Chapter Four
Robbie
Iwas staring. Had been staring at ghost guy for more than thirty minutes.
I just couldn’t understand how he could be alive when I’d watched him die three months ago.
A beautiful October morning. The Friday before Thanksgiving.
One of my favorite times of year because I was always thankful for what I had.
Specifically, living on my own, away from my family in Chilliwack and their oppressive views about homosexuality.
Like that being gay was a sin against God.
Yeah. God and I hadn’t seen eye-to-eye on a lot of things. The day my co-worker died in my arms was the day God and I had parted company forever.
Except now I was staring at my co-worker.
In the flesh. Who was clearly laughing and enjoying the company of an entire group of people that included three gay couples, a lesbian couple, several het couples, and one couple I couldn’t figure out and since it was none of my damn business, I just moved right along.
So I could keep staring at ghost guy.
Suddenly, my view was blocked.
My gaze traveled upward from the black linen trousers, to the interesting belt buckle to the electric-purple tie to the crisp white shirt and black jacket.
Higher still to the guy wearing the clothes I’d just weirdly catalogued.
Oh, serious dude. Black hair, dark brown eyes, who, if I had to guess, rarely smiled. He was with the guy who wore a pale-blue shirt with multicolored unicorns and had white-blond hair, blue eyes, and the widest smile I was pretty sure I’d ever seen.
And this couple had been sitting next to ghost guy.
I pasted on a smile. “Uh, hi.”
Serious dude looked seriously unimpressed. “What’s your name?”
“Uh, Robbie.” Shit, was I supposed to tell him that? “I mean, Robert. I mean…why are you asking, anyway? Who are you?”
“I’m the security supervisor for the studio. I’m responsible for the health and safety of all the cast, crew, and employees who work there.”
I blinked. “Studio?” I frowned. “What studio?”
His scowl intensified. I hadn’t thought that possible—but it did. “You’re saying you don’t recognize people at the table?”
I tried to gaze around him to actually look at the people sitting at the table.
He moved to block my view.
I rolled my eyes. “Dude, if you don’t let me look, how am I supposed to know?”
“You’re saying you weren’t watching us?”
“Who’s us? I don’t know any of you.” Not strictly the truth—because I knew ghost guy. But that kind of wasn’t the point. Or was it? “You’re saying you all work at the studio?”
“Yes.” Kind of growly.
“For how long?”
He arched an eyebrow.
I sort of gestured. “Like five days, five weeks, or five years?”
He glanced over his shoulder, then turned back. “Everyone is more than five weeks.”
I did some calculations in my mind. “More than three months?”
His eyes narrowed. “What are you getting at?”
“Well, I’m curious.” Right…like this isn’t going to land you in a heaping pile of warm cow shit. “I might, uh, know someone. And I didn’t know he worked for a studio.”
Serious dude put his hands on his hips. “I can confidently say everyone has worked there for more than three months. Now, what’s this about?”
“Uh, shouldn’t that be my question to you? I’m sitting here, minding my own business—”
A hand landing on serious-dude’s shoulder had him startling. He turned, still shielding me from whomever had come up behind him. “I thought I told you to wait.”
“Hallstein, I think you’re scaring the guy.” Ghost guy offered a smile to serious dude. Right…Hallstein.
“That’s the point. I have to be concerned about everyone’s safety.”
“No one in this bar doubts that.” Ghost guy finally met my gaze. “I’m Brody. We met earlier when you bumped into me. And my dog Minnie. Or maybe we bumped into you? Anyway, I tried to help you out, and you ran away, and I never thought I’d see you again, and yet here you are, and—”
Hallstein held up his hand. “You mean this guy is stalking you, and you didn’t say anything?” Serious dude looked seriously pissed.
I swallowed.
Ghost guy cocked his head. He gazed down at me.
“You’re not stalking me, are you? Because I certainly didn’t say I was coming here tonight, and unless you saw me go into my building, waited until I came out, then followed my cab…
this is all just a coincidence. Right?” For a moment, he appeared rattled.
Reassure him. “I am not stalking you. You…” I squinted. “I know you. But I can’t know you. And I’m so confused. I saw you earlier tonight, and I panicked because I can’t know you.” My mind scrambled. “You work at the…” I flailed my arms.
“Studio.” Hallstein. Ever helpful. Ever pissed.
“Right. So are you an actor or something?”
Ghost guy let out a bark of a laugh. “Oh, hell no. I leave that to the professionals like darling Dade over there.” He pointed to the other attractive blond guy. Who looked vaguely familiar. “I’m a—”
“He doesn’t need to know.”
Jesus, serious dude took everything so fucking seriously.
“Me telling some random stranger that I’m a key grip who works on movies and television shows isn’t going to increase or decrease the likelihood that he’ll continue to stalk me.”
“I’m not stalking you.”
He grinned—those blue eyes sparkling. “See.” He pressed a hand to Hallstein’s arm. “Nothing to worry about.” He met my gaze. “So why don’t we figure out why you think you know me, and then we can go back to—”
Even as he said the words, the entire bar started counting down from ten.
Nine, eight, seven…
My gaze never left ghost guy’s. I knew those eyes. Had looked into them any number of times. And yet this man was a stranger to me. I couldn’t figure it out.
Happy New Year…
Someone turned on a recording of “Old Lang Syne”. A song I’d never much cared for.
Also, white-blond hair guy grabbed Hallstein, spun him around, threw his arms around his neck, and gave him a rather indecent kiss with way more frotting than might’ve strictly been necessary.
After all the canoodling they’d done tonight, no one would be left in doubt they were together.
Oh, the matching wedding bands were also a good clue.
Ghost guy met my gaze. “May I sit?”
Slowly, I nodded.
He sat. And extended his hand. “I’m Brody.”
“Robbie.”
“Nice to meet you, Robbie. I’ve had two beers and so am pleasantly buzzed and not interested in drinking any more.” He pointed to my glass.
“Sparkling apple cider.”
“Ah. I know a farm up near Mission City where the guy makes his own. Absolutely delicious. Worth the drive.”
“My parents live in Chilliwack.” Inwardly, I winced.
“Lovely town. I enjoy the drive up to Hope sometimes. When I need to get out of the city. Or I go north to Whistler. That highway’s a little crazier.
” He offered another smile. “May I buy you another cider? I might try one of those myself.” He waved to a server who’d magically appeared. He pointed to my glass. “Two?”
“You bet. It might take a bit, though.” She took off through the overly enthusiastic crowd.
Brody turned back to me. “You’re having a nice evening?”
I blinked. Was I? I’d been here for hours, sitting on a stool at the bar and trying to find someone to pick up. Then, when I’d gone to the john, I’d spotted ghost guy.
Brody. Get that straight. Guy has a name.
I’d found an empty table where I could sit and watch him and had been doing so for the past little while. I wasn’t certain how long. I kept trying to reconcile that I knew this man was dead with the fact that he obviously wasn’t. My mind couldn’t wrap around the facts.
“Are you okay?” Brody gazed into my eyes. “Because you seem…uncomfortable. I can go—”
I grabbed his arm, even as he started to rise.
“Please don’t go—”
“Get your hand off him.” Hallstein was back. Should’ve known he hadn’t gone far.
Brody placed a hand on Hallstein’s shirt. “It’s really okay. Robbie and I are just going to sit and talk. Why don’t you and Myles go home and…” He made some inarticulate gesture.
Hallstein glared at me. Then his expression lightened at Brody. “Yes, I believe Myles has plans for us. Myles always has plans for us.”
“And the five cats?” Brody picked a piece of stray white cat hair off Hallstein’s pristine jacket.
“Motherfucker. That’s Claude. She’s always getting into my stuff. And I can’t run through the house without catching some of her fur.” He smiled. “And I love the little fluff ball.”
“I always say Minnie’s way simpler.” Brody grinned, then turned to me. “My mastiff. You, uh, sort of met her earlier. She’s easy to manage.”
“Unless she’s chasing a squirrel, and then she’s a one-hundred-pound menace.” Hallstein glared.
“Just be glad she’s only one hundred. Her father was closer to one-fifty.” He smiled at me. “They can go up to two-hundred-pounds.”
Holy shit. That’s about what I weigh.
“Are we talking about Minnie?” Bleach-blond guy pressed a hand to his chest. “She’s just the sweetest dog.”
“Except when she’s chasing squirrels.” Hallstein put on what I was starting to think of as his grump face.
Wait…does he have any other face?
Bleach blond extended his hand to me. “I’m Myles. I didn’t figure my boo was going to introduce me. I can see you’re cozying up to our Brody. Take care of him, eh? He’s a super-sweet guy, but—”
“Myles.”
Both Hallstein and Brody spoke at the same time.
The blond—Myles—pressed a hand to his chest. “What? I was just going to say that he’s had a rough year, and now that we’re starting fresh, maybe…I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name…”
“Robbie.”
“Right! Maybe Robbie can make it all better. Soothe his battered soul.”
“Thank you, Myles.” Brody rolled his eyes. “I think I can handle the rest of this on my own.”
“Well, I’m just making sure you get all the TLC you deserve.” Myles pressed himself against his husband. “Take me to bed and make me yours.”
Hallstein rolled his eyes. “I think that’s already happened.”
“Well, we can pretend it’s our first night together. Oh, do you remember…”
The serious dude’s eyes widened comically as he pressed a frantic hand to Myles’ mouth. “We said we’d never talk about that. Hey, did you just lick my hand?” He yanked his hand back.
Myles grinned. “Take me home and I’ll never breathe a word to anyone.”
Hallstein pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “I love you. I’m never sure why, but I do.”
“Oh, because I’m so clever…”
A pointed look from Hallstein actually had Myles shutting up. Then the serious dude turned back to me. “I’ve got a photo of you in my phone and the bar has surveillance. If Brody doesn’t call me in the morning, there’ll be hell to pay.”
This time, Brody rolled his eyes.
Hallstein glared. First at him, then at me.
I held up my hands to say I mean no harm.
Finally, after what felt like forever, Hallstein let Myles drag him out of the bar.
I let out a breath. “That’s one intense dude.”
Brody met my gaze. “And you seem to be too. Now tell me why you’re so convinced we’ve met.”