"True, and true again. I–" Anna remarked, interrupted by a knock on the door. Her face turned serious, and with trembling hands, she set her wine glass down on the island. She slowly walked over to the door and put her hand on the knob, but didn't turn it.
Daniel chuckles, then jumps and turn invisible, watching carefully.
He whispers to Anna, "Be careful," and says nothing else.
Anna nodded. "I'm always careful," she muttered before she answered the door. Outside was a man with a dark jacket and a dominating figure. Anna immediately stiffened.
"Good afternoon. I'm looking for Harry Clayton," he said roughly.
"I have no idea where he is," Anna replied, lifting her chin and widening her eyes in warning.
"Perhaps I can come inside and discuss it with you–" He took a step toward the crack in the door
"No," Anna replied quickly, her body blocking him from entering. "Absolutely not. Who are you?"
"Well…" The man said slowly. "Another time then."
Anna nodded and was about to shut the door when the man said something that startled her.
"Have a nice day, Anna."
She quickly shut the door after that and locked it with trembling fingers.
Daniel growls at the man. He was sensing some. . . ill intentions from the man. Just as he was about to give the bailiff a good scare, he leaves. Slowly, he makes himself visible again.
"Who is Harry Clayton?" he asks.
Anna inhaled slowly and rested her forehead against the door. "My husband," she muttered, heading back to the kitchen for her wine. Dear God this day called for it. "Ex- husband, technically."
"Ah. . ." Daniel murmurs, sensing a sensitive topic and dropping it.
"Would you happen to have any ghost-friendly cups?" he wonders.
Anna arched her eyebrows and raised her glass again. "I have no idea… you're free to check, though."
Daniel shrugs and opens the cabinets, searching for a non-breakable cup. Triumphantly, he grabs a plastic cup.
"Pour me some wine." he says, a laugh in his voice.
Anna chuckled after taking a sip from her own glass. "Ghosts drink wine?" she asked incredulously, reaching over to grab the bottle again. She refilled her own glass first before pouring into his.
"We can." Daniel chuckles. "Don't sound so surprised."
He drains his cup in one long gulp and sighs. "Don't ask where it goes."
Anna nearly spat out her wine at his remark, and once she swallowed, she laughed with a hand covering her lips. It was a wild and beautiful sound. "Oh God, I wasn't going to, but now I'm curious!"
Daniel snickers at Anna's reaction. "It goes elsewhere."
That only made Anna laugh harder. "I don't even want to think about it!" she cried, taking a healthy drink from her glass. It was only halfway empty, but she refilled it again. The woman seemed to be intent on getting drunk.
Daniel giggles. "Then don't."
He carefully refills his cup, this time taking sips of the rich wine. "Slow down there. You'll wake up and regret it tomorrow."
Anna rolled her eyes. "Please, I've done worse things that I regret. Like marrying a gambler." She set her glass down to toy with the wedding ring on her finger.
Daniel shrugs. "One is a little more immediate and a lot more unpleasant. At least you can divorce a gambler."
"He lost so much of our money," Anna blurted, saying things she'd never reveal if she'd been sober. "I had to leave him. I couldn't deal with it anymore… but he's a detective, and I'm an attorney, so we still see each other sometimes, and it's so terribly odd because we still love each other, but I simply can't afford to be with him anymore."
Daniel nods. He didn't understand, exactly, but he knew pain when he heard it. He hugs Anna gently, surprising himself. Normally, he couldn't touch people. Hell, normally he wouldn't touch people.
"It's going to be fine. I promise you, it will work out." he murmurs.
Anna gasped, surprised as well, but she gently moved to hug him back, surprised to find that he was solid enough that she could. "I hope so," she whispered. "I'm not so sure about that anymore."
Gently, Daniel releases Anna. "Now, since you have the day off, I don't suppose you'll just drink it all away, will you?"
Anna laughed again, leaning on the counter. "I think it's too late to stop now." She drained the rest of the wine in her glass. "How's yours? Can ghosts taste?"
Daniel laughs, and it's a real one, not the short, acerbic ones he'd been using before. "Fair enough."
He shrugs. "It's good. And yes, I can taste. I don't know how."
Anna grinned and began to pour yet another glassful. "That's odd. I like your laugh. It's fun."
Daniel chuckles lightly. "That's weird. Most people don't like it, for whatever reason."
He places one hand under his chin, the back of it touching his jaw. "That's me: fun."
Anna shrugged. "I like it." She giggled and began to drink again. "Mmm!" she exclaimed, setting the wine down. "I want to call Harry. Ask him about the bailiff. Where did I put my phone?" She walked around, looking for the device.