Page 27 of Road Trip With the Ghost Hunter
“Li. Li Cheng.”
“Oh! Li. I sent you an email. You didn’t get it, I assume. The position was filled the day before yesterday.” She tried to maintain a bright demeanor, but I felt her sympathy.
My chest felt as if a cascade of bricks had fallen on it. In true Li fashion, I’d been avoiding my emails. I dreaded hearing one more thing from lawyers, insurance companies, funeral homes, and real estate agents.Fuck my life.
I knocked my head on the table and groaned. Of course. This was my luck. I truly was homeless now.
“Oh, hun. I’m so sorry,” Melody said, squeezing my hand. “I’m gonna get you that whiskey. Be right back.”
I heard her shuffle away in her big skirt. This was it. I didn’t have a backup plan. I naively came so assured I’d have this job and a place waiting for me. I had enough saved to hold me over until I started getting paid. My eyes welled up. A desperate hopelessness rushed over me. The thunk of a glass hit the table.
“Alright,” I heard Melody say as her skirt rustled as she sat. “Come on. Let’s do a shot to wash the emotions down first.”
I raised my head and stared at her.
“Oh, hun,” she cooed, scooting my whiskey shot toward me. “Together,” she said softly while picking up her own shot.
Nodding, I straightened up, wiped my face, and raised my shot. “To unfucking my life,” I said.
A surprised laugh bubbled out of Melody before she nodded. “To unfucking our lives,” she said, then clinked her shot glass to mine.
An hour, hell, could have been five hours, we sat, and I spilled everything. One whiskey shot at a time. At first, I just talked about meeting Lucas, but once the liquor settled in my empty stomach nicely, I talked about losing lao lao and the ghost hunting trip that obliterated any chance of seeing if something could happen between Lucas and me. Thankfully, I didn’t turn into a sobbing mess.
Melody held my hand, listening. “That gorgeous man misses you. I guarantee it,” she said. I showed her his picture. “Listen, Li. The saloon isn’t hiring, but I’m sure I can ask around and we’ll find you something.”
Did I even want to stay in Rustic Junction? The novelty of playing a saloon girl faded fast. I tipped back the last dregs of my whiskey sour. In the time I poured my heart, Melody brought over a whiskey bottle and poured me two more shots. I wasn’t drunk—thank goodness, but I was definitely tipsy.
“That kiss,” I said, resting my head on my outstretched arm, which was the one Melody was holding.
“I’ve had one of those kisses before,” she said, sighing. “He’d been passing through town. It was his last night. The best and saddest goodbye kiss ever.”
“Yes,” I raised my head and hissed. “The mixed emotions and memory of it will haunt me forever.” Melody’s eyes focused on something over my shoulder. “You want to hear something entirely bat-shit crazy?” She hummed affirmatively while still watching whatever she was watching. “I think I fell in love with him? How? It was only a few days. That’s not real! Who falls in love with someone they met just days ago?”
I was outraged at my own stupid emotions. I’ve never been the type to fall for a guy easily. I’m the one who could walk away and not even think of them a week later.
Melody’s face broke into a smile. My brow furrowed. “What are you,” I started, turning to look at what she was focused on while I rambled and bled my emotions. My heart stuttered and my breath caught as my eyes widened.
“I had some crazy revelations, too.”
“Lucas,” I whispered.
I whipped my head to Melody. “Am I that drunk, or do you see him too?”
Laughing, Melody released my hand, patted it, then stood. “I’m gonna take this.” She took the whiskey bottle, stacked our shot glasses, and headed back to the bar, smiling.
Before he could take the seat Melody just vacated, I abruptly stood. “No,” I demanded. “You don’t get to—what are you doing here? How are you here?”
There was that irrational anger from before.
“Li—“ he started.
“You left me!”
“I know.”
“It was so easy for you to just say goodbye,” I cried.
He shook his head. “It was the hardest thing I’ve had to do next to saying goodbye to Uncle Filip.”
