GHOST 👻 (A Paranormal Romance)

Strange Bedfellows

"Now, now, no need to be testy, Luv." Julia and I both withdraw a step as the heavy smell of alcohol blasts our faces. Despite being drunk as a skunk, and looking like the hairy giant, Hagrid from Harry Potter, I have to admit the man has a certain masculine charm. "I'm Mason, Dylan's father." He roguishly smiles at us before continuing. "I was expecting the lad to return home earlier tonight. Not during the wee hours of the morning." He says this with an over enunciated dignity, as if he's not only inebriated, but also descended from some royal lineage.

Julia takes a firm grasp of Mason's shoulders and guides him over to the sofa. "Well, your son's not here right now, Mr. Grant. Come in and sit down. You don't look like you should be driving anywhere in your condition."

"Jesus woman, I'm not pregnant."

"Sit down!" Julia gives Mason a final push as he collapses onto the sofa.

The man is clearly drunk, but I remember what Dylan told me about his father's stormy relationship with his sister, Lyndsay. Maybe like Julia, he turned to alcohol to numb the pain of losing a child. Seated next to Mason, my grandmother looks up at me. "Lizzy, why don't you call Dylan and let him know his father's here."

I nod, then head upstairs to get my phone. "Dylan, are you home right now?"

Groggily, he answers my question. "Hey, Lizzy. No-sorry, I actually slept over at Connor's tonight.

"Well, your dad's crashed in our living room. He wandered over here, looking for you."

"Oh no, I'll be right there! Lumox! He wasn't here when I arrived home. I just assumed he was still in town." I can tell Dylan's embarrassed about his dad's drinking, but I also know he's exhausted.

"No, that's all right. Julia and Mason have hit it off. He can stay overnight in the guest bedroom." A minute lie, but I'm sure everything will sort itself out. "I just want to go back to sleep."

When I arrive downstairs, Julia's lecturing Dylan's father. "What is it about men, and their stubborn need to appear invincible?"

"I can stand." Mason straightens, then immediately falls back onto the couch, the color draining from his face. "It's standing straight, I have a problem with," he sheepishly admits.

Julia throws a quilted blanket over him and hefts his feet up on the couch. As he settles back on the couch to sleep, I notice he seems to be enjoying her authoritative attention. "I've always liked strong women." Groaning happily, he falls asleep and immediately starts snoring.

Julia snaps the light shut. "That's good, Mr. Grant, because you've met your match in me. Pleasant dreams."

~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning, I find Mason and Julia bonding over a cup of coffee. Mason's long gray hair has been combed back and pulled back into a neat ponytail. He looks less like a fearsome creature and more like a human being. I notice he has Dylan's eyes.

Grabbing some cereal and coffee, I sit down at the table. I'm interested to learn more about my boyfriend's father. He's rarely mentioned him, and I've never been to the Grant family home. Over the breakfast table, Dylan's father looks at me with his piercing gray-green eyes. He places a large, but surprisingly gentle hand on mine. "Elizabeth it's nice to finally meet you. Dylan told me what you did for Lyndsay." He casts a sheepish glance at Julia. "I apologize for barging in on you two ladies last night. Especially, when I was ten sheets to the wind."

"That's all right. I was relieved it wasn't an angry spirit." I smile at him to show there's no hard feelings on my part.

He frowns when he hears this. "Dylan told me about your trouble with the spirit world. To be honest, it's something I'm familiar with. When I was a wee lad, I had an encounter with a banshee on the Scottish moors."