Free Me and My Ghoulfriends by Rose Pressey

it’s fine. Thank you.” Good thing he couldn’t read my mind.
     
    “You speak French?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
     
    “A little.” Obviously, he was being modest and, perhaps, somewhat mysterious. Now that was sexy.
     
    “Wow. I’m impressed. What other talents are you hiding?”
     
    He chuckled. “I think that’s about it.”
     
    “So tell me, what made you choose Magnolia as your new home?”
     
    He looked at me with a shy grin. I still could not get over how bashful he was.
     
    Oh, or was the smile part of his mysterious act? Hmmm, interesting. I wasn’t sure if it was just me making him behave that way, or if he was always timid.
     
    “To be honest, I wanted to get away from the big city. The traffic and the hectic pace, I hated it. I wanted to slow things down. I’d always envisioned running my own business someday. So here I am.”
     
    “Well, you certainly picked the right place to get away from the hectic pace. This place is as slow as they come.”
     
    “I’m figuring that out rather quickly. The grocery store closes at ten.”
     
    I laughed. “Yes, not really a nightlife scene around here. They roll up the sidewalks at ten.”
     
    “Tell me…” He took a sip of his water. “What did you do before you bought your grandparents’ bookstore?”
     
    “There’s not a lot of variety in jobs around here, unless you own your own business or work at the distilleries. So, I worked at the distillery. I was marketing manager for events and promotions. It was a lot of fun; I still have loads of bottles of bourbon in my cabinets, but the sad part is, I don’t like it. What did you do in the big city before you decided to throw caution to the wind and move to this little town?”
     
    “I was in banking at Kentucky Bank. Rather boring stuff, really.”
     
    “I’m sure it had its moments.”
     
    His blue eyes glittered in the light. He chuckled. “Not really.”
     
    “So you don’t miss it then?” I laughed.
     
    The corners of his mouth lifted. “No, not at all.”
     
    “I can tell you, it was a tough decision to leave my job. I’m sure you can understand that, but I don’t regret for a minute leaving it behind and running the bookstore, now.” I smiled.
     
    He shook his head in agreement.
     
    “I do understand. It was hard for me to leave the safety of the bank, but I felt drawn to the place, really. I had to take my chances.”
     
    Listening to Callahan talk made even my toes tingle, he had a sexy tone to his voice that vibrated across the table and pulsated along my skin.
     
    “I’m glad you did.” I couldn’t believe I’d said something so bold. At least bold for me, I’m usually too shy for comments like those. He didn’t seem to mind, because his blue eyes lit up even more.
     
    Just then, the waiter returned with our wine. Surprisingly, he had heard the order after all; I guess he was just a very bad and unfriendly server. With great displeasure, the waiter went through the motions of letting Callahan sniff the cork, taste a sample, and then, when Callahan nodded in approval, he poured a small amount in a glass for me. He then added more wine to Callahan’s glass. I was thankful he hurried through the process, though, and left us alone again.
     
    My eyes were drawn to Callahan as he placed his perfect lips on his glass and took a sip. At that moment, I couldn’t help but daydream about what those lips would taste like pressed next to mine. With any luck, I hoped that, soon, I wouldn’t have to deliberate on the idea, I’d get to experience it firsthand.
     
    “What about family? Did you leave them behind?” I took another sip of my wine. I had to say, the wine was fabulous, although I knew I’d better pace myself. After last night, I realized I wasn’t much of a drinker, and I was definitely a silly drunk. If I didn’t watch myself, I’d surely scare him off with my nonstop giggling.
     
    “My parents still live there in the house I grew up