Marja McGraw - Bogey Man 03 - They Call Me Ace Read Free

back of Mikey’s head. “You’re littler than me, Ace. Watch who you laugh at.”
    Mikey smiled. He usually did when Chris used his nickname.
    We visited for as long as we could before Chris and I had to get ready to go to work. Our restaurant isn’t the only thing forties themed – so are we. Chris wears vintage suits that were popular in that era, along with vests and a fedora. I generally wear women’s styles from the thirties and forties for the dinner crowd, but my outfits are a little more casual on the rare occasions we work during lunchtime. We even have customers who show up in vintage styles.  We try to offer our guests gourmet food and atmosphere. And when times got tough? We lowered our prices. While our competitors are going under, our customers have remained loyal to us. Business is good.
    On this particular night, since we’d spent so much time with Chris’s parents, I brushed my long auburn hair into a simple chignon at the nape of my neck and called it good. I slipped into a rayon dress, light yellow, almost beige, with purple and white flowers and a tie belt. It was what had been called a swing dress back in the day. It had some ropey things coming down from the neckline to the bodice, so it had an open feel to it. I added white vintage shoes and headed down the stairs.
    Chris’s dad whistled, as did Chris. Mikey made a clicking noise out of the side of his mouth, like he’d seen men do in old movies.
    “Why, Pamela, you have a figure to die for,” Judith said. “That dress is perfect for you.”
    “Thank you, Judith.” I grinned. They’d all managed to make me feel good about myself, and their comments made
    for a good start to the evening.
    “Would you please call me Mom?”
    “I will. It’s just hard to get used to.”
    “Constance called,” Chris said. “I told her Mikey would be staying with my parents for a few days.”
    Constance is my old neighbor (pre-Chris), my good friend, and she usually stays with Mikey while we’re working.
    I turned to Judith. “Will you and Chris Sr. be bringing Mikey in for dinner tonight? Since school is out he can stay up later.”
    “We’ll be there with bells on. Your father-in-law wants to talk to your chef while we’re there. He figures he can learn some tricks of the trade.”
    Chris looked at his father. “What’s that all about?”
    “Your mother and I are thinking about opening up a diner back home.”
    “Ah,” Chris and I said in unison. Gourmet restaurant to diner was quite a leap.
    We left for the restaurant, the gang came in for dinner, and Judith left to take Mikey for an ice cream cone while Chris Sr. waited to talk with Luis, our chef.
    And, so, we come full circle back to Mikey’s dramatic entrance at Bogey Nights .
    ~ * ~
    “So?” I pushed, putting my thoughts aside and wanting Judith to get on with her story.
    “Well, I think we might have found a haunted house. Oh, I’ve always wanted to explore a haunted house.” Judith smiled sweetly, first at Chris and then at me.
    Chris Sr. placed his hand on top of Judith’s small one and gently patted it. He was a tall and patient man who loved his wife with all his heart, and he seemed to rather enjoy her idiosyncrasies. “Now, Judith, you know there’s no such thing as a ghost. And I think you’re upsetting Junior and his wife.” He clamped his lips together with the corners of his mouth
    slightly upturned, which I’d learned was his way of smiling. His graying head of hair was still full and he had it combed straight back. It was a little longish, which was the way Judith liked it. Chris and his father had matching hazel eyes.
    I turned to Chris and saw his jaws tighten again, and those hazel eyes had fire in them.
    “Here’s a new and different idea,” I said, trying to head off a family argument. “Maybe you could call him Bogey Man, like I do, instead of Junior.”
    Chris’s jaw tightened even more. I wondered how long it would take for his teeth to fall out