Then, with effort, she pulled herself together.
He was standing outside looking in her window. The first time she saw him, he was gazing at her, a kind and benign expression on his face. This time was just the same.
He wasn’t charging her store and kidnapping her.
He didn’t flash her or even look weird.
Belle took a shaky, calming breath.
She was pregnant. She was hormonal. She was living in a haunted house. She wasn’t making her own bed or her own food. She was falling in love with the criminally attractive James Bennett if she wasn’t already in love with him, head over heels in love which, she had to admit, she pretty much was (who was she kidding, she totally was).
And, if she wasn’t mistaken, he was falling in love with her too.
She didn’t have a weird, kind-looking, handsome stalker.
He was probably a local she hadn’t yet seen. Someone new to town, waiting for his wife to finish in some shop. Maybe her shop.
Men stood outside waiting for their women all the time not wanting to be shopping at all but definitely not wanting to be drawn into a clothing shop where they would invariably be asked, “Does my butt look big in this?”
In fact, Belle had considered putting a bench outside for these gentleman so they could have a rest, it happened so often.
Cautiously, she approached the window and when she did, he was gone.
She took a huge breath and forced herself to relax.
So, she’d taken a big risk, jumped into shark-infested waters and found herself something so rich and rewarding it was impossible to believe her good fortune or the strength of the lucky stars that shown down on her, recently, both day and night.
She wouldn’t allow her mind, which consistently played nasty tricks on her, to create problems that weren’t even real.
So she set it aside and went back to work.
Now she was driving home with her mother and she knew her evening would be full.
Not with Jack, having dinner then walking the dogs then spending the evening with him in his study then going to bed together and making love.
No, with Cassandra McNabb, the clairvoyant, white witch with good references and The McPherson, an unknown entity, both who dispatched ghosts to hell.
“Are you sure about this Cassandra person and The McPherson?” Belle asked her mother as The Point came into view.
“I’ve got a feeling in my bones,” her mother replied calmly.
Belle nodded and smiled.
It might be crazy but that was good enough for her.
Yasmin’s sporty Audi was in the forecourt and Belle parked her not-so-sporty Peugeot next to it.
Rachel eyed the Audi and remarked, “I love Yasmin’s car. She let me drive it the other day.” Belle switched off the ignition and looked at her mother as she continued, “Maybe you should ask Jack to buy you one of those.”
Belle stared at Rachel in disgusted shock then she hissed, “Mom, I can’t believe you just said that.”
Her mother’s eyebrows went up. “What? He’s stinking rich. He lives in a castle, for goodness sakes and you’re carrying his child. The least he could do is buy you a cute car.”
“He’s already housing me, feeding me and you and Gram, by the way. Not to mention, he’s paying for Dirk,” Belle reminded her.
“So?” her Mom replied.
“So, I think that’s enough, don’t you?”