“Please forgive my unkempt appearance,” I said, extending my hand. “I’m still putting everything together for my displays.” When she offered me her hand, I shook it and said, “Sydney Blackstone, how may I be of service?”

  The woman arched an eyebrow. “Sydney? As in Syd?”

  “The very same,” I replied as we let go of each other’s hands. “Might I ask your name?”

  “Bailey,” she stated with a smile. “Bailey Bennett.” Giving the phonograph in the corner of the room a curious eye, she asked, “Is that Motown?”

  I smiled at her misidentification and said, “No, that’s actually Bowie. ‘Win’, the second track on his ‘Young Americans’ album.”

  Bailey took a deep breath through her aquiline nose. I watched the tension drain from her as she exhaled. “Ah, that’s right. I should have guessed. Well, it’s a good match for the incense you’re burning. You must have picked that up from Poppy?”

  I nodded. “You know her or her store?”

  “I know both very well,” she said with a smile. “We’re good friends, actually.” Then she offered me another smile and started pacing the inside of the shop, noticing this and that, as if she were taking inventory, even though the shop was mostly empty. “Haven Hollow is a pretty small town so once you get situated, you’ll find you’ll get to know everyone pretty quickly.”

  “I hope so.”

  She stopped her pacing and nodded. “So you like Bowie?”

  “One of the greatest favors my wife ever did for me was introducing me to that man’s remarkable music.”

  She smiled. “How do you and your wife like Haven Hollow so far?”

  A pang of longing struck me at her innocent question. “I’m afraid… it’s now just me. My wife passed a couple of years ago.”

  Bailey’s face instantly went from relaxed to embarrassed. “Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to—wow, I didn’t mean to put my foot in my mouth.”

  “You didn’t know,” I said, raising my hand. “I like playing that album because it feels like Melody is here with me again, helping me put the store together.” Then I came back to the present and said, “Let’s have a seat.”

  I guided Bailey over to the bed I’d just finished putting together before grabbing the portable folding chair on which I sat.

  “I believe in looking professional and prepared at all times,” I started, offering her an apologetic smile. “So, I must apologize for my current appearance. I hope that won’t give you a bad first impression of me.”

  “Not at all! You didn’t know I was coming,” Bailey replied. “And the store isn’t ready yet anyway, Mr. Blackstone.”

  “Syd, please.” Bailey smiled, and I tapped my chin as I figured we should get down to business. “Shall I assume you’ve had quite a bit of experience working with the public?”

  She extended the loose papers in her hand. “Yes, it’s all right here on my resume.”

  Taking the papers from her, I proceeded to look them over. What I saw encouraged me. Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science with a minor in Business, employment history from three restaurants, one call center, various temp assignments in data processing, and…

  “Spook Society?” I asked as I looked up at her.

  She smiled. “Right. I’m a psychic.”

  “Are you?” I asked as I felt my eyes widen with surprise.

  “Sure am.” Then she gave me a funny smile. “Do you believe in psychics?”

  I gave her back the smile. “Sure do.”

  She laughed. “Then we should get along just fine.”

  I nodded and looked back at her resume. “It looks like you’re still working there?”

  “Yes, but pretty much all of my cases happen at night. It doesn’t seem like spirits are much interested in showing up during the day. So… I have some free time and thought I’d like to take on another job.”

  I looked up at her again. “So, the question every interviewer must ask: What makes you a good fit for this store?”

  Bailey straightened her back at my question and looked like she was about to present a rehearsed speech but then inhaled deeply and shook her head. When she looked at me, she had a puzzled expression on her face. “It’s hard to explain, but it was just this… this feeling I had.”

  “A feeling?”

  She nodded. “I saw your job post online in The Haven Hollow Gazette, and I just had this really overwhelming feeling that I should apply, like I needed to.” Her fingers fluttered slightly in nervous apprehension. “And now here I am.”

  “Well, can’t argue with destiny, can I?” I asked on a laugh.

  She returned it. “Can you tell me anything more about the job?”

  “That’s a fair question,” I replied, putting her resume in my lap. “Well, as you know, this is a mattress shop. But mattresses aren’t the only thing I sell. I’m building up a steady business selling dreamcatchers online as well.”

  “Really?” Bailey asked in surprise, but then nodded. “Well, dreamcatchers make sense. They go hand in hand with sleeping, but...”

  I gave her a reassuring smile. “Dreamcatchers and mattresses are an unusual combination, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  “Seemed a little strange.”

  “Believe it or not, my little online dreamcatcher business has grown large enough to allow me to purchase this store.”

  “People want good dreams,” Bailey said on a smile.

  “That they do,” I laughed and couldn’t help but notice the fact that she was easy to be around and that smile of hers was fairly infectious.

  “Even so,” I continued, “in the course of putting this store together—”

  “Are you doing it all by yourself?” Bailey asked as she glanced around again.

  “Not always,” I replied. “My friend, RJ, has been a big help with putting everything together.” I gestured to the assembled beds behind her.

  “RJ?” she repeated, eyeing me with interest. “As in the RJ from town?”

  I nodded. “The one and only.”

  She laughed. “The one and only is right. I love that guy.”

  “You know him?”

  She nodded with another laugh. “Like I told you, Haven Hollow is a small town. Give yourself a week and you’ll be on a first-name-basis with everyone.” We both laughed at that and Bailey continued. “RJ is actually on the ghost hunting team of a good friend of mine, Marty. I’m sure you’ll meet him and Henner if you haven’t already.”

  “I haven’t met them yet,” I answered. I thought about telling her I’d also met Maverick but decided against it, just because Maverick was on the Council and I preferred to keep that under wraps. Not to mention the fact that I couldn’t imagine Bailey being friends with Maverick. In fact, I couldn’t imagine anyone being friends with Maverick. “RJ and I go way back,” I explained.

  “Sounds like an awful lot of work to get this store up and running,” Bailey said.

  “And very little time. We open exactly one week from today.” I adjusted my glasses slightly. “Which is why I need an office assistant. You could help me greatly.”

  “You want me to help you get the store in shape too?” Bailey inquired. She wasn’t particularly opposed to the idea but I could tell it wasn’t what she’d expected, but as she glanced around the mostly empty space, I could see her brain already working.

  “No, no, I’m explaining it badly,” I said. “I really need someone to take care of the dreamcatcher sales. That way, I can focus all my efforts on the preparation of the store. A week ago, I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t do both adequately. And I need both for my business to take off. Now you know why I put the ad in the Gazette.”

  “I imagine you’ve gotten a whole slew of applicants for the job,” Bailey said when she faced me again.

  “You’re actually the first one,” I admitted. “But it seems like you’re the one I’m looking for.”

  “Is that so?” she asked with a laugh.

  I nodded. “Will you accept?”

  Bailey blinked her long lashes and said, “Just like that?”

  I tilted my head and put out my hand, as I nodded. If Bailey had felt drawn to this place, then I felt good about hiring her. Yes, many people had accused me of being superstitious but that’s exactly because I was superstitious. With the things I’d seen and done, it was impossible not to be.

  “I mean, yes!” she exclaimed, taking my hand to shake it again. “Yes, absolutely! How soon can I get started?”

  “Tomorrow if you’re available?”

  “Uh-huh. And thank you!”

  “No, thank you, Bailey,” I said, smiling with relief. “Only a couple more things to sort out, then. One of your duties is setting up the back office, which is where you’ll be working.” I winced and added, “I would have gotten the office set up already but… well, I assumed my assistant might prefer to set the office up to her own personal satisfaction.”

  “Ah, that makes sense.”

  “I’ll help you, of course,” I quickly added, so she didn’t think I was shirking my responsibility. “But the layout is entirely up to you.”

  “Oh! I’m liking this job better and better,” Bailey purred. A loud rumble from her stomach suddenly broke the ensuing silence. She smiled and said, “Excuse me. I’ve been a little too strict on my diet lately.”

  “No worries,” I said as I reviewed her resume again. A small detail caught my attention. “The address listed on your resume is crossed out?”

  “Yeah, um, I got kicked out of the house I was renting because the landlord decided to sell it and I haven’t had a chance to update my resume yet,” Bailey replied. With some cheerfulness in her voice, she added, “But the email’s correct!”

  “Well, if you could write down your current address and your current phone number before you leave, that would be most helpful.”

  “Actually, I’m... well, temporarily I’m living at The Haven Hollow Inn—just until I find another rental, which shouldn’t take too much longer—my friend Fifi, from Hallowed Realty, has a few spots for me to check out this week.”

  In a flash, I remembered the nightmare-ridden dreamer I’d missed the previous night at the inn. Could Bailey have been the one I’d detected? Knowing she was a psychic for a ghost hunting agency made me realize there could be much more to her story. A story that might be worth delving into.

  “Well, I should go,” Bailey said, rising to her feet. “You’ve still got a lot of work to do. What time do you want me to arrive tomorrow?” While she was talking, her stomach growled again, reminding me I hadn’t yet eaten today either.

  I gently snagged her arm and rose to my feet. “Why don’t I take you to lunch? The Half-Moon café has a pretty good special today.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to take me to lunch,” Bailey started, but I could tell by her expression that lunch sounded as good to her as it did to me.

  “Think of it as a sign-on bonus,” I told her with a big smile. “Besides, I’m getting rather hungry myself.”

  Chapter Four

  The Half-Moon was bustling with people as we walked in the door.

  A quick look at the clock on the wall confirmed that it was just a little after one in the afternoon. By my rough calculations, that meant the lunch rush still had another half-hour before it ended. Excluding the usual meal periods, the Half-Moon could be as dead as a pharaoh’s tomb. That’s why I preferred to come either before or after the breakfast, lunch and dinner crowds.

  This being a different situation, I supposed I could make an exception. A stray thought crossed my mind then: she’ll be worth it in the end.

  That was a strange thought, indeed, and one I didn’t want to ponder. Even though Bailey was clearly a very attractive woman, she was also my employee and nothing more.

  The hostess at the podium, a stout woman in her mid-thirties with deep cleavage that she liked to show off, smiled at the sight of us.

  “Well, now, look who it is!” she drawled with a heavy Southern accent. “Not used ta seein’ you here so early, handsome.” She shifted her eyes to Bailey. “An’ ya got yerself some company today.”

  I waved my hand to indicate my new hire. “Marla, I’d like you to meet my new office assistant, Bailey.” Then I reversed the motion and said, “Bailey, Marla.”

  “We know each other from high school,” Bailey answered and gave Marla a smile that said they might have known each other, but they weren’t friends.

  “An’ hi right back at ya,” Marla said with a wink (and I believe Bailey groaned), grabbing a couple of menus from under the podium. “Why don’tcha all follow me back this way?”

  She gently but firmly pushed her way through the swirl of customers and fellow employees, cutting a wide path for us to follow. For all her brassiness, Marla had a good grasp of my usual preferences and the booth she seated us in reflected that—it was located at the back corner of the establishment and well away from the rest of the crowd. Bailey and I took our seats and then faced Marla.

  Pulling a notepad and pen from her apron, Marla asked, “So what can I git y’all ta drink?”

  “Iced tea, no ice and no sweetener,” Bailey replied.

  Marla arched an eyebrow “Ya sure ‘bout that, hon? We mix up a mighty fine iced tea with raspberry juice that’s so refreshin’ on a day like this.”

  “I’m well aware of what the Half-Moon offers, Marla, I’ve only lived here for pretty much all my life,” Bailey replied with a frown.

  “Sure, darlin’,” Marla said, her voice sounding less like an advertisement and more like a repentant sinner. After squiggling on her notepad, Marla looked at me. I opened my mouth but Marla raised her pen and said, “Now, don’t tell me. Lemme try out my mind-reading on ya.”

  “Good grief,” Bailey mumbled, reminding me of Charlie Brown.

  “Go ahead,” I answered with an amused grin as I looked at Bailey, who just frowned at Marla’s antics and then shook her head.

  Marla dramatically put both of her hands next to her temples before staring deeply into my eyes as if she were concentrating very hard. After a few seconds, punctuated with some grunts and groans, she snapped the fingers of her free hand.

  “I got it! 7-Up with three lemon slices, and a little strawberry juice for a spritzer.”

  “Perfect!” I announced with a raised finger.

  I knew she’d take our food orders after serving our drinks, as that was Marla’s routine. I watched her disappear behind the counter.

  Bailey waited a moment or two until she said, “You must order that drink all the time because Marla’s got about as much mindreading ability as she’s got southern blood in her.”

  I smiled as I looked up at her. “Which means she must have none?”

  Bailey nodded. “That girl has never left the Oregon border. I don’t know who she thinks she’s fooling with that routine. And the mindreading one too.” Then she shook her head. “Roy must be hard up if he’s giving Marla a job.”

  “Hmm,” I started.

  “You better look out, Syd.”

  I looked at her in alarm. “What do you mean?”

  Bailey smiled conspiratorially. “You ask me, I think Marla’s got herself a crush on you,” she answered in her best Southern accent and then batted her eyelashes at me repeatedly.

  I started to grin as I picked up the menu. Shaking her head with a smile, Bailey opened her menu and scanned it quickly, almost as if it were a test she was required to pass. “I don’t see the special you mentioned.”

  I flipped the menu over and tapped the bottom of it, where a small piece of handwritten paper was attached: teriyaki chicken sandwich with garlic fries. My mouth started watering just at reading it.

  Bailey responded with a grunt. “Looks like Roy’s not offering his tri-tip sandwich. Bummer.”

  Before I could respond, Marla suddenly reemerged from the crowd. “So y’all ready ta order?”

  Bailey grinned at her. “Shouldn’t a bona fide psychic like you already know what we want?”

  Marla trilled with laughter. “Well, readin’ people’s minds all day can be very drainin’ on the psyche. After a while, I like ta let people order the regular way.”

  “Bailey?” I asked.

  “I’ll have the special, Marla,” she answered.

  I looked at Marla and smiled. “We’ll both have today’s special,” I told her, holding up my menu.

  “All-righty then,” Marla said, scribbling on her pad. “Separate checks?” she asked, looking at neither of us but I could tell there was interest in her tone. Bailey looked at me then and raised one brow as if to say she’d picked up on that interest, as well.

  “Nope, just one,” I answered.

  “Oh, ho! Out on a hot date!” Marla teased as she took the menus from us. “An’ here I was hopin’ ta have y’all ta myself, Syd-ful!”

  I smiled but my heart wasn’t in it. Ever since Melody’s passing, I couldn’t find it within me to be interested in another woman. And I wondered if that would ever change.

  “This lunch is actually a sign-on bonus,” Bailey explained soberly to Marla.

  Marla laughed good-naturedly. “Well, that’s a new one! Whatever ya wanna call it, hon.” She looked around cautiously before leaning in and saying to Bailey, “Just between us girls, bring yer A-game if ya wanna land this fish sittin’ across from ya.”

  “May I ask why you haven’t landed him?” Bailey teased back.

  “Hey, I’ve only been workin’ on him fer a few days,” Marla retorted, pulling back. “Give a girl some time, and may the best woman win!”

  The extra sway in Marla’s hips was very evident as she left our table. Once she disappeared, Bailey’s eyes widened and she exclaimed, “Oh, damn, I forgot to tell her to hold the tomatoes on my sandwich.”

  “We’ll tell Marla when she gets back.”

  “Or you can,” Bailey said. “If I do, she might add more tomatoes.”

  I chuckled at that and Bailey laughed and then we both drowned our merriment in our drinks. When the silence started to seem a bit uncomfortable, I interrupted it. “Let’s talk about you now,” I suggested. “Haven Hollow is your hometown?”