Page 29 of Gator

In the middle of the path, she stopped, looking back toward the school.

“Did he say he talked to ghosts?” she muttered to herself.

“He did,” said a soft voice. Dylan turned, staring at the images in front of her. She shook her head, closed her eyes, then re-opened them.

“A-are you?”

“We are,” smiled Martha. “You have nothing to fear. My name is Martha Robicheaux, and I am a direct ancestor of the family here. This is Nathan, Trak’s grandfather. Franklin, who has been here with me for centuries. Claudette, another relation. Grip and Tony, who were warriors on the RP team. And this is Yori, Hiro’s grandfather.”

“Y-you’re real?” whispered Dylan.

“Very real,” smiled Claudette. “We mean no harm. We are here for some unknown reason, and we like to look after everyone. Sometimes, we don’t show ourselves. Sometimes, we do.”

“Is there a reason you’re showing yourselves now?” asked Dylan. Martha looked at Yori and Nathan, who both stepped up.

“They cannot be here. They cannot break through, but your parents have sent a message,” said Nathan.

“My p-parents? How could… How could my parents send a message?” she asked.

“It’s difficult to explain,” said Yori, “but think of it as a high-speed connection to the deceased. Sometimes they can reach us, sometimes they cannot.”

“They want you to know that you’re safe here, and they are happy you are away from Hanz. He caused their plane crash all those years ago, but there is evidence to prove it.”

“What evidence? Where? I knew it,” she said, shaking her head. “I just knew he had something to do with it, especially after these last few years.”

“The evidence is in your heart,” said Yori.

“In my heart? That doesn’t make any sense,” said Dylan.

“I’m sorry, that’s all we know,” said Martha. “They said that they love you and to tell you that Ian is a good man and will make a good father for Joey.” Dylan smiled, nodding at the ghostly image.

“He is a good man, isn’t he?”

“Yes, child. He is. Young Ian has always been a favorite of mine. He reminds me a great deal of my brother, who has long since passed from this world.”

“Do the others see you?” asked Dylan.

“Yes,” nodded Nathan. “They all see us now, although, at one time, it was only Julia and Noah. Dear Julia, she sees and hears us all. It can be overwhelming for her.”

“I can only imagine,” frowned Dylan. “Tell my parents that I love them and miss them. I wish I remembered more, but I don’t.”

“They know,” smiled Martha. “Now, go. Irene and George want to speak to you about the menu.”

As quickly as they had appeared, they disappeared, and for a moment, Dylan wondered if she’d imagined the whole thing. Feeling a cool touch on her face, she looked to the left to see Franklin with his old, weathered hand resting on her cheek.

“I’m as real as you need me to be.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

It was Friday night, and Dylan was so nervous she thought she might have to cancel their date night. Since they were already at Belle Fleur to speak with some of the others, Nine and Erin picked up Joey. Nine had him bundled in so many blankets on the boat she could only laugh. He buckled him into a child safety seat on the boat, then wrapped it in a life jacket and told Erin not to leave his side.

She chuckled as they pulled away, moving so slowly it would take them an hour to get back to Belle Île. With the weather turning colder, she dressed in jeans and a warm sweater with a pair of low-ankle boots. The sharp, blunt cut of her black hair only served to enhance the long neckline and her big green eyes.

“You look great,” smiled Gator, rising from the bar stool.

“Thank you. You do too.” He was dressed in jeans and a denim shirt, the sleeves rolled up, causing his forearms to look so large, she almost started to sweat. “You know, standing there, I can’t believe how much you look like your grandfather.”

“I’ll damn sure take that compliment,” he smirked. “My grandfather was probably one of the most respected SEALs in SEAL history. His name is still whispered as a warning to new recruits. Well, since it’s so cold out, we can’t have dinner outside, but we’re going to have dinner at the private table in the cafeteria.”

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