While Josh was out dropping off boxes at Goodwill and Cody was busy coloring a picture, Honor placed a call to her assistant and trusted confidant, Julie Wells.
“Hey, Julie,” she began, “I want to toss a few ideas at you, but I only have a few minutes to talk.”
“What’s the rush?”
“Well, I met a man and I’m watching his little boy while he’s out running a quick errand for me,” Honor explained.
“A man? Okay, who are you and what have you done with my boss?” Julie wisecracked.
Honor giggled. She had forgotten how quickly she and Josh had become a couple. Before she could reply, Julie started firing questions at her. “Is he hot? Have you kissed him yet? Tell me, tell me!”
Honor flushed, embarrassed. She wasn’t ready to confess how quickly she had become intimate with Josh.
Julie misunderstood her hesitation. She moaned, “Oh no. You’re going to tell me you two are just friends, right?”
Honor collected herself. “We’re more than friends, but that’s all I’m going to share about him for the time being. Now, are you alone? I want to discuss something with you in confidence.”
To Honor’s utter amazement, when Julie heard she was considering breaking her partnership with William, she exclaimed, “It’s about time you figured out you’re the brains of this outfit!”
Honor brushed off the compliment. “Are you sure I’m not out of my mind, thinking I can run a business without William? I mean, I don’t know the first thing about finding new customers or keeping the books.” She faltered. “Maybe it’s a crazy idea.”
“Of course you can do it! Most of our new business these days comes from referrals, and you can hire people to do the accounting. Besides, I need to tell you something.” Julie lowered her voice. “I overheard someone in the ladies’ room say she thinks William cooks the books. It’s probably nonsense, but since William has demonstrated he’s capable of deceit with a capital ‘D,’ it might be a good idea to check into it before revealing your plans.”
Honor was caught off guard by the allegation. “That sounds like good old-fashioned office gossip to me, but it wouldn’t hurt to investigate. Any ideas?”
“I can start snooping around a bit.”
“All right. But be careful. I don’t want to stir up trouble over a rumor.”
“Okay, boss.”
After hanging up, Honor sat staring at her phone. She didn’t want to believe gossip, but one thought nagged at her. William proved he was capable of cheating on his wife, so why not his business partner?
Cody interrupted Honor’s thoughts to show her his finished drawing. Forcing a smile, she took it from his outstretched hands and examined the circle of squiggly lines, secretly hoping she was holding the picture right-side-up.
“This is terrific, Cody. A real, um… work of art. I think we should tape it up on the fridge.”
“It’s Spiderman’s web,” he beamed, as Honor pulled a roll of tape from her box of packing materials and applied it to the corners.
Honor enjoyed seeing Cody’s pride in his accomplishment, but was still preoccupied with the disturbing phone call. She bent down and hugged him. “You’re such a good little boy. Don’t change when you grow up, okay?”
“I’m going to grow up to be like my Daddy,” Cody responded.
Honor cooed, “That’s wonderful, Cody. Your Daddy is a very good man.”
Cody turned back to admire his picture, now hanging on the refrigerator door. Over his shoulder he said, “Don’t worry, Honor. The lady said you’ll be happier without that bad man.”
This time Honor was certain she had heard Cody’s words correctly. She struggled to remain calm. “What lady said that, Cody?”
“The nice lady who lives here.”
Honor’s knees turned to jelly. She slid to a sitting position on the floor directly in front of the child. “Cody, is the nice lady’s name Faith Macklin?”
“No.”
Honor tried not to let her disappointment show. “Did the lady tell you her name?”
Cody nodded. “She said from the looks of things, I should probably call her Grandma.”
Honor gasped and tears sprang to her eyes. She gave Cody a big hug.
“You’re squishing me!” he complained.
Honor let go. “I’m sorry, Cody. Listen, would you consider making another picture for the refrigerator art gallery?”
“Sure!” Cody ran back into the living room.
Honor was still sitting on the floor when Josh returned, her mind pouring over the events of the afternoon.
As soon as he saw the look on her face, Josh was worried. “What happened? Is everything okay? Where’s Cody?”
Before Honor could answer, Cody yelled from the next room, “I’m making works of art, Daddy!”
Despite her introspective mood, Honor giggled.
Instantly less anxious, Josh sat on the floor beside her. “So talk to me, Honor.”
Honor told Josh the highlights of her conversation with Julie and how the rumor about William paled next to what Cody revealed about her mother’s spirit.
When she finished, he joked, “So you’re telling me my son sees dead people?”
“Don’t kid around about this, Josh. Even the words he used… I could almost hear my mother saying that exact phrase.”
“Okay, at the risk of pissing you off, I’m going to suggest an alternative theory,” Josh countered.
Honor folded her arms, listening.
“First of all, Cody is very sensitive to other people’s feelings and he really likes you, so he doesn’t want you to be upset. Second, Cody has the hearing of a hawk on steroids. Third, he knows you’re hurting about your mother and he empathizes with you, since he lost his own mother. Now, given these facts, isn’t it possible he was just trying to say something that would make you feel better?”
“So you’re going to use logic on me instead of simply jumping on my ghost bandwagon?”
Josh was visibly relieved she wasn’t angry. “Afraid so,” he chuckled. “Do you agree my theory is at least a possibility?”
“Well, I agree I’ve been through a lot this year, which obviously caused me a boatload of stress. I was just starting to come to grips with the fact my mom is gone and my marriage is over, when I learned my ex-husband is more of a Rat Bastard than I originally thought. And then I met you and began this whirlwind romance…”
Josh interrupted, “Whirlwind, huh? I like the sound of that.” He reached out to pull her closer to him.
“Yes, whirlwind,” continued Honor, playfully pushing him away. “So I’ll admit it’s possible my imagination could be getting the best of me. Still, you’ve got to agree there are some pretty weird happenings afoot.”
With mock seriousness, Josh replied, “Yeah, weird. You’re even starting to talk funny.”