Page 7 of Forever, Finally

“In a heartbeat.”

CHAPTER 2

Jake stretched out on the sofa. He was tired from his day spent moving, but not inspired to go to bed. Not yet and sure as hell not alone.

There had been too many solo nights in the past eight or nine months. He’d tried dating, but no woman he’d asked out was Lily, and he couldn’t seem to get interested in anyone else. Knowing he’d set up both himself and the woman in question for failure, he’d stopped asking and expecting the impossible.

Which left him alone, edgy and irritable.

There was a Mariner game on TV. He reached for the remote, but before he could grab it, the phone rang.

“It’s me,” Lily said when he’d picked up the receiver. “Am I interrupting?”

“Sure. I have two coeds doing the dance of the seven veils right here in my living room.”

He heard the smile in her voice as she spoke. “Yeah, I’m flaked out, too. Moving is a lot more work than I remembered. Of course, after college, everything I owned could fit in the back of a pickup truck. When did I get all this stuff? And why?”

“It seemed important at the time. Remember that oak bookcase you had to have? And the dining-room table? I nearly threw out my back with that one.”

She sighed. “But it’s beautiful and it looks great in my dining room. So when are you going to sell me that gorgeous hutch of yours? The one your grandmother left you? You know you don’t appreciate it, and if she’d known how much I wanted it, she would have left it to me.”

He grinned at the familiar argument. “But she didn’t. Maybe one day, if you’re really good, I’ll let you make me an offer.”

“Huh. Like I believe that. You just like having something to hold over me.”

“That’s true. So what’s up? Is the house getting to you?”

Lily hesitated long enough for him to realize that he’d spoken the truth. One part concerned, two parts amused, he sat up.

“Let me guess,” he said. “You’re scared.”

“I’m not scared. It’s just the house is, you know. Big.”

“I thought you liked that about it.”

“I do. It’s just there are weird noises. House noises. I’m not familiar with them yet.”

He chuckled. “Are you going to make it through the night?”

“Of course.” She sounded insulted. “I’m perfectly capable of surviving here by myself. In fact I like living alone. It’s just so empty and some of the floors creak.”

“By themselves or when you’re walking?”

“When I’m walking. I’m not saying the place is haunted.” Lily’s breath caught. “You don’t think it could be, do you? It’s an old house. Who knows what happened here?”

He shifted so he could put his feet on the coffee table. “You’re not seriously worried about ghosts are you?”

“No. Just first-night creeps. I’ll be okay. Maybe I should get a dog. A really big one.”

“Only if you want to be cleaning up after it.”

“Oh. Good point. Maybe a cat, although I don’t think a cat would be much protection. Is it cold there? It’s cold here.”

Jake figured the outside temperature was all of fifty-five. “Turn on the heat.”

“I guess. Or I could just get another blanket.”

“You’re in bed?”

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