“How did you leave things?” Gabby asks.
Awkward. Weird. Sad.
I stayed all night, agreeing to “change my flight” to super early this morning so I could squeeze every second I could in with him. And this morning, he walked me downstairs to the airport shuttle, hugged me close, kissed my forehead, and said, “Goodbye.”
“Well, can you call him if you want to?” Van asks.
“We didn’t exchange numbers,” I reply and shrug.
“Why not?” Kate asks.
“Because it was just for the weekend,” I remind them all. “There was no need to exchange numbers when we’re never going to see each other again.” Neither of us even brought it up, and I was fine with that.
I told myself I was fine with that.
“But what if you’re traveling and you’re in the neighborhood?” Gabby asks.
“Not. Seeing. Him. Again.” I throw my hands up and walk a circle around my shop. “You guys aren’t listening.”
“We hear the words,” Van says gently. “But your eyes are sad and you just look…sad.”
“I’m fine.” I grin and square my shoulders and make sure the sad is hidden well. “I learned a lot.”
“I want to hear about that stuff too,” Van says.
“You should go to one of the retreats,” I reply. “I think it would be good.”
“I’m going to sign up for later this fall,” she replies. “And maybe I can get his number for you.”
“You know what your problem is?” I ask as my door bell rings with an incoming customer. “Your problem is that you’re all too romantic. You think romance should just happen to everyone.”
“Nothin’ wrong with a little romance,” the customer says as she joins us in the salon. “Sorry, I overheard.”
“That’s okay,” I reply with a smile. “I’m Charly.”
“Mallory,” she replies and waves at all of us. “Mallory Adams.”
“Are you visiting?” Gabby asks.
“No, ma’am. I own the herb shop a few blocks over. I’ve been dying to stop in here. I need shoes for a wedding in a few weeks.”
“Is it the shop over by Jackson Square?” I ask.
“Yes’m.” Mallory is beautiful with blonde hair and green eyes, a curvy body. She’s not much taller than me.
“I’ve been in that shop!” Kate says excitedly. “I shopped in there when I lived above you for a few months. But you had long black hair then.”
“I remember now,” Mallory says. “Yeah, I like to change things up with my hair.”
“Well, I love your store.”
“Thank you. I wish I still had you living upstairs. The guy who moved in not long ago is a pain in my ass.”
“Really?” We all grin at her with delight. “What’s he like?”
“I’ve never actually seen him, but he’s constantly complaining. He’s gone most of the day, but in the evenings, if I’m processing new herbs and such, he calls down to complain about the smell. I mean, it’s an herb shop! What does he expect me to do?”
“Sounds horrible,” Gabby says and hides her mouth behind her hand to chuckle.
“And he’s always accusing me of making all kinds of noise in the middle of the night. I do sleep. It’s not my fault that the place is haunted.”
“Haunted?” Kate asks, swallowing hard. “It’s haunted?”
“Oh, for sure,” Mallory confirms.
“How do you know?” Gabby asks.
Mallory bites her lip and shrugs. “I’ve just heard things too.”
I don’t believe her.
We all look back and forth between each other.
“What am I missing?” Mallory asks.
“Nothing important,” I reply. “I think it’s my brother that’s living above you.”
“Nothing important?” she repeats and shakes her head. “I just basically called him a jackass right in front of you.”
“Well, Beau can be a jackass,” Gabby replies. “So it’s okay.”
“I lived in a haunted apartment,” Kate says, still stuck on the previous conversation.
“It’s okay, sugar, she’s not a bad ghost.” Mallory pats Kate’s shoulder. “Ah, you’re going to have a baby.”
“How do you know that?” Kate demands with wide green eyes. “I’ve only told my family.”
“I’m sorry,” Mallory says, but she smiles and pats Kate’s shoulder again. “I just know things sometimes. It’s going to be a beautiful baby. You don’t have anything to worry about.”
We’re silent for a moment, and then Kate breaks down into tears and hugs Mallory tight. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I want to hear more about the ghost,” Van says.
“Let’s talk about that while I show you some shoes,” I suggest, happy to have the focus off of me. “How does that sound?”
“Sounds great to me.” Mallory focuses on Savannah and her eyes are suddenly sad, but almost before it was there, it’s gone again and she smiles widely. “You’re an interesting group.”
“You have no idea,” Gabby says with a laugh.
***
“I can’t believe I let you set me up,” I say into my phone two weeks later.
“Who better to set you up than your brother?” Eli asks. “Your favorite brother.”