Ghostsnaps (Knead to Know Book 4)
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Authors: Liz Schulte
Ghostsnaps
Copyright © 2016 by Liz Schulte
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
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“I have a surprise for you,” Boone said with a smile as he entered the bakery for what was becoming our daily chat.
I grinned and moved out from behind the counter, wiping my hands on my apron. “I love surprises.”
He held up a finger. “Wait right here.” He rushed back out the door.
I glanced over at my best friend and new business partner, Izzy, and shrugged.
“Does Phoenix know about your ‘friendship’ with Boone?” she asked in a hushed voice. Her tone wasn’t completely judgmental, but it definitely edged in that direction.
I tried not to roll my eyes, but failed. Phoenix didn’t own me. Not only that, he also hadn’t gone out of his way to define our relationship, whatever it was. Plus, Boone and I weren’t dating. Yes, we were spending a lot more time together since he had broken up with his girlfriend. And yes, we were growing closer. But what, if anything, that meant, I didn’t know. If Phoenix didn’t like it, it was up to him to tell me what he wanted. After his failed attempt at a grand gesture, I went to him, but then nothing changed except that our relationship adopted a new physical element. As far as I was concerned he had been perfectly clear that he wasn’t looking for a girlfriend—which was fine with me. I also wasn’t going to feel guilty that Boone and I were sharing our discovery of the Abyss and enjoying spending time together. Izzy was my human best friend, and she knew nothing about the Abyss, Phoenix, or Boone, yet had firmly planted herself in the team Phoenix camp. He’d won her over one evening, when she had just left her boyfriend, by helping me take care of her while she was drunk. It wasn’t like I was denying that he’d done a nice thing
that night
because he had. In fact, he had done several nice things for me since I met him, but that didn’t take away from the fact he had also done plenty of awful things too. I wasn’t ready to go all in with him and maybe I never would be, but that was between the two of us. Izzy needed to butt out.
“What? I can’t have friends? I’m not hiding Boone from Phoenix. I just don’t parade Boone around in front of him,” I finally answered. “But he knows we spend some time together, which is more than I can say about my knowledge of what Phoenix does when I’m not around. We aren’t at a point in our relationship where everything needs to be defined.”
“Fine. Whatever. You don’t have to snap at me.”
I took a deep breath. “What’s your problem with Boone anyway?”
“I don’t have a problem with Boone. He’s really nice and I like hanging out with him too, but he isn’t right for you. He’s more of the same, Maggie. Why can’t you see that?”
I shook my head. Boone was pretty much the best person I had ever known in real life who wasn’t also an angel. I could do a lot worse than him. He was handy (a carpenter by trade and also a psychic which was infinitely useful to me), he was kind and compassionate, he looked like the Norse god of power tools, and he was trustworthy. What more could a girl want? Well, for him to be free and available was a good place to start. When I met him, he wasn’t single, but after we got to know each other and I introduced him to the Abyss, things quit working with his longtime girlfriend, Nicole, and they broke up—something I still felt guilty about. The last thing I wanted was to completely turn his life upside down, but the Abyss had a way of doing that despite best intentions.
When Boone met me, his psychic ability flared. His visions were suddenly clearer and a lot more direct. We teamed up and together we stopped a lot of what he saw from happening. Not all of it, but enough that it felt like we were making a real difference in people’s lives. That knowledge—that we were honestly helping in tangible ways—felt pretty great. It was a hard thing to put a price on and even more impossible to give up. However, because it involved the Abyss, the catch was that Boone couldn’t tell Nicole about what we were doing. From her side, he was spending all of his free time with me and not her. Then she was kidnapped, not that she remembered it, but that seemed to be the last straw for them. I hadn’t asked Boone the gory details about his break up because…well, part of me didn’t really want to know why. Not if I had a part in it.
“Look, all I’m saying is that I think you aren’t being honest with yourself. I don’t have a problem with you dating two guys, but instead of figuring out what you want, you’re avoiding the issue. I know you. Someone’s going to get hurt and you’ll beat yourself up over it. If you can’t choose between them, then say it. Just be honest with them.”
“Technically, I’m not even sure I am dating either of them. I don’t know what’s happening with Phoenix, and Boone and I are just friends.”
She shook her head. “You light up when Phoenix is around. I can’t pretend to understand why you refuse to see that. Maybe it’s because he was friends with Baker, or maybe you’re scared because you know you feel more for him than you’re ready to feel. Either way, the two of you are crazy about each other and if you let it slip away, you’re going to regret it.”
I scowled and shook my head. Izzy knew me too well. Phoenix made me feel a lot of things, and scared was definitely on the list.
Boone returned carrying a large square item covered with a paint-spattered drop cloth. I eyed the dirty bundle he had just brought into my
clean
café. “What is that?” I crooked a finger at the object.
He sat it down on the floor, biceps straining, which warmed parts of my body that shouldn’t think about him that way, especially when I had a perfectly sinful jinni whom I’d see in a matter of hours.
“You know that graystone I’ve been renovating? We basically had to gut it to redo all the plumbing and wiring, plus the owner wanted a new floor plan.”
I nodded. I had no doubt he’d do a great job. He’d done fantastic work getting my bakery ready.
“Anyway, we finally made it to the attic and it had a few things in it. The owners said we were welcome to anything we found and to throw everything else away. I brought you this.” He patted the top of the still-covered item. Judging by the shape and size, it was some sort of painting or piece of art. “You were the first person I thought of when I saw it.”
“What is it?” Izzy strode over to have a look. “The buildup is killing me.”
Boone laughed and pulled off the cloth.
It was a dirty mirror. Don’t get me wrong. It was really sweet he’d thought of me and brought me something, but why would a dirty mirror make him think of me? Personally, I was having trouble thinking about anything other than the fact I had just mopped the floor. “Oh, it’s great. Thank you.” I injected some excitement into my voice, hoping he wouldn’t notice my confusion.
He looked at me expectantly, obviously awaiting more enthusiasm. “It
is
great,” he said when I didn’t say anything else. He knelt down beside it. “Look at the design. I’d guess it was made in the 1920s—just like your building. See the beveled edges.” He scraped off some of the dirt which fell to my formerly clean floor. I had only been here for sixteen hours, what’s another hour for remopping—it was a good thing I didn’t sleep.
Dismissing the minor irritation from my mind, I lowered myself to the floor beside him for a better look. The mirror was large and fan shaped. Across the bottom was a wing-like design inlayed with some sort of blue stones I couldn’t recognize beneath the years of buildup. It was prettier up close.
“I know Knead to Know doesn’t have a 20s theme, but I think it could work with your whole vintage vibe once it’s cleaned. It would be a nod to the fact this place used to be a speakeasy.” He shrugged. “It just seemed like something you’d like. Did I misjudge?”
I shook my head. “No, I like it.” I was definitely coming around. There was something appealing about this mirror. Why would anyone just leave it behind?
“It’s pretty awesome—and it’d look really cool on that wall.” Izzy pointed to our cozy seating area. “Great find, Boone. Let’s see how it looks without the dirt.” She rushed back to the kitchen.
“It really is beautiful,” I told Boone, tracing my fingers over the blue stones feeling their static-like energy. “Was it just the 20s connection that made you think of me?” With psychics these things were never clear. On one hand, it could just be a thoughtful gift. On the other, though, it could be something else entirely.
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. There were more than ten things in the room from that time, but I was immediately drawn to this one. The moment I set eyes on it, you flashed into my mind. I figured the two of you were meant to be together—but I haven’t had a vision or anything. Just a feeling.” Boone having a feeling was good enough for me. “Oh, and I forgot to point out that it’s numbered. There’s a plate on the back. If we clean it up, I bet we can make out what it says. The piece definitely has a history. Maybe the past can tell us something about why it was meant for you.”
I looked back at the neglected mirror and ran my finger over its top. “We all have a past.”
He nodded. “Sometimes we have to look back so we don’t repeat the same mistakes in the future.”
That was a weird thing to say. I laughed, the cool edge of the mirror smooth beneath my fingers. “You think the mirror has made a lot of mistakes?”
His bright blue eyes met mine. “I don’t know. I just know it belongs with you, for better or worse. That’s the feeling I get from it.”
Hmmm, so it definitely was a psychic thing. That meant usually meant one thing, we had a new case. “We’ll clean her up and see what she has to say.” I finally forced my hand away from the mirror and stood back up, brushing the dirt from my fingers.You know what we should do tonight?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Dinner and a movie?”
“Maybe. Let’s see what Izzy has planned.” My plans with Phoenix weren’t until much later— after the humans would be safely asleep. “But that’s not what I was thinking. Maybe we need to focus on where your visions are coming from. I know that psychic visions aren’t necessarily
from
anywhere, but the fact that yours didn’t really start until you met me, and now you’re having feelings that certain things
belong
with me, makes me wonder if they’re more than a random gift. Like maybe the two of us are being intentionally drawn together.”
Boone considered the mirror for a moment, and the setting sunlight caught the golden blond stubble along his square jaw. “That’s an interesting idea, but how do we find out if there’s something to it? What could do something like that?”
That was the question—and I had no idea how to find the answer. Izzy came back with towels, a bucket of soapy water, and window cleaner. After a lot of scrubbing and careful cleaning of the fine details, the mirror didn’t just look good; it was gorgeous. I had never seen another one like it. The mirror along the edge of the scalloped fan was beveled like Boone pointed out. The winged design across the bottom was filled with a swirly deep blue and cream stone. Apart from a single chip in the bottom left hand corner, everything about the mirror was in perfect condition.
I picked it up and carried it to the spot Izzy had motioned to earlier. Standing on the couch, I held it against the wall. “How does it look?”
“A little to the right,” Izzy said.
“The left side needs to come up some. Wait, let me get my tools.” Boone went to his truck while Izzy and I fussed with the location of the mirror.
When it was finally mounted, Boone and I made plans with Izzy. Megan and Stephanie, owners of the candle shop across the street, were coming over as well and we were going to have wine and pizza at Izzy’s. Boone headed out to get the pizza, Izzy went up to straighten her apartment above the bakery, and I started to make us caramel swirled brownies for dessert—even if I couldn’t enjoy them, my friends could. A brief moment of feeling like I didn’t deserve any of this waged war on my overall contentment with my life. I had somehow managed to do the impossible. I had created a place where I belonged, despite all odds. I had even managed to balance having human friends while being a half-vampire. So why did I feel guilty?
It could have been the secrets I was forced to keep from Izzy. I hated lying with a passion. I had heard enough lies and been the victim of enough of them that I never wanted to be that person who misled others, but now I was forced to. Megan and Stephanie didn’t just own a candle shop; they were also witches. Boone, as I said, was a psychic. Phoenix was a powerful jinni. Of our group, only poor Izzy had no connection to the Abyss and knew nothing about it, yet was constantly surrounded by it. I could have told her everything, but then she’d lose the option of having a normal life. That didn’t seem fair. Besides, keeping her in the dark was the only way to keep her safe—at least for now.
“You ready?” Boone asked, popping his head into the kitchen.
I glanced at the oven. “Brownies still need a couple more minutes. Go up without me.”
“I’ll wait.” He took the stool next to me.
My skin absorbed the warmth he put off, his arm nearly touching mine. Usually his presence made me feel relaxed and safe, but tonight, my mind was in a million places other than this kitchen. I was thinking about what Izzy said earlier, about Phoenix and what I actually felt for him, about Izzy and whether or not telling her everything would be selfish or the only fair thing to do, and of course I was thinking about the mirror and what new danger it would bring into my life and the people’s lives around me. That of course brought up other memories, darker memories. Memories I had spent a long time hiding from.