Haunted Ever After Read online

  ‘Where did you suddenly appear from anyway?’ I asked Ty. He had a habit of doing that. But it was a small town.

  ‘Just popped in for a drink after dinner. Cody’s fast asleep back home. Got up too early this morning with all the excitement about performing at the festival.’

  ‘Yeah, Ty’s going to join us for a bit, aren’t you, Ty?’ Mel said.

  ‘I won’t say no.’

  ‘You guys go back to the table, I’ll just make a quick phone call.’

  I missed Greg. I needed to hear his voice, to settle my nerves and remind myself that he was my loving, caring, and faithful fiancé.

  ‘Hello?’ he answered on the third ring. A faint sound of someone coughing could be heard in the background.

  ‘Hi Greg.’

  ‘Sal? How are you? Is everything alright?’ The background cough returned, a feminine-sounding cough.

  ‘Yes, everything’s fine, I just missed you. How’s your buck’s weekend?’

  ‘Oh, it’s fine too. Great. How’s yours?’ After he spoke I heard a woman’s voice ask for a drink. He must be in a bar with his mates, like me. Except there wasn’t the usual background noise.

  ‘Um, pretty good. Lots of fun, you know Lorena, she sure knows how to plan a party.’ I chuckled. ‘Where are you?’

  ‘I’m out to dinner with the guys,’ he said softly.

  ‘I guess they’re all filling their mouths with food.’

  ‘Huh?’

  ‘It’s quiet. Your mates are usually pretty rowdy.’

  ‘Oh, oh yes. A couple have gone over to the bar, the rest are eating.’ More feminine throat clearing, then the sound of someone saying, ‘Your water, madam.’

  Greg’s voice was different. Distant. Reserved. Maybe it was just what Red had said clouding my judgement. Making me anticipate a problem when there wasn’t one.

  ‘Anyway, I must get going, but thanks for calling, I’ll see you on Monday,’ he said. And without his usual ‘honey’ or ‘sweetheart’ addition. It was as though I was a business associate and he was confirming a meeting.

  ‘Okay then, say hi to the guys for me.’

  ‘I will.’

  ‘And Greg?’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘I love you.’

  There was a pause, then: ‘Same to you.’

  I hung up, and was left with an awful, hollow feeling that something was not right. He always said ‘I love you too’ whenever I said it first. He never said ‘same to you’, that was what you said to someone who wished you a good day. Was it just that he was in front of his mates and didn’t want to be seen getting all mushy and romantic?

  I stood still on the spot for a while, trying to make sense of our stilted conversation and Red’s outrageous accusations that, despite my not believing her, had cast a slight shadow of concern in my mind.

  ‘I’ll be at the guest house when you’re ready to talk,’ Red said, and before I had a chance to meet her eyes she’d disappeared.

  I put the phone back in my bag and returned to the table, suddenly not feeling like any dessert or conversation.

  ‘I’m having sticky date pudding, what are you having Sal?’ Mel asked.

  ‘Actually, I think I might head back to the house, if you don’t mind?’

  ‘Are you okay?’ Lorena asked.

  ‘Yeah yeah, I’m fine. Just a bit tired, and the whole getting stuck thing was a bit of an ordeal. But you guys stay here and have dessert, don’t let me cut the night short.’

  ‘But you can’t walk back by yourself,’ said Georgie. ‘Do you want me to walk with you?’

  ‘No, I’ll be right, it’s not far, and I have my panic alert thingy on my key ring.’

  Ty stood from his chair at the end of our table. ‘I’ll walk you back,’ he said.

  ‘Oh, I don’t want to disrupt your Saturday night.’

  ‘No disruption. I should probably get back home anyway, now that I’ve had my drink and done my civic duty of rescuing maidens in distress from faulty toilet cubicles.’ He winked.

  ‘Good idea, go with Ty, Sal.’ Georgie said. ‘And text me when you’re back inside.’

  ‘Yeah,’ agreed Mel. ‘We’ll see you when we’ve finished stuffing our faces.’

  I smiled and walked out of the pub, and at the bottom of the steps Ty held out his hand for me to grasp it. ‘Your chariot awaits.’

  I eyed his hand and remembered the shoe-rescuing mission. ‘Here,’ I said, pulling the hand sanitiser out of my bag and handing it to him.

  ‘Flexible, amusing, and hygienic,’ he stated. ‘You’re just full of surprises.’ He rubbed the liquid over his hands, returned the bottle to me, then held out his hand again to encourage me off the steps.

  This time I took it.

  CHAPTER 12

  The cool night air engulfed us as we walked up the road towards the guest house. I pulled my jacket a little tighter around my collar.

  ‘You seem a little unhappy for someone who’s getting married in a week,’ he said.

  ‘It’s just been an eventful day,’ I replied. ‘I’m fine.’

  Well, I wasn’t, really. My safe, secure, predictable life seemed to be slowly unravelling, and I didn’t know what was real now and what wasn’t. I hadn’t believed in ghosts until now, and it hadn’t even crossed my mind that Greg could cheat, and I still didn’t know if I believed it. I looked at Ty with curiosity. ‘You’re a man,’ I said, watching the way he walked with confidence and calmness.

  ‘Intelligent observation.’

  ‘I mean, you’re a man, so you might be able to help me with something.’

  He raised his eyebrows.

  ‘Is it just in a man’s nature to want to stray, to not tie themselves down with one woman?’

  ‘You’re asking me if all men are cheats?’

  ‘I guess so. I mean, not that they all would, but is it really possible for a man to be happy with one woman, forever?’

  ‘I can only speak for myself, but yes, it is possible. Sure, men are naturally wired to seek out a mate, multiple mates, but that doesn’t mean they have to act on their impulses.’

  ‘So it comes down to a choice. It’s not just an uncontrollable urge that can’t be denied?’

  ‘Of course it’s a choice. No matter how strong someone’s desire is, the mind is always stronger. What’s brought this on? Getting cold feet about the wedding?’

  I eyed my feet. ‘Well, my left foot is particularly cold.’ I smiled, and he did too. ‘No, I’m not, but it’s just something someone said, something I heard, that’s…’ I ran my hand over my ponytail. ‘Oh, why am I telling you this?’

  ‘Because I’m here and I’m listening?’

  I smiled again, and stopped on the side of the road. ‘It’s possible my fiancé, Greg, is having an affair.’

  Ty’s eyes bulged. ‘What? Are you sure?’

  ‘No, and I never would have thought it could be possible, but when I spoke to him just now, it was different, weird, and kind of fit in with what someone said about him.’

  Ty shook his head. ‘Well if he is, he’s a damn fool.’ He encouraged me to keep walking. ‘I take it you haven’t confronted him about it?’

  ‘No, no way.’

  ‘But with only one week till the wedding, it’s probably best to sort it out sooner rather than later.’

  ‘Tell me about it.’ I sighed. ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t be dumping all this on you. I haven’t even discussed it with my friends.’

  ‘It’s no problem. But like I said, better sort the whole thing out as soon as you can. Maybe it’s a misunderstanding. And if not, then boy, what a mistake he’s made.’

  Ty’s gaze remained straight ahead, and I watched the side of his face, the dark shadows from the night sculpting his jaw, the protrusion of his Adam’s apple, and his strong, confident posture, and I realised he was paying me a compliment and not just speaking generally about infidelity being a mistake.

  ‘Thanks for walking me back,’ I said.

  �
�Ah,’ he flicked his hand. ‘Walking nice ladies home, rescuing them from toilets, performing some light entertainment, all in a day’s work.’

  ‘So does Cody, is he, can he…’

  ‘Are you trying to ask me how independent he is?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘He’s better now he’s a bit older. Before, I had to be with him all the time, but now he’s learnt more skills he can do things for himself. He has his own phone he can call me with too, though he can’t hear too well so he texts me instead. His writing is quite good, on a screen that is, not by hand. He knows not to leave the house by himself without someone knowing where he is. He’s a great kid. A challenge sometimes, but great.’

  ‘And your parents?’

  ‘They died several years ago. Dad had a heart attack while driving. Unfortunately they both didn’t make it.’ He lowered his head and kicked a pebble.

  ‘Oh gosh, Ty, I’m so sorry.’ My hand found its way to his back for a brief moment.

  ‘We manage. It was a big shock, and Cody didn’t cope too well in the beginning. But we’ve made a new life for ourselves and things are looking up.’

  ‘Do you get any help with Cody?’

  ‘My neighbours are great, they keep an eye on him when I’m out working, invite him over for movie nights…they’re hard of hearing themselves so it becomes a big subtitle-fest at their place!’

  ‘Oh yes, my parents are the same. The TV is on either too loud or the subtitles take up half the screen.’

  We shared a laugh.

  ‘Where did you learn to dance the way you do?’

  ‘Mostly taught myself from music videos, went to a few classes, and after a while I started getting gigs as a background dancer for singers and performers. I’d travel to the city regularly to do shows. At one stage I thought I might even head to the states and try my luck in the music industry doing music videos and stuff. But then the accident happened. Things changed, I had to change. Being there for Cody became number one priority.’

  ‘Wow. You’ve done so well. I’m sure your parents would be incredibly proud of you.’ If I was saying this a couple of weeks ago it would have simply been meant as a nice thing to say, but now, I think I actually believed it. Maybe those who died were still ‘around’, watching their loved ones and guiding them from beyond.

  ‘Thanks, hopefully they are, wherever they are.’ He glanced up at the sky and held out his hands.

  I decided to take the opportunity to ask him something. ‘Do you believe that there’s something after all this. Afterlife?’

  Ty twisted his lips. ‘I was never really sure, but after they died, I don’t know… Something changed. A feeling, a sense that somehow they were still with me.’

  I smiled, even though Ty’s focus was straight ahead and it was dark. I didn’t feel so out of place, so weird, for what I’d experienced with Red. Not that I was going to tell him about her. ‘That’s nice. I have a feeling they are too. Still with you.’

  Ty turned to face me. ‘I have a feeling you’re very good at your job. You’re really great with all this serious stuff. You know what to say to make people feel better.’

  ‘Well thank you. I’m much better with this stuff than I am with all the social, party-type conversation and fun.’

  ‘Oh, I don’t know about that. You did pretty well at Twister and that Pin the Thingy game.’ He elbowed me in the ribs.

  ‘You’re just being nice. And I’m sorry you had to witness all that ridiculousness.’

  ‘Don’t apologise. This is turning into one of the most entertaining weekends I’ve had in a long time.’ He grinned, and I knew he was thinking of the various embarrassments I’d endured. ‘Though I’m sorry I bit your head off at the supermarket when you ran over my foot. I know it was an accident.’

  For some reason I wished I could tell him about Red. Wished I could release this secret that had been overtaking my mind.

  Guess what? I saw a ghost!

  Hey, you know how you were wondering whether people live on after death? Well, surprise, they do!

  Ty, I’d like you to meet Red. You can’t see her of course, but I assure you, she’s there.

  If only I could.

  But despite his apparent openness to the other side he’d still probably think I was a little nuts.

  ‘That’s okay, I’m sorry for running over your foot in the first place. And for the awkwardness later that night at the house. You really did put on a good show, I must say.’ I was glad it was dark because I was probably blushing.

  He made a show of bowing.

  ‘So,’ I said. ‘A doctor, hey? How does Cody feel about the possibility of you being away every day learning how to save lives?’

  ‘He’s excited for me, thinks I’ll be able to perform surgery after my first day. But if I get in, I’ll have to arrange more help looking after him. There is some respite care available, and various support services, but that’s something I’m saving up for too. I’ll need to hire somebody to be his carer when I’m not there.’

  ‘Well, I’ll be sure to recommend your services to everyone I come across. Got any business cards?’

  ‘Why thank you, I do indeed. Always keep a few in my wallet, you never know when a promotional opportunity will present itself.’ He took his wallet from his pocket and extracted a few cards.

  Ty Roxford ~ Quality adult entertainer and dancer

  It showed his photo, a black and white mysterious looking shot from side on, with one of his eyebrows raised, as though his expression was asking ‘You ready for some fun?’

  I popped them in my bag, and shook my head at the situation. Here I was, walking at night with a stripper, having a deep and meaningful conversation, one week before my wedding. What was Greg doing right now? My stomach churned remembering our awkward phone conversation, and I knew I’d have to find out, somehow, whether there was any truth to what Red had said, or if she was, in fact, just trying to manipulate me into leaving him for her own satisfaction.

  ‘Can I get you a cup of coffee, tea, or something?’ I asked as we approached the front door of the guest house.

  Ty rocked forward on his feet with his hands in his pockets and looked like he was about to say yes, then turned his head to look down the driveway. ‘Thanks, but I better get back to Cody. And I take it you’ll be keen to have a nice hot shower after your altercation with the bathroom floor in the pub?’

  ‘Are you trying to tell me I need a wash?’ I asked with a hint of sarcasm, though I knew too well I did.

  ‘No, but if you carry that anti-bacterial stuff around with you I’m guessing good personal hygiene is one of your high priorities.’

  I shrugged and smiled. ‘Your guess would be right.’

  I unlocked the door and thanked him again for accompanying me, and we both turned away.

  ‘Sally?’ he asked, and I turned to face him. ‘Some men may cheat, but real men don’t.’ He grasped the side of my arm. ‘Find out the truth before the wedding. Don’t brush it aside. If you have doubts, you have to listen to them.’ He dropped his hand and turned away again, but my eyes remained on him. He must have sensed them, because he turned back for the second time. ‘And if I was with someone as kind and special as you, no way would I be stupid enough to let anything get in the way of that.’

  He gave a single, gentle wave of his hand, a soft smile, and walked off down the driveway, while a part of me wanted to hear those words again.

  CHAPTER 13

  I went straight upstairs without turning any lights on. Inside, the house had a slight moonlit wash to it. Darkness didn’t scare me, not now since the ghost that was haunting me appeared in broad daylight anyway. I took my shoes off, not worrying about putting the left one in the bin just yet, and headed for the shower.

  Red stopped me at the door.

  ‘You can’t have a shower yet, I have to show you something.’

  ‘You’ve done enough for one day.’

  ‘But don’t you want proof? Don’t yo
u want to know for sure if I’m telling the truth about Greg?’

  Instead of pushing past — or through — her, I eyed her with curiosity.

  ‘Look, I know you’re the sort of person who needs to see to believe. Although,’ she chuckled, ‘even when you first saw me you didn’t believe right away. And I’ve been practising my mind power technique, you know the one, to try and imprint what I see and sense into your mind?’

  ‘Red, that’s all a bit beyond my scope of belief at this stage. Yes, I know you’re real, well, a real ghost, but I don’t see how — ’ I gasped. A brief, but definite image flashed in my mind. Greg’s car. ‘Whoa, what was that? How did you? Did I just…’

  ‘You saw his car, didn’t you?’

  My guess was she already knew the answer. Red stared at me with sharp, focused eyes.

  ‘Hang on, how do I know you’re not putting ideas into my head? How do you — ’ A tiny jolt ran through my body as I saw it again, but this time, the image lingered, and it wasn’t just an image, it was moving, like I was watching something on a TV screen, only in my mind. Greg’s car, from the side, getting closer to the driver’s side window… Greg! I could see him in the car, driving, a faint smile on his face. And music, some rock ballad was playing through the speakers, and his fingers thrummed the steering wheel.

  ‘Red, what is this, what am I seeing? Is it a memory or something?’ I said when the image faded.

  ‘It’s happening right now. You’re seeing Greg, where he is, what he’s doing, right now.’

  ‘No way.’

  ‘Yes way.’ She gave a nod. ‘Isn’t it cool what I can do?’ She put her hands on her hips in satisfaction. ‘Anyway, back to the issue at hand.’ She resumed staring at me, and as though her glare pierced my head, a warm, tingling sensation grew around my temple.

  Greg again. As clear as day, as though I was peering through his car window to kiss him goodbye on his way to work. But he wasn’t looking at me, he didn’t know I could see him. His focus was on the road but only one hand was on the steering wheel. The other…

  Oh hell. Oh no. This can’t be real.

  His other hand was on top of someone else’s, his thumb rubbing their skin. The recipient of his affection had her hand on her thigh, which despite the cool night was exposed, as her long skirt had ridden up over her knee. Greg’s hand moved from the top of her hand to the top of her thigh, her bare thigh, rubbing and massaging it with his fingers. ‘Mmm,’ a soft feminine voice said over the music.