Page 13 of Ghost in the Cupboard

Regardless, it’d find no help from me. No matter how long it could last, I could last longer.

By the time I was pulling down the road to my house, night had settled in Sage Grove, and the stars were beginning to twinkle in the velvety darkness above. Even from the end of the drive, as my headlights slashed across the start of the path, I could see the truck. I uttered something between a frustrated growl and resigned sigh as pulled down the drive towards the house.

When I pulled up to the front of the Craftsman-style home, I saw the shadow of a man sitting in one of the chairs on the front porch. I took my time parking the car next to the truck, shutting off the lights, grabbing the milk, and exiting the vehicle. The ghost fluttered from the car and went to float near the front door of the house. Like every other night, it was going to attempt entry when I opened the door, only to find its efforts fruitless.

Leaves and needles shed from the oaks and pines around the house crunched underfoot as I walked the path up to the porch. I had the sudden urge to ignore the man on the porch and head directly into the house, but I knew it wouldn’t make him go away. He’d simply follow me. So, I shuffled up to the door, unlocked and popped it open, and reached around door jamb, feeling for the switch to the porchlight. The ghost did its best to jet through the open door, but bounced back several yards to float in the yard with an angry look on its face. I grinned to myself at its expression as my hand connected with the switch and flipped it up.

Yellow light flooded the front porch and I finally made direct eye contact with Danny Milner. One leg was laid over the over and his hands were clasped in his lap, as though he was trying to appear nonchalant. However, after I’d run from him earlier, I knew he was more…uh, chalant?…than he was letting on at the moment.

“I told you stay away from my mother,” he said as he blinked rapidly in the sudden light.

“And I’ve told you to stay out of my business,” I replied, holding the milk at my side. “I guess we both have cotton in our ears.”

“I don’t care if you want to swindle everyone else in the entire world, Si,” Danny said calmly. “But leave my mother alone.”

I sighed.

“Go home, Danny,” I said. “We’ve had this discussion. Your mother is a grown woman, and—”

Danny was suddenly out of the chair and standing in front of me, his chest nearly touching mine. If he had wanted to startle or intimidate me, he’d have to try harder.

“A grown, grieving woman who would pay any amount of money to speak to her husband again,” he grumbled.

“Almost anyone would pay any mount to speak to a dead loved one again,” I said. “However, my rates are very reasonable.”

“I’m telling you for the last time, Si—”

“Your mother could pay me to come and try to summon your father every day for the rest of her life and still be buried in a coffin made of bricks of hundreds.” I stopped him. “And since most of that money goes into feeding the homeless around here, I think that’s a fair trade. Anyway, your mother was hiring me from time to time to do silly little seances for her and her friends long before your father passed. If your mother wants me to stop coming around, she’ll tell me herself. In fact, has she told you she wants me to stop coming? I know you’ve complained to her, too.”

“She tells me to mind my business.” Danny grumbled again, but made no move to give me space.

I gestured vaguely with my free hand.

“You are so annoying!” Danny growled.

“And you never know when to quit,” I shrugged. “Now, can I help you with anything else, or—”

Before I could snip off another quip, Danny’s hands were pulling me in and his mouth was covering mine. I wrapped my free arm around his back without hesitation and returned the deep, passionate kiss. Danny moaned as he pressed his body against mine and kissed me in a way that made it feel as if he was trying to soak up the essence of me. My eyes fluttered opened, and out in the yard, I could see the ghost staring at us.

“Inside,” I managed to mumble around Danny’s mouth.

He pushed me backwards into the house and kicked the door closed with the heel of his shoe. Doing my best to not stumble, I kept one arm around Danny as he pushed me from the door over to the sofa, his lips not leaving mine until he shoved me down onto the sofa. He was shucking off his jacket and climbing on top of me when I remembered something.

“The milk!” I exclaimed.

“Screw the milk,” Danny muttered as he lowered himself towards me.

“I paid five bucks for it,” I grinned goofily as I held it up to him.

Danny, growling with frustration, took the milk from my hand and disappeared into the kitchen. As the sound of the fridge opening and closing sounded, I stripped off my jacket and tossed it into my comfy chair. When Danny returned, he immediately leapt on top of me on the sofa and smothered my mouth with his again.

“I’m still not going to stop seeing your mom,” I mumbled around Danny’s mouth as he pressed me into the sofa with his body.

“Shut up, Si,” Danny groaned.