Save My Soul Read Online Free Page B

that I’m awake.
    She leaned against the pillows, allowing her hand to trail down the path his had traveled only moments before. The need for release was suddenly overwhelming. Her mind pushed replay: his hands on her, his voice in her ear. She arched off the bed as she made herself come for the first time in as long as she could remember.
    Anna lay perfectly still, panting, listening to the silence of the house. When her heart rate finally calmed, she could feel it. She didn’t know why she hadn’t felt it before.
    Someone was watching. Maybe she should have puzzled that one out before she’d engaged in masturbation theater.
    Her voice cracked a little when she said, “Ghostly voyeurism is not cool. I have the spice channel. Go watch that.” Anna watched in horror as the door opened, and she sensed the presence slip from the room. Whatever was haunting the house could have simply gone through the wall. But where was the fun in that?

Chapter Three
    The Peach Festival took up a single block of downtown Golatha Falls with brightly-striped and colorful tents circling the three-story brick courthouse. A stage was set up in front for the day’s entertainment, and there were barrels full of peaches from Mayor Walsh’s orchard beside every booth. The peaches were free. It was an election year.
    Anna stood next to the stage smoothing down her pale yellow sun dress for the tenth time, as her eyes drifted back to the clock in the courthouse tower. Marshal was late. Charles and Cecelia Townsend had already been by to invite her to Thursday night dinner, followed by Tam who’d steadfastly refused to wait with her, saying three was a crowd.
    As if it was a real date. It wasn’t a real date.
    When Anna woke that morning, there had been a dearth of scary. No writing on mirrors, no breaking glass or scraping chairs or moans and groans. No Chinese takeout being creatively rearranged. Things had been so quiet that part of her wanted to dismiss it all as products of an overactive imagination. But then she’d felt the cool breeze blowing through the broken window in the kitchen.
    Maybe Beatrice was taking a nap.
    All that haunting and voyeurism must have taken a lot out of her. Maybe ghosts needed to sleep during the day to recharge their batteries. Anna had turned the coffee pot on, allowing the rich smell and drip, drip, gurgle to comfort her. While it was dripping, she’d gone to wipe the bathroom mirror, only to find it already clean. Beatrice was definitely an odd little duck. The whole Mommy vibe didn’t seem to go with watching people masturbate.
    When Anna left for the festival, Stan the window man had been crouched in the doorway, measuring for the glass and promising it would be finished by the time she got home. Better than new, no extra charge. She’d averted her eyes from his backside. The famous plumber crack had unfortunately spread from plumbers to all handymen everywhere. Window men not excluded.
    She was jolted from her thoughts as the Baker sisters approached.
    “Anna, darling, you look wonderful. Marshal called. He’s on his way,” Mimi said, winking at her.
    “Twirl for us, dear,” Bitsy said.
    “Huh?”
    “You know, twirl.” She revolved one wrinkled, yet well-manicured finger. “We want to see the dress.”
    Anna felt ridiculous, but she obliged them and spun around once. A breeze flew by and picked up the dress, causing her to have to smooth it down for the eleventh time, a la Marilyn Monroe.
    “We’ll get you married off yet,” Bitsy whispered.
    She hoped the old woman was referencing the dress itself and not the near-pornographic display the weather had just caused. Anna had become their pet project. Didn’t they have Bingo night in Golatha Falls?
    “Speak of the devil . . . ” Bitsy said.
    Anna looked around quickly, thinking perhaps the dark lord himself had shown up to congratulate the old ladies on a job well done. It was only Marshal.
    Her date held a bouquet of wildflowers. At least it