Page 71 of Chasing Your Ghost

It wouldn’t have been the first time someone had thrown insults at her, and Riley prepared herself for her stepbrother—someone she’d come to care about and someone she genuinely liked—to do the same. She was building up her walls and preparing for a brutal attack, but she hadn’t prepared herself for the shock his words brought to her.

“You said Asher’s name when you fainted.”

Riley blinked at him, her head jerking back. “What?”

“I was the first person to reach you, and I heard you. I caught you, and you whispered ‘Asher’ just before you passed out.”

Riley gulped. If that was true, how on earth was she meant to explain it away? “I don’t… I didn’t—”

“Don’t lie to me,” Noah growled. “I heard you say it. I didn’t imagine it.”

Shit. This wasn’t just bad. This was a disaster. Riley could do nothing but stare back at Noah, meeting his unflinching gaze with her wide-eyed one.

He nodded as though her silence was confession enough for him. “I kept thinking about it last night, and I couldn’t figure it out. Why would you say the name of someone you’d never even met before? Why would you say the name of one of my best friends, who’s been missing for four weeks?”

He looked at her books and let out a chuckle that sounded a bit unhinged.

“But then I remembered what Edith said when she saw the books you’d ordered. She said your father was obsessed with the supernatural, and it rubbed off on you. She wasn’t surprised you ordered those books, just upset that you did.”

Riley licked her lips and folded her arms across her stomach. “What are you saying?” she asked, her voice wavering with nerves.

Noah’s jaw worked as his eyes flickered over her face. Eventually, he sighed and rubbed his hands over his face, the confident slope of his shoulders falling as his previous bravado disappeared.

“I don’t know,” he admitted with a shake of his head. “No, that’s a lie,” he corrected, some of his anger returning. “I know exactly what I’m trying to say, but it just makes no goddamned sense.”

Going against everything her father had taught her and everything she’d learned by herself, Riley knew she couldn’t lie to Noah. She didn’t want to, and something told her that she didn’t have to, that Noah needed to know. “Just say it. Whatever you came here to ask me, say it.”

“Have you seen Asher since he went missing? Have you—I can’t even say it. Have you seen his, uh, his ghost?” He’d closed his eyes to ask the question, but they opened again as soon as he’d gotten the words out, his blue eyes searching for the answer in her expression.

Riley nodded, and with the first lift of her head, Noah was shaking his head and spitting out curses.

“That’s impossible,” he said, his fingers running through and tugging harshly on his brown hair.

“Evidently not,” Riley replied, her arms wrapping tighter around herself and her lips twitching up into a taut smile.

Noah abruptly stopped, his agitated movements freezing and his hands dropping to his sides. “Does that mean he’s dead?”

Riley didn’t know how to answer that question. Two days ago, she would have said yes, but now…now she wasn’t so sure. “I thought so,” she told Noah. “But now I don’t think he is.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Noah asked, his voice raising in volume and intensity. “Is my friend dead or not?”

“I don’t really understand it myself,” Riley replied carefully. “Asher’s different from other spirits, and I’m starting to think it’s because he’s not actually a ghost.”

Noah gaped. “Does that mean you can see other ghosts? It’s not just like you, I don’t know, had a séance or whatever.”

Riley couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Yes, I can see other ghosts, Noah. I can see them all the time, no séances required.”

“And Edith knows about this?” he asked, sounding incredulous.

Riley nodded once. “She’s always known. My dad had the ability, too—it kind of runs in the family—and he knew he’d pass it on to me. He told her after I was born.”

Noah was back to shaking his head and running his hands through his hair again. “This is insane.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “You’re insane. This can’t be true.”

Here we go, Riley thought. It was only a matter of time before the insults and name-calling began. She shrugged. “You’re the one who came to me asking about ghosts.”

“How do I know you’re not lying? How do I know you’re not messing with me?”

“Firstly, do you really think I’d lie about something like this?” she asked with a glare. “Do you think I’m the kind of person who enjoys playing sick jokes on grieving people?”

---