Page 3 of Ghost Town I Do (Seawolf Beach)

Colt hardly recognized Hart’s Vinyl Depot.

If Olive had had the time to paint the green walls a more acceptable color, which she surely would’ve done given the chance, the space would’ve been entirely unrecognizable.

An arch that looked as if it might’ve come out of someone’s formal garden had been placed in front of the checkout.

Gauzy white fabric and silk flowers in pale colors disguised the plain counter.

Rows of folding chairs had been placed on either side of the space that had been cleared earlier in the day, leaving an actual aisle.

Up against one wall was the small cake they’d ordered weeks ago, as well as a number of bakery boxes with who knew what in them.

The wedding wasn’t set to start for half an hour, but several guests already milled about. Only a few of them were damp from making the trek in the rain. A coat tree near the front door held several raincoats. Two umbrella bins — he had no idea where they’d come from — were already half full.

Colt’s reservations melted away. He felt himself let go of the stress he’d been carrying all day. Why had he wasted time worrying about the where? This wasn’t the beach he loved, and there were a few familiar ghosts hanging around, but all in all, it was perfect. He was getting married. Today.

Perfect didn’t last. He should know that. His cell rang. He should’ve silenced it, but he hadn’t.

The minister from his mother’s old church had agreed to perform the ceremony.

Judd Simms was long retired, but Colt had decided his mother would approve and Anna had been a quick and easy yes to the suggestion.

A simple phone call took care of that plan.

The old guy’s driveway had been washed out, there was a tree down across his road, and at eighty years old he wasn’t about to hike, swim, or whatever it took to get to downtown Seawolf Beach.

Judd sounded truly sorry, and suggested a delay of a week, or maybe two.

Olive had made the place look great, but there was no minister. Colt looked toward the stairs. Anna was up there, ready to get married, ready to have a baby, ready to take him for better or for worse. He didn’t want to think that today’s problems were a message from above, but what if they were?

There wasn’t much time to take care of this newest problem. Wasn’t solving problems what best men were for? Colt made his way to the far side of the room and snagged Mac. For this special day the big guy wore a suit instead of his Police Chief uniform. “Know any preachers?”

“A few,” Mac answered. “Why?”

“Judd is stranded. I need someone fast.”

The news didn’t seem to alarm Mac at all. He remained cool, as always. “What about Tuck?” He pointed to the front of the room.

“Tuck isn’t…”

Mac shook his head. “People want to get married at The Magnolia all the time, believe it or not, so a few years back he got one of those online ordinations from some ministry of whatever. I can never remember the name. The short news is, he’s legal. I’ll tell him what’s going on.”

He shouldn’t be surprised. Married. By Tuck. In the depot. Man plans, God laughs…

Colt told himself again it didn’t matter who performed the ceremony or where it took place, as long as he could call Anna his wife.

He wanted to see her now, this very minute, to tell her about the change in the ceremony, but Olive wouldn’t allow him to go upstairs.

She directed him to the back room where he’d stashed his suit earlier in the day, and said she’d tell Anna what was going on.

He’d have to make do with the dingy space, which thanks to the reorganization of the front half of the depot was more cluttered than usual. Boxes, bins, t-shirt racks.

And ghosts. He was accustomed to seeing the spirits here, in his space — and theirs. But this afternoon there were more than a few unfamiliar ghosts present, and the regulars seemed agitated. Gerald in particular was wound up, brighter than usual, not his usual gray, sour self.

He couldn’t say when Gerald had lived. His ratty gray suit could’ve been from the mid 19th century to the 1930s. He was clean-shaven, needed a haircut, and had more than his share of wrinkles even though in other ways he didn’t appear to be all that old. Those were wrinkles of pain and hardship.

Gerald didn’t speak; he rarely made a noise.

Colt did what he did best. He ignored them all and went about his business. He donned the new suit, combed his hair, stepped into shiny shoes. When he turned around Gerald stood too close, watching, waiting for something.

“I never thought this day would come,” Colt said, his eyes on the sad spirit. “After Lizzie died…” He didn’t have to say more. He had no secrets, not from them. “Maude saw it before I did, she knew I’d find love again.”

A ghostly Gerald glanced away and shrugged his shoulders.

“What about you?” Colt asked. “Is it love that keeps you here?” Love, fear, hate, unfinished business.

Gerald looked Colt in the eye for one long second, then he vanished in a flash. Odd. Normally the old fella just turned his back and rambled away, fading with every step.

Ready to be married, Colt returned to the public area of the depot. Rain or not, more guests had arrived. Some were soggy; others had been well-shielded from the downpour. All of them were dressed to the nines, here to help the bride and groom celebrate.

He lied to all of them. Well, almost all. Very few people knew what he could do. They thought he was odd, that he talked to himself, that he was no better than a weird hermit. He had been, until Anna had saved him from himself.

Olive, pretty in her blue bridesmaid’s dress and her dark hair piled atop her head, greeted newcomers and directed them to their seats.

Tuck helped, until she shooed him away, pointing to his place at the altar.

Colt’s soon-to-be mother-in-law and her guy sat in the back row, for now.

Others milled about, sat, talked, looked at him and smiled.

They all seemed happy to be here. They cared, more than he’d imagined they would.

He didn’t often think of himself as a lucky man, but today he felt like the luckiest man alive.

At the appropriate time Olive nodded to Benny, who dropped the record player needle onto a classical album appropriate for the bride’s mother to begin her walk down the aisle.

That was the extent of family in attendance.

Anna’s cousin and her family hadn’t been able to make the trip thanks to a virus that was making its way through their kids. And them.

Colt didn’t have anyone other than a handful of cousins he hadn’t talked to in a while. He hadn’t even told them he was getting married, but now he wondered if he should’ve. Family was important. So were friends.

He was about to have family again, thanks to Anna, the woman who’d claimed him heart, body, and soul.

The new boyfriend, Florida Man, escorted Nina to the front row. She glared at Colt a little as she took her seat, but then her expression softened. That was unexpected. She didn’t think he was good enough for her daughter.

He’d spend a lifetime proving her wrong.

Best man Mac walked Maid of Honor Olive to the checkout desk, which was now kind of an altar where Tuck stood, looking not at all nervous.

How could he smile so easily? Colt fidgeted a little, anxious to get this done, ready for the ceremony to be over.

He wanted to be married, but this wedding had gotten out of hand.

The classical music stopped, and Benny smoothly replaced the album with another.

Anna, gorgeous as ever in a frothy white wedding gown, appeared at the top of the stairs as their song began.

“It Had To Be You,” sung flawlessly by Frank Sinatra, filled the room as his bride walked slowly down the stairs.

Maude would approve.

Everyone else in the place faded away, everyone but Anna.

Rain wouldn’t stop this. Her mother’s glares wouldn’t slow him down.

They didn’t need the beach or his mother’s minister.

So what if a few ghosts watched. Secrets?

Everyone had them. Anna knew who he was and what he could do, and she loved him anyway.

When Anna reached the altar she handed her bouquet to Olive, and then she reached for him. Colt smiled as he took her hands in his. While it stormed outside, all was right in his world.

Tuck’s grin remained wide as he performed the simple ceremony without a hitch, and finally declared Colt and Anna husband and wife.

The newly married couple kissed and turned to face the crowd.

The guests all stood. Their smiles were real.

They’d put on their Sunday best and braved the storm to see this wedding happen.

Before him stood a nice, well-dressed crowd — some damp, others dry — made up of family and friends, new and old. The living and the dead.

Colt’s eyes were drawn to the spirit who stood alone at the back of the room. Gerald seemed more solid than usual. His suit fit a bit better. Maybe there were fewer wrinkles on his slightly-less-haggard face.

The ghost took a deep breath…

Shit. The last time Gerald had made a sound it had been a scream that shook the walls and rattled the windows.

That’s not what happened this time.

Gerald was a tenor, a very good one. He sang “Ave Maria” flawlessly, as if he were on stage in a 19th century opera house, as if he were performing for a rapt audience. Too bad only Colt could hear.

But…