Page 6 of Haunted Heart
“Is Minnie coming after she’s done?” Perry asks. He used to date my twin sister, and I’m pretty sure he only hangs out with me for the opportunity to see her again.
Perry looks like the textbook definition of a farm boy come to life. He’s a little too sweet and a little too cautious.Timid times two does not for a good couple make.
“She has other plans tonight.”
He nods but doesn’t hide his disappointment.
“Alright! Who’s drinking what?” I set the bottle of wine beside the other drinks and grab a beer for Dylan, popping the cap and handing it to him while still looking at the others.
“I’ll take one of those,” Jonas says, and I hand it to him. It won’t hurt him, so there’s no point in being weird over the bottles.
I need Dylan to finish his; I don’t need him to question why.
“God, this place is begging for a full gut reno,” Margie says, cracking open a can of seltzer with an alcohol content suitable for her lightweight self as she looks all around the room.
Margie, wild hair caught up in an unkempt bun on top of her head, is the one I would expect to look for improvement. She’s a business major, but her passion has always been interior design.
“Careful. If the ghost thinks you’re going to mess with her house, you might wind up on her bad side.”
She snickers as I go to sit at the edge of the circle.
“So!” Jonas says, sitting beside me. “We’re about to meet a ghost?”
“Yes. This is Julia’s house. We’re just visiting.”
Dylan chuckles as he sits down on my other side and takes a long drink of his beer.
Good.
“Don’t you mean, ‘Ghoulia?’” he asks.
Not good.
A lamp in the foyer starts to flicker.
“Don’t call her that. She might kick you out…Witha few broken bones if you’re unlucky.” I need him to finish that beer and say my spell before I can let her “remove” him.
His brows pinch. “Seriously? You still believe in this kid stuff?”
“Of course she does,” Margie says. “And you would too if you had any sense.”
Dylan leans close, and I lean away because I am not about to let him get close enough to do something silly, like kiss my cheek.
“So, do you have a chair rigged to fly away? Magnets under the floor boards?”
“Nope. Just a ghost and a little magic.” I wiggle my fingers and Rose giggles.
His gaze went to my mouth as I spoke, but he finally goes back to sitting normally when I turn to look at the others.
Rose and Margie sit opposite me—they both give me a look that tells me they’re not comfortable with Dylan right now either—and Perry follows behind them, oblivious.
“I, for one, am looking forward to meeting her,” Rose says.
The foyer lights pulse with a gentle glow. Julia likes Rose. And I don’t blame her in the least.
“Before we start, who wants to hear how this house became haunted?” I ask.
Perry raises his hand and sets a can of soda on the floor. He’s playing Designated Driver tonight.
