Free Wanted: One Ghost by Loni Lynne

on the wall that released a foamy substance. Shaking his head, James went to the basins and turned on the knobs. Water flowed, and a small sign above the sinks near the mirrors showed hands lathered in bubbles. He put his hands under the water. It was warm! How delightful!
    The man turned to another machine on the wall and rubbed his hands under the blast of air. The man watched him with keen interest and gave him a half smile before leaving. James peered at himself in the mirror. Yes, he would need a change of clothing. Perhaps he was the peculiar character. No wonder they had looked at him funny.
    They ended their meal. He’d finished off the hamburger and fries with a piece of pumpkin pie that he devoured with the sweet cream topping. He was accustomed to paying with coins if he didn’t have a tab at his local tavern, but now his pockets were empty.
    “I would like to establish a tab here,” he told the waitress who’d served them when they approached the cash register.
    “Um, we don’t set up tabs here. Cash or credit cards only.” She looked to Dr. Branford who handed her a small card. The waitress swiped it against a box with buttons. The box made a slight whirring sound and spit out a piece of paper. She ripped it off the box and gave it to April to sign with a writing instrument.
    He watched her scrawl her name on the piece of paper. She was scribbling! Wasn’t she a doctor? She should know how to write properly.
    “Your penmanship is atrocious! I can barely decipher the difference between your ‘A’ and your ‘B.’ Did you not have proper tutoring?”
    “My handwriting is fine. We don’t use penmanship very often. We have computers to do much of our writing,” she commented when they were out of earshot of the customers lingering about.
    “That is no excuse for lack of a proper, formal signature.”
    After she’d opened his door, he sat in the car. It was low to the ground but comfortable. She’d adjusted the seat for his long legs. Still, he wasn’t quite sure about the experience. He’d held on for dear life as she had driven them here to the diner. The quick pace of the machine in such close proximity to others instilled a sense of unease in him. He’d seen cars in the streets of Kings Mill over the decades but he’d never been able to ride in one.
    He liked the idea of the harness strap that crossed his body. He’d been amazed when April had first introduced him to it before driving to the diner. She’d insisted he had to wear one because it was the law.
    “You need to buckle up your seat belt.”
    “My what?”
    “The strap across your chest…like before.”
    He must have given her a curious look because she reached across him to grab a strap of material near the door. James inhaled the freshness of her unique scent. Heather and lavender fields came to mind with a bit of something sweet, vanilla perhaps? Her hand rested on his thigh for balance, mere inches from his groin. He watched her push the metal clasp into an apparatus which seemed to be its mate. A piece of her dark, auburn hair came loose from her braid and drifted against her cheek.
    James took the opportunity to touch it. Her hair had been a source of fascination for him since they met. Smooth, like the finest silks shipped in from the Orient. Caressing the strand between his thumb and finger, he delighted in the texture. The curl mesmerized him for moments, until he noticed the wary look in April’s eyes.
    “I’ve wanted to touch your hair since the first time I saw you, dreamed of how soft it might be.”
    His fingers continued their intimate caress of her hair. She was so close to him, her scent enveloped him. She backed away, her eyes alive with wonder. He couldn’t stop looking into them, reading what he hoped was a mutual attraction. After a moment he found his bearings and focused on what needed to be done. His arousal by having her so close to him couldn’t be a good thing. Dr. Branford was not a woman to use