Call On Me by Angela Verdenius Read Free Book Online

it, too.”
    “Then you owe
me.”
    He cut her a
look. “How do you figure that?”
    “If I finally
bring a ghost to the fore for you to see, then you can buy me more
of this perfume. My ghost hunting fee.”
    “Hey, I’m
paying for the petrol and you have the pleasure of my
company.”
    “Dubious at
best.”
    “Goodness me,
we are a little temperamental tonight. You’ll scare the ghosts
away.”
    “Do you want me
to switch this radio to opera music?”
    He shuddered.
“Please. We need ghost hunting music.”
    “Rock it is,
then.” Deftly she dialled and soft rock music filled the cabin.
    “That’s not
Guns’n’Roses,” Ghost objected.
    “No, it’s Bonny
Tyler.”
    “Oh, well then,
that’s all right.”
    Smiling, Ali
settled back in the seat.
    The next hour
stretched in companionable silence as they each drifted in their
own thoughts, but hunger pangs finally made themselves known and
Ghost cast Ali a hopeful look. “I don’t suppose…?”
    Lifting her
hips, Ali dug around in her pocket and withdraw a little plastic
container. “Tic Tac?”
    “Are you
kidding me?” He looked at her in horror.
    Smirking, she
dug in her other hip pocket before bringing forth a little packet.
“Juicy Fruit gum?”
    “If you don’t
produce something decent to eat in the next two minutes, I’m
dumping your arse on the road.”
    “Touchy.”
Leaning forward again, she opened the glove box and rustled around
inside it. Straightening, she held up a Mars Bar. “Will this
do?”
    “Oh baby,
yes!”
    Ripping it
open, she handed it to him. Biting down with relish, he sighed
happily.
    “You know, if I
ate like you, I’d be the size of a house,” she said.
    A glance down
showed her hands empty. “Didn’t you bring one for yourself?”
    She rustled
around in the glove box and withdrew a little plastic bag. Reaching
in, she took out a thin biscuit. “I’m fine.”
    The woman was
unbelievable. Plucking it from her fingers, he tasted it. Ugh. Some
health cracker. “This tastes like shit, Ali.”
    “No it doesn’t.
It’s yummy.”
    “How can
anything this thin and wheat tasting be yummy?”
    “Hey, you eat
your heart attack snack and I’ll eat my healthy heart snack.”
    “I’m almost
having a heart attack watching you eat it.”
    “So don’t
watch.”
    He had a sudden
thought. “You’re not dieting again, are you?”
    Almost
instantly she was on the defensive. “Why? Are you saying I need
to?”
    “What? No!”
    “Then why
ask?”
    “Because of the
health thing.”
    “I eat
healthily, Ty.”
    Oops.
“Okay.”
    “I do!”
    “I said
okay.”
    Arms folded
across her ample chest, Ali glowered out the side window.
    Ghost sighed.
“I’m sorry, honey, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
    “I’m not
upset.”
    Well, she
certainly wasn’t happy and he knew why. Ali could be very touchy
about her weight, depending on the circumstances, and obviously her
date and the outcome with Brian had made her touchy.
    Glancing from
the road to her and back again, Ghost reached across the space
dividing them and nudged her shoulder with the back of his hand.
“Um…Ali?”
    “What?”
    “Can we be
friends again?”
    He could feel
her glance at him.
    “Because
there’s a fog in here right now and I don’t think it’s from the
presence of a spook.”
    A laugh escaped
her before she could stop it. “You arse.”
    “I know. But
you love me anyway, right?”
    “Just for this,
next time I call on you for help, you keep your mouth shut and just
pick me up.”
    He smiled.
“Agreed.”
    There was
silence for a heartbeat before she stated, “Liar.”
    “I swear.” He
shot his hand up in a Boy Scout salute.
    “You’re still a
liar.”
    “I’m hurt.”
Glad to hear the amusement in her voice once again, Ghost
relaxed.
    That was the
thing with Ali – if she wasn’t happy, neither was he. They got on
so well together, sharing good times and bad over the years, that
he felt a responsibility towards her that was more