Faye's Spirit (3 page)

Garth looked surprised. “
Her
house?”

“As she was resident here first she may think of it as her home and that you have invaded her space. Has she been negative towards either you in any way? Slamming doors, cold draughts?”

Both men thought about that for a while then shook their heads.

“That’s a good start. She likes you.” She paused to smile their way, braving herself to match up to them.

They both smiled back.

“We’ll need to find out why she lingers, in order to usher her on her way. It helps if we don’t start in a war zone.” She moved on quickly in order to take the edge off her comment. The last ghost she had interrogated had been hugely put out about being requested to move on. The case had taken much longer than the weekend she had scheduled, and she hoped the same wouldn’t happen here. Although being around her hosts would make up for that, if it did happen.

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FAYE’S SPIRIT

Saskia Walker

16

They stared across at her while she made her notes. She gave herself a moment to absorb the feeling of having two men focused on her in unison. No wonder her sisters liked it so much. Would she ever get a little taste of that kind of intimacy as well? One glance in Jai’s direction made her think he would be up for it. Jai flirted openly, engaging with her every time she looked up. Garth was more of an intense kind of man, but he was forthright and that had its own appeal. The fact that they were straight also fascinated her. Nevertheless, they were more than business partners. The quality of their relationship reinforced the fact that they’d known each other for a long time. Had they shared women before, was that what she sensed?

Just then something on her phone caught her eye and she opened up the link. She scanned the information quickly. “Did you know that your property used to be a brothel?”

“No, seriously?” Jai spoke, but when she looked at Garth he was more than a little startled too.

“It’s amazing what you can find out on the Internet these days. You can check it out yourself, now that you know.” She continued to scan the information. “It looks as if the place was boarded up and left to rot when the brothel was shut down in 1965. Other than that, no tragedies show up on an initial scan.”

When she saw the querying glancing in Garth’s eyes she attempted to explain further.

“The reason spirits linger is often because they have an unresolved aspect of their life that they can’t let go of.”

She didn’t want to bring the mood down, so she put her notepad away and switched her phone off. “Now all we have to do is wait for the ghost to make contact with me. As I said on the phone, you don’t have to wait with me.”

She said it as a courtesy, in case they had real partners to return to, but she was delighted when they both turned down the opportunity to leave.

Garth leant forward. “No, I’m happy to stay with you.”

“It’s a real pleasure,” Jai agreed.

“No loved ones waiting at home?”

They both shook their heads. For a moment they exchanged looks across the table, before the conversation moved on.

“Are you sure you’ll be able to make contact with the ghost?” Garth asked.

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FAYE’S SPIRIT

Saskia Walker

17

“Oh yes. I will see your ghost.” She enjoyed the curiosity in their eyes. “Don’t ask me why, but it’s been that way ever since I was a kid. If there’s a spook around I can see them and I can communicate with them. It took several years for my family to realise that I didn’t in fact have imaginary friends but ESP, and it was actually the spirits of those who had gone before that I was chatting with.”

“That’s some special talent,” Jai said.

“Like I said to Garth when he called me, it’s weird, but if I can help people—and spirits—with this gift, why not.”

She could tell that Jai wasn’t a sceptic. He had an esoteric aspect to his personality, especially in comparison with his colleague, Garth. Jai was free spirited. Garth was a bit more down to earth. They were like two sides of a coin, friends who functioned well together because they brought different attitudes to a situation.

When she smiled at the thought, Jai cocked his head on one side and narrowed his eyes, as if he was trying to guess her thoughts. Then he rose to his feet. “If we’re camping out here for the evening, I’ll go get us some takeaway food and some wine.”

Garth stared up at him. “Aren’t you going home?”

“Are you kidding, with such good company”—he nodded at Faye—“and the possibility of finding out about the resident ghost?” He turned his attention back to her. “Is Chinese good for you, Faye?”

“Sounds great, thank you.”

He gave a slight bow. “My pleasure.”

Mine too
, she thought to herself, her anticipation growing by the moment.

www.total-e-bound.com

FAYE’S SPIRIT

Saskia Walker

18

Chapter Two

Jai deposited the bag of take-out food cartons on the worktop next to the wine carrier, lifted out a bottle and went about looking for the bottle opener. A glass of wine or two was just what this situation needed. “Where’s our guest?”

“
My
guest.” Garth checked out the cartons then took several plates and some cutlery over to the table. “I gave her a tour of the building and now she’s freshening up.”

Just as well
, Jai thought to himself. Garth needed a talking to. He prowled around and growled like a territorial big cat. “What’s your problem?”

Garth gave him a deliberately disbelieving look. “You stayed behind because you’re interested in Faye.”

“Yes. So?” He took in Garth’s frown. “Oh, I see, you’re assuming that just because you hired her you’ve got first rights at chatting her up?”

Garth had a strict code of honour and any suggestion of working a system to gain an advantage made him uncomfortable. Jai knew that and he liked to tease him about it. “Come on,” he said, and put his free hand on Garth’s shoulder, “she’s flirting with both of us. Chill out and enjoy it. It’s just a bit of fun.”

“What, you really want me to compete with you?” Garth shook his head and gave a gruff laugh as if he secretly liked the idea of the challenge.

Jai studied him a moment before answering. “If you have to see it that way, fair enough. As I said, I think it’s a bit of fun. Something we can share, perhaps.”

Garth stared at him as he processed the comment.

Jai could see his message was beginning to take hold.

Garth shrugged, which dislodged Jai’s hand from his shoulder. “You’re a kinky freak,” he said in a low tone, and glanced at the door as if he watching out for Faye’s return.

“That’s one way of putting it,” Jai responded, “I suppose. You should try something a bit kinky, you might like it.”

“What makes you think I haven’t ‘tried it’?”

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FAYE’S SPIRIT

Saskia Walker

19

Jai arched his eyebrows. “I think you’d have mentioned it, besides, I haven’t heard that strict upbringing of yours snap and unravel and I’ve been listening out for it, believe me.” Jai gave him a sideways grin to lighten the comment.

“So you have to come from a modern extended family to have an open mind about sex, is that what you are saying?” Garth looked positively enraged by the suggestion, which amused Jai all the more.

“Extended family? Why not say what you mean? You’d call it a broken home. My parents divorced. I’m chilled about it and so are they. I have stepparents as well as real parents. We’re a diverse, multicultural group but we’re happy.”

Garth looked a bit sheepish at that point, as well he might. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that to sound quite the way it did.”

“Look, buddy, I have no idea why I’m more of a free thinker than you,” Jai continued,

“but I do know that it’s not too late for you to loosen up and live a little.”

“I live plenty. Life isn’t just a list of sexual experiences you have to tick off. What if you meet someone you really respect? You have to start off on the right foot.”

“And what if kinky sex
is
the right foot, when you meet the right person?” Jai knew he was being provocative, but he couldn’t resist. Garth’s eyes flickered, as they often did when his mind raced. “Sometimes you’ve just got to go with the flow and see what happens,” he added.

Garth threw him an accusing glance.

Jai felt startled by the sudden intensity of what he saw there, and it struck him that there was more to this than he’d first thought. “Wait a minute you’re not still angry about Izzy, are you? I thought you’d dropped that old grief years ago.”

“I have dropped it. It’s just that this situation reminded me of it. I meet a woman I like, one who seems interested in me, and suddenly you’re there, Mister Charm personified stealing her from under my nose.”

“Izzy was the only one, as far as I recall.” Was this really the right time to talk about the Izzy incident, Jai wondered? It had been years back, and she hadn’t been mentioned for a long time. Perhaps he shouldn’t have mentioned it now, but Garth was obviously still thinking about it.

www.total-e-bound.com

FAYE’S SPIRIT

Saskia Walker

20

They’d been students when Garth had dated Izzy, but she’d gravitated to Jai and Garth had been left cut up about it. They’d settled back into their friendship when Izzy had moved on. She’d headed to Paris for her European study abroad and never returned. Since then they had a strong—if competitive—friendship.

However, it looked as if he should address this old grievance or it would spoil the evening, and he didn’t want that to happen. Besides, Faye had flirted with them both. He tried to keep his response light. “Anyway, I’ll have you know I actually met this lady before you, I got to the door first.”

Garth shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

“Lighten up.”

Garth rolled his eyes. “We chatted on the phone, I liked her then.”

“Get real. You can’t fall for someone over the phone.”

“We had a rapport. I knew we’d get on.”

It started to make sense for Jai. “That’s why you were ushering me on my way this evening. It was because Faye was coming over. I did wonder.”

“Do you blame me? Any chance for you to get your leg over and you’re in like Flynn.”

“I enjoy women. That’s not a crime.”

Challenge flashed in Garth’s eyes and his mouth lifted at the corners. “Maybe you should let her decide.”

Jai was fascinated by this edgier side to his old friend. They enjoyed sparring and this was a whole new game. “Maybe we should.”

Garth opened a drawer, lifted out a bottle opener and extracted the bottle of wine from Jai’s hand. “And, trust me, if she is interested, I’m not giving up on this one without a fight.”

Interesting. Garth really had grown a backbone since Izzy. Jai couldn’t help smiling.

Garth had walked away from the Izzy situation once he knew she was interested in Jai too.

Garth hadn’t taken kindly to the suggestion that all three of them got it on together—a suggestion that had actually come from Izzy. Izzy had wanted them both. Garth was too traditional to give it a go though. Had he ever had the chance of three in a bed again? Jai didn’t think so. Would he have the backbone to give that a try now? Jai’s curiosity built.

www.total-e-bound.com

FAYE’S SPIRIT

Saskia Walker

21

“I love it when you get all competitive on me.” Jai winked at his buddy. The urge to compete hadn’t harmed them in business, quite the opposite in fact. “That’s why we’re so good together. Nothing like two front runners to set things alight, huh.”

Garth pulled the cork from the wine and reached for a second bottle. Determination shone in his eyes and a mysterious smile hovered around his mouth.

Jai lowered his voice another notch when he heard Faye’s footsteps descending the stairs. “Game on?”

Garth nodded. “Game on.”

Jai’s anticipation sharpened.

“Oh my,” Faye said as she walked into the kitchen, “that does smell good.”

Garth turned her way and smiled. “Hungry?”

Jai noticed that Faye’s voice had an immediate effect on Garth’s expression. The big guy really did like her.

Faye sidled over, looking from one of them to the other in an overtly flirtatious way, and nodded. “This all looks wonderful, thank you.”

She was definitely interested in them both. Was she keeping her options open until she got to know them better, or was she looking for something a bit more kinky, like Izzy had been all those years ago? Jai gave Garth a sidelong glance. Garth returned it with a weighty stare. The gauntlet had been thrown down. For a moment Jai felt as if he should walk away—let Garth pursue the lady all by himself, make up for the Izzy days—but his competitive spirit wouldn’t allow it, and when he looked at Faye he didn’t want to leave. She intrigued him. Besides, it would be interesting to see Garth fighting his corner.

Often, when they took on a joint project, they egged each other on like this, with good results. This was a bit more personal, but…all the same, it made Jai wondered how things would turn out.

Faye quickly took charge of the food, opening up the cartons and lining them up on the table. Garth sprang into action and got some glasses out. Jai poured the wine. The kitchen became a hive of activity, but when Faye glanced at either one of them—and she did that often—the atmosphere became more heavily laden with sexual tension.

Jai couldn’t have been more pleased.

www.total-e-bound.com

FAYE’S SPIRIT

Saskia Walker

22

Once again Faye sat opposite them, and this meant he could watch where her attention was focused. Everywhere—from Garth to him, then down the hallway, where she was presumably watching out for the ghost. While they ate she quizzed them about their work and their hopes for their new business, but all the while she seemed to be on high alert for the invisible occupant of the house.

“I didn’t realise dinner and wine was included in this commission.” She had a naughty look in her eye when she brought the conversation back to the current event.