“No, there was never any mention of those boats coming to the rescue. I would imagine there’s something in their charter prohibiting helping out. It could put other passengers and their insurance coverage at risk. When we took the tour yesterday, there had to have been at least two hundred people on board.Imagine putting all those lives on the line to rescue a dumbass who’d chosen to go over the falls to prove how big his dick is.”
“Well, I don’t know about the three of you, but my dumbass dick is pretty damn big,” Cannonball said, approaching the table.
“Morning, Mr. Cannonball,” Everly said sweetly.
“Morning, baby psychic,” Cannonball returned with a little bow.
Jude was relieved that Cannonball hadn’t called Everly a “psycho” like he’d done the night before. If he had, there’s a good chance he and Ronan would have put the man in the hospital, which of course would solve their problem of Cannonball going over the falls, but could also land them in jail. He had a feeling Heidi wouldn’t press charges, but Cannonball would be as mad as a herd of wet hens.
“We’re taking CJ to the indoor water park this afternoon, when my meet and greet is over. You’re welcome to come along, he really enjoyed spending time with you kids yesterday.”
“Water park!” Wolf shouted with his hand fisted in the air.
“Parrr!” Lizbet chorused along.
“Sounds like fun,” Jude agreed. It was on the tip of his tongue to talk to Cannonball about the stunt, but knew the best course of action for now was to bide his time. “See you later.”
Cannonball held up a hand to wave before he walked back to his table. Seconds later, CJ waved wildly at Everly, Aurora, and Wolf.
With Jude and the others attending the meet and greet and then going to the water park, they had two more chances to change Cannonball’s trajectory. He hoped the daredevil was smart enough to listen to reason.
9
Cope
Cope sat inside a small room just off the main ballroom, doing his deep breathing exercises and getting himself ready for the first group reading of PsychicFest. Several spirits had already approached him about speaking with loved ones. Cope knew he and Ten were going to put on a great show.
“You ready, Mr. Forbes?” a young man dressed in a suit asked. He wore a nametag identifying himself as “Cam” and that he worked for the hotel.
“I am.” Cope stood up and stretched his arms, before following the young man.
“I don’t really believe in this kind of stuff, but is there any chance my Gram is here?” Cam asked, sounding shy.
“Caroline has been talking my ear off for nearly half an hour. She wants you to know how proud of you she is for being the first in your family to get into medical school. You’re going to be a great urologist.”
“Urologist?” Cam wore a shocked look. “I was thinking my specialty would be plastic surgery, you know, up to my eyeballs in tits and ass.”
Cope snorted. Caroline was one of a kind. “Gram says you’ll get enough T and A on your own. Urology is where the money is thanks to Viagra and that weird bent dick disease.”
Cam laughed along with Cope. “Yup, that’s my Gram alright. Always said what was on her mind. Is she okay? Her death was just so awful. Gram’s memory was gone. She didn’t know who I was the last time I saw her.”
“She’s perfect,” Cope assured the young man. “She’s as spry as ever and is telling me all of the antics you’d get up to when you were a little boy. My favorite has to do with the trampoline.”
“Gram!” Cam rolled his eyes. “I’ve still got the scar from that day. She didn’t mind all the blood. Gram just cleaned me up and then we baked cookies together.”
“That’s a great memory to keep close to your heart. One last thing, Gram says it’s okay to come out.” Cope set a hand on Cam’s shoulder. He knew how hard it had been when he told his mother. “Gram says people won’t love you any less and if they do,”
“Fuck them!” Cam said along with Cope.
“Exactly,” Cope agreed. “My husband and I both went through it. His family was more supportive than mine. We’ve built a family together and have a group of friends who are more like brothers. You’ll find the same thing.”
“Thank you, Mr. Forbes, for reuniting me with Gram.” Cam looked around the empty hallway. “Can she see me when I…”
Cope’s gift showed him what Cam was talking about, in graphic detail. “Spirits can watch those sorts of things, but they tend to leave the room when sexy times are involved.” Cope burst out laughing. “Gram says she has no interest in monkey spanking.”
Cam’s face turned a bright shade of red. “I’ll never whack off again. I swear.”
“Yes, you will. Probably tonight.” Cope grinned at the young man.
