Double Dating with the Dead by Karen Kelley (best fiction novels to read .txt) 📗

“That happens to be my stuff,” Selena told her.

Dixie sighed. “I used to love when the men would buy me trinkets. Did Trent buy these for you?”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah, right. If you haven’t noticed by now, we’re enemies. Not even friends. I bought the jewelry myself. No man supports me. I make a comfortable living on my own.”

“You mean you paid for all these things—with your own money?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Do you work in a saloon?”

Lord, it must’ve been awful for a woman living back in the 1800s. A time when most women had to rely on a man’s generosity to get by. Maybe it was time she brought Dixie into this century.

“I write a column for the newspaper, and I get paid very well.”

“You’re married, then?”

She shook her head. “Still single. Like I said, I support myself.”

Dixie frowned. “An old maid. A shame. I mean, you’re not that bad looking.”

“Gee, thanks.” She frowned. “I’m not married because I don’t choose to be married right now.”

“What about this Trent fella? He doesn’t act like an enemy. I bet you could talk him into marrying you.”

What had she started? “Never mind. I just came up here to get my phone.” She went to her purse and finally found it in the bottom. She already knew the number by heart and punched it in, then placed her order when the girl answered. When she closed her phone, Dixie was gone, except the jewelry was still scattered across her dresser. She could’ve at least put it back. Another thing she disliked—sloppy ghosts.

She opened the drawer and slid the jewelry inside before going downstairs.

Selena found Trent scribbling in his black notebook, except he was in the foyer now. Apparently, he didn’t trust the library door. He was deep in thought. Whatever he was writing must be important to him because apparently he didn’t hear her return.

“Writing another book?” she asked, smiling to herself when he jumped. Yeah, he might say he didn’t believe in ghosts, but for a nonbeliever he sure spooked easily.

“You could say that.” He went back to writing.

“Who are you trying to blast out of the water now? Tarot card readers? Witches? I mean, I can call Paige up and invite her over. You can kill two birds with one stone.”

He took his time raising his head. “I never work on two projects at once, but it’s something to consider.”

He was so going to have to eat crow when the two weeks were up. Dixie and Wesley better show themselves. Oh, she just had the most brilliant idea. Absolutely friggin’ beautiful! She would goad them into showing themselves to Trent.

“You look like the cat that just caught the mouse.”

Ugh, she hated mice, but then he knew that. Not to worry. She would have her revenge.

So maybe her plan wasn’t going to be as easy as she’d first thought. Dixie and Wesley weren’t born yesterday. Duh. That was sort of a gimmie. She would have to try harder.

Easier said than done. They’d eaten lunch, then Trent had gone back to writing in that stupid black notebook.

What she wouldn’t give to know what he was scribbling. Or better yet, whom he was writing about. She had her suspicions it was mostly about her, and she didn’t think it was anything good. Not that she’d ever snoop. She wasn’t that kind of girl.

She laid down the romance she was reading. She’d read the last page at least twice and still couldn’t tell anyone what she’d read.

Meditating would help to at least calm her. She left the room; Trent didn’t even look up. Wow, she really grabbed his interest. If he wasn’t careful, he might give her a complex.

Not.

It didn’t take her long to grab her Yoga mat, CD player and head out to the front porch. As she spread her mat, calmness seeped into her pores. The closing of a beautiful fall day held peace and serenity, which she sorely needed.

There was too much negative energy around her. She glanced toward the window and caught a glimpse of Trent. And there sat her negative energy. Good-looking, sexy, but way too cynical to suit her.

She sat cross-legged on her mat, back straight, headphones on. A gentle breeze wrapped around her. This was nice. She turned the CD player on and took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled as the soft rain from the CD filled her senses. After only a few seconds, her body began to relax.

“Hmm…chaka-na-na-na…hmm….”

Empty the mind and let your body wander into transcendental meditation. Be free from your surroundings….

“That stuff really work?” Trent let the door slam behind him and tromped to the rocker. He sat down and set it into motion. “I mean meditation.”

She opened her eyes and glowered at him before removing her headphones. “It does if you don’t get interrupted.”

“You were the one who said we needed to stay close to each other. If Whistle and Ditsy show up, you can point them out to me.”

“See? He’s making fun of you. Don’t you want to get revenge or something? One little ‘boo,’ that’s all you have to do.”

“Is that a ghost?” Trent sat forward in his chair.

She almost got whiplash turning her head in the direction he pointed. Nothing. What the hell did he see?

“No, wait, it’s a squirrel climbing the tree.”

This was so not funny. She faced him with a glare that should’ve melted the rubber in his tennis shoes. All he did was laugh.

“Tell me you don’t really believe in ghosts,” he said as his laughter died. “Admit that you dug a hole for yourself and you have no way of getting out of it, and I’ll take it easy on you.”

“When you discover ghosts do exist, I want you groveling.”

“If you can prove there are ghosts, I’ll grovel all you want. Just point Whistle and Ditsy out to me.”

He was so going to regret talking about them like that.

“I don’t think I like him,” Wesley said, adjusting his position in the