Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

A cold breeze whispered across Jessica’s face, tickling her nose. Still half asleep, she pulled the covers up over her nose, and they were immediately yanked back down as she heard a low, masculine chuckle. Well, that was new. She forced one eye open and saw Leo’s familiar figure standing in the corner of her bedroom, smiling at her. As always, her heart did a funny little skip, and she couldn’t help smiling back before she gave him a mock frown.

“It’s too early.”

“No, it’s not,” he said in that deep voice that always rumbled pleasantly across her skin. “It’s almost noon.”

“Really? Well, damn, I guess I better get up.”

She climbed out of bed, yawned and stretched, then shivered when a cold breeze whispered across her stomach when her short cami top rose up above the waistband of her pajama shorts. Leo was still in his corner, but she gave him a suspicious look.

“Did you do that?”

“Do what?” he asked innocently, but she could see the laughter in his eyes.

“You’re incorrigible,” she scolded, even though she really didn’t mind.

If only he’d actually been able to touch her stomach—not to mention other areas of her body. The biggest disadvantage of having a ghost… friend was his inability to actually touch her. In every other way, he was perfect. Kind, thoughtful, interesting, not to mention handsome. He’d owned a logging company before he passed but he often worked with his crews and he had the broad shoulders and powerful physique of a man who did physical labor.

Perhaps handsome wasn’t exactly the right word. His features were more rugged than classically handsome and his short, dark hair was sprinkled with silver. He’d only been thirty-five when his life had so tragically ended but he hadn’t had an easy life and his face reflected it. As far as she was concerned, it only served to make him more attractive.

In all the years she’d spent traveling, using her skills to bring peace to the departed and comfort to the living, she’d never met anyone quite like him. During the ritual in which she’d banished his vengeful ex-wife, she’d sensed something from him that she’d never experienced before—an immediate warmth, a connection—and apparently, he’d felt it too. He was no longer trapped in this location by that vengeful spirit, but he hadn’t moved on. Neither had she.

After so many years of an itinerant lifestyle, moving from place to place as the spirits called her, she’d decided to settle down. She’d taken a job managing the restaurant that occupied the ground floor of Midnight Manor and moved into the cozy apartment above. She hadn’t admitted to herself at the time how much Leo’s presence had influenced that decision.

She had been growing increasingly restless and tired of traveling, but she’d never anticipated choosing a small southern town that was occupied by as many Others as it was humans. But the Others, creatures of myth and legend who had finally made their presence known to humans, were far more accepting of her unusual abilities than most humans. She’d felt at home here almost immediately, but it had been Leo who tipped the scales.

After six months, she was still glad that she had chosen to stay, but the difficulties of her situation had grown increasingly frustrating. She sighed and wandered over to her wardrobe. The door opened as she approached, the hangers sliding apart to reveal a pretty pale green dress sprinkled with tiny white flowers.

It was one of her newer purchases, more fitting her current role than the type of clothing that she had worn as Mystic Madam, but still floaty and feminine enough to satisfy those instincts.

“I take it you’d like me to wear this?” she asked dryly, and Leo smiled at her.

“There’s no point in buying new clothes if you’re not going to wear them.”

He was right, but surrounding herself with layers of cloth made her feel protected, even if the thin fabrics didn’t actually create much of a barrier.

“You will look very pretty in it,” he added gently. The look in those kind brown eyes made her heart skip a beat but she did her best to hide her response behind a mock sigh.

“Oh, all right.”

She took the dress off the hanger and went into the bathroom, firmly closing the door behind her. It too was an artificial barrier. Leo could travel freely anywhere within the building, but he had promised her that he wouldn’t intrude and she believed him. If only most corporeal humans were as trustworthy.

She washed and dressed and studied herself in the mirror. He was right. The pale green color flattered her pale skin and dark brown hair and brought out the hints of green in her brown eyes. Although it revealed the faintest hint of her small cleavage, it was perfectly modest, and the full skirt fluttered comfortingly around her legs.

She hesitated a moment then started layering on her necklaces, in addition to the stack of bracelets she never removed. Gold links strung with charms, crystals suspended on fine chains, long strands of beads, a black leather protective amulet. They were her armor, and she felt better as soon as the weight settled around her neck.

“There,” she said triumphantly, as she returned to her bedroom. “Are you satisfied now?”

His eyes flicked to the necklaces before traveling down over the dress.

“You look very pretty,” he said, and she could hear the sincerity in his deep voice.

“I was referring to my obedience rather than my looks,” she said a little breathlessly.

“Can’t it be both?”

“I suppose so,” she laughed, taking refuge in humor as she walked out into the living room.

Her apartment had previously been occupied by the owner of Midnight Manor. Since he was a vampire, he decorated the place to emphasize that fact—all dark colors and ornate furniture—but he had given her permission to make whatever changes she wanted.

She’d added her more bohemian style to lighten up the original gothic atmosphere. She’d kept the deep purple walls but she’d added an overstuffed couch, upholstered in patchwork velvet, and a Victorian fainting couch in pink silk. His dark dining table had been replaced with a fanciful wrought iron set painted white.

She’d replaced the heavy velvet curtains with multiple layers of sheer white fabric, every one of them slightly different. Candles and crystals covered most of the exposed surfaces, and the air was redolent of the incense she liked to burn.

Her apartment had become her home, her sanctuary, and it never failed to lift her spirits. She chose not to think about how much sense of safety and belonging was due to her ghostly companion.

He shook his head as she started assembling her acai breakfast bowl, but she ignored him. They’d had more than one discussion about her eating habits.

He wandered over to the window, the sunlight turning his body more transparent than usual. In the darkened bedroom it was easier to forget his insubstantial nature than it was in direct sunlight. He was little more than a shadow as she sprinkled chia seeds over the top of her bowl.

“It’s a beautiful day,” he said, and she could hear the wistfulness in his voice. “I always loved fall.”

She picked up her bowl and went to join him at the window. Fairhaven Falls was always pretty, but she had to admit that fall was one of the highlights.

The sky was that deep brilliant blue that only ever seemed to occur at this time of year, a shocking contrast to the reds and golds and oranges which filled the town and climbed up the slopes of the surrounding mountains.

From here she could see the wide river that ran along one side of the town sparkling in the sunlight. The river ran from the falls which gave the town its name to the far end of the valley before disappearing out of sight.

A sudden swirl of white disturbed the peaceful surface and she caught the briefest glimpse of a tentacle before the water stilled again.

“Looks like Sam is fishing again,” she said, and Leo laughed.

“I imagine it’s hard to escape a kraken. I almost feel sorry for the fish.” There was another swirl of white, this one close to the small, isolated island in the middle of the stream where Sam lived. “I wonder if he ever gets lonely,” he added.

“I know he’s frequently at the riverfront, listening. But he never shows more than a tentacle, and no one ever goes to visit him.”

“It’s hard to be invisible.”

The sadness in Leo’s voice made her bite her lip as she realized that what she’d just said applied to him as well.

“You don’t think he’s lucky enough to have a pretty little roommate, do you?” he added, clearly trying to lighten the mood even though she could still feel his sadness.

Impulsively, she threw open the French doors to the balcony letting the cool autumn breeze swirl into the room, fresh and clean with just a hint of wood smoke. Those broad shoulders suddenly stiffened.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I’m not sure,” he said slowly. “It’s almost like I can smell the air. But I must be remembering other fall days. It’s not as if I still experience my senses.”

“That’s not entirely true. You can see—why wouldn’t you be able to smell?”

His nostrils flared again and then he bent towards her, his face only a few inches away from her neck. Rationally, she knew that he couldn’t breathe but it felt as if he did, as if his cool breath were traveling down the sensitive curve of her neck. A shiver ran down her spine but it wasn’t because she was cold. Her nipples tingled, stiffening beneath her dress.

“Sweet.”

His voice was even lower than usual, almost growling, and she shivered again as a sudden wave of desire washed over her. It wasn’t the first time she’d reacted to him, but they’d never been quite so close before. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine that he were kissing her neck. That his mouth could move down across her body. That he could…

She shuddered and took a hasty step away from him, trying to cover her reaction by quickly carrying her bowl over to the sink.

“That’s new,” she said, trying to sound casual. “You haven’t been able to pick up on scents before, have you?”

He moved over to join her, although he didn’t come quite so close this time.

“No. At least, I don’t think so.” He tilted his head to one side, the way he often did when he was thinking. “But now that I think about it, it may have been happening for a while—just so gradually that I didn’t really notice. But when you opened the doors it was as if autumn came sweeping into the room. Does that mean it will grow stronger? That I’ll be able to experience more?”

He looked so hopeful that her heart ached and she gave him a helpless look.

“I wish I knew, but I’ve never lived with a ghost for this long before.” Or with anyone , but she pushed that thought aside. “I know that some of your other abilities have been growing stronger, haven’t they? Like being able to pull the covers down.”

She had intended it as a teasing remark, but as she spoke she had a sudden vision of him stripping away the covers, of exposing her body to his view. To his touch.

That’s never going to happen , she reminded herself as she looked over at him and gave him a somewhat shaky smile. Her breath caught at the look on his face, and she suddenly suspected that the same thought had occurred to him. Then he turned away, moving back across the room to the open doors and looking out over the town, his back to her.

“I’ve been practicing, and it does seem to be getting easier.”

“Maybe you could practice with scent as well,” she suggested. “You could come down to the restaurant.”

He was free to move anywhere within the building, although he usually preferred to remain in the apartment.

“Although I would not suggest making yourself visible,” she added with a smile.

Then again, with the exception of her human chef, the rest of her staff would probably take it in stride. She had the uneasy feeling that her reluctance for him to make his presence known had less to do with how her staff would react than with her reluctance to answer any questions about him. She couldn’t help wondering what her best friend Wendy would have to say about the fact that she had essentially been living with Leo this entire time.

“I might do that,” he said thoughtfully.

She smiled at him, then sighed.

“Speaking of restaurants, I’d better go down and make sure everything is ready for tonight. Do you want me to put the television on?”

She’d been leaving it on while she was at work, not only as a source of entertainment, but as a way for him to catch up on the things that had changed since his time. He shook his head, a sudden grin lighting his face.

“It’s not necessary.”

The television clicked on and clicked through several channels before shutting off again.

“I have discovered how to operate the remote control.”

Another change. He’d always had some ability to manipulate objects, although like most ghosts it had been more likely to occur when he was under the sway of some strong emotion. This ability to manipulate everyday objects had gradually been growing stronger.

“What else have you been practicing?”

A book flew off the bookshelf and landed on the counter next to her, the pages flipping open.

“She walks in beauty like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies,” he said softly, reading the poem aloud, and she had the oddest urge to cry.

She couldn’t look at him, afraid of what she might see in his face. Afraid of what he might see in hers.

“I’m glad you’re finding ways to entertain yourself,” she said, pasting a big smile on her face as she hurried towards the door. “I’d better go or I’ll be late.”

He didn’t say anything else and she didn’t look back as she closed the door behind her and hurried down the stairs to the restaurant.

When Damian had converted the old Craftsman bungalow into a restaurant, he’d left most of the rooms intact, choosing to create a series of intimate dining spaces rather than one larger space, and she did a quick survey of each room. The tables were already set for dinner, crystal and silver sparkling on the pristine white linen tablecloths. The flowers in the discreet arrangements on each table were still fresh and the water clear. Excellent.

She headed towards the kitchen just as a stream of curses erupted. Damn. Jack was temperamental, which certainly was not uncommon when it came to chefs, but he was also talented enough that Damian was willing to overlook those bouts of temperament. Part of her job was to smooth over those times with the rest of the staff. Pasting a pleasant smile on her face, she hurried into the kitchen.

The air was filled with a tantalizing mixture of scents from the sauces that were simmering on the stove and the desserts that were cooling on the counter. Jack was fuming at Cody. Cody was the busboy and backup sous chef, a laconic brownie with a scruff of beard and long brown hair tucked up under a red cap.

“Not my fault, dude,” Cody said, holding up his hands in surrender.

Even though they were hundreds of miles from the coast, Cody was convinced he was destined to be a surfer one day.

“Is there a problem?” she asked calmly.

“The mangos are not ripe,” Jack snarled, although he did take a step away from Cody.

Cody looked at her and shrugged.

“I just brought ‘em in.”

“It is a little late in the season. Perhaps we should go with something appropriate for fall instead? Apples, perhaps?”

“Apples? How pedestrian.” Jack sniffed disdainfully but she gave him a cheerful smile.

“That’s probably true for chefs without your skills, but I know you could transform them into something amazing.”

Jack hesitated, clearly torn between his desire to prove his skills and his reluctance to give up on his grievance.

“Of course, I can,” he said finally, sniffing again, but he returned to work and Cody winked at her.

She lingered a moment longer, watching enviously as Jack bent over one of his pots. No one in any of her foster homes had ever bothered teaching her to cook, and once she was on the road she rarely had a full kitchen in which to experiment. Since she had moved here, Wendy had tried to teach her but her efforts had not been particularly successful.

She was still wistfully watching the chef’s skillful movements when a cold breeze drifted across her neck. Leo. Even without the breeze she was so attuned to him that she would have known he was present, but something had shifted between them, creating a new level of intimacy now. It was as if he were actually standing right behind her. As if she could lean back against that broad chest while he put his arms around her. The image was so real that for a moment she could almost feel those powerful arms wrapped around her.

“Dude.”

Cody grinned, and she could have sworn he was actually looking at Leo over her head, but then he jumped down off the counter.

“Gotta get those apples. Be back later.”

He ambled out of the kitchen as she frowned after him, still convinced that he’d been as aware of Leo’s presence as she was. She flicked a quick look back over her shoulder but he wasn’t visible, even though she knew he was there.

“I need to check on the reservations for tonight,” she said quickly and fled.