Page 20 of Ghost Town Boogie

Nicole gave her red hair a little toss and glanced toward the browsing tourists. “I suppose Colt is working today. He works all the time, I swear. I take a weekend off now and then, but Colt is always, always in his depot. I think he’s obsessed with those old records.” Nicole hesitated, then added, “Are you and he…”

Anna managed a nervous laugh. “There is no me and Colt,” she said. As she said the words, she was struck by the feeling that it wasn’t entirely true. There was something between them. Was it a shared love for Jack? Echoes of the past?

Nicole was relieved, that much was clear. “Not that it matters. I’ve been trying to get his attention for months, but he usually looks right through me. I even buy the occasional record, and I don’t own a turntable.”

They both laughed but Anna’s titter was nervous, not at all genuine.

“Honestly,” Nicole said, “I can count the number of eligible men in Seawolf Beach who are under the age of fifty on one hand. I’ve tried to put myself out there, but I’ve had no luck. It’s not like eligible unmarried men spend a lot of time in this place. That’s a handicap, for sure. Colt would be perfect but he’s not at all interested. At least, he’s not interested in me. I thought maybe you were more his type. Cute, blonde, and sweet.”

As opposed to gorgeous, redheaded, and… not sweet?

“Oh, well. Maybe one day I’ll show up at his store wearing nothing but a raincoat and these red heels and refuse to take no for an answer.” Nicole glanced toward the tourists again. “Hell, maybe tonight.” She lowered her voice. “I haven’t been laid in so long I’m about to come out of my skin.”

With that she walked away. Anna did a quick about face and pushed her way out the door.

It made no difference to her if Colt got laid by a forward redhead or not. He was allowed to have a love life. So was she, but it had been a while. A long while. She thought again that maybe a meaningless, quick hook up was in order. Not that she’d show up anywhere wearing nothing but a raincoat and a smile.

No, she was cute and sweet. Neither of those should be considered an insult, so why had it struck her like one?

She wasn’t ready to go home. She wasn’t ready to face boxes and dishes and clothes that hadn’t been worn in thirty years but were still perfectly good.

Colt had mentioned he was thinking about moving into the Pine Street house this weekend. Before his mother had bought it and turned it into a rental, the Carter family had lived there. Brandon had been a friend of Jack’s in middle school, but they’d moved west before high school. The house had been a rental for a long time.

Why was Colt moving there now? He might be tired of living and working in the same space. That made sense. Life should be about more than work. Life was meant to be lived, enjoyed, cherished. Preaching to the choir. She couldn’t even imagine what the second floor of that old depot was like. It might be less than magnificent. Old and creaky, with peeling paint. She hoped that peeling paint wasn’t that same awful green that was on the walls downstairs.

A police car pulled away from the curb as she approached. For as long as she could remember, the Seawolf Beach Police Department had been small. Last she heard there were a total of three employees, and that included the old chief. The sheriff’s department took care of most of the law enforcement around here, but the day-to-day grind was handled by the chief.

She glanced at the car as it drove past. Seawolf Beach Police Chief was painted across the door. The driver looked at her; she looked back. Huh. Nothing like the old police chief, for sure.

Colt stood on the porch watching her. Anna’s heart jumped in her chest. It would be cowardly to turn and walk away now. She’d already done that once. It would be bold to walk up the steps to that porch and…

And what? Naked and pushy wasn’t her style. She wasn’t forward, wasn’t one to make the first move, at least not where men were concerned. If she owned a pair of red stilettos she wouldn’t be able to actually walk in them.

But time was passing her by. She wouldn’t be here forever. One of these days some woman was going to catch Colt’s attention and hold it. Maybe Nicole. Maybe someone else.

Why not her? Not forever, not an undying love, just teenage dreams coming true. Connection and pleasure with a really nice guy who could turn her on with a glance. A one night stand. A temporary madness.

“What are you doing out this way?” he asked.

Anna didn’t answer; she didn’t slow down, either. She walked toward him, up the steps and onto the porch until they were toe-to-toe. He needed a shave. His eyes were intelligent and curious. He could’ve stepped back and away, but he didn’t. As she continued to move nearer the expression on his face showed surprise, anticipation, and at the last second, hope. Without a word she took his face in her hands and kissed him.

CHAPTER 7

Colt couldn’t breathe. Hell, he couldn’t think. He tried to be prepared for anything and everything, but this…

Anna had approached him with purpose; he just hadn’t realized what that purpose was until she’d been so close he couldn’t help but recognize the determination on her face.

For a long, wonderful moment she wasn’t his friend’s little sister, a child who’d always wanted to be included and never was, the pest who’d followed them everywhere… or tried. She was just a beautiful woman with magical lips that made everything in the world but this kiss disappear.

Anna was warm and giving, soft and strong. She was alive.

And then it ended. She’d started the kiss; she ended it just as abruptly, breaking contact, dropping her hands and stepping back with a satisfied smile on her beautiful face.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a very long time,” she said.

Colt’s moment of bliss didn’t fade, it came crashing down around him like a pile of bricks.

Her brother was dead, and he didn’t dare tell her. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t imagine how to put the words together, how to explain. She had no idea about the ability, the curse, that had turned his life upside down and inside out for the past dozen years. There were secrets between them, a darkness he couldn’t explain to her. Anything more than a kiss, no matter how much he wanted it, was impossible.