Page 10 of Adored by the Grumpy Ghost (Mapletown Monster Mates #1)

Winston

N atalie doesn’t get home until dark. Luckily, the meal I made for her doesn’t spoil quickly.

It’s not a grand feast. Just peanut butter and jelly spread on the multigrain bread Lindsay left here, with a handful of potato chips and sliced apples on the side, but after several hours of searching for a job, I imagine Natalie will be hungry.

It’s not as if I’ve been waiting around for her, wondering what she’d like to eat. I spent some time in the study reading and drawing in my sketchbook, then I went outside to trim the hedges along the driveway.

Since then…

Okay, fine.

I’ve been floating aimlessly through the house, debating whether to use the marinated steak tips in the freezer and make her kebabs on the grill out back with corn on the cob.

It seemed like a good idea at first, but I haven’t seen Natalie eat much meat since she arrived.

It’s possible she’s a vegetarian, and if that’s the case, the steak kebabs would be a waste.

She doesn’t cook much, which could explain the lack of meat in her diet.

Natalie opts for the easiest, quickest meals to prepare, and that typically consists of salads, crackers and cheese, or vegetables and hummus.

Ultimately, peanut butter and jelly seemed like a safe choice, mostly because I’ve seen her make that before and I know she enjoys it.

Caring for her has quickly become a priority for me, and I’m puzzled as to why. Beyond her striking beauty, what is it about her that holds so much of my attention?

I hear her humming “Shake it Off” by Taylor Swift as she enters the house. The smell of strawberries hits my nose and calms me instantly. She’s removing her white sneakers as I come around the corner, and she suppresses a squeal at the sight of me.

“Oh hi,” she says with a bright smile. Flecks of gold sparkle amid the deep brown of her irises.

“You seem happy. Does that mean you’re employed?”

She nods eagerly as she hangs up her purse.

“I’m officially a bartender at Fast Glass Tavern.

” Natalie heads toward the kitchen, doing a triumphant dance as she goes.

I follow on her heels, becoming entranced by the way her backside jiggles with each movement.

She is soft all over, but this particular part of her deeply entices me, especially when the dimpled skin of her ass and thighs is visible through the fabric of her dress.

My dick strains painfully against my pants at the sight.

Fuck. I need to put a stop to these thoughts, but the harder I try, the harder they are to ignore.

Maybe resisting them is part of the problem.

Natalie is soft and tempting, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

I need to accept my attraction to her, and just…

not act on it. I will not let my feelings be known.

I pull my gaze up toward the top shelves of the kitchen, reminding myself that I’m still Susanna’s husband. It doesn’t matter that her heart no longer beats. My eyes shouldn’t be wandering over another woman’s body. I know better.

She spots the plate of food on the counter, and her brow furrows, confused. “Is this for me?”

I nod. “Thought you might be hungry after your job search. I’m glad it was a success. I knew you’d find something.”

“Oh,” she replies, her features tightening in pity. “I already ate. Um, Dominic, the owner of the bar, gave me a free dinner tonight as a way to welcome me to the team.”

“Dominic. This is the man who hired you?” His name is bitter on my lips. He hires her and immediately treats her to a meal? Is this a workplace or a hunting ground for him to prey on vulnerable women?

“Yes, and oh my god. He’s so gorgeous, I could barely speak when I first walked in. We’re talking, underwear model hot.”

Of course, he is.

“Wow,” I reply sarcastically, unable to hide my ire. “Yet he remains in humble Mapletown, serving booze to the average folk. I’m sure he’ll be granted Sainthood any day now.”

Natalie nods, ignoring my barb. “Such a nice guy. I was nervous at first. Wondering how I was going to concentrate, working closely with someone that good-looking…”

“That would be quite the struggle, I’d imagine.

” I stop listening after that as my fists clench at my sides.

Her voice becomes a distant murmur. At one point, I hear the words “so sweet,” but that only makes it worse.

Whatever game this Dominic is playing, Natalie seems to have fallen for it.

I don’t trust him, and I hate that she does.

My gaze lands on the uneaten sandwich I made for her. Tidying settles me, so I reach for the plate with my hand in corporeal form and bring it to the trash can.

“Wait,” Natalie says, holding up a hand. “You’re throwing that away? Why?”

“Because you already ate.” Dominic fed you , I want to say, but it would make me sound jealous and petty, which I’m not. I’m concerned about her safety in the workplace. That’s all.

“Well, don’t waste it.” Her voice has softened, and I look up to find her smiling warmly at me. “You were so kind to make me dinner. I’ll wrap it up and have it for lunch tomorrow.”

Words leave my head as she approaches, the scent of strawberries making my head fuzzy.

Natalie takes the plate from my hand, and her slender, delicate fingers brush against mine, sending sparks down my spine. She tilts her head to the side. “Thank you, Winston.”

I forget what I was doing, what I was thinking.

Was I upset about something? For the life of me, I can’t remember what it was.

My hand shoots out, grabbing hers and pulling her close.

She gasps but doesn’t pull away. Her breath is hot as it fans my chest, and it smells sweet.

Not like the fruity smell of her hair. More like a decadent cupcake.

I can’t stop staring at her lips, slightly parted and so unbelievably soft.

“What are–” she begins, but when I swipe my thumb across her bottom lip, she stills.

“Chapped.”

Her forehead scrunches up. “What?”

I reach for the glass on the edge of the counter and put it to her lips without looking away. “You’re dehydrated. Drink.”

She shakes her head defiantly. “No, I’m not. How would you even know that?”

I can tell by the way she sticks her chin out that she’s being difficult on purpose. Trying to goad me. Brat. But she has no idea how closely I’ve paid attention. I know when she hasn’t had enough water. I know far more about her than she realizes. “How much water have you had today, Natalie?”

As she chews on the inside of her cheek, I see defeat in her eyes. “Fine,” she says, taking a large gulp.

I feel victorious and can’t hide my smile. Then a spot on Natalie’s dress catches my attention. “What is that?”

She looks down and chuckles, taking a few steps back, seeming grateful for a reason to put space between us. “Oh, ketchup from my burger. Guess I should be more careful, huh?” I watch as she grabs a plastic bag from one of the drawers and puts the peanut butter and jelly sandwich into it.

When the drawer remains open, I step in front of it, clearing my throat. “See this here? When you open a drawer or a cabinet, it’s customary to close it once you’re done.”

A pretty pink color climbs up her throat and colors her cheeks as she makes an oops expression. “My bad. I thought I did.”

“If you had, you would’ve heard the sound it makes when it shuts.

” Irritation sends a growl through my chest, and it becomes harder to suppress when she’s looking at me like that.

Like she sincerely meant to close it, and in no way sought to bug the daylights out of me.

It’s hard to believe, considering how often she leaves things wide open, but instead of pushing the subject, I let it go.

The sight of her twirling a loose blonde curl around her finger is too distracting anyway.

“By the way, I learned some crazy shit about Mapletown while I was there,” she says, unbothered by my criticism. “Dominic seems to know every thing and every one. He knows about you too.”

I feel the blood drain from my face. “What? What do you mean?” I’d never heard of this Dominic person before today. How can he know about me?

“When I told him where I was staying, he implied that this place was haunted. He didn’t mention your name specifically, but it didn’t seem like it was news, either. That this house is filled with old ghosts.”

Ghosts, plural? That’s not good.

“It’s just you here, right?” Natalie asks with a teasing grin. “Don’t tell me there are more of you.”

I laugh, trying to mask how uncomfortable I am. “Just me in here,” emphasizing the in and telling myself it wasn’t a total lie. She doesn’t need to know the truth yet. It would overwhelm her.

She puts the sandwich in the fridge and the chips back in the cupboard. “Well, that was probably the least batshit thing Dominic told me today. Did you know this town is filled with monsters?”

“Monsters? You mean those modern Nazis? Penelope never mentioned encountering them when she went into town.”

“Ugh, no,” she says with a look of sheer disgust. “Can you imagine? No, I’m talking about vampires, gargoyles, zombies––monsters of the mythical variety.”

“Natalie,” I say in a gentle tone, “those creatures do not exist.” I don’t mean to sound patronizing, but she can’t seriously believe this nonsense, can she? I’m sure drop-dead gorgeous Dominic can be convincing when he wants, but I’d hope she could see through such preposterousness.

“Winston.” Her tone matches mine, but it’s clearly mocking. “You’re a ghost, babe. You shouldn’t exist, either. Yet here you are.”

I ignore the heat that races to the top of my ears, and other places, upon hearing the pet name, and consider her main point. Before I became a ghost, I certainly didn’t believe they existed. “Did you see these mythical creatures with your own eyes?”

My roommate nods, her eyes wide. “One of the regulars is a vampire. He looks like your average old man, but Dominic was serving him glasses of type A blood. He even flashed me a fang at one point.”

A vampire? A blood-sucking vampire lives in Mapletown? How is this possible?

“Dominic is a zombie,” she adds. “He doesn’t eat human brains. He was adamant about that. Apparently, raw meat is his sustenance of choice, and not human meat. He also doesn’t have any rotting parts that I could see, and there aren’t any issues with his speech.”

Pity. I was hoping his body would be rife with decay, but then, Natalie probably wouldn’t deem him “underwear model hot” if that were the case.

“But how?” I ask, still baffled by this information. “Penelope never said anything about this.”

She holds up her hands. “No idea if Penelope knew or why she chose not to tell you, but it’s true.

Dominic said Mapletown is protected territory, meaning it doesn’t show up on any maps.

I guess some witch from a hundred-some-odd years ago put a spell on the town, protecting it from outsiders, making it a haven for those who don’t feel like they belong in the human world.

You can only enter if you’re invited or if you have an ancestral link to one of the many breeds of monster that live here.

I don’t know what that says about Penelope or Lindsay, but I was invited in, so that answers that. ”

A witch from a hundred years ago? “Did you get the name of this witch?”

She scrunches her nose, deep in thought. “Uh, Martha Crane, I think he said.”

“Martha Crane?” I bark out a surprised laugh. She lived two doors down from the shoemaker’s shop, where I worked before I married Susanna. She was an odd, gangly thing. A timid girl who only ever spoke to birds and stray cats. I suppose it makes sense that she had mystical abilities. “Huh.”

Natalie opens the fridge and pours herself another glass of water. “You knew her?”

“I did. She was younger than me by about fifteen years, but I remember her. The town wasn’t heavily populated when I was alive. There were maybe three hundred people here.” I sigh heavily. “A lot has changed since then.”

“You never float down to Main Street just to see the sights? People watch?”

Suddenly I feel heavy, as if there are cement blocks chained to my feet. “I can’t.” My voice is barely a whisper. “I can’t leave the grounds. My spirit is…stuck here.”

“Oh.”

There’s that look of pity again. It makes my skin crawl and my blood heat with rage. The last thing I want from Natalie is pity. It makes me feel like I’m an inch tall. “Well,” I say, clearing my throat, “congrats on the job. I have things I must attend to. Goodnight, Natalie.”

I don’t look at her. I can’t. Her gaze follows me out of the room. I can feel it. Pity is thick in her voice when she replies, “Goodnight, Winston.”

I was given a chance to leave this plane of existence not long after my death. To go wherever one goes after they die. Not once have I longed for another opportunity. Until now.