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  She was afraid Isabel would be angry, even though she herself made the decision. She simply smiled and nodded.

  "Good. It didn't really make much difference. This body has bigger breasts anyway. And that becoming-a-man thing, I changed my mind long ago."

  Brooke held in frustration. It would have been nice of her to call and update her soul insurance.

  Chris' voice boomed over the intercom. "That's what I said, Miss Thompson. Choice number two. Just that rack alone…."

  Brooke led Isabel out of the lab, and in twenty minutes the three of them and Wesley were drinking coffee and tea in the conference room. Wesley was more relaxed, his tie loose and top button on his shirt open. Isabel wore a simple pair of gray sweatpants and a white tee shirt with the Soul-Ful company logo on it. The simple clothes hugged her curves perfectly, and Brooke had no doubt she would enjoy her new body. She studied her fingers each time she lifted the coffee to her lips. Brooke could see that the soul she'd escorted across town was indeed Isabel. The woman was full of energy. She laughed and joked, telling stories from her old life. She even winked at Chris when she caught him staring at her.

  "Brooke, could I talk to you for a minute?" Wesley said.

  Chris saw an opportunity to make a fool of himself. He flirted with Isabel as Brooke and Wesley went to the other side of the conference room.

  "You did great," he said. "Everything's been a mess today, and you handled all of it. I'm really impressed."

  "Thank you. But I think I'll need to take some paperwork home with me. There's no way I'm getting it done today."

  "Forget the paperwork. Get to it on Monday. And listen, I might be moving some people around in the future. If you want to think about taking a sales position, let me know."

  She couldn't hold in her smile. "I appreciate that."

  He nodded and gestured back to the table. "Would you mind driving Isabel back to her house? You can head home early after that, enjoy your Saturday."

  "Sure."

  They rejoined Isabel and Chris, but Wesley didn't bother sitting.

  "I have to run, everyone. Isabel, I'm afraid it's actually against the law for you to drive for three more days. The lawmakers get nervous at the thought of a recent reincarnation behind the wheel."

  "I'll take her home," Chris said, with a little too much enthusiasm.

  "Thanks, but Brooke has it covered. She'll drop you off, and on Monday one of our staff will come get you. We'll get your driver's license squared away, your insurance, that kind of thing."

  Isabel stood up and shook Wesley's hand before embracing him. He laughed and returned the hug, although he didn't look comfortable.

  "Thank you with all my heart," she said.

  Brooke nearly felt tears coming on. If only her father could see the things she had, maybe he'd be more accepting of soul resurrection.

  "Our pleasure." Wesley smiled at the three of them before leaving.

  "So, Miss Thompson," Chris said. "What are you doing tonight?"

  CHAPTER 3

  "Hey, look!" Isabel said, pointing out the window. "A pancake house. You want to get something to eat? My treat."

  Brooke glanced at the restaurant and couldn't find a reason to decline. She was off work already, and was actually hungry. She glanced at Isabel's box in the back seat.

  "You've got money?"

  "As long as the hospital didn't rob me, yeah, in my purse."

  Brooke detoured to the restaurant. She hadn't spent much time with the reincarnated. They passed through Soul-Ful all the time, but she seldom talked to them. It was strange to think the woman walking next to her was physically one year younger, but had the mind of an eighty-year-old.

  "This feels so weird," Isabel said as they crossed the parking lot. "I haven't walked without a nagging pain of some kind in years. Now I can actually keep up with a young lady like yourself."

  The restaurant wasn't crowded, but most eyes were on them. A slight twinge of jealousy attacked Brooke, and she felt guilty for it. She knew deep down she wasn't ugly by any means. But when her best friend Amber was around all eyes naturally went to her. Isabel had only been in her new body for a short while, and it felt like déjà vu all over again.

  A waiter came to take their order.

  "Well, let's see here, young man. I'll have some of those pancakes with sausage and eggs over easy." Isabel smiled across the table at Brooke. "I guess no more seniors' discount for me."

  The waiter looked in confusion at the two women. Before Brooke could offer an explanation he noticed the Soul-Ful logo on Isabel's shirt, and nodded. He took Brooke's order of waffles and bacon and walked away, his gaze on Isabel the entire time.

  "I guess I'll have to change my vocabulary," Isabel said. "How do young people talk these days?"

  Brooke drank a sip of tea. "How about you keep your vocabulary the same, and let everyone else catch up to you?"

  "I knew there was a reason I liked you already."

  They shared a laugh. Two spirits passed through the restaurant on their way to some unknown destination. They went right through Brooke and Isabel's table. Brooke lifted her glass for them to pass, out of habit.

  "It's hard to believe that an hour ago I was just like that."

  "You don't remember anything at all?"

  "Nothing. Just the hospital, and then your office."

  "The scientists always say there is no definite proof that spirits understand everything. They think they use a lot of instinct."

  "Well, they must think somehow, or else I wouldn't be here. And I wouldn't have picked out this righteous bod."

  Brooke nearly spit out her orange juice. "Yeah, we might need to work on your vocabulary a little."

  She found herself curious about Isabel, and everything that led to her decision of obtaining soul insurance. She watched her as she tore into her stack of pancakes like she hadn't eaten in a month.

  Isabel took a drink and smiled, almost reading her mind. "My husband died thirty years ago from cancer. I never remarried. His spirit stayed with me for a while, maybe about a year. But I told him I wanted him to go out and see the world." She gestured to the mole on her cheek. "He's the one who had the mole. This is like a little reminder of him."

  "That's real sweet. Did he ever come back?"

  She shrugged. "I don't know for sure. Every soul that visited the house after that I thought might be him. But really, how do you know? None of them stayed long, so I figure he found a baby to settle into. Hell, how old are you? You're young enough, maybe you've got his soul."

  Brooke smiled and poked at her food.

  "The truth is I'm not ready to go yet," Isabel continued. "I had the money, so I figured why not?"

  "My father despises the idea of soul insurance. He thinks it offends nature or something. I think it has something to do with my sister."

  "What happened?"

  "My mother had a miscarriage when I was a little girl. She screamed for my father, and we both ran to the bedroom. A soul hovered over her stomach. At first I thought it just wandered in from outside, but the look on Mom's face told me it came from her. It just flew away outside and we never saw it again. Dad became a different guy after that, and Mom moved as far away as she could. I think he sees a soul, and wonders if it's her."

  Isabel reached across the table and placed her hand on Brooke's. Brooke forced a smile and pushed away the sad thoughts. It was supposed to be Isabel's happy day.

  They finished their meal, and Brooke drove Isabel home. She lived near the edge of town, just before it turned into the open road. Brooke's jaw dropped when she saw her house. She shouldn't have been surprised, considering Isabel was wealthy enough for soul insurance.

  Isabel's home was pushed further back from the road, away from the other houses, with a long driveway. It sat near the edge of the woods, and looked far too big for one person. There was a two-car garage, and Brooke thought she saw a pool in the backyard.

  "Thank you for the ride."

  "Anytime
. Do you want me to drive you up to the house? Looks like a far walk."

  "A walk I'm looking forward to. I think I'm gonna go out tonight and have some fun. You should do the same."

  Brooke laughed. "I might just do that."

  *****

  Brooke's brow furrowed in confusion when she stepped into her living room. Amber had pulled out the treadmill and jogged at a steady pace as she ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Brooke felt sick just watching her. A show on TV captured her attention, but she managed to wave to Brooke as she closed the door behind her.

  "Have you been to sleep yet?"

  "Not yet, but I'm getting tired. I'm gonna finish this jog, take a shower, and go to sleep."

  "That is totally backwards."

  "Yeah, I know. What are you doing home early?"

  Brooke collapsed on the couch, letting her legs hang over the arm, and filled Amber in on her day. Amber stopped the treadmill and laughed at what was supposed to be a simple Saturday handling paperwork.

  "Wow. Did Wesley call the factory and scream at them?"

  "I guess so."

  "But everything's cool, right? The lady was happy with her body?"

  "Of course she was. You know they make those bodies perfect and beautiful."

  Amber flipped her hair over her shoulder and lifted her chin. "Like me."

  "Yeah, like you. I wish I could just see right. I can't see a thing without these binoculars on my face."

  "Oh, stop. You've always looked cute with glasses."

  Cute. That was the word that followed Brooke all her life. Amber was gorgeous and drop-dead sexy. Brooke was merely cute. Men had approached Brooke in the past simply to learn more about her best friend.

  Amber stepped off the treadmill and wiped her face with a towel. She smiled as she leaned against the wall and peered out the window.

  "Aww. That's so adorable."

  "What?"

  "Check it out."

  Brooke pried herself from the couch and joined her friend. She smiled at the scene on the sidewalk below. Two girls were playing jump-rope with a spirit. It hovered up and down as they swung the rope.

  Her smile faded as she looked across the parking lot.

  In front of a neighboring apartment building was an older light-blue Volkswagen Beetle. A man sat in the driver's seat, his head resting to one side. A chill ran up Brooke's spine.

  "What's wrong?" Amber asked.

  "That car…I think it was at work today."

  "That nasty Bug over there?" Amber strained her eyes to see. "The guy looks kind of cute from here. I'd remember if we worked with him."

  She laughed, but saw how unnerved Brooke was.

  "Wait, do you think he's following you or something?"

  "Why would someone follow me?"

  "Maybe he saw you at the club last night and he's under your spell."

  Brooke frowned. "Come on, Amber."

  "Alright, well, let's go ask him."

  Before Brooke could protest Amber had thrown her towel over her shoulder and was halfway across the living room. Brooke nearly tripped over the coffee table trying to catch up.

  "Amber, wait!"

  "Let's just go talk to him," she said, not slowing down. "If a creep is following you around, I want to know about it."

  "If a creep is following me around, we should call the police."

  "Brooke, we can't call the police just because a car is parked in the complex."

  "So, you think walking up to the guy is the smartest thing?"

  "Not everyone out there is a serial-killer."

  Their apartment was on the third floor. They walked down the winding stairs and out into the sun, passing the girls jumping rope with the spirit.

  "Holy crap, he is cute," Amber said. "Do I look okay?"

  Brooke shook her head, amused. "You look like you've been up all night and just got off the treadmill."

  "Okay, so still pretty good, then."

  Brooke laughed. She knew exactly what would happen. Whenever Amber approached a man he smiled a little more, sat up a little straighter. She'd flirt with him, a giggle here, a touch of the arm there. Brooke would watch for signs that Amber might overlook. There was one time Amber completely missed the fact that one of her targets wore a wedding ring.

  They were in the middle of the lot when he turned and saw them. Amber was right. The man was attractive, probably more than attractive. Bright blue eyes, short brown hair, fair complexion, probably a few years older than they were. Amber timed her hair-flip perfectly, making sure she caught his attention. Brooke had no doubt he wouldn't be able to keep his eyes off Amber's fine features. She drifted just a step behind and waited to see what kind of smile the stranger had.

  He never smiled.

  Instead, he climbed out of the Volkswagen and nearly pressed his back to it, like a caged animal. He had the look of someone caught doing something wrong. He watched as Brooke and Amber walked toward him, and glanced left and right, an utter look of shock on his face that two women were approaching him.

  "Hi," Amber said as they drew closer.

  The man turned around completely to see if someone was behind him. "Are you talking to me?"

  "Yeah, silly. I'm Amber. This is my friend, Brooke. What's your name?"

  They were close enough to shake hands. He stood only a few inches taller than either of them. Finally, he let out a smile, but it wasn't the usual smile Brooke saw when Amber worked her magic. It was more of a nervous smile.

  "Connor. My name's Connor."

  "It's nice to meet you," Amber said. "My friend and I saw you from our apartment, and I could have sworn we've met before, but Brooke doesn't think so. Did you used to work with us?"

  He shook his head, staying against the car. He barely paid any attention to Amber at all. His focus was mostly on Brooke. "I don't know either of you. Sorry."

  Amber flashed that bright smile of hers and rested a hand on her hip. "Well, would you like to?"

  "Uh…I actually have to get going."

  Amber blinked in surprise. For her, it had gone from harmless fun to a challenge. Connor was easily resisting her magic, and that bothered her. Brooke tried not to laugh.

  "Well, okay. Do you have a cell—?"

  Connor was already opening the driver's side door, not listening to her. "It was nice meeting both of you."

  Amber extended her hand, which Connor politely shook, barely making eye contact. Brooke did the same, and he hesitated. He reluctantly shook her hand, and she could feel him shaking.

  He drove away without another word. Brooke and Amber traded glances as they stood in the lot before making their way back to the apartment.

  "That was very weird," Amber said.

  "That's one way to put it. The guy was quivering all over. I know that was his car outside work."

  "I don't think he looked at me once. Maybe I do need a shower."

  "Oh yeah, Amber. That was the weird part. Not him acting like a complete nut-ball."

  "He was staring a hole through you."

  "I don't even know the guy."

  "Well, he seemed to know you. He must have, if he ignored me."

  "Funny."

  Brooke wiped sweat from her forehead as they climbed the stairs. Connor was staring at her, but she didn't get a warm feeling from his gaze.

  "I don't think he was checking me out," she said. "What should we do? Seriously, I'm a little freaked out here."

  "If we see him again, he's mine. I'll take him off your hands. But if he really is hanging outside work like some kind of creep, we'll call the police."

  Brooke laughed to herself. The first guy since high school to give her more than one look was crazy.

  *****

  Connor drove around the corner, keeping an eye on Brooke and Amber in the rear-view mirror. His hands continued to shake. He drove through three souls and parked at an odd angle along the curb. Swinging the door open, he barely managed to lean out and not vomit in the car. A man walking a dog on t
he sidewalk stopped to watch, but stopped short of offering help. A group of five souls slowed down as they moved across the street. He could hear their laughter.

  "Whoa! Look at that over there."

  "I remember when I used to throw up like that on a Saturday morning. Only difference is I was in the gutter."

  "Isn't that how you died?"

  "No, asshole. I told you…my wife killed me when she found me in bed with her sister."

  "What a way to go."

  Connor leaned back in his car and glared at the soul mob. Their laughter vanished as they moved through a building. Now that his stomach was empty he thought of the spectacle he'd made of himself. He wanted to see her one more time, and what she'd done with her life. The effect she still had on him was amazing, even after many years. He stared at his hands, which had finally stopped shaking. Shame washed over him. He knew he'd come across like an insane stalker, even if the blonde seemed interested in him. He definitely wouldn't be visiting her again as part of his yearly tradition.

  "And spirits wonder why I don't have any friends," he muttered to himself. "You'd be so proud of me, Mom and Dad. Your son's a loon."

  He didn't see the light in the seat behind him.

  "I could have told you that," the voice said. "What's going on here? Bad breakfast burrito?"

  "Ryan!" Connor said, jumping in his seat. "What did I tell you? I said don't go popping up behind me today."

  Ryan moved through the passenger's seat and settled in next to Connor. "Well, excuse me for looking out for my best bud. I've got a business proposition for you."

  Connor sighed, but managed a smile. "I'm not gonna create my own reality show. I'd have too many women beating down the apartment door."

  "No, no. That ship has sailed. Do you want to make a hundred bucks?"

  "This should be funny. And how would I do that?"

  "Just play messenger boy, your favorite job. I met this woman who has something very important to tell her daughter. And the daughter can't hear her, because…you know, the mother's dead and everything."

  Connor leaned his head back and took a deep breath. He'd delivered messages in the past before. It very seldom went well, and was usually an awkward experience. Sometimes he'd have to spend an hour just convincing the living he wasn't a liar, and the exchanging of money was never easy. It was difficult to say This soul next to me says you'd pay me.