Page 3 of Ghost Note

“Glad to hear it.” I smiled as she took the bag with her frail hands—the skin over her knuckles almost translucent now, showcasing her narrow bones and fragility. “If you need anything else, ring ahead and I’ll get it ready for you.”

“You’re a real sweetheart, Daisy Piper,” Mrs Rafferty said with a strained grin of her own.

It didn’t take her too long to shuffle to the door where Ben was waiting, holding it open for her until she passed through, offering him a wave of goodbye as she went.

The bell chimed when Ben closed the door and turned to me, his smirk in place.

“You’re utterly adorable,” he said smoothly before he started walking closer in that slow, confident way of his.

“I know.” I dropped my elbows to the counter and rested my chin on my fist.

Ben had short dark hair, and his skin was always tanned from working outdoors. He was a boatman with a small fleet he hired out to tourists in the spring and summer, which meant he was always down at Harbour Beach, fixing something up or painting something new. His amber eyes sparkled under the shop’s twinkling lights, and my smile grew the closer he came until he was standing in front of me.

“You’re giving me that look,” I told him. “The one that tells me you’re feeling horny.”

“Around you, Dais, I’m always horny.”

“Don’t try to make me feel special. I saw you just before. Even Mrs Rafferty was getting the eye.”

“You saw that, huh?”

“Everyone who lives in Hope Cove sees it daily, Mr Atwood.”

“Are you saying I’m a flirt, Miss Piper?”

Standing tall, I held my hands out in front of me and began to stagger them upwards. “There’s a small flirt. A medium flirt. A large flirt. And then there’s you.” My hand paused, just above my head, only for Ben to grab it and pull me forward so I was leaning over the counter.

“The only woman I’m interested in is staring right into my eyes at this very moment.” He placed a gentle kiss to my smiling lips, and I kept my eyes open, watching as he closed his. I always did this with him. His kisses were nice but losing myself in the moment wasn’t easy anymore.

“I’m working,” I reminded him coyly. With a groan, Ben pulled away, allowing me to land back on my feet and push my hair away from my face. “Maybe you should think about doing that, too.”

“It’s a quiet day.”

“Lucky for you.” I eyed him with a raised brow. “Some of us still have tourists passing through.”

Right on cue, the bell above the door rattled again, and in walked a couple of tourists, wearing their baggy shorts, sun hats, and their almost-matching vest tops.

Ben turned to them, and I saw the roll of his eyes before he let his head drop back in my direction, and he sighed.

“Anyone would think you were purposely trying to get rid of me, Daisy.”

“I am. Get out of here.”

“See you tonight?”

“Sure.”

“Seven o’clock?”

“Absolutely. I’ll meet you at the restaurant if that’s okay. I have some paperwork to drop off at Gina’s on the way.”

“Whatever works for you.”

With a wink, Ben pushed his hands into the pockets of his pale trousers, and he left the shop that had become my life in the last few years.

‘Daisy’s Devon’ was a little boutique, barely six hundred metres back from the coastline, filled to the brim with rare finds, quirky interiors, trinkets galore, and a basement full of coloured wool… just for Mrs Rafferty. Who could deny a sweet old lady her one pleasure in life? Certainly not me.

Hope Cove relied on the warmer seasons to bring the real tourists in, and as soon as this quaint building had become available for rent, I’d snatched it up, along with my best friend. The two of us had gone into business—Gina being a silent partner who wanted nothing to do with the day to day running of the place, only a share of the profits in return for capital that helped me secure the shop. It was a win-win situation, allowing me some control over a life I’d never planned.

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