Page 11 of Ghostlighted
“You should. What you drive barely passes for a car anymore. I worry that it’ll give out on you at a bad moment.”
“See?” Avi held out his palms toward Ricky. “I told you.”
“Since the only place I drive anymore is from here to the Manor, which, I might add, I might stop once I find out if it’s all right for me to cut across the grounds and walk, it’s hardly an issue at the moment.”
Ricky grinned. “We’ll wear you down, eventually. And when you’re ready, I can get you a good deal. One of my cousins owns a car dealership in Eugene.”
“I’d expect nothing less,” I said dryly. “How many cousins do you have again?”
“You can count them the next time we have a family party.” Something flickered across his face and I could practically track the joy draining away from him.
“Ricky? What is it?”
He heaved a sigh. “It’s just that Tia wanted to have a big party for Liam’s Harvard graduation. She’s been planning it for months. But then Liam told her he’s got an internship starting in Manhattan the day after commencement and he can’t make it home.”
“Is Sofia upset?”
“She’s sad. But you’ll never get her to blame Liam. As far as she’s concerned, he can do no wrong.”
“Do you think hedoesn’thave an internship?”
“No, he’s probably got one. He was always able to talk himself into anything when he put his mind to it. But because of that, I think he could have made an effort to delay his start date by a few days.”
I set Gil down. “Had she already talked to the family about the party?”
“Are you kidding? She had Felicia send out save-the-date cards three months ago.”
“Then you know what?” I dusted Gil’s fur off my palms and headed toward the family room. “If everybody’s already got thedate on their calendar, let’s have the party, anyway. Who cares if Liam can’t be there?”
Ricky and Avi both scoffed at the same moment. “Sofia.”
I paused by the kitchen archway. “Oh. I suppose that’s true. Could she still enjoy herself, anyway?”
Ricky nodded slowly, his smile dawning. “She always loves being with family and friends.”
“What date?”
“June first. Commencement is on May twenty-ninth. She wanted to give him time to move out of his dorm first.”
“Then let’s do it.” A little seed of anticipation sprouted in my middle. I didn’t go in for big parties as a rule, but I’d make an exception this time. In fact… “Let’s make it a blowout for the whole town. Ghost might be bleeding tourism dollars, but all the more reason for the townies to band together. We can use our house and yard as overflow. Heck, Patrice would probably let us use her yard too, as long as we don’t make her attend.”
Ricky’s big brown eyes shone as he gazed at me in what I might have described as awe if I wasn’t, you know, me. “You’d do that? For Tia?”
“Of course.”And for you. “We’ll ask her today, and if she agrees, it’s totally on.”
I looked down at Gil, and then up at Avi. I’d been planning to take Gil over to Sofia’s while Ricky and I worked on the garden, since she always seemed to enjoy his company. But today, I thought Avi needed the emotional support floof more.
“Avi, can you watch Gil while we’re working?”
Avi crouched down next to my cat, who immediately bumped his forehead against Avi’s knee as if it were as solid as mine. “Any time. Although I hardly think he’s going to run rampant through the house.”
“You have no idea. Why do you think I keep breakable things inside cabinets?”
He sank onto the floor and sat cross-legged next to the sofa. “Forewarned, eh? Don’t worry. We’ll be fine.” Since Gil immediately settled in the cradle of Avi’s legs, I decided to believe him.
Ricky and I walked through the archway into the kitchen, but I slowed at the swinging door that led to the butler’s pantry when I noticed he wasn’t behind me anymore. When I turned, he was standing next to the island, running a finger along its end-grain butcher block top.
“You don’t need to do this, you know, Maz. I’ve put in Sofia’s garden on my own since I was a teenager.”
