A Ghost in Time (Destiny Bay Cozy Mysteries Book 3) (17 page)

“Welcome aboard,” Bebe said. “We’re happy to have you.”

I noticed that Michael Archer had brought a pack of his 4H kids to see the show. I looked at Bebe, not sure how she wanted to deal with this. But her gaze was on someone else. Captain Stone was standing near the entrance looking for all the world like a natural sheriff in a Western town, surveying his territory. She began moving toward him as though she’d been drawn by a magnet.
 

“Hey,” I said, grabbing her arm to stop her. “Don’t you think you ought to say ‘hi’ to Michael?”

She looked at me blankly as though she didn’t remember who that was. Then recognition came back and she sighed.
 

“I suppose you’re right,” she said, but you could tell it wasn’t her first choice.
 

This disturbed me. As far as I knew, Stone hadn’t even been around for the last two weeks. Someone had said he was in Las Vegas at a conference. And darn it all, I didn’t trust him.
 

“Bebe,” I said. “Be careful of investing too much emotion in a man like Captain Stone. He’s so…” I couldn’t think of the right word, but she knew what I meant.
 

She gave me a quick hug. “I know how you feel about this, Mele,” she said. “But you don’t know him like I do.”

I groaned. Isn’t that the speech every woman about to throw herself away on a worthless man gives? Every one!
 

“I know you think he doesn’t like you,” she told me earnestly. “But that’s not quite right. You see….” She hesitated. “I can’t really tell you a story that’s not mine to tell, but Captain Stone knew your father in the Army, years ago. And they didn’t get along. He’ll have to tell you about it himself, but I just wanted you to know it isn’t really anything about you.”

Except that it was everything about me. I stared at her. Didn’t she get that? I had so little from my parents, I couldn’t afford to have the few things I remembered torn to pieces.
 

She was walking over to say something to Michael. But just for a moment. In no time at all, she was heading toward Captain Stone. And I had a lump in my throat.
 

“Hey, Hawaiian girl,” said a voice in my ear.
 

I spun around and there was Roy, grinning at me. My smile back was a little tremulous. I was still feeling sorry for myself, but I knew that wouldn’t last long with Roy to tease me.
 

“Hi,” I said, looking into his beautiful eyes.
 

“You want to blow this joint?” he said, trying to sound like Jimmy Cagney in a gangster movie.
 

I nodded happily. “Take me away.”

So he did.
 

We walked out to his car and I felt like I was running away from all my cares. “You want to go walk on the beach?” he said.
 

“Yes.” Yes, above anything else, that would be perfect.
 

But just as we were driving off, for the first time in weeks, I caught sight of Dante watching me from the side of the road. Our eyes met and I knew, as though he’d said the words aloud, that I would be seeing him tonight in my dreams.
 

My heart was racing. What had just happened there? Had I read his mind? Had he communicated to me by telepathy? I didn’t know, but I did know something had happened.
 

I looked at Roy. He was singing along with a song from the Fifties, and I joined in, too. But something deep inside flashed a warning, and I knew I was going to have to tell Roy about my ghosts if I was going to get much further into this relationship. Anything else wouldn’t be fair.
 

When the song died out, I smiled at him.
 

“Roy, tell me something. Have you ever seen a ghost?”

The End

If you would like to see a hula like the one Aunty Jane taught to Mele, try this:

(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0trgqusEfQA
)

If that one is no longer posted, try searching on You Tube for “Ho'opuka”

Ahi Poke or Salmon Poke

(pronounced PO-Kay)

A light meal for two.

  • 1 lb sushi-grade salmon or ahi

(Why sushi grade? Because to be considered sushi grade, the fish has hopefully been frozen for a certain time to kill any parasites) 


1 avocado, cubed


½ medium red onion, finely diced


½ cup green onions, chopped


1/2 cup teriyaki sauce


1/2 tsp
 
sesame oil


1/2
 
tsp fresh ginger, ground or chopped


Optional: Add crushed red pepper flakes or 1 tsp Chinese Chili Sauce 


Garnish with 2 TBS sesame seeds or chopped macademia nuts

(Or you could use chopped cilantro, tiny pearl tomatoes and crunched flakes of nori like Mele and Bebe do in the book.)

  1. In a medium glass bowl, mix together red onion, green onion, teriyaki sauce, sesame oil, and ginger. Set aside.
  2. Cut the fish into ¾

    chunks, 1/2" to 3/4".
  3. Add fish and avocado to the bowl with the marinade and toss. Add all other ingredients, toss and refrigerate for at least an hour, preferably more.

This delicious meal can be enjoyed with fried won ton strips, Japanese style white sticky rice, or on it's own. Best eaten with chop sticks.

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Wife For a Night

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Too Scared to Breathe

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Not the Marrying Kind
 

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Waiting for Someone like You

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Tick Tock, Baby Clock

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Stealing Shane’s Girl

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Luck Be A Lady

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Don't Tell Me You Love Me

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Moving Too Fast

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A Time to Choose

ABOUT AUTHOR

J.D. Winters is a pen name for Helen Conrad, an award-winning, bestselling author of more than 90 romances  
published under various pseudonyms with Harlequin, Silhouette, Loveswept, and others.  She is currently revamping and rewriting much of her backlist--some available in the US for the first time--to present on Kindle, and developing a set of cozy mysteries taking place in the same world. 

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