Unfinished Business An Angela Panther Novel (A Chick-lit Paranormal book) (The Angela Panther Series) (9 page)

The expression of indignation on her face was comical, and of course she gave me the famous eye roll. “Everyone wears their shorts like this, Mom.”

I pushed back the desire to ask her what she’d do if all of her friends jumped off of a cliff, because I always thought that comeback was stupid, so instead went with, “I don’t care what other people are wearing. They’re not my kids. Now go and change your shorts or you’re not going to Taylor’s house.”
Did I have this mother thing down or what?

She turned away in a huff and stomped back to her room. Stomping is a pet peeve of mine. I know it was her way of venting her frustration, and it was probably better than a smart mouth – which she used far too often – but for me, it was an invitation for an argument. I breathed in deeply and counted to ten. It wasn’t meditation, but it helped.

Five minutes later she was back downstairs in a pair of shorts just slightly longer than the first and carrying a bigger tote. I was reasonably sure my daughter thought I was an idiot. If she actually believed I didn’t think the booty shorts were in that tote, well then, who was the stupid one? “Lemme see what’s in the bag, Em.”

Her eyes widened. “It’s just my bathing suit and a towel. We might go to the pool later.”

And the first place for the
who’s the most stupid contest of the day
went to Emily.

I didn’t even attempt to acknowledge her avoidance technique. “Lemme see what’s in the bag, Em.”

She sighed as if she couldn’t believe I’d ask something so incredibly stupid, and shoved the bag out toward me. I managed to take it slowly, instead of snatching it away from her and sticking my tongue out at her. I was the adult, after all.

I pulled out the booty shorts and left her with her bikini and the rest of the bag’s contents. Yes, I realized the irony of taking out the booty shorts and leaving the bikini, and I also realized the size of the bikini would show more of the booty than visible in the booty shorts, and was pretty sure this argument was coming. So before she had a chance to start on me, I gave her my reasoning. “The shorts are not appropriate to wear in public and while I’m not a fan of this bikini, it was meant for a specific environment, so I’m letting you wear it. If, however, I find that you’re wearing it outside of the pool area, I will get you a more conservative one piece and we’ll burn this one together in the fire pit, just to make sure it’s really gone. Do you understand?”

Eye roll. Check. Frustrated sigh. Check.

“Can I get a
‘Yes, Mom’
?”

Em grunted, “Yes, Mom,” and headed out to the car.

I considered talking to her about what my mother mentioned at the memorial service, but decided neither of us was in the right frame of mind for a casual discussion about her life. Not that any discussion about her life was ever actually casual. She was fifteen and couldn't comprehend casual, and every conversation was viewed as a direct assault on her personally, regardless of its content. It was  time to do a little research on her computer, instead. I didn’t actually promote sneakiness in general, but when it was about raising kids, I wasn’t opposed to a little amateur detective work.

Emily fiddled with the radio to avoid dealing with me, which was fine with me. I had no interest in dealing with any more drama at that point, considering I had my own personal drama to deal with. I dropped her off at Taylor’s, said a quick hello to Chris, Taylor’s mother, and headed out to meet Mel.

B
eing visited by your dead mother changed a person, aside from the whole
am I going crazy
thing, that is. Maybe now I saw things differently or was more open to what was going on around me, I don’t know. I knew things were different but I couldn’t quite figure out how. That’s why, when I was at Starbucks waiting for Mel and chatting with my favorite barista, Jenn as she made my venti nonfat with whip mocha, I was slightly taken aback by the woman who hovered behind her. It was just for a second, so I couldn’t be sure if I actually saw her or imagined her.

That’s exactly how I felt when I first saw Ma, too.

My spidey senses told me this probably wasn’t my imagination, but I wasn’t prepared to go there just yet. It wasn’t like I could tell Jenn about it anyway. What was I going to say,
“Hey, look behind you, quick! There’s a ghost there.”
Jenn didn’t seem to sense anything anyway, so who was I to freak her out? She squirted another dollop of whipped cream onto my drink. “Looks like you need a little extra today, girl friend.”

So much for not noticing anything. I thanked her and grabbed a table in the corner and waited for Mel.

Mel arrived, ordered her caramel macchiato and got right to the subject. Not one for easing into anything, ever. “So, tell me what’s going on.”

I filled her in on what happened with Jake, paying extra attention to the grandma prostitute part. I couldn’t help it. A prostitute the age of a grandmother fascinated me even more than the fact that I could see the ghost of my dead mother. I guess some things just seemed normal when they happened enough.

She laughed. “That’s hilarious. Oh, my God. Jake must have died! He’s so proud all of the time. I bet that threw him for a loop, being propositioned by an old woman. It had to have been a hit to his ego.”

“You know, I don’t think so. I think he liked it. I don’t mean it turned him on – not that kind of like – but I think it flattered him. He probably thinks he’s appealing to all ages now. Good Lord, his ego is going to blow up like a hot air balloon.” We both laughed because we knew it was probably true.

“That’s priceless. Nick would be horrified if that happened to him. Horrified. But totally fun to watch.”

We laughed some more.

We talked about Ma’s ghost and Jake, and agreed it was just the start of something way out of his comfort zone.

“This is going to be tough for him to deal with, Ang.”

“I know, and I’m not really looking forward to it, either.”

I told her about seeing the woman behind Jenn.

Mel’s eyes lit up. “Wait. So you’re telling me you saw a ghost here?”

“Yes. No.” I shook my head. “Okay, maybe?” I took the lid off of my cup and scooped up some of the luscious whipped cream with my finger. Who cared about germs when there was fresh whipped cream? “I don’t know. I don’t think so. I mean, it was just a flash and really, I didn’t see anything clearly enough to say for sure.”

Mel stirred the caramel on the top of her macchiato with her finger and licked it clean. Kindred souls, I tell ya, kindred souls. “Well, did you say anything to her?”

“What was I supposed to say? ‘
Hey, Jenn, you know any dead people who might want to say, stand behind you while you make drinks?
’ No, I did not say anything to her. I may be seeing ghosts but I’m not nuts.”

There was something sort of ironic about that statement.

“Wow. Just, wow. You totally saw another ghost, Ang. Oh my God. Do you know what this means?” I heard a hint of excitement in her voice and wasn’t sure I liked where this was going.

From the corner of my eye, I saw an older woman enter the store. I turned and stared at her for a minute to see if she’d disappear.

Mel turned and stared at her, too. “She’s not a ghost, Ang. I can see her too."

Gawd she was loud sometimes. “Mel, seriously. Like I need everyone at Starbucks thinking I’m a nut case.” I took a big sip of my drink and shook my head.

Mel giggled. “Whoops. My bad.”

Before Mel could drop her,
do you know what this means
bomb on me, my cell phone alerted me to a text from Emily. She wanted me to come and get her. I texted her back and asked why, since I’d just dropped her off. She must have assumed my response because she sent another text almost immediately saying she didn’t feel well. I couldn’t leave Mel in the middle of this. She’d probably pee herself if we didn’t finish this conversation, so I texted Em back, told her I was in the middle of something and could come in about an hour but to text her dad if it was urgent.  Not that I felt Jake would get her, but it bought me some time. She seemed fine this morning and I couldn’t help but wonder if this had something to do with what my mother said. I was probably going to have to figure this out sooner rather than later.

Mel grabbed her phone off of the table. “I knew we should have seen a psychic when we were in New York. I can’t believe we chickened out. We’re going to do that now. Today.” I watched as her fingers swiped up and down on her phone. “We’ll find one somewhere and see if we can get an appointment right away. We’re going to figure this out one way or another, though I’m pretty sure we already know what’s happening.”

I breathed in deeply and felt the tension in my chest. I held my breath for a second and then let it out slowly. I wasn’t sure I was ready for this, this...whatever it is. “Emily needs me to pick her up. She’s not feeling good.”

Mel didn’t look up from her phone. “Jake’s home, right? He can do it. He’s probably looking for an excuse to ride the Harley anyway. Maybe he’ll run into some Harley-riding grandmothers and give them a cheap thrill.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Besides, she was right. I hadn’t thought of the Harley angle. That’s the one thing about Mel that makes me love and hate her at the same time. She’s always right. I quickly called Jake about Em, while Mel called a psychic she found on the Internet.

“He said he’ll get her and didn’t even question why I didn’t want to.” I said a silent thank you to God for giving me such a laid back, trusting husband, and waited for Mel to finish the call.

“Okay. We’re meeting with a woman named Linda. She does tarot card readings and has the gift of sight, whatever that means, but she said she can see us right away, so what have we got to lose?”

“How much is this going to cost me and what if she’s a fake?” I didn’t really intend to sound so critical, but I’d gone to psychics before and was pretty sure I’d been scammed. What’s to say it wouldn’t happen again?

“It’s one hundred and twenty-five dollars, and Ang, if she’s a fake, she won’t be able to validate anything that’s happening, so just don’t tell her what’s happening. Don’t even tell her your mother is dead. Just see what she says. It’s worth a shot, don’t you think?”

I thought she was right, so I agreed.

Mel decided to drive us both, likely fearing I’d blow it off, which I might have done. Sometimes it was annoying to be known so well
.

###

O
n the drive to Atlanta, Mel offered me advice on what to say and how to answer questions. She asked if she could be in the room, too.

“Um, yes. Of course you can be in the room with me. If she lets you, that is. I’d much rather do this with you there than by myself. Besides, this is your idea anyway so you should be there.” I didn’t tell her why I really want her there, which was, of course, because I was scared shitless.

Psychic Linda had a tiny storefront in a small strip mall off of Peachtree Street in Buckhead. The mall appeared semi-new and full, which was surprising given the state of the economy. I suspected her business was thriving though. People get scared when the world is in such turmoil and seek comfort in all sorts of ways.

We walked in and read the sign on the desk. Following the directions, Mel rang the bell. We couldn’t hear it, but the sign said Psychic Linda would. So we waited, both of us about ready to pee in our pants, only for different reasons.

I bounced on one foot. “If she’s psychic, why do we need to ring the bell?"

“Stop it. You have to keep an open mind about this or it won’t help. Listen, you’re the one seeing all kinds of ghosts, so don’t you think it’s possible she might be able to too?”

“I’m not seeing all kinds of ghosts. Just one, maybe two.”

“Angela.”

“What?”

“Stop it. You’re freaking out without reason. Save it for later, like when she tells you you’re psychic or something.”

I bounced faster.

“Stop bouncing.”

“You’re not my mother.” I stuck my tongue out at her. 

“No, I’m not, but she’s dead and I’m stuck with you.”

“I’m feeling the love.”

“You know I’m right.”

Yes, I knew she was right, which frustrated me, again. “Fine.”

We stood in the waiting area next to a long, brown and green striped couch. Three impressionistic paintings in soft muted colors that didn’t at all match the couch hung on the wall in front of us, but aside from a small floor lamp and the sign, the rest of the room was empty. I was starting to think this wasn’t a good idea or at least that this psychic wasn’t the one we should see. If she was good, she should have been able to afford better furniture or at the least a coffee table.

Mel nudged me with her elbow. “I know what you’re thinking so stop,” she whispered.

“You know I’m thinking she needs a coffee table? Holy crap! You’re like, totally psychic too. Why do we need the psychic Linda when we have the mind reader Mel, who’s free, by the way? Let’s take my one hundred and twenty-five dollars and go get some cupcakes.” I laughed at my own wit.

Mel laughed too, and I considered telling her I was serious about the cupcakes, but a woman with really bad timing walked in before I got the chance. Sometimes I have crappy luck.

The psychic Linda didn’t look like a psychic. No long, colorful, flowing skirt or funky scarf. Instead she wore black leggings with red cowboy boots, and a long, blue, pretty stylish actually, sweater. Score a point for psychic Linda. I’ve learned to never trust a woman with bad fashion sense. We introduced ourselves and she motioned for us to follow her through the door. I admit I felt a little uneasy, as if maybe walking through that door might change my life. I had no idea then how much it actually would.

Psychic Linda sat behind a table filled with candles, and motioned for us to take seats across from her. “Well now, who is here for a reading, today?"

I shifted in my seat a little and Mel piped up “Oh, it’s Angela. I’m just here for support, if that’s all right.”

Psychic Linda's lips curled into a smile.  “Oh, absolutely. I have many clients who bring in their friends and family for support, and it’s usually not a problem. I find I can connect with the person here for the reading just fine most of the time, but if your energy is strong and begins to impede on my connection with Angela, you’ll have to wait outside.” She turned her attention toward me. “What can I do for you today, Angela?”