The Ex Who Saw a Ghost (Charley's Ghost Book 4) (6 page)

Amanda opened the door of her apartment.

Jenny hurried toward her as fast as her bulk would allow. “We’ve been so worried!” Her small features were pinched with genuine concern.

“We have.” Sunny stood just behind Jenny. “You look exhausted.” So did she. Her usual vibrancy didn’t quite make it to her eyes or her voice. Even her red hair, so much like Amanda’s except for a few strands of white, appeared listless and tired.

Jenny took Amanda’s arm and urged her inside. “Where have you been? I’ve imagined all kinds of horrible things. You always have had a knack for getting into trouble. Remember when you rode off with that guy on a motorcycle and we thought you’d been kidnapped? And the time you were trying to smoke and almost set the house on fire? And—”

“Okay, enough reminiscing about the good old days. I’m sorry.”

Jenny frowned, spread a hand on her stomach and rubbed.

Was the baby coming? Amanda looked at Sunny and saw the same panic on her face.

“Are you all right?” Amanda asked.

Jenny sank onto the sofa, still holding her stomach. “Your niece was worried too. She’s been kicking like a football player.”

“I’m sorry,” Amanda repeated. “I went to see Teresa. Ross and Jake came over and we went for a drive in the country.”

Jenny and Sunny looked at her expectantly.

“Don’t tell her you were out looking for dead bodies,” Charley said. “She’ll have that baby right here. Then we really won’t get any sleep because babies cry a lot.”

“We drove down a long country road and we went for a walk and it just took longer than we thought to get back here. I’m really sorry you all were worried and that you made that drive up here at this time of the night, Sunny.”

“Not a problem,” Sunny assured her. “I don’t have to be in court until tomorrow afternoon. I’m glad your sister called me. I’ll sleep better tonight now that I know you’re okay.” She picked up her purse from beside the sofa. “And speaking of sleep, I’m going to head home and let you all get some.”

Jenny struggled to her feet. “I wish we could offer to let you stay here tonight, but Amanda doesn’t have a guest room.”

“It’s okay,” Sunny said. “It’s only about fifty miles, and since I know a good lawyer who can get me out of a speeding ticket, I’ll make it in half an hour.”

“I think that’s just wonderful that Amanda has a friend who’s a lawyer. Our dad’s a judge, and my husband’s a lawyer.” She frowned at the mention of Davey. “Can I get you another Coke? Amanda, Sunny doesn’t drink coffee either. Amanda is the only one in our family who doesn’t. The rest of us love our coffee, but Amanda’s never liked it. Very strange that she didn’t get the coffee gene. I wonder if my baby will? Davey drinks coffee too.”

Sunny grinned and winked at Amanda, sharing the knowledge that she wasn’t really the only one in the family who didn’t like coffee. Neither did her biological mother.

“A Coke for the road would be great.”

Jenny turned and left the room.

“I hope she and her husband patch things up before the baby comes,” Sunny said. “I can’t picture her as a single mom. She seems kind of...helpless.”

Amanda rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry about her. She’s helpless in a very tough way. She’ll be back with her adoring husband long before that baby gets here.” Amanda looked at Jenny’s protruding stomach as she waddled back from the kitchen with a red can in each hand. “I hope.”

Amanda and Charley walked downstairs with Sunny.

Sunny slid into her little red sports car.

“Text me when you get home safely,” Amanda said.

A smile lit Sunny’s tired features. “I will. Thanks.”

“For what?”

“For caring.” She closed the door and roared away.

“If I had the energy,” Amanda said, “I’d go back upstairs and kill my sister.”

“Not a good idea. What if she comes back as a ghost and you can’t get away from her?”

“You’re right. Not a good idea.”

Amanda climbed the stairs to her apartment.

Jenny sat on the sofa holding a glass of water in one hand, staring at it in disgust. “It seems like a year since I’ve had a glass of wine or a cup of coffee.”

Amanda sank down beside her. “I guess you can’t have Coke either?”

Jenny shook her head. “Caffeine.”

“Thank God for that,” Charley said. “Hyper as she already is, I’d hate to see her after a couple of cups of coffee.”

“It won’t be long.”
Please let it be long enough for her to get back home!

“Sunny’s nice. You met her at Charley’s funeral? She knew Charley?”

“She lives in a small town. Everybody knows everybody.” Amanda considered leaving it at that, but there was no point in trying to protect Charley’s reputation since he had none to start with. “She was Charley’s attorney on a drug charge.”

“Blabbermouth,” Charley said.

“Oh!” Jenny’s eyes widened and she lifted a hand to her mouth. “That doesn’t surprise me. I never trusted that man.”

Charley made a rude noise. “I never trusted you either.”

Amanda looked at her hands. She was not going to laugh at Charley’s rude comment. She bit her lip. She absolutely was not going to laugh.

“She looks familiar,” Jenny said. “Have I met her before?”

“Who?”

“Sunny.”

Charley burst into eerie laughter. “Duh! She looks like you. Or you look like her. How dense can your sister be?”

Charley wasn’t funny anymore.

“Wouldn’t it be hilarious if she figured out who Sunny is and realized dear old Dad isn’t a saint and your mother...” His voice trailed off. “Or maybe it wouldn’t be hilarious.”

It would definitely not be hilarious. On a good day, Jenny would have major hysterics should she learn the distressing and scandalous truth about her family. And this was far from a good day. When the story of Amanda’s birth came out a few months before, they had all agreed that Jenny did not need to know.
She’s too delicate
, their mother said.
She’s too ditzy,
their father said. As usual, Amanda agreed with her father.

“Sunny’s a lawyer,” Amanda said. “You probably saw her at one of the parties Davey dragged you to or one of the dinners Mother had for Dad’s associates.”

Jenny’s forehead creased, but she nodded. “I guess.” She yawned and ran a hand through her short, dark hair. “Well, I’m exhausted. Past my bedtime.”

“Guess that means she’s going to sleep here again tonight,” Charley grumbled.

“So,” Amanda said, “did you talk to Davey today?” She tried not to look too eager.

Jenny shifted her shoulders in a casual shrug. “He called, but I didn’t answer. He called your number too. I didn’t answer that either.”

“You can’t work things out if you don’t talk to him.”

“I don’t want to work things out. My mind is made up.” She leaned over and kissed Amanda’s cheek. “I’m glad you’re home safe.” She struggled to her feet and staggered to the bedroom.

Damn. That last comment and gesture took a lot of the steam out of her anger at her sister.



Dawson was hard at work repairing the shovel head engine of a 1971 Harley Davidson FX Super Glide when Amanda got down to the shop the next morning.

“Sorry I’m late,” she mumbled, heading to the small office at the back of the work room to get a Coke. She’d dressed as quickly and quietly as possible to avoid waking Jenny and hadn’t wanted to risk opening the refrigerator and popping the top on a can of Coke.

Dawson looked up over the frames of his glasses and gave her his shy smile. “I think it’s okay if you’re late since you’re the boss. Everything all right with your sister?”

“She’s still asleep. Sorry about the hassle yesterday.” Amanda retrieved a Coke from the small refrigerator and took a long, slow, delicious gulp.

“No problem,” Dawson called from the other room. “I wasn’t worried. You can take care of yourself. I’ve seen you do it.”

Amanda sat down at the cluttered desk and took her cell phone from her pocket. Such a small object to have caused so much trouble yesterday.

She looked at her list of missed calls. As Jenny had said, Davey had phoned yesterday and left a voice mail.

“Amanda, this is David Carter, Jenny’s husband.” Duh. “I’m very worried about her and the baby. She’s been gone for two days. If you hear from her, would you please let me know?”

Returning his call would be the polite thing to do. It wasn’t as if she was interfering in her sister’s affairs. He’d called her first.

He answered immediately.

“Hi, Davey. This is Amanda. I’ve got your wife.”

“Is she okay? Is the baby okay?”

“Jenny and the baby are fine. I think she’d like to come home—”

Charley burst into laughter. “You’d like her to go home!”

“But you know how stubborn she can be,” Amanda continued. “I don’t know what you all fought about, but I’m sure if you were to show up with roses or a box of chocolates—”

“She can’t eat chocolate with the baby.”

“Remind me never to get pregnant,” Amanda mumbled.

“What?”

“I’m sure the baby will have no objection to roses. Or a piece of jewelry.” Surely there was a piece of jewelry out there somewhere that Jenny didn’t have. “Mostly I think she’d just like to know you’re concerned about her. Come by and tell her you’re sorry about whatever happened.”

“But I don’t know what happened. I came home to find her gone and a note saying she couldn’t take it anymore. She didn’t say what it was she can’t take anymore. She’s been a little temperamental since she got pregnant.”

And before she got pregnant.
Amanda took another long drink of her soda. “It doesn’t matter what she can’t take anymore. Yes, she’s a little irrational right now. Hormones and all. Just bring her flowers and jewelry and tell her you’re sorry.”

“How can I apologize when I don’t know what I did wrong?”

Amanda looked toward the ceiling. Instead of divine guidance, she saw only Charley.

“It’s easy. Just open your mouth and say, Jenny, I’m sorry, I miss you, I love you, please come home.”

Silence.

“Pretend you’re trying to convince a client to sign a contract.”

“There’s a diamond and emerald ring she’s been wanting.”

“Good! Get her that and say the words I taught you. Jenny, I’m sorry, I miss you, I love you, please come home.”

“I’ll have to get a larger size since her fingers are swollen from the pregnancy. She could have it resized after the baby comes.”

“Bad idea. Get her a necklace. Her neck isn’t swollen. What did I tell you to say?”

“Jenny, I’m sorry, I miss you, I love you, please come home.”

“Good. I’ve got to go. A customer just came in.”

“Thank you, Amanda.”

She disconnected the call. “If I had to talk to him every day, I’d be as nuts as my sister.”

“He has to talk to your sister,” Charley said. “That would make anybody crazy.”

“I’m going to work on a nice, uncomplicated motorcycle.”

“I’ll help.”

“In that case, I need another Coke.”

She tucked her phone into her back pocket to keep it close. The list of people who might call was getting longer by the minute. Davey, Jenny, Jake, Teresa, Ross—and she didn’t expect good news from any of them.



Amanda, Dawson, and Jenny were finishing the salads Jenny had ordered for their lunch when Teresa burst into the shop.

“Amanda!”

“Back here in the office.”

Teresa paused in the doorway, gazing with wild eyes at the three of them sitting around the littered desk. “I need...is there somewhere we can talk in private?”

“I’m done.” Dawson rose and picked up his almost empty plastic container. “I have an engine to work on.”

Jenny rose also. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Jenny Carter, Amanda’s sister.” She extended a hand.

Teresa’s expression became even wilder as she accepted Jenny’s hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Teresa Landow.”

“Oh, you’re Teresa! You and Amanda had quite the adventure yesterday! I’m so glad you’re both okay. Sunny and I were quite worried. Do you know Sunny? She’s a friend of Amanda’s. She met him at Charley’s funeral.”

Teresa gave Amanda a desperate look.

Charley twirled a finger around his ear to indicate Jenny was nuts.

“No, Teresa hasn’t met Sunny.” Amanda lifted the container holding the rest of Jenny’s salad. “Why don’t you take this upstairs and eat in a cleaner place where you don’t have to smell paint and grease?”

“Oh! Of course. You want to talk in private. I’ll just go upstairs and leave the two of you alone.” She crossed the room then turned back at the door. “Nice to meet you, Teresa. I’m staying with Amanda for a while. My husband and I are separated, and I’m pregnant. I’m so grateful to Amanda for taking me in.” She wiggled her fingers in a cutesy good-bye and left, closing the door behind her.