Ghostly Touch

I don’t understand.” But only Enya’s haunting voice floated through the room.
                  Just then the door opened, causing the bell to ring and Zula jumped. She took a deep breath and blew it out. With a smile on her face, she went to greet her client. “Hello, Diane. How are you today?”
                  “Wonderful,” the woman replied. “But I’ll be much better after this massage.”
                  Zula smiled. “You go right on in and get undressed. I’ll be there in just a few minutes.” Zula watched as the woman disappeared behind the partition and then hung the, Back In An Hour sign in the window and locked the door. With one last look around the shop, she went to start her day.

~ Seven ~
Pizza, Beer, & A Story
     
                  After three massages and one body wrap, Zula’s day was finished. She pulled the door shut and checked the handle to make sure it was locked, then hurried up the walk to her house. Thaddeus greeted her with a loud meow as he wound his way between her legs.
    “Are you a hungry kitty? ” Zula asked, lifting him to her shoulder and carrying him into the kitchen. He leaped from her arms to the counter, while Zula selected a can of tuna and opened it for him. “There you go, lover boy. Bon appetit! Now let’s see what I want for supper.”
    She opened the refrigerator and frowned. She hadn’t been to the market in nearly two weeks and there was little food left to choose from. “Yogurt it is, ” she said and turned to get a spoon just as the phone rang.
                  “Hello,” she said, lifting the lid from the yogurt container and dipping the spoon into the creamy contents.
                  “Hi, this is Connor, how was your day?”
                  Zula chuckled to herself at the way butterflies suddenly fluttered in her stomach. “It was great, Connor. How was yours?”
                  “Not bad, but I was just looking in the fridge and decided I could either eat a cold meatloaf sandwich for supper, or, I could call you and see how you feel about pizza?”
                  “Hmm, I feel pretty good about pizza,” she replied with a laugh.
                  “Everything on it?”
                  “As long as it doesn’t include anchovies.”
                  “Not a problem,” Connor said. “How’s an hour sound?”
                  “I’ll see you then.” Zula hung up the phone. She finished the yogurt, rinsed the container and lid and dropped both in the recycling bin. “All right, Thad, you behave while I get ready. Mommy has company coming.”
                  After a quick shower and fresh clothing, Zula blow dried her hair and went back downstairs. She made a salad with vegetables she had grown in the greenhouse and mixed up a vinaigrette dressing. She sliced a couple of homegrown beefsteak tomatoes onto a plate and drizzled olive oil and balsamic vinegar over them, and added a sprinkle of freshly cut basil. She set the table for two, finishing just as the doorbell sounded.
                  “Connor, come in.”
                  “I have one large pizza with everything and a six-pack of beer,” he said, entering the foyer.
                  “I’ll take the beer,” she offered, and led him into the dining room.
                  “Hey, looks great,” he said, setting the pizza down.
                  “Thanks. Do you want a glass for the beer or…?”
                  “I’m a straight from the bottle kinda guy.” He grinned and Zula handed him a bottle.
                  “Make yourself comfortable and I’ll put the rest of these in the refrigerator.” She smiled and disappeared into the kitchen.
                  Connor pulled out a chair and sat down, helping himself to a sliced tomato. “These are fresh,” he said through a mouthful when Zula came back to the table with a beer for herself.
                  “I grow them,” she said and twisted off the bottle cap. She looked at the label on the bottle. “Where did you get this beer? I’ve never seen it here in town.”
                  “I have a cousin in Northern California who works at a microbrewery out there. This is one of their specialties.”
                  Zula tipped the