what you are talking about.” Mr. Fine leaned against the counter as if he was thoroughly bored.
It was apparent that I would get no information out of him.
“Okay, let’s go over to your shop and see what I find.”
Callahan gestured for Mindy and me to pass, then hurried over to open the door for us. When we emerged out onto the sidewalk, Mr. Fine was already there, waiting just a few steps away in front of Callahan’s front door. I rolled my eyes. What a pain in the ass.
Mindy and I waited as Callahan unlocked his front door and gestured for us to enter first.
“I don’t know how you deal with this stuff on a daily basis, Larue. It’s stressing me out,” Mindy said.
I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m used to it by now. It’s been my whole life and I don’t know what it’s like not to experience it.”
We stepped inside the shop, but I saw nothing. All was quiet. No misty forms lingering in the corners. What had Callahan seen? Maybe he was imagining things. The space looked as cozy and quaint as it always had. Prints of different style coffee cups and mugs covered the exposed brick walls. Oversized leather chairs were placed into groupings with cherry-wood tables in the middle—the perfect mixture of old and new.
Callahan moved over to the counter. “This mug was sitting here just like this…” He placed a mug down. “And it just lifted up and moved all the way over here.” He picked up the mug and moved it about a foot down the counter. “I don’t think I’m going crazy.” He paused. “Am I going crazy?”
Well, as much stress as he had been under lately, no one would blame him if he had imagined something like that.
I shook my head. “No, honey, I know you’re not going crazy.”
Wow, when had I become so comfortable with calling Callahan pet names? I liked it.
Mindy followed closely behind me as I moved over to the counter to examine the mug. As I reached down and picked it up, a chill fell over the room and I knew what was happening. A ghost was somewhere nearby and would probably be making an appearance sooner rather than later. I knew it wasn’t Mr. Fine, because he’d already made his appearance. The cold air was no longer following him.
My heart thumped. I’d told Mindy that I was used to this lifestyle, but that didn’t mean that I still didn’t have apprehension when a new ghost appeared. I never knew what to expect, and that could be unnerving. I felt a presence taking form in the corner of the room. When I looked in that direction, I noticed the misty form begin to take shape.
Callahan and Mindy followed my gaze, but they wouldn’t see anything, that luxury was reserved for lucky me. The form took on a human appearance right before my eyes… and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Had I died and gone to heaven?
I let out a scream. You’ve seen those videos of girls screaming for Elvis Presley? Yeah, that was exactly how I sounded. Dogs were probably hollering within a ten-mile radius of Full Cup Coffee Shop.
Mindy jumped behind the counter with one swift movement. I had never seen that girl move that fast. She wouldn’t have jumped that fast unless she was truly terrified. I had no idea she was that strong either. Those pole fitness classes really were paying off.
Callahan rushed to my side. I jumped up and down and continued to squeal. This wasn’t a terrified scream, no, this was a fangirl, can-I-have-your-autograph, I-want-to-marry-you-if-only-you-weren’t-dead squeal.
Standing before me was the one and only King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. I didn’t know what to say. Words literally wouldn’t form. I loved Elvis. When I was little I had told my mother that I’d marry Elvis. Of course she said, “He’s dead, you can’t marry him.” Why she’d had to burst my bubble, I had no idea. Now who had the last laugh? Okay, I still couldn’t marry him, but nonetheless, he was standing in front of me… and in his young days. The hot, sexy, pelvis-shaking Elvis.
Callahan touched my arm. Oh yeah, I’d forgotten he was there. Whew. I needed to get a hold of myself and say something. Anything. Mindy still cowered behind the counter, revealing the top of her head and eyes. What was Elvis Presley doing in a coffee shop in Magnolia of all places? Wasn’t he