be perfect, actually. I didn’t know her, but she knew Karyn and she had seemed like a very nice lady. People in town knew her. At least I figured they did since she’d lived here all her life as far as I knew.
Take that, Cooper. I’d show him. He probably hoped I wouldn’t find someone so I wouldn’t be able to do the show. He’d love that. Well, too bad, because Larue Donavan was there to stay.
“Candy Cherry just reminded me about Beth. She would be perfect,” I said.
Mindy glanced around. “I’m shocked, but she does have a point.”
“I’ll call her right now.” I grabbed the phone and found her number.
Candy Cherry smirked and sashayed back to some corner in the room. Why was she being nice? There had to be a motive behind her pleasantries.
After several rings, the woman answered. “Beth, this is Larue from Book Nook.”
“Oh, hi, Larue. Is everything okay?”
“Oh yeah, everything is fine. Listen, the reason I’m calling is, and this may seem so random, how would you like to work for me at Book Nook?”
She didn’t speak. Had I scared the poor woman away already? “I know you haven’t applied for a job, but I really need some help while I work on a project. I know you mentioned that you’re looking for something to do now that your son is in school. So what better way to occupy your time? I’d pay you a good wage and you can have a discount on all the books you want.”
“Remember this was my idea,” Candy said from across the room.
I ignored Candy Cherry.
Beth’s response pulled my attention back. “I think that is a fantastic idea, Larue. When do I start?”
I let out a sigh of relief. Finally, something had gone right. “You can start right away.”
After a few minutes on the phone, it was all set. But why did a nervous lump sit like a rock in the pit of my stomach? I felt as if I was leaving my baby with a stranger, that was why. I hated the idea of not being in the bookstore. I’d never liked leaving anyone else in charge. My motto was if you wanted something done right, then you had to do it yourself. “Trust other people,” Mindy would say.
Easier said than done.
***
Callahan had cancelled our dinner plans because he said he needed to help Mike with the carwash business. I couldn’t lie; I was disappointed because I’d wanted to celebrate the beginning of the show with him. But I knew he was trying to help out a friend, so I forgave him. Later that night, I’d taken Matt Kelly’s advice and gone to bed early. But my anxiety over what would happen the next day, plus the strange feeling growing within me, made sleeping next to impossible. The three ghosts sitting in my bedroom didn’t help either.
“Maybe we should leave her alone to get some sleep,” Elvis whispered.
“Sleep won’t help her at this point. She’s hopeless,” Candy Cherry said sarcastically.
I sat up in bed. “Candy. Mr. Fine. Get out!”
Without waiting for a response, I plopped back on the bed, grabbed the pillow and covered my head, trying to drown out their nonsense.
After a minute, I felt a slight weight on the side of my bed. I was almost afraid to open my eyes to see who was there. Please let it not be another ghost. Easing back the pillow, I opened one eye and realized I might have died and gone to heaven. Elvis was sitting on the edge of my bed. The sweet sound of his voice hit my ears as he started singing Love Me Tender. Like a baby, I began to doze off. But someone had to ruin all the fun.
Chapter Twenty
Another noise sounded from outside the house. It was beginning to be a regular occurrence. Did I go see what it was, or just ignore it? Closing my eyes to the situation would only make matters worse. Not knowing would eat away at me, so I knew I’d have to see what had made the sound. Not that I’d see anything since it was pitch black outside.
Tiptoeing over to the window, I peeked out into the darkness and looked for the same shadow that had been making regular appearances. Nothing was in sight. The leaves on the trees didn’t sway and the clouds didn’t move in the sky. The moon lit up the whole yard. I’d remembered to leave the outside light off so