Chapter 1

1

“Two Irish coffees, please,”Brian Knox said, giving Harlow his devastatingly handsome smile.

“Seriously?” Shannon asked. His gorgeous red-headed wife was standing next to him. “You don’t think we’ve had enough?”

“You said you wanted coffee.” He grabbed her around the waist and nuzzled in to kiss her on her neck. “What else was I supposed to order?”

Laughing, she pretended to squirm away before finally melting into him. “Probably would have been best to get anything that doesn’t have alcohol in it.”

“But it’s a celebration. Where’s the fun in that?” He dislodged himself from her and gave Harlow a wink.

“Can’t argue with that,” Harlow said, already getting to work on brewing a fresh pot of coffee. It was the spring equinox, just after eight p.m., and the party in the town of Keating Hollow had been going on all day. It had started with a spring festival, followed by a group cleansing in the river, and now those who hadn’t wanted the party to end had descended on Equinox, the new pub and music venue that Chad Garber had opened recently. Chad and his wife Hope had left about an hour ago, leaving Harlow in charge.

As long as there wasn’t a sudden influx of patrons, Harlow was confident that she and Cam, the young man they’d hired a few months ago, could manage just fine.

He’s hot, the resident ghost said into Harlow’s ear.

“He’s married,” she said automatically, forgetting that she usually just ignored the spirit.

Not him. The one who just walked in.

Harlow gave a passing glance at the door and then did a double take.

I told you he was hot, the ghost said.

The ghost wasn’t wrong. The first time Harlow had ever laid eyes on Cash Moses, she’d known then and there that she was a goner. Not only was he tall, dark, and handsome, but he was also full of life. He was the kind of man who just lit up a room. And it had been that vitality, more than anything else, that had caused her to spend the next ten years of her life being his ride or die. He hadn’t just been her best friend; he’d also been her professional partner and the love of her life.

But that had all changed last year when she’d walked away from everything she’d built… including her relationship with Cash.

Harlow stifled a groan and cut her gaze away, pretending she hadn’t noticed him. Maybe if she ignored him, he’d get the hint and go away. Not that he’d ever done that in the three months since he’d shown up in Keating Hollow and started randomly dropping in on her at Equinox.

No such luck.

“Harlow,” he said as he sauntered up to the bar, that sexy half smile claiming his lips.

“Cash,” she said with a sigh. “I told you I’m not interested.”

“I heard you.” He took a seat at the bar and said, “I’m here for a beer. Whatever you recommend that’s on tap. You know what I like.”

That was certainly true. She walked over to the taps, grabbed a chilled glass, and poured a porter from the Keating Hollow Brewery. Without a word, she placed it in front of him and then moved to the other end of the bar to serve Wanda Danvers, the local real estate agent, and her life partner, Cameron Copeland, who was also Miranda Moon’s writing partner. Since Cameron, Miranda, and her husband, Gideon Alexander, had opened Mystic Road Studios, a new production company next to the pub, Harlow had gotten to know both couples fairly well, as they’d become frequent patrons of Equinox.

Wanda placed a set of keys on the bar and grinned at Harlow. “The owner of that house you applied to rent signed the papers today. I hope you’re ready to move in.”

“Seriously?” Harlow snatched up the keys and deposited them into the front pocket of her jeans. Ever since she’d moved to town, she’d been renting a tiny studio apartment above a garage, just waiting for something perfect to come along for her to rent. It was notoriously hard to find decent rentals in the quaint witchy town. And even harder to buy anything. Most people ended up buying raw land and building when they wanted to settle permanently in Keating Hollow. “I thought for sure they were going to rent it to that couple that showed up after we took a look at it.”

“They wanted to do month to month. Since you were willing to sign a two-year lease, you won.” Wanda winked at her. “Told you that would work. The owner is tired of turnover renters.”

“Then thanks for the tip, because I have no interest in going anywhere for the foreseeable future.” Harlow got them their drinks, and when Shannon took a seat next to Wanda, Harlow asked, “Can I get you another Irish coffee?”

“I better not,” she slurred slightly and then giggled. “If I have anything else, I might have to be carried out of here.”

Harlow chuckled to herself and nodded. “It’s good to know your limits.”

“Shannon!” Brian called from across the room. “You’ve got to try these chocolate-covered caramels.” He reached into a white paper bag and pulled out one of the chocolates.

“Oh, that’s exactly what I need.” Shannon stood, pointed at him, and flicked her wrist as she sent a bolt of her air magic in his direction. Multiple things happened at once. The magic hit Brian in the shoulder, sending him stumbling to the side as the magic whooshed past him and blasted the front door open.

“No!” Shannon cried when Brian dropped the chocolate, and she sent another bolt of magic to catch the sweet treat before it fell to the floor. The chocolate-covered caramel sailed smoothly right into Shannon’s hand, and she held it up triumphantly as if she’d just won a jackpot.

The entire bar erupted in applause as they all hollered their approval.

Everyone except Harlow. The hair on the back of her neck stood up, and her skin had started to tingle the moment the door had swung open. Harlow instinctively reached into her torn left pocket, grabbed the iron spike she kept strapped to her thigh, and rushed out from behind the bar toward Brian.

The man was on one knee, holding his head with one hand while waving the other as if trying to shoo someone—or something—away. To those who didn’t have medium abilities, it likely looked as though he was having some sort of fit. But Harlow knew better.

She grabbed Brian’s hand and hauled him toward the wall. As soon as his back hit the sheetrock, she raised her arm and stabbed the ghost clinging to him through the chest, nailing him to the wall with her iron spike. The spirit let out a low growl, jerked as if trying to dislodge himself from the spike, and then disappeared into thin air with a loud pop.

The entire bar had gone silent except for the slow clapping that she knew had to be coming from Cash Moses.

“Well done, Harlow,” he said from behind her. “It’s good to see that even after taking a year off, your skills are still just as sharp as ever.”

Harlow let out a long breath and ignored her ex just like she had for the past three months. Initially, he hadn’t taken the news that she was giving up ghost hunting well and had showed up six months ago, asking her to get back into it. She’d considered it for about half a minute before shutting him down. She was done with willfully going after ghosts. It was too dangerous. She turned her gaze to Brian. “Are you all right?”

He blinked at her. “I think so. What the hell just happened?”

Shannon appeared by his side, her brow furrowed with concern. She pressed her hand to his cheek, her gaze scanning him as if to check for injuries. Then she turned to Harlow with her eyes narrowed slightly.

Harlow could feel the distrust streaming off the other witch, and she suppressed an exhausted sigh. This wasn’t at all how she’d envisioned her day going when she’d woken up that morning, though she didn’t know why she was so surprised. It was the spring equinox, one of the days when the veil separating the living and the shadow world was thinner. Spirit activity was to be expected on such a day. But for some reason, she’d deluded herself into believing that Keating Hollow might be different. She’d hoped the magic that seemed to be woven throughout the town would somehow repel the ghosts that were drawn to her during the solstice and that they’d have a harder time materializing.

So much for that theory.

Harlow yanked her spike out of the wall and then cleared her throat. “A spirit came through the door when Shannon’s air magic caused it to burst open and immediately attached himself to you.”

Shannon let out a gasp and covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide.

“What?” Brian glanced around, looking confused. “How? Why?”

“I don’t know why, but the how is fairly easy. The veil between this world and the shadow world is very thin today,” Harlow said. “It’s easier for spirits to materialize.” She left out the part about how she seemed to be some sort of magnet who gave them energy and then continued. “He could have been a spirit you’ve known either in this life or a past life, or he might have just been attracted to your energy.”

“But since Harlow already sent him back to the shadow world,” Cash said casually, “there’s no way to know unless he materializes again. Then maybe we can ask some questions.”

“Questions?” Shannon asked. “That thing is going to come back?”

Harlow eyed Shannon. “You saw him?”

A shudder ran through her as she nodded. “He was kinda greenish-gray. Like some sort of translucent gutter creature.”

“Yeah, he did sort of look like that,” Harlow said with a nod. “But it’s highly unlikely he’ll be back today. Not after I staked him with my spike. There’s probably nothing to worry about.”

Cash raised a skeptical eyebrow at her, and she suppressed a wince. Now that a spirit had entered the bar on the equinox, it was likely that more would follow. It was as if a spiritual trail had been laid that would lead any restless souls right to Harlow.

“But…” Harlow said, rubbing the back of her neck. “Just to be safe, I think we’d better close up so I can do a cleansing. You know, better safe than sorry.”

A couple of people groaned in disappointment.

Cam called out, “All right, everyone. You heard the boss. Time to settle up.” He moved down the bar, handing out tickets.

In no time at all, most of the patrons had paid and filed out, wishing Harlow success with the cleansing. In addition to Cam, Harlow, and Cash, only Miranda and Gideon, Wanda and Cameron, and Shannon and Brian remained.

Miranda touched Harlow’s arm. “How can we help?”

Harlow glanced at Cash and then back at Miranda. “Thank you, but Cash and I can handle the pub. The best thing for you guys to do is sage your homes when you get there. That will keep your energy clear of anyone uninvited through the night.”

Miranda hesitated, and Harlow knew she wanted to argue, but when Shannon said, “Miranda, can you and Gideon give me and Brian a ride home? I don’t think either of us should be driving.”

“Of course,” Miranda said and squeezed Harlow’s hand. She leaned into Harlow and said, “Don’t hesitate to call if you need anything. I can help.”

Harlow nodded. “Thanks.”

When they were gone, Harlow turned to Cam. “You can take off, too.”

Cam glanced at Cash and frowned. “Nah. I’ll stay to clean up unless I’ll be in the way.”

“No, it’s not that,” Harlow said. “It’s just that… Well, sometimes unusual things can happen during an active cleansing.”

His gaze cut to Cash again. “I bet.” Then he finished wiping down the counter before heading for the door. “Just call if you need me to come back. I mean it.”

“Thanks, but I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Harlow said and waved as he took off for the night.

Cash chuckled softly. “He’s more worried about me than any stray spirits you might encounter.”

“I know,” Harlow snapped, not sure why she was taking her frustration out on him. It wasn’t like he called the ghost. If he had, it would have latched onto him instead of the first warm body that got in its path.

Cash held his hands up. “No need to bark at me. I’m just here to help.”

Harlow wanted to tell him to go, that she had this handled, but she knew that was reckless. Now that the veil was open, she needed backup. And Cash Moses was the best person for the job. “All right then. Let’s get started before that spirit next to you manages to strip you naked.”

“What?” He glanced from side to side, his lips curved down into a frown. When he didn’t see any spirits, he looked down at his now almost completely unbuttoned shirt and swore under his breath. “She’s back?” he asked Harlow, knowing she had a gift that usually allowed her see spirits before they materialized for everyone else.

“She’s back,” Harlow confirmed. Then she raised her spike over her head and lunged for Cash’s ghostly stalker.