Chapter Six
Avery
“He’s hot, though that might be weird for me to say, considering...”
The voice was back. Not a peep when the car was spinning out of control, but now that I was in a large truck with an attractive man named Holden Rose, it started jabbering again?
“You cold? I can turn up the heat.”
I glanced at the man behind the wheel, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
“Yeah, and he’s a great guy. You lucked out that he found you. Nobody was looking for a damn Prius in the snow. Trust me. I learned that shit the hard way.”
What the fuck was going on? Why did the voice sound like it knew the man who’d rescued me?
He cleared his throat, reminding me he’d asked a question. “Oh, uh, no. Thank you, though. I’m fine.” I took off the gloves he’d so kindly shared with me and put them on the console between us.
“So, uh, do you want to give me the address where I should drop you off?” The light reflecting off the snow lit up his face, making it apparent the man was handsome as hell. Who was this lumberjack-like hero?
“Tell him where you live.”
“Oh, uh, I guess that would help. I’m at 355 President Street. It’s an apartment building by the bay.”
“Yes. Give him your address and invite him to come up.”
“No fucking way.” I said it out loud, which was ridiculous.
“Huh? You okay? Do you need to go to the emergency room?” Burly and beautiful asked me.
“I’m fine, really. I’m just a little frazzled from the accident.” I reached up and touched the bandage on the side of my head. It was no excuse for what I’d said, but I had no idea how to explain what the hell was going on in my brain.
“I’m not going to shut up, Avery.”
The rest of the ride was silent until Holden pulled in front of my building. “Thank you, Holden. I appreciate the ride.”
He nodded. “Do you need a ride back out there tomorrow? I mean, to deal with your car.”
“It’s not my car, actually; it belongs to my best friend. I’m not sure how to tell her I wrecked it. She and our other roommate won’t be back until after New Years, so I’ll have time to figure it out. But thank you for the ride home.”
“Take him up on it. Don’t be an idiot.”
I wanted to bash my head against the dashboard of Holden’s truck, but I didn’t think that would help the throbbing headache I was getting. That voice was fucking killing me.
“Look, if you need a ride out to that spot, I don’t mind taking you. Here’s my business card. I’m glad you’re okay, Avery.” He extended his hand with a business card, and as I peered into those stunningly beautiful blue eyes, my breath caught in my throat.
I took a second to try to calm down. “I’ve already been a burden to you, Holden. Thank you for everything you’ve done.”
“Take the damn card.”
I grabbed the card and hurried into my building, taking the elevator up to my floor. I got off and let myself into the apartment I shared with Brooke and Kyle. What I didn’t expect to see was a young woman standing in front of the windows that faced the bay.
“Who are you?”
She didn’t appear to be threatening, but I didn’t know her. How the fuck had she entered our apartment?
“It doesn’t matter who I am. What matters is what you’re going to do next.”
Her voice seemed to float on the air, but I still didn’t know who the fuck she was.
“And why are you here? Are you a friend of Brooke’s?”
The woman smiled. “I’m not a friend of Brooke’s, but I think she’s fantastic. She tells you the truth, Avery, and that’s what you need. Now, let’s talk.”
“What’s your name? I think I’m owed that, at least.”
I wasn’t afraid of the woman for some reason. There was something about her that seemed friendly. Call me crazy, but I really wanted to hear what she had to say.
“I’m Happy. Are you okay, Avery? You did hit your head pretty hard in the car.”
I chuckled. “I did hit my head, Happy, which is why I think you’re here. Do I need to go to the hospital?”
She giggled. “I think you’re fine. Headaches? Puking?”
It was my turn to laugh. “Nope, but I am tired. How did you get into my apartment?”
Happy smirked. “We’ll talk about that later. Go to bed, Avery. You’re coming down from an adrenalin rush. You’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep, doll. Trust me. Oh, turn on the television, will you?”
I picked up the remote and turned on a movie channel before tossing it on the couch. I should have asked a lot of questions of the unknown woman standing in my apartment who didn’t belong there, but I was fucking exhausted.
Plus, thoughts of Holden Rose still had me distracted.
What I really needed was to go to sleep without dreams of him dancing through my head. It was all too much.
My alarm sounded at seven on Saturday morning, just like clockwork. I went through the normal routine of shaving, brushing my teeth, and showering. I had an ugly bruise and a scab on the left side of my forehead, which reminded me of the fucked-up car situation.
After I dressed in some warm sweats, I went to the kitchen to make coffee while I figured out what to do about Brooke’s car.
“God, what a cluster fuck.”
“Call Holden Rose. He seemed like a capable guy. He even offered to drive you out there. I bet he can help you figure it out.”
I dropped the coffee pod and spun around, seeing a beautiful young woman with long golden-brown hair that hung to her waist. She was wearing a fashionable tracksuit and a pair of white sneakers, and she was truly beautiful.
“Who are you?” I reached into a drawer and pulled out the first thing I touched which was...a paring knife. How the hell did one threaten an intruder with a paring knife? I confidently thrust it forward anyway. “Stay back. I... How’d you get in here?”
That’s when it came back to me. Her name was Happy—what kind of name was that?—and she’d been in the apartment when I got home the previous night. It wasn’t a stupid dream like I’d told myself.
“You’ll figure it out, doll. How’s your head?”
I’d removed the gauze and tape sometime during the night because it itched like crazy.
I did have a dull headache, but it was better than when I went to bed. I went to the cabinet over the sink and pulled out a bottle of ibuprofen.
“Little bit of a headache. Are you a figment of my imagination or a hallucination caused by this bump on my head?”
Happy giggled, which sounded like bells ringing.
“No. You’re not hallucinating, Avery, and I’m not a figment of your imagination.
I’m as real as any other spirit. That bump on your head seems to have jarred something that made it so you could also see me.
I’m the voice in your head that you can’t turn off, and I’ve been around for years. You just couldn’t see me.”
Wtf? “How... You said you’re a spirit. What’s that mean?”
Happy put her hands on her hips. “Think about it, for crap’s sake.” She clapped her hands in a rapid fashion to emphasize her next words. “What is a spirit? Think Jacob Marley.”
Jacob Marley? Was he one of Bob’s sons? Oh! That Christmas movie.
“You mean from ‘A Christmas Carol’? You’re haunting me to try to change my mean ways and get me to spread my wealth? I hate to tell you, but I don’t have any money. Every penny I make that doesn’t cover the rent and utilities goes back into our marketing business.”
Happy rolled her eyes. “Yes and no. See, I’m not sure how much to tell you without you freaking out.”
That right there freaked me out. “Look, maybe tell me what I did to have you haunt me.”
“I wouldn’t call it haunting, exactly. I have a vested interest in making sure you make the most of your second... chance... iiin ... liiiiffffe.” I had no idea why she suddenly broke into song.
“Just tell me whatever it is.”
“I’m disappointed. I thought you’d be more into playing a guessing game.” She sat down on the kitchen table and crossed her arms.
Something occurred to me. We’d never met before. How did she know things about me? Did she try to steal my identity? “How’d you know I got a second chance in life? Do you know—how much do you know about me?”
“I know your name is Avery Randall Langhorn. Your middle name is that of your maternal grandfather who died right before you were born. I know you just broke up with that jerk, Devin. You think your mother is exactly like your grandmother Elizabeth, and you don’t want to start looking for an apartment yet. ” She swung her legs like a kid.
The coffee maker sputtered to an end, and I opened the fridge to get the half and half. “Man, that’s something I really miss about being dead. I lived on coffee.” She gave the air a big sniff.
“So, you’re a ghost, then?” Lord, had I been roofied? When the hell would that have happened?
“Yes, but I prefer spirit, thank you. I was killed in an accident.”
I swallowed. “What did you do before you—uh.” Nice of me to remind her she was dead.
“Uh?” She rolled her eyes. “It’s okay to say before I died.
I was a professional dancer on Broadway.
When I didn’t have a show, I danced at a gentlemen’s club in Manhattan, but my family doesn’t know that, so don’t mention it, please.
My parents and my brother would have had a fit, but you gotta pay the rent, ya know?
Before my accident, I had just auditioned for a part in My Fair Lady at the Vivian Beaumont Theater.
I auditioned for maid Number Two, and before I was headed home for Christmas, I found out I got the part. I never got to tell my family.”
I shrugged. “How long do you plan to stick around? How old were you when you... uh...?”
Happy giggled. “I was your age. I was a little younger than you, twenty-three. I was headed home to surprise my family for the holidays and pfft.”
“Pfft?” What the hell?
“You know. The minister at my funeral said I was ‘a life snuffed out too soon.’ As I think about it, that’s a little morbid, isn’t it?”
She wasn’t wrong.
“Do you mind telling me how you died?” I was immediately worried about asking her the question
“Does it matter? I’m still dead.”
“Of course it matters,” I responded. “You were part of a family, and I’m sure they miss you. Why don’t you go be with them?” And please leave me the fuck alone.
Happy giggled again. “My family doesn’t need me like you do, doll. Now, what are you going to do about Brooke’s car?”
“Did you know Brooke before you... uh?”
She turned to me and shook her head. “No. I only got to know Brooke and Kyle from being with you. They’re so sweet, and I’m glad they got engaged. You did a good thing there, Avery.”
Heat rose on my cheeks. “I love them both, and I want them to be happy. Like you said, they’re sweet, and they’ll take care of each other.
” I let out a long breath. “Is there any way I could get you to leave? I need to work on a project that I should have turned in yesterday. Can you let me do that?”
“Why do I need to leave? I can be quiet while you work. Do I really gotta leave? We still need to deal with Brooke’s car, you know.” She hopped down from the table and seemed to float closer to me. “Please? Call Holden to take you out there.”
If anyone would have told me a woman would be my weakness, I’d have laughed in their face. “Fine. Just be quiet, okay?”
Happy ran her thumb and index finger over her lips like closing a zipper, which made me laugh. She was a colorful spirit for sure.
That, or I’d finally fallen off the sanity cliff.