Page 54 of Ghostlighted
More importantly, though, it would mean thatAvicould speak to anybodyhewanted.
When I got home, I didn’t bother pulling into the garage. Instead, I just pulled into the driveway and ran to the front porch. The box wasn’t sitting in front of the door, and my stomach plummeted. I didn’tthinkthere could be much package theft here in Ghost, but I hadn’t expected murder, either, and I’d been wrong about that.
Then I spotted it tucked under the porch swing and gave the UPS driver props for the camouflage win. I unlocked the door first, then teased the box out and hefted it into my arms. It wasn’t particularly heavy, but it was awkwardly bulky. Opening the door wide enough that I could maneuver inside without letting Gil escape might be a challenge.
He was lurking next to the stairs, so I deduced that Avi must not be manifesting anywhere. He made a break for it, but I butted the door closed with my, well, butt, and earned a displeased rumble from him.
“I don’t know why you’ve suddenly developed this hankering for the great outdoors, big guy, but we need to have a serious talk about it.” I headed for the kitchen with him slinking along at my heels, ears swiveled back and tail down. “And stop sulking. You may think the grass is greener out there… Okay, I suppose the grassisgreener because there’s actual grass, but birds aren’t nearly as easy to catch as you seem to think.” I plopped the box onto the counter and looked down at him. “They have wings, Gil. Wings. They’re not just mice with feathers.”
Gil’s ears perked up, and he bounded back into the family room.
“Hello, gorgeous,” Avi said.
“Don’t encourage him,” I called. “He tried to bust out again.”
Avi walked into the kitchen with Gil trotting next to him. “Has he always done that?”
“Never. He’s always been curious andinterested, especially when birds were involved, so I was always careful not to tempt him. Made sure the doors were closed, that kind of thing. This prison break behavior didn’t pop up until a couple of days ago.” I spread my arms. “Granted, we’ve never lived anywhere thatoutwas particularly enticing, but he’s got more room to explore here than in any of our previous places, so I don’t know what the deal is.”
Avi bent down to pet Gil. “Maybe he’s just lonely. Didn’t you always work from home before?”
“Yeah.” I hunkered down to skritch Gil’s ears. “Do you think that’s it?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. I can try to be around more.” He rolled his eyes. “Assuming I can figure out how.”
“Do you, er, manifest while I’m not here?”
Avi screwed his mouth to one side, clearly wracking his brain. “I’m not sure. When you’re not around, there’s not much I need to do, so maybe not?”
“When you left the car earlier, do you remember appearing somewhere specific in the house? Doing anything there?”
He grimaced. “No. I just walked down the stairs now because I heard you talking to Gil. Do you suppose I can’t be present unless there’s a reason?”
“I don’t like to think so,” I said, frowning. “That denotes lack of choice. You should have enough agency to be able to show up whenever you want.”
“Ah.” He held up one forefinger. “But what do I want? That’s the question, isn’t it?”
Unfortunately, we both knew the answer to that one. He wanted Oren. The company Gil and I had to offer was a poor substitute, but at least it wassomething.
I stood and laid my palm atop the box. “So when Ricky and I went to Portland the other day, I had an idea.”
He raised both palms in mock horror. “Maz, as much as I appreciate your friendship, I do not want to hear about your awkward attempts to woo Ricky.”
“And yet, you’re the one who suggested I buy new clothes for that very purpose.” I folded my arms. “Do you want to hear my idea or not?”
“I’m sorry. By all means, continue.”
“Ricky and I stopped at a falafel place for lunch?—”
“The one in the Pearl?”
I blinked. “You know it?”
“It was one of Oren’s favorite spots. He took me there a couple of times when I visited him in the city. He said it had been recommended to him by his cousin’s husb— Oh.”
Chapter Nineteen
Acombination of anger and longing washed over me, thickening my throat, and I croaked, “By my dad.”
