Chapter 4
“Your chariot awaits,” Dutton said as he held the door of the T-bird open for Dahlia.
She flashed him a sweet smile and then climbed into the car.
He paused for just a moment, admiring how the pretty blonde looked sitting in the red Thunderbird. Was it weird that it just seemed like she belonged there?
“Are we waiting for a chauffeur?” she asked, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
“What?” he asked, feeling like an idiot when she pointedly looked at the empty driver’s seat. “Sorry.” He quickly jumped into the car and fired up the engine. “I thought we’d head to The Fabled Courtyard. It’s a new French place. Sound good?”
“Sounds perfect,” she said as she leaned back and closed her eyes, enjoying the rumble of the classic motor.
Dutton had to work to tear his gaze away from her.
Had anyone ever looked so perfect riding in his car?
Most women he knew were funny about riding around with the top down, always worried about their hair getting messed up.
But not Dahlia. She was reveling in it. He’d happily drive her around all night if she’d let him.
But since he’d promised her dinner, he had to make good on a meal first.
“Finally!” A voice said from behind them.
Dutton jumped and swerved as he glanced at the back seat.
A vague outline of a man was sitting there with a cigarette dangling out of his mouth.
Slamming on the brakes, Dutton quickly pulled to the side of the road and then jumped out.
As he was rushing around to Dahlia’s side of the car, she turned to greet the ghostly figure.
“Well, hello there,” she said pleasantly. “Who might you be?”
“The owner of this fine vehicle. And you?”
“I’m Dahlia Day, and this is Dutton Williams, the current caretaker of this beautiful car,” she said with a pleasant smile.
Dutton blinked at Dahlia and then stared at the spirit that was leaning forward to talk to her.
“He’s done a fine job, but the alignment isn’t right. It pulls to the left.”
“I know that,” Dutton said a bit defensively. “I’ve been working on clients’ cars and haven’t gotten around to fixing it yet.”
The old man took a long drag of his cigarette and shook his head. “How can your customers trust you if you’re driving around with your own car out of alignment?”
“I’m sure Dutton will get to it as soon as he can,” Dahlia said. “What’s your name?”
“Sonny Crass.” The spirit held his hand out to her.
“I’d shake your hand, Sonny, but unfortunately, physics won’t allow me to.” Dahlia flashed him a sympathetic smile.
“Right.” Sonny put his hand down and scowled. “It’s times like these when I remember that being dead isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
Dahlia nodded in silent agreement.
The ghost looked longingly out at the redwoods.
“One of my fondest memories of this vehicle was when I took my wife on a ride out to the coast. We were just dating then, though. That was the night I asked for her hand in marriage. Best night of my life was when she said yes with the waves crashing over our feet”.
“That’s a lovely memory,” Dahlia said. “One for the books for sure.”
The ghost nodded, looking wistful. Then he glanced at Dutton. “You should take this beauty down to the river tonight. With the full moon shining, it’ll be magical”.
“You know,” Dutton said. “You just might be right about that. Thanks for the suggestion.”
Shaking his head, the ghost said, “All you young people are fools these days. Shouldn’t need an old geezer to get you to do something special for your girl.”
Dahlia let out a small snort of laughter as she gazed at Dutton with an amused expression.
“I’ll take it under advisement,” Dutton said dryly.
“Good.” The ghost eyed Dutton with intensity as he said, “Fix the alignment.” Then he disappeared, vanishing into the ether.
“Wha—what just happened?” Dutton asked.
Dahlia turned and grinned at him. “It seems Sonny really wanted to give you a courting lesson and tell you that the alignment needs to be fixed.”
He blinked at her. “Why aren’t you fazed by the fact that a ghost just popped into the car while we were driving down the road?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “It’s no big deal. He just wanted to give you a message.”
Dutton raised one eyebrow at her and then made his way back to the driver’s seat. Once he was in and buckled up, he asked, “Does that happen often around you? Are you a spirit witch?”
“Yes. And yes, I suppose you could say it happens fairly regularly. But only if I’m touching something that’s connected to someone who has passed on. In this case, I’m guessing that Sonny was the original owner of this vehicle.”
“I see,” Dutton said with a nod. “So you’re a medium then.”
She nodded. “Yes. I can communicate with spirits if there is a connection to something. The original owner of my Corvette pops in fairly often, but that’s because she misses rides out in the country.
Too often she demands that I take her to wine country.
I hope she’s open to the small wineries around here, or I’ll never hear the end of it. ”
Dutton let out a long breath, grateful he didn’t have that problem. If Sonny popped into the T-bird all the time, that would get annoying fast. “That’s quite the gift.”
“It is,” she said mildly. “When I was a younger, it was a burden, but now that I understand it, it’s fine. Except for one time when a ghost showed up in my grandmother’s bathroom as I was soaking into the clawfoot. That was quite the shock.”
“You’re kidding?” Dutton said as he fired up the T-bird again.
“Nope. Nothing like meeting a ghost for the first time in your birthday suit.” She shrugged. “It’s a good thing she didn’t scare the bejeezus out of me. I’d have been streaking through the house.”
Dutton let out a bark of laughter and then quickly clamped his mouth shut. “Sorry. That’s… too much.”
“You’re telling me,” she said. “Some days I think I’d prefer a more basic magical skill, like controlling fire or water, but I suppose this keeps things interesting. Besides, it can be rewarding sometimes. Helping those who have passed get messages to their loved ones never gets old.”
“Do you do that often?” Dutton turned onto Main Street and started to look for parking.
“No, but I plan to. I’m going to find some space to rent and put out my shingle here.”
“Medium for hire?” he asked.
“Yeah. That’s pretty much it. Though I don’t offer any guarantees. If a spirit doesn’t want to be contacted, there’s not much I can do about that.”
“And that doesn’t… I don’t know, creep you out or anything?
” he asked, his expression apprehensive.
The last thing Dutton wanted to do was talk to random dead people.
And if he had anything in his house that was connected to a spirit, he might have to get rid of it just so he didn’t feel like he was being watched.
Though he knew that was irrational, because it was pretty well accepted that spirits didn’t necessarily need to be connected to anything to roam various places.
She just laughed and shook her head. “I’m used to it now. And honestly, most don’t hang around for long. It takes too much energy.”
That was good to hear.
“What about your gift?” Dahlia asked. “I know you’re a fire witch and can control fire. And you’re obviously very good at it. But do you have any other gifts I should know about?”
“No, that’s the only one,” he said a little uneasily.
Dutton didn’t like talking about his gift.
There was too much history he’d rather forget.
But he’d saved her from an uncontrolled fire earlier in the day, so it wasn’t as if he could just shut down the conversation. “I only use it when it’s necessary.”
“Like today?” she asked.
“Exactly like today.” He gripped the wheel tighter, trying to ignore the anxiety that had suddenly taken over his body.
“It’s lucky for me and Shortcake that you were there. Thank you.”
He briefly glanced at her and nodded once. “You’re welcome.” And then, because he truly didn’t want to talk about magic anymore, he gave her a half smile and said, “So, runaway bride, with you relocating to Keating Hollow, are you running away from something again or running toward something?”
“Well, that was direct,” she said with a huff of laughter.
“I’ve been accused of that before,” he said with a shrug as they pulled into a parking spot that was a few doors down from the restaurant. “You don’t have to answer if that’s too personal.”
“It’s not,” she said, making no move to exit the car. “The last time I was here in Keating Hollow, I definitely was running from something. Obviously. And thank you by the way. My ex went back to his ex. I hope they both get what they deserve.”
Dutton snorted. “The universe seems to work that way.”
“It does, indeed. Glorious, isn’t it?” Her eyes were alight with mischief.
“Yeah, until your own karma catches up with you,” he said, his voice gruffer than he intended.
She raised one eyebrow in question.
He waved his hand, indicating he didn’t mean anything by it, but he definitely did.
“Anyway, I guess some people will think that I ran away from my life in the city. It’s not very mainstream to quit a big corporate job and then pack up and move to a small town in the middle of the redwoods.”
“Depends on who you ask, I suppose. Seems like it’s pretty normal for the residents of Keating Hollow.
” He’d packed it all up and moved to a town he hadn’t even known about all because he’d finally found his brother and wanted to make up for the years they’d been separated due to the foster care system breaking them up with they were still boys.
It seemed a lot of the more recent residents had also come from cities after leaving stressful jobs for the small magical town that was unlike anywhere else he’d ever been.
“You’re not wrong about that. But in my case, I think I was running toward this all year. Toward a more peaceful, meaningful life. The place that makes me feel like…” She shrugged. “Like me, I suppose.”
Dutton climbed out, circled the car, tugged her door open, and held his hand out to her.
She took it and let him help her out of the car.
“I know exactly what you mean.” He kept his hand clasped around hers as he led her toward the restaurant.
“Life in the city was a little soul-sucking. Here, in this magical town, it’s more about community and living an authentic life.
Whatever that means to an individual. There’s no corporate boss to answer to.
Every business in this town is a mom and pop, and that’s not something you can get just anywhere.
If I’d known this place existed ten years ago, I’d have moved then. ”
“That makes you smarter than me,” she said with a small shake of her head.
“It took me realizing that my fiancé was in love with someone else for me to really consider moving here. I guess I thought that I was going to build a life with him, and that he’d be the one place I called home.
” Dahlia scoffed. “My godmother had a lot to say about that. Anyway, the more I thought about moving here after my engagement blew up, the more at peace I started to feel. And when I began waking up every day thinking about starting my own business, that’s when I knew I was ready for the change.
So here I am, ready to jump in with both feet, and I’ve never been happier. ”
“That’s fantastic, Dahlia,” Dutton said, meaning it. “When I saw you last time you were here, you didn’t seem very settled in your decisions. But now you’re so confident and self-assured. And if I’m being honest, that’s sexy as hell.”
She looked up at him, her head tilted slightly as she eyed him with interest. “You know what, Dutton?”
“What’s that?” He wanted to reach out and cup her cheek. To caress her porcelain skin. Find out what she tasted like.
“That Thunderbird of yours isn’t the only thing that makes you sexy.”
He let out a surprised burst of laughter. “I think that statement right there makes it worth the hundreds of hours I’ve put into restoring it.”
“I do like a man who’s good with his hands.” She winked. “Maybe one day I’ll let you get your hands on my Corvette when she needs a tune-up.”
Her car wasn’t the only thing he wanted to get his hands on. But he kept that to himself. “I’d be honored.”