“I heard about his death. I’m sorry.”
“How did you know my dad?”
Xavier slicked a hand down the side of his hard-shelled hair. “He was a legend in the field. But I never knew him, only heard of him.”
How could my dad have been a legend to Xavier when the Ghost Team was off the grid?
“You’d heard of him?” I said.
“Yeah, from Anita. Anita Tucker.”
The bottom fell again. The world was shifting. How the heck did Xavier know Anita?
Xavier squinted at me. “Now it all makes sense. You’re Blissful Breneaux. No wonder you had lunch with a ghost. You’re a ghost magnet!”
“Shh,” I said. “Don’t say it too loud.”
He smiled coyly. “You’ve been pretending this whole time. I must say, I nearly fell for it. You haven’t been scared at all.” He didn’t wait for me to speak. “But listen, for the show can you keep it up? Make the folks at home think you’re pretty upset but strong enough to handle the spiritual realm?”
Sure. Why not? “I can do that.”
The excitement in Xavier’s voice was evident. “Wow. Blissful Breneaux. You can see ghosts. Talk to them.”
“Like I said,” I ground out. “Can we just keep that between us? I’m here working.”
Xavier looked confused. “I thought you were fired.”
My stomach pretzeled tightly. I scoffed. “I wasn’t fired.”
He didn’t seem to hear me. “I have to say, you’re nothing like what Anita described. She said you’re cocky, difficult to deal with and even self-righteous.”
“Did she?” I said between clenched teeth.
“But Anita exaggerates,” he said. “She sent me an e-mail a couple of months ago that the two of you weren’t getting along. She figured it was only a matter of time before she got rid of you.”
I stopped. “What?”
Xavier shook his head. “I said the wrong thing, didn’t I? Sometimes I forget and say the wrong thing. Listen, don’t let this affect how you react in there. This could be a whole new job for you. As you know, I’m leavingGhost Wranglers.They’re going to need a new leader.”
I slowly followed Xavier up the steps, letting what he’d said sink into my brain. Anita had known months ago that she was going to get rid of me. She’d known it the entire time; she’d been waiting for her chance.
Fire burned in my gut. I fisted my hands. I watched as Xavier hit the top step and opened the door to Soul Food and Spirits. In that moment I knew exactly what needed to be done.
I had to get a copy of his e-mail. Prove that I’d been sacked by a biased woman. I slowly smiled.Anita Tucker, you’ve met your downfall.
SIX
Imet the owner of Soul Food and Spirits as soon as we entered. She was an older woman, midfifties. She wore a floral skirt and black button-down blouse. She reminded me of a 1960’s housewife, like June Cleaver fromLeave It to Beaver.
“It’s so wonderful to see you.” She even spoke like June Cleaver.
Xavier laser focused his dark eyes on me. “Blissful, this is Meredith Wilkes. She owns the restaurant.”
She gloved my hand with hers. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am that you had such a distressing encounter at my restaurant. Please come in tomorrow for a free meal.”
As much as I didn’t want to hang around town like I was some sort of local celebrity, I still smiled and managed a, “Sure. Thanks.”
Xavier turned to the camera. “Now Mrs. Wilkes is going to leave so that we can start our investigation.”
