Page 36 of Ghostridden
“You can say that again,” I muttered.
He’d angled his chair so his back was to the counter and catercorner from the other chair, which was backed against the window. Unless I wanted to make a big production out of moving mine, I’d be sitting almost knee to knee with him. I settled for scooting my chair a little farther away under the guise of moving it closer to the table as I sat.
“I always tell my clients the best way to acclimate to your new surroundings is to invite friends over right away. Forge positive connections. Lay the foundation for your network immediately.”
“Really?” I asked, a little dubious.Myfirst inclination had been to revel in the new space alone with Gil. Even if I hadn’t ended up towing Ricky along with me, that wouldn’t been an option, anyway, since the house had come with a preexisting roommate.
And when I saypreexisting, I mean that inallsenses of the word.
“Absolutely. It’s been proven by tons of studies.” He tapped his temple with his forefinger. “It’s all about brain science.”
I’d vetted more books than I cared to remember where the “studies” had been based on poor data quality or statistically insignificant sample sets, so I just shrugged. “No friends to invite over quite yet.”
“Oh, that won’t do! If you want, I can toddle on over tonight with some lovely takeout from this Oaxacan place in Richdale. Very elevated. You’ll love it.”
I chuckled a little uneasily. “I’m not sure I’m an elevated kind of guy. Besides, we’ve got a terrific Mexican place practically next door.”
“Yes, but—”
“Flat white.” Jae-Seong arrived with a tray and plonked a heavy ceramic mug in front of Carson. “And for you, Maz, the quesitos.” He slid a blue-patterned plate onto the table, the pastries arranged in a fan, and presented my cup—clear glass rather than ceramic—like it was an Oscar statuette. The liquid was layered—golden on the bottom, rich dark brown on the top. “And a Vietnamese coffee, as instructed.” He handed me a small silver spoon. “Give it a stir before you taste.”
Since he waited expectantly, the empty tray held in front of him, I swirled the spoon, combining the layers, and then took asip. My eyes widened. “Wow!” I took a bigger gulp, not caring if the heat singed my tongue a little because it was worth it for theflavor. Rich, dark, sweet, with a hint of hazelnut. “This isfantastic.”
He grinned at me. “Glad you like it. I’ll make it for you anytime.”
I shot him a thumbs-up, and he sauntered back to where Haley was leaning over the counter, watching us with a smirk.
When I returned my attention to Carson, he was looking a little sulky. I supposed I couldn’t blame him. He’d invited me out, but I’d essentially commandeered the meet-up by insisting we come here, where there were apparently long-standingundercurrentsthat I couldn’t hope to parse immediately. Nor was I sure I wanted to. I was the new guy. I couldn’t hope to understand the nuances of relationships that had been built over lifetimes. Maybe I should approach Ghost and its denizens like I would any project: Collect as much information as I could without drawing early conclusions that could jeopardize my objectivity.
I offered Carson a smile over the rim of my cup. “Thanks for agreeing to meet me here. Since I’m just starting work at the Manor, I didn’t really want to take too much time away on my first day.”
He studied me, his head tilted to one side and a faint smile on his lips. With the sun through the window glinting on his golden hair, I could admit he was a very attractive man. For that matter, so was Jae-Seong, who’d given me more than one flirty glance. How likely was it that I’d land in a teensy town like Ghost and run into not one, not two, but three men who might be interested in me?
Jeez, Maz, objectivity.Ob-jec-tivity.Chances were much greater that people were just being friendly. In a small town,anybody new was bound to rouse interest, and that interest didn’t have to be romantic.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Carson asked gently. “If you don’t mind my saying so, you’re looking a little uncomfortable. There’s still time to go to Richdale. Or even back to your place, if that works better for you.”
“No, no. I’m fine here.” I took another sip of the fabulous coffee and tried not to moan. “And I’m starting to get used to my house.” And its attendant ghost. More or less.
He gave me a wide smile. “There’s a lot to get used to, isn’t there? It’s the third largest house in town, after the Manor and the old Jenkins place.”
The name pinged a memory from the morning. “I think Saul mentioned that house. It’s a B & B now, isn’t it?”
He wrinkled his slightly snub nose. “Struggling, but yes.”
“You, um, probably spent a lot of time in my house back in the day.” I winced internally. Not exactly a smooth segue.
“I did. Not as much as Ricky and Liam, perhaps, since Sofia was right next door and my parents moved us to Richdale when I was in junior high.”
“But you still went to school with them all? Avi, too?”
“Avi was ten years older, but the rest of us, yes. Ghost only had a K-4 elementary then, and it closed in the late nineties, anyway. We were all bused to Richdale to school after that. That’s why my parents decided to move. They didn’t like me being on the bus for so long every day.”
“But you still spent time at the house? With Avi and his parents?”
He took a sip of his coffee, not meeting my eyes. “I did, yes.” He glanced over his shoulder. “There’s something you should know about Avi. Something that nobody but his closest family knew, not even Oren.”
I leaned forward. This was it. What I wanted to know. The scoop. “What?”
