Chapter 16

16

“So,it looks like things are back on with Harlow,” Shaun said as he pulled his truck into a parking space at Hollow Hardware.

“We’re going to give it another try.” Cash glanced at his brother. “What about you and Imogen? Was that just a one-night thing or…”

Shaun cleared his throat. “It’s not a one-night thing.”

“Okay. What does that mean?” Cash wasn’t sure what to think. Imogen was like a sister to him. On the one hand, he’d like to see his brother happy and dating again, but if he wasn’t serious about Imogen, that was going to be nothing but trouble.

“It means exactly what I said.” Shaun pushed his door open and jumped out. “Come on. Let’s get those supplies before they close so we can get back to work on the house.”

Cash met his brother at the front of the truck. “You’re really not going to tell me what’s going on with you and Imogen?”

Shaun glanced at Cash from the corner of his eye and then shook his head. “Not yet.”

“Fair enough,” Cash said as they made their way toward the store. “Just be careful with her. I don’t want to see her hurt.”

Shaun snorted out a humorless laugh. “I don’t think it’s her you need to worry about.”

That statement caught Cash off guard. “You really like her, don’t you?”

Shaun shrugged one shoulder.

Cash knew he was trying to be noncommittal, but he saw right through his brother. He cared about Imogen and was worried that whatever they had going on wasn’t going to last. Cash clapped his brother on the back and said, “Good luck, man. I know it’s never easy, but in my experience, a Thane girl is worth it.”

“I’m counting on it,” Shaun said, giving him a wry smile.

Once they were in the store, Cash said, “I’m headed to flooring. Do you want to get the paint?”

“Sure.”

They parted ways, and Cash cut down the lighting aisle, intending to check out the fixtures for the kitchen before getting the flooring. It was time to replace the flying saucer drop lights over the island bar. But as soon as he rounded the corner, all thoughts of fixture shopping were forgotten when he spotted a woman studying a row of chandeliers. Right behind her was the shadow of a dark spirit and a large box that was teetering on the edge of the shelf above her.

Cash bolted toward the woman, knocking her out of the way just before the box came crashing down on her head. The woman let out a startled cry as the pair fell to the cement floor. A second later, the box crashed to the floor, right where she’d been standing.

The woman let out another startled cry and then turned to Cash, her eyes wide and her hands shaking. “You saved me?”

“Not yet,” Cash replied as he hopped back onto his feet and produced his iron chain. The spirit shot straight toward him, its arms raised and its mouth open as it let out a bloodcurdling scream. Cash stepped to the side, whipped out his iron chain, and instantly trapped the spirit, stopping her from whatever further destruction she’d planned to unleash.

“Wh-what is happening?” the woman asked in a shaky voice as she stared in horror at the spirit that had materialized when Cash captured her with his iron chain.

Cash studied the spirit. She looked to have died in her early fifties, had frizzy salt-and-pepper hair, and was glaring at the woman who had just pushed herself to her feet. “Did you know you were being haunted by this ghost?”

“You’ve been haunting me?” the woman yelled at the spirit. “Are you the reason I’ve suddenly become so freakin’ accident prone this past year? Are you why I’ve had a broken wrist, a sprained ankle, and a concussion?”

The spirit shot eye daggers at the woman and strained against the iron chain but was unable to free herself.

“Do you know who this spirit is?” Cash asked the woman.

“Oh, yeah. That’s my cousin Wendy. After she died, I married her husband. I think she’s a tad bit upset about that.”

Wendy writhed, and when one arm broke free of the chain, she took a swing at the woman.

“Now, Wendy,” she said in an impatient tone. “What was Carl supposed to do? Sit around and be lonely for the rest of his life? I’d thought you’d be happy that he had companionship.”

The spirit opened her mouth and let out a silent cry, her energy so strong it was almost too much for Cash to handle.

“Whoa. I think it’s best if you stop engaging with her,” Cash told the woman. “You’re only agitating her, and I’ll never be able to banish her when she’s this riled up.”

The woman crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Wendy. “I can’t help it if she’s mad that Carl is happier and more satisfied now that he’s with me.”

Wendy had heard enough. Despite Cash’s hold on the iron chain, the spirit gathered enough energy that she disappeared altogether and reappeared seconds later, her hands wrapped around her cousin’s neck.

The woman’s face turned bright red, and she let out a choking noise.

“Dammit!” Magic rushed through Cash as he raised his arms and called, “By the sun and the moon and the earth and the shadows, please spirit, release the energy that binds Wendy to the present!”

Magic rushed from his fingertips and wrapped around Wendy, zapping the energy that gave her the strength to throttle her cousin. When her fingers slipped from the other woman’s neck, Cash once again trapped her with his iron chain. The spirit was completely immobilized this time, but Cash knew he’d never be able to banish her by himself. She was too strong. The best he could do was hold her until help arrived.

“You saved me,” the woman choked out, rubbing her neck. “Twice.”

“Yeah. Now don’t taunt your cousin again, or she may just get a third chance at you.” After wrapping the iron chain around his fist, he used the other hand to whip out his phone and call Harlow.

“Hey. I was just thinking about you,” Harlow said into the phone, a smile in her voice.

“I’m glad to hear it,” he said, unable to keep from grinning. He liked hearing that he was on her mind. “Are you busy?”

“Not particularly. What’s up?”

“Can you come to Hollow Hardware? I’ve got an insanely jealous ghost who is trying to end her cousin, and she’s too strong for me to banish. I could use your help.”

There was a long, silent pause before Harlow said, “Do I want to know how you ended up in the middle of this?”

“I was minding my own business in the hardware store when I saw the ghost trying to flatten this lady. I saved her from being crushed by a heavy box, and all hell broke loose from there. I’ve got the spirit trapped now, but without you, all of this will have been for nothing. She’ll be back to tormenting her cousin in no time.”

Harlow let out a heavy sigh. “All right. I’ll be right there. Where can I find you?”

“Lighting department.”

When Cash ended the call, he looked at the woman. “What’s your name?”

“Jelly.”

“Jelly?” Cash asked, certain he’d heard her wrong.

“Yes, it’s a nickname for Jelsa.”

Cash nodded. “Hi, Jelly. I’m Cash, and my partner is on her way. Once she gets here, we’ll banish your cousin for good so she can no longer attack you.”

Jelly frowned. “Banish her to where? Hell?”

“Oh no.” Cash shook his head. “To the shadow world. Where they go after that is not up to me to decide.”

“Damn,” she said with a disappointed sigh. “Wendy was a real B if you know what I mean.”

“I think I’ve got an idea,” Cash said with a nod. Leave it to him to end up helping someone with crazy family drama.

His phone buzzed with a text.

It was Shaun. Where are you?

Cash texted him back one handed, and a few moments later, Shaun appeared beside him.

“Can’t say hanging out with you is boring,” Shaun said, shaking his head. “I swear, you can’t go anywhere without getting into trouble.”

“It’s not his fault,” Jelly said, gushing as she reached for Cash’s arm and held on. “He saved my life.” She looked up at Cash and batted her eyelashes. “Does this mean I need to be your servant for seven years? I don’t mean to brag, but I did win best homemade pie at the county fair three years in a row.” She glanced down at her crotch and then pumped her eyebrows suggestively. “I’d be more than happy to introduce you to my cherry pie."

“Oh wow,” Shaun said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Cash suddenly felt some sympathy for Wendy. If he’d had to be subjected to Jelly for any length of time, he might be inclined to throttle her, too. “Thanks for that… ah, generous offer, but I think I’m going to have to pass.”

“Your loss,” she said with a shrug.

“No doubt,” Cash muttered and shared an incredulous look with Shaun.

When Harlow finally arrived, Cash didn’t think he’d ever been happier to see another human in his entire life. Jelly had been chattering nonstop about Carl and how she’d always felt like someone was watching them when they did the deed, but now she knew it was Wendy being a dirty peeper.

“Thank the gods,” Cash said to Harlow, meeting her troubled eyes. “I tried to banish the spirit with a spell, but her energy was too strong. Can you handle this?”

Harlow glanced at Jelly. “Do you have anything you want to say to this ghost?”

Cash let out the smallest groan. He should have remembered that she’d ask that.

“Actually, I want to tell her that all those years she spent complaining about the size of Carl’s⁠—”

“That’s enough,” Cash said. “There’s nothing to fix here. Just a deceased spouse who is mad her cousin married her husband.”

“I see,” Harlow said with a short nod. She glanced once more at Jelly. “The size of Carl’s… uh, manhood aside, is there anything important you need to say or ask before I finish this?”

“Well, no, other than to tell her I hope she rots in a Tofu Express for the rest of eternity for trying to kill me,” Jelly said and then walked off, not even waiting to see if Harlow was successful.

“A Tofu Express?” Shaun asked. “isn’t that a vegan fast-food place?”

“Yes!” Jelly called back as she paused to look over her shoulder. “Wendy always said it’d be a cold day in hell before she ate there. I figured it would be a good resting spot for her.”

“No doubt,” Shaun said, looking amused.

“Cash, are you ready?” Harlow asked him.

“Yep.”

“Good. On the count of three, release the spirit and I’ll do my thing.”

After Cash nodded, Harlow said, “Three, two, one!”

Cash quickly released the spirit from the confines of his iron chain. The moment Wendy was free, she started screaming like a banshee, making Cash’s entire body turn clammy as his stomach roiled.

Harlow, on the other hand, didn’t appear to be physically affected by the spirit’s wailing and stepped forward in one swift movement and nailed her to one of the wooden shelves. Instantly, the noise stopped and the store was eerily silent.

“That was… a lot,” Harlow said as she got into the spirit’s face. “This is what you get for trying to kill your cousin.”

Wendy opened her mouth, but no words formed. She’d been silenced. Without any emotion at all, Harlow twisted the iron spike, and Wendy shimmered for a moment before the spirit shattered into a million particles of light.

Cash stood there, watching until finally every single bit of light winked out.

Harlow put her spike back in her pocket and turned to Cash. “Was that necessary?”

“Banishing her? Of course it⁠—”

“No,” Harlow said, cutting him off. “I mean calling me and forcing me to come down here to deal with that drama. Too bad you didn’t film it. It could have been your demo for your new Real Spirits of Keating Hollow pilot.”

Cash pressed his lips together in a thin line and forced himself to answer in a calm tone, despite the fact that he was majorly offended that she’d just implied he was still looking for a television show. “Funny. What else was I supposed to do? That spirit has been wreaking havoc on her cousin for over a year now. If that box she was nudging off the shelf had hit her target, Jelly would be splattered all over this cement floor.”

Shaun snickered, but when both of them turned to glare at him, he clamped his mouth shut and retreated out of the aisle, giving them their privacy.

Cash turned his attention back to Harlow and waited for whatever wrath she was going to unleash on him.

“Can we go outside?” she asked, her voice lowered. “I’d rather not have an audience.”

Cash noticed that a couple of other customers were hovering. He wondered how long they’d been there and then decided it didn’t matter. “Yeah, lead the way.”

He followed her until they were out on the sidewalk and far enough away from the doors that they wouldn’t be putting on a show for anyone.

Harlow stuffed her hands into her jean pockets and lifted her chin as she met his gaze. “I’m not in the ghost hunting business anymore.”

“Neither am I,” Cash said.

“But that’s what you asked me to do today, Cash. Can’t you see that? I don’t want to be the go-to person that people call when they’re being haunted. We’ve been back together for all of like eight hours, and already you have me out here banishing ghosts for people we don’t even know. And frankly, who seem a little insane.”

He couldn’t argue that last point. “Listen, Harlow, I’m sorry I got you involved in this. But it’s not like I went looking for this woman. I rounded the corner and there she was with a ghost trying to attack her. I couldn’t just do nothing, could I? You know you wouldn’t have walked away if you saw someone in danger.”

“Of course not,” she said, rubbing her forehead and squinting as if the conversation pained her. “I just don’t know why we have to come running. There are mediums who specialize in eradicating spirits, you know.”

Cash took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yeah, there are. I don’t know if there are any here in Keating Hollow, but I guess the next time I see someone in serious danger, I’ll recommend they call someone.”

“Oh, come on, Cash. I didn’t say that.” Harlow let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m sorry. It’s just that Imogen and I had a fight today, and now I’m dealing with ghosts again. When she finds out, I’m sure I’ll be in for another tongue lashing.”

“I’m sorry, gorgeous,” Cash said, suddenly softening. He opened his arms to her, and when she stepped into them, all the tension drained from his shoulders. It was far too early to be having a disagreement right after their reconciliation.

“I’m sorry, too,” she mumbled into his chest. “You did exactly what I would’ve done. I just hate that no matter where we go, we never seem to get any peace from the spirits.”

“We spent too many years inviting them into our energies. We can’t just turn that off. It’s a part of us now.”

She pulled away just enough to look up at him and gave him a wry smile as she said, “Maybe we should really get on that research and figure out how to do a soul cleanse.”

He let out a soft chuckle. They’d joked about that many times before. As far as they knew, there wasn’t any way to cleanse a soul without causing harm. “Does Keating Hollow have an extensive library?”

“There’s a library, but I haven’t checked it out yet,” she said.

“We’ll do that. Soon… when I take you on a date.” Cash kissed her temple. “Thank you for helping today. I wouldn’t have called except the spirit was homicidal. Next time, as long as the haunted person’s life isn’t in danger, I’ll send them to a currently practicing ghost hunter.”

“Thank you,” Harlow said and pressed up on her tiptoes to give Cash a kiss. “That’s all I can ask for.”

“It’s not all you could ask,” Cash said, his fingers automatically closing over the velvet ring box he always had in his pocket, wishing he could just slip the ring on her finger and ask her to marry him… again. But that would be insane since she’d barely let him back in her life. He needed patience, but it was hard to come by when all he wanted was her in his bed every night and at his breakfast table every morning.

“What should I be asking for, Cash? A candlelight dinner? A walk under the moonlight? Foot massage?”

He chuckled. “I’d be happy to oblige on all of those, but I’m afraid the offer expires at midnight.”

She raised one eyebrow. “You know I have plans tonight.”

“Surely you’re not staying out all night with your new friends,” he said, keeping his tone light. “You know where I’ll be later. I certainly wouldn’t mind being woken up by a gorgeous woman climbing in my bed.”

Harlow groaned. “Stop tempting me. I have to get some sleep tonight. I have to work tomorrow.”

“I bet you’d sleep better after I’m done with you.” He’d give just about anything to have her back in his bed that night. He’d missed her more than he’d thought humanly possible. He licked his lips while he let his gaze travel over her body.

“You’re not behaving, Cash,” Harlow said, sounding a little breathy.

“I know.” He dipped his head and pressed soft kisses to her neck just below her ear, in that one spot that always made her shiver. This afternoon was no exception. He felt the small tremor just before she pressed her body to his and moved so that their lips met in a heated kiss.

Cash wanted to put her in the truck and drive her back to his place right that moment. He might have done it if someone hadn’t cleared their throat, interrupting them. He took a step back from Harlow and then met his brother’s amused gaze. “Shaun, what did you need?”

His brother let out a low chuckle. “Just wanted to let you know that the store is getting ready to close. If you want those wood planks, I think we’d better grab them now.”

Dammit. He’d forgotten everything except the woman standing in front of him. “Tonight,” he said. “No time is too late.” He kissed her one last time before he turned and walked back into the store with his brother on his heels.

“I thought I was going to have to turn a firehose on you two,” Shaun said as they filled a cart with wood flooring.

Cash glanced up at him. “Fair warning. Harlow’s coming over later tonight. If you haven’t gotten those noise-canceling headphones yet, I suggest you find somewhere else to be.”

Shaun’s lips curved up into a hint of a smile. “That I can do.”