I could see the hurt look in his eyes. The reproach that he’d try so hard to hide. How could I do it? How could I deny him his dream if this really was what he wanted? But how could I be happy living in some rural idyll knowing what it had cost to get there?
‘Earth to Kirsty!’
Jenny’s voice cut into my thoughts and I blinked, shaking my head.
‘Sorry. What were you saying?’
‘Charming. There I was spilling my innermost secrets to you, and you were off somewhere in fantasy land. I was saying that I was looking at the noticeboard earlier and thinking about applying for another job.’
‘Another job?’ I definitely hadn’t been expecting that. ‘I thought you liked this one?’
Jenny was the assistant department manager of womenswear and had hopes of promotion to department manager when the current one retired in a few years.
‘I do,’ she said with a shrug. ‘Doesn’t mean I don’t get itchy feet. They’re looking for a department manager in the Glasgow store. What do you reckon?’
‘Glasgow?’ I shook my head, amazed. ‘That’s the other end of the country! You couldn’t get much further away from home. What would Darren think to that?’
‘I reckon he’d be all for it. Now our kids are both at university it’s the perfect time to make changes if we’re ever going to. Maybe it’s time to shake off the dust of London and spread our wings a bit. I’ll bet we could buy something pretty decent up in Scotland within commuting distance of Glasgow for the money we’d get for our place.’ Her eyes sparkled. ‘I mean, it’s an adventure, isn’t it? A chance to do something different before it’s too late.’
I swallowed. ‘Seriously? You’d be willing to jump into the unknown like that?’
‘You’re a long time dead, Kirsty,’ Jenny said cheerfully, popping the mozzarella ball into her mouth and turning to look at the sunshine that was streaming through the windows.
I shivered.
She was right about that at least. And maybe if I’d been as brave and adventurous as Jenny, I wouldn’t have dragged my feet about moving house all those years ago, and maybe I wouldn’t have made the mistakes I’d made, and maybe, just maybe, my first husband would still be alive.
But I hadn’t been brave and adventurous. I’d been selfish and immature.
And it was Danny who’d paid the price.
6
DANNY
Danny and Brooke were on their way to The Quicken Tree Inn, because Isaac – the jolly former landlord of the pub, who’d died in the late seventeenth century – had called a meeting of the ghosts to decide what to do for Callie and Brodie’s engagement.
Danny wasn’t looking forward to the meeting, and his mood wasn’t helped by Brooke, who had been moaning all morning that it was Easter Sunday and all she wanted was an Easter egg.
When Danny had pointed out, quite reasonably he thought, that it was tough because she couldn’t have one, Brooke had got very emotional and started rambling about things that made no sense to him.
She was still at it now, and by the time they’d crossed the bridge and were heading towards the inn’s gates, Danny was tempted to push her into the river.
‘More things are possible than you can imagine,’ Brooke said wistfully. ‘I mean, we mightthinksome things can never happen, but who knows? When you were alive did you ever imagine there was such a thing as ghosts? And did you ever imagine that if therewereghosts, they would carry on acting just as if they were still alive, the way we do? Who’s to say what’s possible?’
Danny rolled his eyes and didn’t reply. He let his mind wander to the subject of this elusive engagement present. He didn’t have a clue what to suggest and he’d bet that no one else had come up with anything either.
‘And who’d have thought that?’
Danny blinked. ‘Huh?’
‘Agnes and Aubrey, falling in love, just as if they were still alive.’
‘Oh.’ He shrugged. ‘Yeah.’
Brooke gave him a sideways look. ‘I know you think that just because we’re dead we can’t have pleasure any longer. That we can’t enjoy the things we used to enjoy. Like… Like an Easter egg, for example. But I’ll bet you anything you like that Aubrey and Agnes are exchanging Easter eggs right now.’
Danny frowned. ‘I doubt it.’
