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“I panicked. I didn’t want him to put two and two together and find out you’re a ghost.”
“Somehow I don’t think he’ll make that connection,” said Montgomery. “He’s too busy juggling pumpkins and playing the bagpipes.”
“He brought over the property records with change of ownership statements. Your name is at the top of that list.”
“He didn’t read it. And now he thinks we’re in a romantic relationship. And who is Bo?”
“Are we going to address the elephant in the room AKA you standing here in the flesh?”
“It’s not fully processed yet. Ooh! I forgot what a headache feels like.” Montgomery clutched his head and leaned onto the bookshelf. “I need a minute.”
He felt like he was experiencing all his senses at once, and it was both thrilling and nauseating.
“You know what I find interesting?” Dale announced as he re-entered the room. He was brushing his teeth, holding his end of the conversation while attempting to keep toothpaste in his mouth. “Every single one of the owners of this building died a mysterious death.”
“You looked at the records?” Montgomery asked.
“What else was I supposed to do while eating breakfast?”
Willow shot Montgomery a smug‘told you so’look while Dale went behind the bar to spit in the sink.
“This is all getting weirder and weirder,” Willow whispered to Montgomery. I still need to tell you about Talon Bickford.”
She waited for Dale to amble back into the office, then told Montgomery about the young man who accosted her with the ominous message.
“At first I thought he was just a weird guy, but the more I thought about it, the more I wondered if he knew this place was haunted. And then I find out he’s Nadine’s son. The one who didn’t want to work here. Now I’m thinking he’s superstitious about the previous owners’ deaths.”
“What kind of name is Talon Bickford?”
“Never mind that. Focus. He knows something we don’t know. We need to find him.”
All this was disturbing and interesting to Montgomery seeing as he still couldn’t remember how he died. He doubted the records Dale brought over had any more insight into the cause of his death than Willow’s research she did on that thing she called the internet. No one was more invested than him. But in this moment a hollow pang tunneled through his core and he wondered if it was causing his headache and the feeling of vertigo that rushed over him suddenly. He reeled a little and Willow flew to him.
“Are you okay?” she asked with grave concern.
He regarded her lovely features and wondered if she had something to do with the choice he was given. Was he somehow here for her or was there some grander plan?
She smiled softly, and Montgomery decided then and there that she was made of stars. A glorious phenomenon of glittering light. And the most spectacular, shining part of her was her soul.
But he couldn’t say such a thing to a woman, especially right after coming back to life after being dead for a hundred and eleven years.
And besides, he had more immediate matters to address. First of which was a biological necessity.
“Willow, my dear,” he said. “I do believe I’m hungry.”
The man ate like a Hobbit. Willow had never seen someone eat so much in her life. Then again, she supposed one would build up quite the appetite after one hundred and eleventy years. After only twenty-four hours, Montgomery devoured every morsel of food in her kitchen. She even made extra batches of cookies and muffins. Where did he put it all?
When Montgomery polished off the last egg first thing in the morning and then announced he was still hungry, Willow said, “We’re going to have to eat out today. I don’t think I can keep up.”
“Out?” he said with worry in his brow. “No, it would be best if you went to the market. Can you pick up a ham while you’re there?”
“It’s Sunday. And on Sundays, I don’t cook or work. It’s my only day off.”
“So, you will order on the phone? Like you did when the Chinese food came?”
“No. I need to get out of this place for a while. And I think we should probably take you shopping for some new clothes.”
“You do remember what happened last time I tried to walk through that door.”
