Page 31 of Hallow Hill at Halloween: Part One

“Oh,” she said, “you mean Romeo?”

“Who?” Cole asked without taking his eyes away from my car.

Maggie chuckled. “That’s Rita’s car.”

Cole’s eyes jerked toward me. “That’syourcar?”

I nodded with a nonchalance I didn’t feel. I rarely leave my car parked on the circle because it’s frowned upon by shop owners, including myself. But it wasn’t a busy day and Romeo loves to show off.

Cole looked taken aback in a way I’dneverseen before. “Well,” I guess you’ve done okay for yourself.”

“Guess so. Now, if you’re done keeping my employees from their work…”

“Oh, ‘tis fine,” she said. “No’ much goin’ on till folks begin arrivin’ for Samhain.”

I could only guess that Maggie’s obliviousness was the result of having been charmed by Cole. I suppose I must’ve felt the same at some point or I wouldn’t have married the man, but there’d been so much toxic water under the bridge since then, it was hard to remember.

“Consider yourself uninvited, Cole,” I said.

Maggie was so stunned by my inhospitality that she gasped out loud. “Rita!” she said, voice full of disbelief.

“This is the furthest thing from a friend, Maggie. It’s my ex-husband who dumped me for a much younger woman.”

Maggie’s had swiveled to get another look at Cole so fast it was almost a blur. At the same time, I heard the bell above the door, still hanging to let me know when a new arrival wasn’t human.

It was Esme.

The full force of banshee in human guise trained on Cole. Her eyes narrowed and sparked as she spat out, “Why ye slime of a Gombeen man! Come darkenin’ the door of a fine woman like our Rita.Imeacht gan teacht ort. Loscadh is dó ort. That the Devil will break your bones!”

“Maggie,” I chided. “It does no good to speak in Irish. No one here can understand a word.”

Esme spoke up from behind me. “She said that he should leave and never come back, cursed him to be burned and scorched on the way, and for good measure prayed to the Devil to break his bones.”

I stared at Maggie. What a marvelous treasure and turn of events in my life to have friends willing to defend me passionately on a moment’s notice. I had to take a second to absorb and enjoy that before turning to Cole.

I pointed to the door. “What she said.”

He smiled at Maggie. “Was lovely to make your acquaintance,” he said.

Maggie’s nostrils flared.

“Out!” I repeated.

“I just…” he began.

“DOLAN!!!!” I shouted at the top of my lungs.

The fake smile dropped from Cole’s sagging face when Dolan appeared wiping stain off his hands. Dolan looked from me to Cole and seemed to immediately intuit the situation without needing more explanation. When he started toward Cole, my ex held up both palms and began to back away.

“Okay. Okay,” he said, trying to placate the able-bodied brounie.

“Turn around and watch where you’re going,” I ordered. “If you knock something over in here, you buy it, and I really doubt you have the credit.”

With a parting sour look, he turned and walked out the door.

I looked at Maggie.

“I’m ever so sorry, Rita. I guess there’s no fool like an old fool. He seemed so sincere.”

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