Page 10 of Baking With A Ghost
Sagging with relief in finding a plausible explanation, I turn the laptop off.
"Want to sleep with me tonight, fuzzball?"
I don't usually have her sleep with me, but she immediately follows me to my bedroom and jumps on the bed. I curl in around her, hugging her close, as she snuggles against me.
I just need some rest and cat snuggles. Ghost stories are just that, stories.
Tomorrow will be a new day.
I'vesleptin,andfor once in my life I'm okay with it. I obviously needed the rest, with the hallucinations and forgetfulness. It's important I take care of myself or I'll burn out too fast and that wouldn't be a good thing either. I know this. I can do this. It's all good.
Snowball howls a death howl, dragging me out to the kitchen, as she will not be ignored any longer. After dealing with her demands, I brew a travel mug of coffee and head down to the bakery kitchen.
My first laid back day starts now and I'll knock off early to get more sleep. If Ivy knew I was hallucinating, thinking I was hugged by some kind of spirit, she'd be at the door so fast I wouldn't have time to tell her to stay home.
As if my thinking of her summoned her, my phone chimes with her ringtone. The song Crazy, by Patsy Cline, fills the bakery as I flick on the lights and start turning on the ovens.
"Good morning, my love. I was just thinking about you."
"All good things I hope, Johnny."
"Of course, you're nothing but my personal ray of sunshine, Ivy. I was just thinking about how I miss our morning coffee chats."
"Me, too. We should really do a live chat over coffee. Not like old times, but close enough. I miss your face."
My heart squeezes. "I miss yours, too. Are you on break right now?"
I start the second coffee pot for store customers, as she chatters in my ear.
"God, yes. I shouldn't even be here today. I had booked the day off for the dentist, but then Morgan called in sick and they asked for me to fill in and it's just a shit show. The day has barely begun and I'm hating it already. I'm actually hiding in my car."
I hear the inhale and controlled exhale of a smoker.
"Are you smoking again, Ivy?"
"John, I need to! This place is going to be the death of me, I swear. I needed the day off."
I roam around the customer area, watering a plant and dusting off the top of the display cases, leaving her on speaker phone while I adjust the pastries from yesterday.
"Make sure you stand up for yourself and do what you need to. We all need a break."
Her good natured laugh fills my shop. "You're one to talk! When's the last time you took a break? If you haven't been packing or renovating, you've been baking and trying out new recipes and working the store. I'm worried you do too much."
I snort. "I actually slept in today and I'm opening later. I'm going to start closing on Sundays now, too. So I am taking care of myself, don't worry."
"I miss you, you know."
Her words are a hug to my heart and my hands reach for the phone. If I can't hug her in person, I can hold her voice in my hands.
"I miss you too. Let's make plans to visit soon. I could maybe meet you halfway."
"I'm going to hold you to that. Let's talk about it again. My break is over and I need to go back in. Thanks for talking, Johnny."
"Anytime, my love. Talk soon."
Homesickness hits me as the memory of Ivy's voice lingers. I miss her and I do need to plan a trip soon. Once I get the exhaustion under control, I'll plan an extended closure or hire someone to fill in. We'll stay up all night and irritate Kyle when we laugh too loud at the dumb movies we watch over and over.
Scribbling up signs for day old breads and cookies, the coffee pot gurgles to signal its cycle is over and I top up my mug. I do miss Ivy and our morning chats more than I thought I would, but this is my life now and the sooner I make new friends and routines, the easier it will be for everyone. The local paper had an ad about a book group, maybe I'll join that and get out of the house once a week. Lord knows I have a stack of books to read and it would encourage me to work my way through them. Ivy would love knowing I'm doing anything other than working.
