Chapter Eleven

Parker and Renee walked to the small park behind the town hall. He waited until she sat at one of the picnic tables before he sat across from her. She loved his manners, his reticence, in fact, everything about him. The real reason for her decision to move here sat across from her, silent and patient. Maybe the time had come for her to tell him she could see and talk to ghosts. Keeping a secret this big was not the best way to start a serious relationship.

She ran her hand across the table to brush away some leaves and dust. “Parker, there’s a fact about me you should know, and I don’t want you to think I’m some kind of a nut.”

“Okay,” he said slowly. “I promise to keep an open mind.”

As soon as she opened her mouth, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She ignored the vibration until it stopped, and then it started up again. “I’d better take this. It might be important and if I don’t, it’ll ring the whole time I want to talk to you. Back in a second.”

She got up and walked to the next table and sat with her back to Parker. “Wayne, why are you calling me?” she whispered. “I told you we’re done.”

“I can’t believe that,” he said. “I know I haven’t paid very much attention to you lately. I’ve put in for a promotion and had to do extra work. It’ll mean more money for us.”

“You mean, more money for you. If you paid me half the attention you do to your job and other women, we might’ve been able to work this out.” She sighed. “You’re a workaholic and a ladies’ man, Wayne. You always will be, and I don’t blame you for that. It’s who you are, but I need more. Please don’t call me again.”

She hung up, turned her phone off, and walked back over to where Parker waited for her to come back. The expression on his face almost broke her heart. He must have thought she wanted to get back together with Wayne. Time to set him straight about her former relationship.

“Was it important like you thought?” he asked.

“Not even close.” She folded her arms and leaned on the table. “Where were we?”

“You didn’t want me to think you were some kind of a nut.”

She swung her legs over the bench and gazed at him. “Don’t you want to know about my phone call?”

“That’s your private business.”

“It is, but I want you to know. My ex-boyfriend called me. I broke up with him again. I don’t think he can take a hint.”

Parker smiled and squeezed her hand. “I can take hints. Now tell me why you’re nuts.”

“I have this weird ability,” she said. “Gran always told me it’s passed down through her side of the family.” She took a deep breath, then blurted out, “I can see and talk to ghosts.”

His expression never changed. “Is that why your grandmother hangs around you? Because you can see and talk to her?”

Renee blinked several times, not believing what he’d said. “You can see her, too?”

He walked around the table and sat next to her. “I see ghosts everywhere. I’m not exactly human.”

“Then, what are you?” she whispered.

“There’s a lot of tales and legends passed down through the centuries about the Green Man. He’s a forest spirit. Some beliefs state he’s a figure of rebirth and brings new life in the spring. But there’s another side to birth and that’s death.”

She leaned closer to him. “What has all this got to do with you? Why aren’t you human?”

“My brother and I are Green Men. We’re from the fairy realm. His ability lies in birth and life. He grows all kinds of flowers and plants. He’s also the guardian of a special flower that arrives just before the beginning of spring and blooms on the vernal equinox. We think it was his power that made him such a ladies’ man most of his life.”

“I guess that would explain why he’s such a flirt,” she said.

He rubbed a hand over his eyes. “My ability is to help the dead cross over. It’s a rebirth for the soul. I hold the ritual twice a year. Once during the first new moon of spring and the second on Halloween night.”

“Okay.” Renee took several minutes to digest what he’d said. He couldn’t be crazy. If so, she’d have to join him on the crazy train. “Why Halloween?” she asked. “Why not the first new moon of fall?”

“All those stories about the veil between worlds being thinnest on Halloween are true. With All Saints Day on November first and All Souls Day on November second, the guiding light to the afterlife is brightest then.”

She was quiet for a moment. “Makes sense,” she finally said. “With what I can do, it doesn’t sound as strange as you thought it would. I’ve got a few questions, if you don’t mind.” Renee held his hand a little tighter, and his tremors slowed. She ran her thumb over his knuckles. “How do you do it? Cross them over, I mean.”

“I’m a conduit for spirits. They find me, and I lead them to the site. I gather specific flowers and lay them in a circle. I draw strength from the earth and open the gateway. That’s all there is to it.”

“Will you cross over Gran when the time comes?”

He nodded. “If she wants to go. Some ghosts hang around because they like it here. On Halloween, if she agrees, I’ll cross her over to the afterlife. We’ll find her oak tree, and you can spread her ashes after the ritual.”

“What about the sea captain I’ve seen? Will he go too?”

Parker shrugged. “I ask him every year, and every year he says he’s not ready.”

They rose and meandered through the small park. “And the ghost of Lily McGee? What about her?”

“She won’t talk to me. I can’t send her to the other side if I can’t find her.”

Renee held his hand tighter. “I believe she stays because she misses her child. If we can tell her what happened to the baby, maybe she’ll want to cross over then.”

Parker cupped her cheek and smiled. “It takes a special woman to hear what I said and not run from me.”

“It appears we have almost the same abilities. I don’t think I’m a conduit, though, and I’m pretty sure I’m not from the fairy realm.” She pressed his hand to her cheek. “I’m glad I met you, Parker Callahan. It’s nice not having to hide what I can do around someone I like.”

He leaned closer, and his breath warmed her lips. When he paused, she closed the gap and placed a light kiss on his. He stared at her, and her face burned. Her heart thumped to a wild beat in her chest as goosebumps ran up and down her spine. Sparks ran through her veins, and she wanted to dance. Love should always feel like this. Whatever she had with Wayne, it sure didn’t feel like what she had right here, right now with Parker.

“If you want me to apologize, I won’t,” she said.

He shook his head. “I want to see if I should kiss you again. If you don’t mind, I think I will.”

The second felt even better than the first time around. He held her so close, his heart beat against her chest in time to her own. Perspiration popped out on her forehead from the heat of his kiss. The feeling of his lips on hers made her body run hot and cold. When he ended the kiss, she laid her head on his shoulder and held him tight. He was warm and strong and could talk to ghosts like her. She’d never leave Garland Falls now.

“I think we have something good here, Parker,” she whispered.

“I agree.”

They walked through the park a little longer, until the wind began to blow harder. Leaves swirled around their feet. Renee scuffed along the sidewalk and kicked at the small piles nestled against the edge of the lawns. They made their way back to his truck and got in. He started it and turned toward the Bed and Breakfast.

He parked in front of the B and B. “I’ll see you tomorrow so we can get back to the search for the oak tree.”

“I’ll be ready.” She gave him another quick kiss. “Good night.”

She got out and waved before she went inside. Up in her room, she got ready for bed, Parker never far from her thoughts. He’d been a missing piece in her life, and she never realized it until she met him. She sat on the bed, her thoughts a whirlwind as she considered all the steps she needed to do for the move.

“Did you have a good time tonight?” Gran asked. “It looks like you did. You have a nice rosy glow in your cheeks.”

“Parker kissed me tonight. Well actually, I kissed him first, so yes. I had a great time.” She hesitated. “Gran, I’ve decided to move here. Since I own my own shop, I can pick up and go anywhere.”

Her grandmother floated next to her on the bed. “Why, that’s a fine idea. You should do it.”

“There’s a lot for me to check into, like if there’s a property for rent. Then I have to go get my stuff, close the down the other shop, pay the taxes. There’s a lot to do to make this happen.” She gazed at her grandmother’s ghost. “I’ll have to sell your house.”

“I know, dear. I don’t need it any longer. You do what you need to make your move here. I’m sure you’re up to the task.”

“I’m sure I am.” She grabbed her nightshirt. “You know, Gran? I never thought a man could give me wobbly knees, but Parker can, and I think I like it.”