a very stern chat with her later.
An unearthly cry emanated from behind the door and Jeanie buried her face in the back of Logan’s super-soft flannel shirt.
‘I don’t remember that yowling from last time. Do you think that means I’ve made them even angrier?’ she asked, her voice muffled from the fabric.
‘No, I don’t.’
She could feel the vibration of his voice on her face and nearly giggled at the sensation. But then she remembered she was scared and continued her cowering. So much for her new low-stress lifestyle. Her laid back small-town persona had flown right out the window. She’d be lucky if she didn’t die of a heart attack right here, right now.
Ugh, how embarrassing.
She heard the sound of metal on metal as Logan undid the chain lock on the door.
‘Don’t open it!’ she yelled into the very firm space between his shoulder blades. ‘We don’t know what to do yet! We need a plan, a ghost-removal plan. Oh, God, we should have been figuring this out instead of me blubbering on and on about my problems,’ she wailed, still speaking into Logan’s back.
Something brushed against her leg.
‘Gah!’ She nearly climbed Logan’s body –not the worst idea she’d ever had – until she realized the door was wide open and there was a pure white cat weaving its way in and out of Jeanie and Logan’s legs.
‘Well, there’s your ghost.’
Jeanie stepped back. ‘Wait. What?’ She stared at the cat and the cat stared back. ‘It’s ... it’s a cat.’
Logan chuckled. ‘It’s a cat.’
Jeanie’s face flushed hot, and she covered her eyes with her hands. ‘I am the world’s biggest idiot,’ she groaned, unable to look at the man she’d lured in here to help her. Her ghost was just a freaking cat! She would have preferred if an angry ghost was here to steal her immortal soul. At least then she would be vindicated in her concern.
‘I’m so sorry I made you do this,’ she said from behind her hands.
‘Jeanie...’
‘No, no, no. You don’t need to be all nice about it. First, I almost take your head off, and then I force you to help me by taking me to that nutty town meeting, and then, oh, God, and then I get the freaking mayor involved!’
Logan peeled her hands away from her face. ‘Hey. Stop that.’
Jeanie bit down on her bottom lip to prevent herself from more rambling.
‘The only person that makes me do anything is my nana and that’s only because she’s put up with my crap since I was five years old. Got it?’
Jeanie nodded. ‘I feel so dumb. It’s just a cat.’
Said cat let out a plaintive cry at her feet. They both looked down and apparently realized at the same time that Logan was still holding her wrists. He dropped them like her hands were on fire and took a step back, nearly colliding with the wall behind him.
‘We should probably get this guy something to eat. I’ve got cat food out in the truck.’
He was gone before Jeanie could ask why he kept cat food in his truck or what she should do with the cat in the meantime. She looked down at the scraggly white puffball.
‘You kind of made me look bad, ya know.’
