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  “Stop lollygaggin’,” she muttered to herself. The cool material of the jeans slid up her legs and she sighed at the familiarity of it. They were soft and pliable and fitted her like a glove. She loved these jeans.

  Priory buttoned up her shirt in front of the mirror before taking another look at herself. Despite the disarray, the swept-up hair looked a little formal for her ensemble and she decided what the heck. Her hair cascaded across her shoulders as the pins came out and she shook her head vigorously. Tempted as she was to comb her locks into some sort of semblance of order, something stopped her. Jacey had stared at her when she emerged from the box. Did her assistant show a spark of interest in her? Should she pursue that interest?

  She thought about it again. Was she flirting with something that could end badly? She barely stopped herself for reaching for her business suit. “Ahh, screw it!” The image in the mirror looked back at her and silently said in panic, “Danger, Will Robinson!”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean. Come Monday, it’s boss and employee again. Do I really want the added stress?”

  Sure you do.

  “No, I don’t. Jacey’s sweet and all, but it’s not going to end well.”

  You don’t know till you try.

  “Well, girlfriend, maybe I don’t want to try.” She stared long and hard at her image. “I’ve still got my looks for now. Any more heartache and those jowls will be sagging. Nobody wants to hire a saggy-jowled businesswoman.”

  The body part in question did just that, starting slowly as a slight drooping before picking up speed and hanging loosely like an empty sack. “What the…?” Priory touched it and pushed it back. Her skin felt like warm, soft putty and the sensation was not a pleasant one.

  Her nose started to literally drip, beads of skin dangling on the tip before meeting in one large lump and giving the impression of a hook nose. “Oh God!” She covered her face in her hands in the hope of holding it all together. The pliant skin began to seep out between her fingers and she feared the worst.

  It was like a train wreck. She knew she shouldn’t look, but the urge was too much. On her face was the impression of two hands, right down to the fingerprints displayed on her forehead.

  Priory plonked down on the toilet seat, parking her ass on top of her suit. Shock set in and she wondered how she was going to appear at work on Monday. “Turkey buzzard” would be a thing of the past, she was sure of that, and knew what it would be replaced with: “elephant woman.” Not that she could blame them. It was a hideous sight.

  The toilet burbled at her.

  “What?” Priory said absently. “Look again?” She really didn’t want to do that; the first time had been more than enough. “No thanks.”

  Gurgle, pop, pop, dribble….

  “Are you nuts?” Priory stood. “No, I’m nuts. Certifiably insane, maybe. I’ll have to call my shrink on Monday.” But she went and looked anyway, preparing herself for the worst.

  There was a loud banging on the door. “Ms McAllister? Are you all right?”

  She didn’t want to answer until she had at least seen what she looked like in the mirror. “What the…?” Her face was normal. No saggy jowl or fingerprints in her forehead. Everything was normal. “I’m losing it for sure.”

  “Ms McAllister?” The banging got louder and the door handle shook.

  “Hold your horses!” She splashed her face with water and stared at the image facing her. “I just don’t get it.” She sighed deeply. “I need a holiday.”

  The door flew open. “Are you all … wow!”

  Priory secretly enjoyed Jacey’s loss of composure. Maybe a little romance wasn’t such a bad idea. “Wow?” she asked.

  “Well … ahhh … yes. I heard you scream. Is everything okay?” Jacey’s gaze focused on the floor.

  “Yeah. It was something I saw in the mirror. A…” Priory was thinking on her feet. “A zit. I haven’t had one of those in years!”

  “I can see how it would send you screaming out of the bathroom.”

  Jacey’s hint of sarcasm didn’t go unnoticed, but Priory ignored it. “Is the coffee ready?”

  “Should be. I haven’t checked in the last couple of minutes, though.”

  Priory watched Jacey’s small body jiggle as she followed her down the stairs. Jacey was a good-looking woman, but in casual clothes she was even more inviting. “Don’t go there,” she muttered to herself as she reached the bottom.

  A loud gurgling sound followed by a groan came from upstairs. “What the hell was that?” Priory turned around and took the steps two at a time, her long legs making short work of the staircase. “It seems to be coming from the bathroom….” she said as she moved steadily down the hallway. “I think it’s the plumbing…,” she yelled before she returned to the landing. “Nothing to worry about, the toilet’s acting up. I knew there were some plumbing problems. Now, where’s that coffee?”

  †

  Toilet... Toilet? Hey! That was a damn good moan! I got her toilet right here!

  No one heard the mental comment except her partner.

  Never mind, honey. Next time you’ll do an even better one.

  Yeah. Well.

  Don’t pout, dear.

  I don’t pout...

  Still, that whole face thing was pretty immature, don’t you think?

  The point is to get her out of here. Geez, do I have to do everything around here?

  But she hasn’t even moved in.

  What better time to move her out? She doesn’t even have to unpack.

  Maybe this one won’t be so bad.

  “Remind me on Monday to call the plumber,” they heard Priory say as she descended the stairs.

  Okay, maybe not….

  †

  Jacey busied herself with the coffee and refused to acknowledge Priory’s presence at the kitchen table. She carried the two mugs over and sat, pushing one mug to her boss. Since Priory seemed more amenable than usual, Jacey risked a question. “How much more is there to do?”

  “Why? Do you have plans?”

  “Well… it is Halloween.”

  “Shit! I forgot about that!”

  Priory’s scowl made a re-appearance and sipped her coffee slowly. Jacey would have to kiss her trick-or-treating tradition goodbye. With all the unused candy she’d bought, she’d have to think about making multiple appointments with her dentist.

  “What’s the protocol for that?”

  “Protocol?” Priory made giving out candy sound like a hostile takeover. “Well, if you’re thinking about the neighborhood kids, then some candy is in order.”

  “Candy?”

  “Yeah. It’s sweet stuff usually inside a wrapper. Makes them crazy.”

  “I know what candy is,” Priory growled.

  “You should be able to go to the local market and pick up some.”

  “What about you?”

  “I had hoped to have tonight off to hand out the candy at my apartment.”

  “Then you can do it here.”

  “But—”

  “But what? You don’t want to stay?”

  Jacey wanted to take advantage of the opening given her, but the pleading look in Priory’s eyes made her hesitate. She studied the face in front of her and felt her heart tug. “It’s sort of a family tradition.” It sounded a weak excuse and she felt herself caving in. “The kids in my block will miss me.”

  “How about if I throw in dinner? You know, as a thank you for giving up your weekend to help me. Please?”

  Jacey’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Priory. Who are you and what have you done with my boss? “Please”? “Thank you”? Those words were as foreign to Priory as you’re welcome or what do you think? Jacey added “may be nuts” to her internal list, slipping it easily over to the “con” side. A yellow marker came out and highlighted the word. This was a cautionary mark, and Priory’s sanity was something she had to keep an eye on. If the mark turned to green, then it was time to move on.

  “What happe
ned in the bathroom?”

  Priory blushed.

  The highlight mark on her list suddenly turned vomit-yellow, as if revving up for a full-blown, game show, lights-and-sirens–alarm green.

  “You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you.”

  You’re probably right. “I won’t know if you don’t tell me.”

  Priory sighed and moved to the counter for another coffee. “I was getting changed.” She turned to fill her mug, putting Jacey in a prime position to drool over her ass.

  Jacey watched her and the jeans, noticing a small red tag at the waist. Her cheer squad reappeared and began to chant in her head. Oh yeah. What I wouldn’t give to be in your place, you lucky bastard! She had never wanted anything more in her whole life than to be that tag.

  “I looked in the mirror and my skin slid down my face.”

  “Uh-huh.” Jacey studied the soft denim, taking in every detail of its contours over Priory’s ass but not hearing a word Priory said. It had to be the Eighth Natural Wonder of the World, she decided.

  “It was horrible. All I could think of was, how was I going to explain this at work? That was such a stupid thing to think about—what people will think of my looks.” Priory turned around and deprived Jacey of her view.

  “Yeah.” Jacey had no idea what she had agreed to, but the look on Priory’s face told her she had just made a boo-boo.

  “Yeah? Do you think I’m that shallow?”

  Jacey bit her lip. Her boss was so shallow she would be swimming in ankle-deep water. “No! Not at all.” It was a whopper of a lie, but a necessary one. However, Jacey suspected she hadn’t convinced Priory.

  “Then what are you saying?”

  Anything she said was only going to get into deeper water, so she resorted to the only thing she could do—try the bald truth. “I have no idea. I’m sorry, I was distracted.”

  “Distracted? Why, what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. Nothing at all.”

  Priory returned to her seat. “Nothing? It would take more than nothing to distract you.”

  Okay, now it was getting creepy. Since when did Priory notice anything about her? As far as Jacey knew, Priory considered her to be part of the furniture, to be pushed and prodded until she was in a position to help Priory.

  Jacey studied her boss across the table and wondered. What if she was wrong? Was all that corporate-shark crap at work just for show? Did Jacey really want to know? “You were saying something about your face. You mean you didn’t have a zit?” Was that enough to get her out of trouble?

  “Of course I didn’t have a zit! If I told you what really happened you’d think I was nuts.”

  I already do. “I don’t think you’re nuts.” Her mental list popped up and little stars twinkled around the mental-instability note. “So, what happened?”

  “I must have been tired. I thought my face was falling off.”

  “What did it look like?”

  “What do you think it looked like? It looked like my face was falling off!”

  Jacey pulled back a little. “But everything is fine now, right?”

  “Yeah.” Priory took a deep breath. “Yeah, it is. Thankfully.” She took a sip of coffee. “I better check just in case someone has put in one of those joke mirrors.”

  “Would someone go to that much trouble? Seems kind of childish to me.” Jacey looked up. Had someone made a disgusted noise? Priory had the cup to her mouth and unless her boss was a closet ventriloquist, Jacey figured it must have been the wind.

  “Yeah, well maybe. That’s two things that can’t be explained. Maybe the last occupant decided to leave a few booby traps. Yeah, that’s it.”

  “If that’s the case, then the floorboard sprung you into the box. You know, like a diving board. Then it went into hiding under the carpet.”

  “Are you sassing me?”

  Jacey looked at her, gob-smacked. “Sassing?”

  “You know, making fun of me?”

  “No, boss,” Jacey said solemnly. She waited for the backlash and got none. Instead, Priory chuckled, then ducked her head.

  “Sounds ridiculous when you say it.” Priory looked shyly at her. “For the next couple of days, you don’t have to call me boss. My name is Priory.”

  Jacey grabbed the table for support. Hell was now officially freezing over and she could feel the chill. “Priory?” It sounded as foreign on her lips as “vacation”. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, Ms McAllister. Come Monday it’ll be back to boss and employee.”

  “True, but it would be nice to hear my name on someone’s lips for once whose teeth weren’t grinding together.”

  Jacey stood and rinsed out the mug, then placed it on the sideboard to drain. “Do you have the car keys?”

  “On the bottom step.”

  “Thanks.” Jacey left without answering Priory’s question. She would remain Ms McAllister because no good would come of an out-of-the-office romance. Her cheer squad complained loudly and she bit her lip to keep from making a verbal comment. One of the girls in her head had to be strong, even though it meant giving up the opportunity to fulfil her dream. Priory’s ass would have to remain a lustful ideation.

  Jacey moved quickly to the back seat and removed the boxes sitting there. She piled them on the grass, then went back for more until she had completely unloaded the SUV. That left the U-Haul. Maybe if she worked hard enough, her date with Halloween would still be a possibility.

  She felt Priory behind her. “That’s the last of it, except for that.” Jacey pointed at the U-Haul.

  “Can you do me a favor?”

  Favor. Another word lobotomized from her boss’s brain, or so she had thought.

  “Sure.”

  “There are a few boxes left in my apartment. One more trip should do it. Could you…?”

  Jacey worked out roughly how long it would take her. It would be a three-hour round trip plus loading time. With another hour or two unloading the car and boxes, plus another hour and a half for the trip back to her own apartment, she could be back by mid-afternoon for the Halloween festivities she had planned with her local kids.

  “Shit!” she hissed. Of course, the whole timetable she had sketched out went out the window now because she’d forgotten one basic thing—she’d be driving Priory’s car, not her own.

  “Look, if it’s going to be a problem….”

  “No, no. I was trying to work out if I could deliver on my Halloween promise.” Okay, it wasn’t a promise, but if it would get her out of night duty, then she’d lie like a dog.

  “The offer to have it here is still open.” There was a wistfulness in Priory’s voice.

  Jacey didn’t answer. “I’ll need your apartment key.”

  “It’s on the key ring. Hang on.” Priory disappeared inside for a moment before returning with her wallet. She took out a business card and wrote on the back. “Here’s the address and the security code to get into the parking garage underneath.”

  “Thanks.” Jacey took the card and slipped into her jeans pocket. She climbed into the SUV, backed it and the U-Haul out onto the street, then turned around and backed the U-Haul back into the driveway. The two women unhooked the trailer.

  Jacey clambered back into the driver’s seat and lowered the window before closing the door. “I should be back mid-afternoon.”

  “Call me if you have problems.”

  “Bye.” Jacey didn’t trust herself to say anything more. She had a lot to think about on the long journey to Priory’s apartment.

  Chapter Three

  Priory watched her SUV turn at the end of the road and disappear from sight. She looked at the U-Haul parked in her driveway and sighed. Reluctantly she reached for the door and found the boxes were packed to capacity inside. “It’s not going to unpack itself,” she muttered. It was going to be a long afternoon.

  Priory made the first of many trips to the front door. What she hadn’t expected was resistance to her entry. “Oh no….” The handle wouldn’t
turn and she was left with no choice but to put the box down. Somehow the door had locked itself. “Oh hell no!” Unfortunately, the key was on its way to her apartment and her cell was in her bag … inside the house. “Shit!” She rattled the handle violently. “Shit! Shit! Shit!” Neighbors emerged from their homes and watched her having a hissy fit. “God-damned stupid piece of … of … wood!” She barely stopped herself from kicking the door in.

  Just when she thought she’d have to introduce herself to a neighbor to borrow a phone, the door handle freed and the door opened. Priory banged her head against the door frame repeatedly, as if trying to pound the frustration out of it. Nothing seemed to be going right and it was still morning.

  Before the door could change its mind, Priory grabbed the box and stepped inside. She shoved it against the door to keep it open and, for good measure, she opened the back door, as well as a couple of windows. “Let’s see how you deal with that!”

  Do you think she realizes she’s arguing with a house?

  Don’t confuse me. I got her right where I want her.

  Dylan, is this really a good idea? She might get hurt.

  What are you scared of, Rhee? That she’ll move in here after she’s dead? That ain’t gonna happen.

  She mightn’t have a choice. We didn’t.

  Hang on….

  Bad choice of words, hon.

  The conversation raged on between the two female ghosts, safe in the knowledge that no human could hear them. That is, unless they wanted them to hear….

  The toilet made a rumbling sound and it shuddered down the piping to the kitchen. The refrigerator rattled and burped in response.

  “So help me if you don’t all stop this, I’m going to … to … well, I don’t know yet, but it’ll be something awful! I am not going to put up with the plumbing discussing the properties of waste management every few hours!”

  Plumbing? She said… plumbing?

  Plumbing can be a very dangerous thing, sweetie.