The Séance

ONE

It was starting to get dark already at—Natalie glanced at the time—barely six-thirty. And this was just the beginning. Before she knew it, it would be dusk at four-thirty.

She’d always hated how fall marched so quickly toward the long, cold, dark winter. Although now that she had a boyfriend, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

Early sunset meant she and Liam would have a good excuse to head to bed and snuggle.

Speaking of sunset…

Just as the sky turned to shades of pink and purple, Gabe walked through—as in through—the front door of the shop. But his appearance had nothing to do with the impending darkness. Unfortunately for her, and contrary to popular belief, ghosts didn’t only come out at night.

This particular spirit seemed to be active twenty-four seven, proving her supposition that ghosts didn’t need to sleep, which is probably why they were always bored and looking for mischief.

“Do you know what day it is?” Gabe asked after making a beeline toward her at the check-out counter.

“Um, Saturday? No. Sunday. Why?”

He rolled his eyes. “I meant the date. Not the day.”

“Forgive me but you said day, not date.”

Days of the week could get fuzzy for her since Once Upon a Vine was open seven days a week—something she was considering reevaluating—but today she actually did know the date. “It’s October first. I know because I had to flip the page on my wall calendar.”

“And?” he said pointedly.

“And what?” she asked, tired of this game.

She’d finished counting the cash drawer and unpacking that day’s deliveries. She’d fed Mr. Darcy—the ungrateful shop cat—and scooped the litter box even though he was outside as much as he was in.

Now she wanted to head to bed—and wait for her hottie boyfriend to join her there after he was done at the lab.

What she did not want to do was play guessing games with a ghost.

“Why isn’t the store decorated yet?” Gabe asked.

“Are you my merchandising coordinator now? It’s too soon for Christmas decorations. Shoppers get annoyed being bombarded with the holidays this early. I know I do. I’ll do all that November first.”

In fact, she was really looking forward to her first Christmas here in Mudville at the old train depot. And having a serious boyfriend for the holidays didn’t hurt.

She could get a really big tree—which she couldn’t do in her former tiny apartment—and Liam could help her set it up in the meeting room. It was going to be so much fun.

“Not Christmas. Halloween,” he corrected.

“Oh. Okay. I can do that. I’ll go to the farm market and grab a pumpkin and a couple of mums. Maybe some of that ornamental corn to hang on the door. Oh, and some of those corn stalks for either side of the front door. I always liked those. Couldn’t get them in the city.”

“That’s a start, I guess.” Gabe scowled.

Was he a decorator now too?

“A start? What else do you want? And why do you even care?”

“Because Halloween is the big one. It’s like Christmas for ghosts.”

“Hmm. I didn’t know that.”

“Neither did I but everyone else is so excited that it’s kind of infectious,” Gabe, who was still new at this ghost thing, admitted.

“I guess that makes sense. Actually, this might be a good marketing opportunity. Maybe we should plan some sort of event—”

The tinkling of the bell cut off whatever more Natalie might have said to him.

She was alone in the store so she couldn’t be caught talking to herself. Unless it was by Liam, the only other living human to know about her gift. And she used that term lightly.

“Hello.” Harper sing songed. “I know you’re closed but I saw the light on and thought I’d come in and say hi. And maybe grab a bottle of wine?”

Natalie laughed. “Of course. I’m never closed for friends.”

“Be careful with that. I might take advantage,” Harper grabbed a bottle from the shelf and carried it to the counter.

As Natalie rang up the purchase she said, “I’m glad you stopped in. I was thinking we should maybe do something in the shop for Halloween.”

“Yes! Halloween is huge around here. Especially on Main Street. We bought three-hundred and fifty pieces of candy last year to give out at Agnes’s house and we ran out just before curfew at seven.”

“All right. I guess that settles it. We’re doing something… But what?”

“Well, how about trick-or-treating for the kids from four to seven, because where there’s kids, there’s moms and it won’t hurt to draw them to the store. And then after we all shut off our porch lights for the night, do something here for the adults at like eight o’clock?” Harper suggested.

“All right. I’ll look for something cool to give out to the kids. Not candy though. Like maybe ghost shaped erasers.” She took out her phone and searched. “Oh, look. They have rubber duckies dressed like ghosts. Ooo, glow-in-the-dark ghost buttons. Oh, and pencils with ghost designs.”

Harper laughed. “You’re really into ghosts.”

Natalie realized she was in danger of outing herself and put down her cell. “Oh, you know. Ghosts and Halloween go hand in hand.”

Nearby, Gabe snorted. “Good save.”

Ignoring him, she asked, “What about for the adult event?”

“I don’t know.” Harper tapped her finger to her lips as she thought. “A costume party? Although that could be a lot of work and expense. Maybe a wine tasting, but that’s not really Halloweenish.”

“Not that anyone asked me but I have an idea,” Gabe said.

Unable to answer him, Natalie cut her gaze to Gabe, raising her eyebrows in a go on gesture she hoped Harper wouldn’t notice.

“A séance,” he said.

Now her brows really did fly up.

Séances were right up there with Ouija boards in her list of things she didn’t mess with. Not before she’d gained the power to speak to the dead and certainly not now after.

Messing with the occult seemed like asking for trouble.

“Let me google ideas for adult Halloween events,” Harper said, unaware of the conversation Natalie was silently having with Gabe.

As Harper whipped out her cell, Gabe continued, “Just hear me out. You can actually talk to the ghosts so your customers will be entertained. And, I didn’t want to bring this up, but there’s been some grumblings in the ghost community about you. You solved my murder and made sure the police found my next of kin to inherit my stuff, yet you don’t even let any of them come in your shop. You owe them something at least. I think letting them have their say just for one night through you at a séance would go a long way in fostering good relations.”

The ghost community was upset with her?

That was the most disturbing thing she’d ever heard.

Okay, maybe not the most. Hearing Liam was chopping up cadavers in his lab had been pretty disturbing. But this ranked up there in the top two for sure.

She hated the idea of a séance. But acts of ghostly revenge, and her knowledge of the sheer number of Mudville ghosts who could join those already unhappy with her, scared her more than the idea of hosting a séance.

Drawing in a breath, she turned to Harper. “What do you think about us having a séance here?”

“Oh my God. It’s perfect! And historically pertinent for the era of this building. Victorians were obsessed with trying to contact the dead. We might want to cut off attendance at a certain number. This is going to be insanely popular.”

“Great. Glad you like the idea,” Natalie said with forced enthusiasm while Gabe grinned wide.

For better or worse, it looked like they were doing this.

TWO

“I really wish you would have canceled this thing,” Liam said to Natalie as she watched the shop’s college freshman part-time employee, Jules, sage the meeting room—something she’d learned to do from the local Wiccans.

Natalie, standing next to the small altar she’d set up with amethyst crystals, old Mudville photos and lavender, turned to face her boyfriend. “And I really love that you have expressed your concern daily for the past thirty-one days, but it’s going to be fine.”

With the séance scheduled to begin in just about ten minutes, Natalie grabbed the lighter she’d bought at the hardware store. As Liam continued to look unhappy, she started lighting the taper candles she’d gotten for tonight.

Thanks to Harper’s wine habit Natalie had been able to stick all of the dozen candles in empty wine bottles she’d rescued from Harper’s recycling bin.

Scattered around the meeting room the wine bottle candlesticks would illuminate the area nicely once she turned off the overhead lights. They’d add to the spooky atmosphere plus they fit with the theme of a séance held in a wine store.

She flipped the lights off and smiled.

It was perfect. Even the black cat asleep on the sofa added to the ambiance.

Natalie turned to Liam where he leaned back against the long borrowed table that was ringed by eighteen mostly borrowed chairs.

His pout was illuminated by the shop lights coming through the open door.

She pressed a kiss to his lips. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. What could go wrong?”

He shook his head. “So many things.”

“If anything happens, I’ll shut it down. Pretend there aren’t any ghosts who want to talk, open that case of cheap Vampire wine I bought and everyone will be happy.”

“What if you can’t shut it down? Do you personally know all these ghosts?” he hissed the last word so Jules and Harper, both now in the shop waiting to open the door at exactly eight p.m., wouldn’t hear.

“I don’t, but Gabe does. He’ll keep them in line.”

“So Gabe is going to be your bouncer.” One dark brow cocked up.

“You’re very cute when you’re jealous.”

“I’m not jealous.”

“Yes, dear. Whatever you say.”

As Liam scowled, Gabe swooped through the wall. “Hey. The natives are getting restless out there.”

She turned to face Gabe. “The ghosts?”

“Shit. Is he in here?” Liam asked softly.

She nodded.

“I’m not jealous,” he hissed against her ear before kissing her cheek. “I’ll be in the shop,” he said before heading through the doorway.

Watching him go, Gabe said, “He’s so jealous. It’s kind of cute. And the ghosts are fine waiting. They have forever. It’s you livings that get impatient.”

“I guess we’re as ready as we’re going to get.” She moved to the doorway and said to Jules and Harper, “We can open the door and let everyone sit.”

“Yay,” Jules squealed as Harper beamed, making a beeline to the door.

Eighteen people took a while to get settled but eventually, everyone was seated around the table, holding hands, which Natalie had read was an acceptable alternative to using a Ouija board, which scared the bejesus out of her.

She had enough to deal with without accidentally summoning something evil. And she definitely didn’t need the board to talk to the crowd of ghosts being held outside the building by Gabe.

Communing with the spirits tonight would be the easy part. It was the rest that had required effort. Mainly the research she’d had to do about the whole séance procedure.

She didn’t need the showmanship, but the townspeople of Mudville and even her best friends who didn’t know about her power, did. They’d expect all the things that went with a typical séance, which she needed to get started now.

According to WikiHow, it was time for the opening invocation to express the intention of this séance.

Seated at the head of the table, Natalie cleared her throat. “Welcome, everyone, and thank you for coming. The purpose of tonight is to allow the spirits who live among us to have their say. Are there any spirits here now who wish to communicate?”

With a nod, Gabe ushered the first ghosts through the wall.

She almost groaned when she saw who had come forward first. Natalie restrained her reaction and said, “I see, I mean I feel the presence of our first two visitors—”

“Can I talk now?” Bob asked.

“For fuck’s sake, Bob. You couldn’t let me go first?” Bob’s wife ranted.

Trying to keep her expression passive, not easy as the couple bickered, Natalie said, “Our visitor’s name is Bob. Bob, what do you wish to communicate tonight?”

“Oh, I got plenty to communicate. I’ve been waiting to tell everyone what I’ve had to endure for the past twenty years being stuck here with her.”

Editing his message in her head, she repeated, “Bob says he passed twenty years ago. Bob, can you tell me the name of the woman who is with you?”

“I’m his wife, Amanda. Not that he ever introduces me. And it’s been no picnic for me being dead with him either. Let me tell you.”

“Bob is here with his wife Amanda—”

A gasp from one of the men at the table cut her off. “Oh my God. Mom and Dad? You’re here?”

Oh, shit. She hadn’t anticipated having actual relatives in the audience.

Liam shot Natalie an, I told you so glance.

Ignoring Liam she turned her attention to Bob and Amanda’s son. “They are here and I can assure you that your parents are spending their afterlife together.”

“Aw, that’s nice,” Harper murmured, since Natalie hadn’t painted a complete picture of how their eternity together was going.

“Can I speak with them?” Robert Junior asked.

“I can see if they want to speak to you through me,” Natalie offered.

Bob scowled. “We’re stuck here together thanks to him. You can tell our son Robert Junior thanks a lot. He had us both buried in the same damn grave. Just to save a buck instead of springing for two plots. Now I have no hope of ever getting away from her.”

“Fuck you, Bob,” Amanda said, arms crossed as she glared at her husband.

“Fuck you, Amanda. I’m tired of your shit!” he returned.

“It seems we’ve lost Bob and Amanda. I’m sorry, Robert. But let’s move on and see who else wants to talk to us tonight…”

With an amused grin, Gabe went through the wall and returned with his friend from the cemetery. The guy with the two gunshot wounds to the chest.

He dove right in immediately, without introduction, saying, “I want everyone to know I didn’t cheat during that card game. Johnson had no reason to shoot me.”

“And who are you? What’s your name?” Natalie asked.

“Ricky.”

Natalie drew in a breath. “Okay. Ricky is here with us tonight and would like you all to know he did not cheat during that card game when he got shot.”

There was a gasp from some of the older residents in the room and one grumble from a man who said, “Liar in life. Liar in death.”

“Fuck you, Buck.” Ricky scowled before whipping his gaze to Natalie. “You tell him that for me.”

“Um, Ricky disagrees with that opinion.”

There was a snort from Buck after which Ricky said, “Fuck this. I’m outta of here.”

Natalie’s eyes widened as she watched him storm out through the wall.

She probably should have predicted this night could devolve into a spiritual bitch fest. If the trend of the first few continued, that’s what it was going to be. And there was still a line of ghosts waiting to get inside to air their grievances. The next of which Gabe was escorting inside.

“All right, next…”

Half a dozen ghost later and Natalie missed the earlier fireworks of Bob, Amanda and Ricky.

She’d had two recently dead spirits who only wanted to say hello to their relatives, who weren’t in attendance. Then there were four much, much older spirits who’d banded together in solidarity and come to lodge a complaint that their gravesites weren’t being properly maintained in the old graveyard on the outskirts of town.

One glance around the room told Natalie that she was losing the attention of the crowd. A few remained rapt, waiting for the next revelation. But most looked just plain bored and she didn’t blame them.

She had to do something.

“Spirits, can you make your presence known to us in a physical way?” She glanced at Gabe, then tipped her head toward the gathered crowd of livings. “Give us a demonstration that you are here. Let us feel your ghostly hand upon us.”

Rolling his eyes, Gabe mumbled, “All right. I hear you. Real subtle, by the way.”

He walked to the edge of the circle, extended his hand and swept it through the nearest person. The woman gasped and shivered.

“Something touched me.” She glanced around at those nearest her. “It touched me!”

Natalie lifted her chin to Gabe, who sighed and walked around the circle. In a ghostly approximation of the kid’s game Duck, Duck, Goose, he swept his hand through the head of each and every person seated there, including Liam.

Like a wave, the gasps and shocked murmurs moved through the group and just like that, no one looked bored anymore. Liam looked annoyed, but he’d deal.

With a twitch of a smile that she quelled since this was a solemn, serious occasion, she said, “Are there more spirits here? Please step forward…”

THREE

After the ghosts had had their say and dispersed, and the guests were ushered out and the door locked, Jules turned to Natalie. “That was absolutely amazing! How did you do all that?”

She’d prepared for this. With a shrug, she said, “It was easy. It just took lots of research into the people buried here in the local cemeteries. And also the archived obituaries from the paper so I knew who died, how and when.”

“You had me fooled,” Harper said with a shake of her head. “You ever need a side gig, you could take that show on the road and earn a living.”

Natalie laughed. “Thanks but no thanks.” She’d had her hands full already just with the ghosts of Mudville.

“Well, great job. I think everyone had a great time.”

“And we sold out of sage bundles and they put quite a dent in the crystals and Tarot cards,” Jules added.

“That’s all thanks to you, Jules, for having the idea to keep the shop open after the séance was over.”

“Grab ‘em while you got ‘em. I knew people would want to buy things right after.” Jules grinned.

Harper held up the bottle she’d just bought. “You were right and now it’s time for me to take my purchase and head home. Want a ride?” Harper asked Jules.

“Sure. Thanks.”

After they’d said goodnight and the door had been once again locked behind them, Liam emerged from the meeting room with a cardboard wine box filled with the burned down candles and wax-spattered wine bottles.

He set the box on the floor behind the register and reached for Natalie, then stopped. “We alone?”

“Yes, we’re alone.”

“I figured Gabe would hang around for a postmortem about the event.”

“He’ll probably want to do that in the morning. Tonight, he’s at a ghost party in the cemetery.”

“There’s a party?”

She nodded. “Apparently Halloween is a really big deal for ghosts.”

“So you’re saying we have the place all to ourselves?” Liam pressed closer, wrapping his arms around her.

“Yes. Why? What did you have in mind?” she asked, even though she already knew, thanks to the hard length she felt between them.

“I’m thinking we can have a private party. Just the two of us.” He dipped his head and ran his lips down her throat.

“What got you all worked up?” she asked.

Liam was passionate, and their sex life was great, but he didn’t usually get physical in the middle of the shop with the lights still on.

“Seeing you do your ghost thing tonight in front of everybody. It was kind of hot.” He dipped the tip of his tongue dipped into her ear.

“Oh, really?” she said as a shiver ran through her.

“Mmm-hmm.” His teeth scraped against her throat and her eyes drifted closed.

“Maybe I should do the ghost thing in public more often.”

He pulled back and gave her a look. “I think once a year will be enough.”

“Okay. Only once a year for that.” She tipped her head toward the meeting room. “But definitely not only once a year for this.” She let her gaze sweep down his body.

“Definitely not.” He grabbed her hand and tugged her toward her apartment in the back of the shop as she hit the switch to kill the shop lights on her way past.

Gabe could have his all-night rave in the cemetery. She was perfectly content to head to bed for their own little party for two.

In fact, it would be more than fine with her if this all became their annual Halloween tradition.

NEWSLETTER SIGNUP