Ghosted (2 page)

"Yes. I guess I should clarify it and say that
when Chloe bought the place she abruptly spent a year in Europe and
told me, make me a nice place and stay in it. So…I did." I grab two
plates.

"Are you and Chloe…together?"

It was an odd question. Mine and Chloe's
mutual friends knew us well enough not to ask it. "No. We're good
friends. But to put things in perspective, if Chloe saw you," I
shrug. "She would hit on you."

"Oh. I get it." Her smile widens. "You're very
different, Mr. Daniel Grant."

I pull the boxes from the bag. "I have Mushu
Pork, Mongolian Beef, fried and steamed rice, pot stickers and…wow
they gave me two fortune cookies." I pull the cookies out and set
them on the counter.

"I'm thinking they assumed one person wasn't
going to eat that much food. So…" She puts her hands together.
"Let's eat?"

We sit on the couches as the flat screen
displays a rerun of some comedy I never watch. We talk about
ourselves and who we are. She is much more interesting than
me.

"And then I graduated—barely. My dad was happy
I at least got my cap and gown and a job. I work as a paralegal for
one of my uncle's law firms. It's a pretty cool job and I actually
like doing research."

"Legal research?"

She digs into the box of fried rice with a
pair of chopsticks. The plate, abandoned. "Any kind." She fishes a
large chunk of rice and chicken out and chews it. She points at the
loft. "Like right now…I would love to research this building and
find out who owns the rest of it because I want one of
these."

I laugh softly. I am fascinated with her as
well as impressed. She was nearly raped and possibly killed and yet
she sits in this loft with me, a perfect stranger, and talks about
researching a building. I reassess my first thoughts of her from
when I saw her step out to what I know now. "What were you doing
down at the Blue Lagoon?"

"Meeting a friend who never showed up. I was
there for about an hour. Who knew they had such good sushi there?"
She digs into the box again. "And this Chinese is the best I've
had."

"It comes from Golden Dragon. It's around the
corner from Blue Lagoon."

"Big Asian community here?"

"Yeah." I finish an egg roll and wipe my hands
on the napkins included in the bag. "Did you find out why your
friend never showed up?"

"She and I were texting when I was—" Her eyes
become wide and her brows arch high on her forehead.

"Caroline?"

"Dammit Daniel…my phone. I don't remember what
happened to my phone."

"If you left it at the scene, the police will
find it."

"Oh…kay." Her expression relaxes. "I hope so.
My life is on that phone." Caroline sets the box on the coffee
table with the sticks and sits forward. "Now it's your
turn."

"My turn what?"

"Who are you, Daniel Grant?"

"I'm just Dan Grant. I work construction for
Farfield Construction—"

"My dad owns that!"

"I know." I smile at her. "I work
just about every part of the process, except the power. I'm not
that good being an electrician." I rub my hands on my jeans. "I was
born in Florida. My parents still live there along the intercoastal
waterway. I have a sister who lives in Japan. You know about Chloe.
And I have
the
best friend in the world. His name's Jimmy Simms. I work, I
make things and I eat and sleep."

"No girlfriend?"

I shake my head. "No girlfriend."

I am excited as well as shocked when she
stands and comes to sit on the couch with me. We face each other. I
see beyond the mascara darkened eyes and the pale lips. I see a
beautiful, vibrant woman with a good heart. I see someone…I would
love to know better.

"Daniel?"

"Yes?"

"What did he look like?"

I know who she asks about. I comb my fingers
through my hair and lean back on the couch. "Isn't it better not to
remember and let me do it for you?"

"That's sweet, but I have to know."

I describe him to her, in as much detail as I
intend on giving the police sketch artist.

She grows very, very white and her eyes fill
with tears. I reach out to her and she moves into my arms. Her
shoulders shake as she cries and I hold her as tight as I dare. My
sweatshirt muffles her screams and I wince as her grip around my
chest reminds me of my own injuries. I hold still and take as much
as she is willing to give.

When I rest my chin on the top of her hair,
she turns her head and is hiccuping. "God…I hate it when I cry that
hard."

"Cry as long as you like."

"Why, Dan. Why did it happen to
me?"

"I don't know. I wish it hadn't. But I'm glad
he didn't touch you."

"Me too."

We sit like that for several minutes before
she lifts her head. "Dan?"

"Yes?"

"Kiss me?"

I freeze because my desires and needs war with
my mother's hardline stance at treating a woman right. And
succumbing to my baser needs at that moment is not what she had in
mind. She taught me well—a little too well sometimes. "I
can't."

"Can't?" She blinks. I see her eyes are blue
under the mascara.

"Caroline," I push her back as I settle beside
her. "You've just been through a very traumatic experience, and
though I would love nothing more than to kiss you, among other
things, I think that would be rude of me. I'm…I don't like taking
advantage of women." I add a smile to relax her crossed eyebrows.
"My mama raised me right."

"That…she did." Caroline's cross eyebrows
soften as she looks at me with narrow eyes. "You're different, Dan
Grant. Not like any guy I've ever met. You sure you're not
gay?"

I laugh. "I'm sure. Now…I'm also possitive
Chloe has clothing in there that could fit you. Why don't you take
a shower, grab some clothes, and then I can take you
home?"

She takes my hand. "Trying to get rid of
me?"

"No, I'm trying to keep my promise not to kiss
you. But the longer you stay, the harder that's going to
be."

Caroline smiles and before I can stop her,
kisses my cheek before she stumbles off the couch and heads to the
back rooms. By the time I clean the kitchen and put away left
overs, she returns. Chloe's pink sweater and soft jeans add to
Caroline's tribute to the female form. I stare for a few minutes
before she reaches up to touch my cheek. Her face is clean now, and
she is more than beautiful.

She is Goddess.

3

I treat her to a soda for the road as we climb
into my rarely used car. She chats between directions and I realize
quickly she lives in the more expensive end of town. But I know
this. I knew it the moment I saw her.

Her apartment is a high rise and she directs
me into the circular turn where valet parking is a must. I tell the
man that opens my door I am dropping off a tenant, but the young
man nods and holds out his hand for my key. "I know sir. Miss
Black's father insists you join her upstairs."

Nervousness rests on my shoulders. How could
her father know we were there? But Caroline stands by the front.
Her hand reaches for mine as she leads me into the revolving door
of a building I have never entered.

Glass and gold assault my eyes. I follow
obediently behind Caroline as she waves to the security guard.
"Hello Solomon!"

"Good evening Miss Black. Sorry to hear about
your misfortune." Solomon is a large Hispanic man. But not large as
in round, large as in tall with wide shoulders. I smile at him but
he does not return it. He glares at me instead and I look away as
we move to a set of gold elevators.

They open as she touches the button and a man
steps out. "Miss Black! So good to see you!" He steps aside as we
enter and then to my surprise, joins us. I watch as he pulls a card
out of his jacket and inserts it into a slot above the elevator
buttons.

The small car is fast and my ears
pop as it launches skyward. Caroline holds onto me and I hang onto
the elevator's
oh shit
handle. Never believed an elevator would need one of
these.

Once the elevator stops, the doors open into a
foyer, that also dazzles in gold and glass, along with cream
marble. A flower arrangement as large as a small car sits on a
table, or hovers in the air. I am uncertain because I can't see the
table. Caroline thanks the elevator man and leads me around the
floral car-sized decoration to a set of double doors.

She releases me and pushes them open.
"Daddy!"

The room is full. I see uniforms there,
including one of the officers at the scene of the attack. Men in
suits stand from plush, beige chairs and I can smell the charred
smoke of a real fire. A tall, daunting man with gray hair comes
forward first. He takes Caroline into his arms briefly then steps
back as if he realizes others are watching.

"Caroline, are you all right?"

"I am thanks to Daniel." She turns and holds
her hand out to me. All eyes focus on me and for the first time I
wish I were still a ghost. I move to her and she takes my hand.
"Daddy, this is Daniel Grant. He's the one that fought my attacker.
Dan, this is my dad, Gerome Black."

I offer my hand to him and he
takes it, though the smile on his lips never meets his eyes. They
are light blue, colorless, and a voice in my mind says
soulless
. "It's nice to
meet you, Mr Black."

"Yes. Quite. So…" he releases my hand and I am
surprised the suits surrounding him don't offer him Purell. "What
sort of reward are you looking for?"

I frown. "Excuse me?"

"Reward. For saving my daughter? Though I must
warn you, my attorneys have warned me against speaking with you.
They believe you might be involved in setting up the
attack."

Caroline's vocal gasp mirrors my internal one.
I shake my head slowly, unsure of what I hear. "Sir…I had nothing
to do with what happened to your daughter. I was coming home and
heard something in the alley." I nod to the officer behind him.
"And I plan on giving a full description of the attacker to the
police."

"That's right, Mr. Black," the officer says as
he steps forward. "Mr. Grant got a good look at him and he's coming
into the station in the morning. I assess we'll catch this guy in
the next forty-eight hours."

"That's…good work, Detective Hernandez." Mr.
Black's eyes never leave me. "You must excuse my distrust of
people. It comes with my job."

"No…that's fine." I hear myself talk but I am
not fine. This man just accused me of being part of a sexual
attack, and did it in front of cops. And though I am sure they
didn't believe it—the seed is planted. I pull my hand from
Caroline's and clasp it with my other. "I should be going. I'm sure
you need to visit with your father. Detective, I'll be at the
station bright and early."

The detective nods. He looks proud.

Mr. Black offers his hand again and I shake
it. "Thank you, Mr. Grant. Her mother will also be happy to hear
it."

Caroline never mentioned her mother and I
realize my assumptions were she was no longer in her life, either
by death or divorce. I shake his hand and look at Caroline. She
looks sad and her eyes are wide. "Do you have to go?"

"Yes. I have a job I have to report to
tomorrow and I'm already going to be late giving my description to
the police." I turn to go and she joins me, her hands on my upper
arm. She tells her dad she is walking me out and we return to the
double doors and the foyer beyond.

Once the doors close she turns to me, stands
on her toes and presses a kiss to my lips. I am unprepared but I
return the kiss seconds before reality and healthy fear kick in. I
step back and smile down at her as she smiles up at me.
"Caroline—"

"Don't give me that crap about me being in
shock and you being the hero and psycho-babble about Florence
Nightingale, okay? I took psych in college." She takes my hands in
hers. "I like you, Daniel, and not because you saved me, but
because you're…"

"Ordinary?"

Caroline nods. "There is nothing wrong with
ordinary, Daniel." She looks at my hands and runs her fingers over
them. Bruises darken her jaw and cheek. The attacker struck her.
Repeatedly.

I reach down and touch that cheek. "But that
is all I am."

"You are much, much more. You're a good man.
Good men are hard to find." She leans up again and whispers in my
ear. "I left you my phone number here, and my security code in your
loft. Please call me tonight."

She squeezes my hand and walks back to the
double doors as the elevator opens. I turn and step inside, my mind
little more than a jumble of happy thoughts. I am wary also because
my heart carries scars I do not wish to re-open.