Ghostly Touch

where he was taking her, and he hadn’t mentioned anything about her family history. When he talked about growing up in Greenfield and playing in the crypt at the cemetery, Zula knew he would have heard the stories about the women who preceded her. He probably had heard the rumors about her as well. She took a deep breath as she stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. Perhaps that was a good sign. He already knew everything about her family, or at least the legend of her family, and wasn’t scared off by any of it.
                  That hadn’t always been the case. She had tried to date a few of the men in town, but the locals had other interests in mind. Most thought she would be their play toy, and others had simply wanted her to cast spells for them. The only ones she dated with any success were those who moved to town recently and hadn’t yet heard about her family.
                  Zula dressed carefully, taking into consideration that a small town like Greenfield had few restaurants to choose from and none would warrant formal wear. She wanted to be ready for anything Connor had in mind, but she wanted to look nice for him as well. That thought made her laugh out loud.
                  “Ridiculous,” she chided herself. “He already likes me or he wouldn’t have asked me out.” She chose low riding jeans with a cute top and sneakers. “There,” she said, looking in the mirror as she brushed her long hair, satisfied she didn’t wear too much make-up, or look like she expected him to take her someplace expensive.
                  “What do you think, Thad? Am I gorgeous?” Thaddeus meowed and rubbed against her leg. Zula laughed at herself. Just then the doorbell sounded and she looked quickly at the clock on her nightstand. “Right on time,” she said. “You be a good boy and I’ll be back later. I’ll see if I can bring you a kitty-bag from the restaurant.”
     
                  Downstairs, Zula smiled when she opened the door. “Come in,” she said.
                  “You look great.” Connor didn’t try to hide the fact he was ogling her.
                  Zula laughed. “So do you.” And she meant it, as she looked him up and down with the same lustful desire. “Now that we’ve checked each other out, where are you taking me?”
                  “Someplace very special,” he said mysteriously and winked.
                  “A surprise. I can’t wait.” Grabbing her purse and a light jacket, Zula followed Connor onto the porch and checked the door handle to make sure it locked.
                  Connor opened the door of his Ford truck for her and helped her climb in. Once he was behind the wheel, he started engine and pulled away from the curb. “I hope you like meatloaf,” he said.
                  “Meatloaf? I haven’t had meatloaf since my mother was alive and I loved hers.”
                  “Great, because it’s what I made for us.”
                  “You cooked?”
                  Connor shrugged and made a left turn. “I’ve lived alone a long time so learning to cook was self-defense. I got really tired of fast food and pizza.”
                  “I’m impressed,” Zula said as Connor wheeled the pick-up into his driveway.
                  “Here we are,” he announced as he slid out of the cab and hurried to open Zula’s door for her.
                  “I didn’t realize we lived so close to one another.”
                  “Everyone in Greenfield lives close to one another.” Connor chuckled, and walked Zula up the porch steps and opened the door of his house.
                  Zula laughed. “I guess we do.”
                  Connor ushered her inside and shut the door behind them. “Home sweet home. Can I get you a glass of wine?”
                  “Yes, that would be nice.”
                  “Just have a seat anywhere and I’ll be right back.”
                  Zula watched him disappear into another room and looked around. The room was comfortable, a little messy with magazines and newspapers covering the coffee table, but, she decided, it all felt very male. Trophies from what she guessed were his high school or college days playing ball sat on the mantel above the