“Push her,” Ben urged.
“I love you. I’ve always loved you,” Vivianna told Cash and Abby bit her lip, feeling her body tremble, knowing this reaction too had nothing to do with the bitter night. “I’ll always love you.”
“Damn it, man, push her!” Ben demanded, eyes on Abby.
Cash took a step forward and Vivianna quailed.
“You deserve better!” she cried desperately and Cash stopped.
Abby’s eyes slid to Cash’s face and she saw he was listening, he didn’t like what he was hearing and worst of all, it was penetrating.
Abby felt her pulse start beating wildly in her throat and blood started rushing to her ears because of course this would penetrate. Cash knew how she felt about Ben. He’d thrown it in her face during their first, colossal fight.
He just didn’t know how she felt now.
Vivianna carried on. “You deserve someone who loves you, who’ll take care of you, who wants no one but you, who longs for no one but you!”
“Shut it, ghosty,” Angus growled but Vivianna ignored him.
“Her heart belongs to another man. It always will. She’ll never feel that way for you, my love, my dearest heart. Never!” Vivianna wailed.
Abby could take no more, putting her hands over her ears and stomping her foot, she shouted, “Stop it!”
Vivianna’s eyes moved to Abby and she spat, “You’ll never be good enough for him!”
Abby took her hands from her ears, planted them on her hips, stepped clear of Cash and leaned forward, shouting, “I know! That doesn’t mean I don’t love him!”
The air and all of the beings on the roof went deathly still.
Abby, beside herself and definitely not in control of her own actions (most specifically her mouth), turned to Cash. “I love you, all right?” She was still shouting, not the least bit romantically, not that it mattered. She was in the iron jaws of the freak out to end all freak outs and she didn’t notice Cash’s body jolt at her words but instead jabbered on, “I know it sounds stupid, we’ve only known each other a short time and blah, blah, blah.” Abby circled her hand in the air like an idiot and kept rattling away. “Doesn’t matter, I know what I feel. I knew it with Ben the minute I saw him, I knew it with you.” Abby turned to Vivianna. “So, you can go straight to hell, okay? You don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re just mean and nasty and a poor loser! Haunting a castle for centuries and killing people because your boyfriend broke up with you. Who does that?”
“Abby,” Cash called, interrupting Abby’s rant and her eyes cut to him.
“What?” she snapped.
“Come here, darling,” he demanded quietly.
“I don’t want to. I’m freaking out. All right? And I’m cold. And I need a drink. Tequila. Stat.” she turned back to Vivianna and threatened, “And if one, single bugle bead on these shoes is missing after tonight’s fiasco I’m holding you responsible.” She finished while jabbing her finger in Vivianna’s direction.
“Abby,” Cash called again and Abby’s eyes sliced back to him.
“What?” she shrieked.
“I said, come here.”
Abby rolled her eyes heavenward, sighed heavily and stomped the two feet to Cash.
His hand came up and his fingers curled around her neck as his chin tipped down to look at her.
“You’re in love with me?” he asked softly.
“Yes, like, no duh,” she retorted sharply then she called as if he was a block away, “Hello! Cash! I totally freaked out when I thought you were in an accident.” Abby turned her head to Anthony. “Your son is very clever but it would seem he can be a bit –”
She didn’t finish, Cash’s fingers tightened at her neck and jerked her forward, making her body slam into his.
She tilted her head back and her breath caught at the intensity in his eyes right before his nose touched hers.
“You love me,” he stated in that low, deep, rough voice which was one of the many things she loved most about him.
Abby realised what she was about at the same time she realised that in all her many years of stupid, stupid, stupid behaviour, this was, by far and away, the stupidest.
Still, she couldn’t stop herself from whispering, “Yes.”
Close up, Abby watched Cash’s eyes smile and her heart leapt at the sight.
“Well, this is going to make eternity interesting,” Ben remarked drolly from his place at Vivianna’s side.
Cash’s head came up and Abby’s turned to the side.
She wasn’t sure but she thought she could actually feel her heart breaking.
And it hurt.
A lot.
“Ben,” she murmured.
“Abby,” Ben replied, his mouth twitching.
“I’m sorry,” Abby whispered.
“Honey, why? Because you’re alive and happy?” Ben asked and Cash’s hand dropped from Abby’s neck as Abby turned fully to face Ben but she felt Cash’s other arm slide around her waist and he pulled her gently into his side.
“Um,” Abby answered Ben hesitantly, “yes?”
Ben laughed.
No joke.
He laughed out loud like she was hilarious, his laughter curling through the air around them.
When he stopped, his gaze was on Cash and he informed him, “She’s a little nutty.”
“I’ve noticed that,” Cash murmured.
“It’s cute,” Ben went on.
Cash’s fingers at her waist flexed as he said, “I’ve noticed that too.”
Abby looked between Cash and Ben, her heart had stopped breaking but her blood pressure had started rising before she demanded to know, “What’s going on?”
“I know what’s no’ going on,” Angus cut in impatiently, “and that’s the fact that no ghosty she-bitch is being hurtled over the side of the tower straight to the depths of hell. That’s what’s no’ going on.”
“Yes, Conner, do you think we can get on with this? Abby’s cold,” Anthony added.
“And, I hate to bring this up, but Cassandra told us we don’t have much time,” Lorna noted.
Abby looked at Cassandra and muttered in a threatening tone, “You have a bit of explaining to do.”
Cassandra shrugged. Then she grinned.
Abby decided she’d deal with Cassandra later and looked to Cash.
Cash was looking at Vivianna.
It then occurred to Abby that even though she was a ghost, and a murderess six times over, not to mention not very nice, it still couldn’t be a fun to be the person who had to send her plunging to the depths of hell.
Abby looked at Vivianna and asked, “Do you think you can play nice? You know, not murder anyone else and maybe not scare people?”
Vivianna’s eyes narrowed, her face twisted with hatred and she hissed, “I’ll see your broken body at the bottom of the tor before I –”
She didn’t finish.
Without hesitation Cash strode forward, put a hand to her chest and thrust her over the side.
Abby’s blood ran cold as Vivianna’s chilling scream split the air.
Abby ran after Cash, put one of her hands to his back, one to his stomach and plastered her front to his side.
Then she, Cash, his father and grandmother, Abby’s dead husband, her ghost hunter, her clairvoyant witch and her cat peered over the edge and watched as Vivianna’s body plummeted down, her skirts billowing, her hair wafting, her arms reeling, until they could see no more through the dark.