Page 17 of The Haunting of Lockton
“You guess?” he asked. “Any other time, you would’ve been on her like white on rice.”
“Maybe I’m not in the mood for rice today. Maybe I want… bourbon.”
That puzzled him, but he let the subject drop. “Wanna look around town, then grab lunch? We can talk to some locals after we eat.”
“Works for me.”
We walked down Main Street and visited several stores, including a dessert shop that sold the best peanut butter and chocolate fudge that had ever graced my mouth. Once Julian spotted a bookstore, it was game over.
“Can we go in?” he asked, reminding me so much of how he’d been when we were kids. A wide-eyed innocence I would never have although we were identical. Even when Ihadbeenan innocent kid, I’d still been mature for my age. Forced to grow up too soon.
“Sure. Whatever.”Like I could say no to that face.
While on the road, we tried to limit our spending to essential items, like clothes and toiletries. We had our laptops and phones for music, movies, and shows, and he had an e-reader for his books. But he loved going into bookstores anytime we got the chance.
My brother was a book sniffer and had no shame about it. I, on the other hand, didn’t see the appeal. When I sniffed them, I sneezed.
“Good morning,” a man with an armful of books greeted us as we entered the bookstore. His long blond hair was tied back in a loose braid, and he wore a gray sweater that made his pale blue eyes pop.
“Morning,” I responded. The scent of brewed coffee filled the room, coming from a small café at the back.
“Is there anything I can help you find today?”
“No, thank you,” Julian said. “We’re just browsing.”
“Perfect.” The man smiled. He was kind of beautiful. Very androgynous, with a mix of soft and sharp features. He had thetype of fair skin that probably burned like crazy in the summer. “My name’s Zeke. Let me know if you have any questions.”
As he walked over to a shelf to put away the stack of books in his arms, a short guy with strawberry blond hair bounded over to him. He had snake-eye contacts, a lip ring, and three silver studs in each ear. Both wore a black band on their wedding finger. The blond rose up on his toes and nuzzled Zeke’s cheek before pecking him on the lips.
A weird ache struck the center of my chest.
I definitely mixed business with pleasure, hooking up all the time with people I met while traveling from town to town, but I wasn’t opposed to a committed relationship. I just didn’t have time for one. Living out of a suitcase for several months out of the year made that even more difficult. Any relationship would have to be long-distance half the time, and most people couldn’t handle it.
The show had been Julian’s idea. He had loved ghost stories and all things supernatural since we were kids. Me? It was all right. Mostly, I just enjoyed spending time with him. He was the reason why I did this.
As he browsed the shelves, I walked beside him. My fingers danced on my thigh to the song in my head, mimicking the rhythm of the guitar. I did it subconsciously sometimes, not realizing I was doing it until Julian said something. That was whatIloved—playing guitar. In my spare time, I played and even composed covers of my favorite songs.
Music was my escape. It was how I worked out the shit in my head and expressed myself when I didn’t know how to with words.
“Holy crap. No way,” a male voice said from behind me. “Skyler freaking Knox?”
I turned to see a guy with cropped dark hair and hazel eyes. He was a few inches taller than me and had one hell of an amazing athletic body.
“Yep, that’s me.”
Like an overexcited puppy, he stepped forward. “I’m a big fan of your show and couldn’t believe it when I saw the video you posted last night about you guys being in Ivy Grove.”
Julian came to stand beside me, clutching two hardbacks against his chest. “We appreciate the support. What’s your name?”
“Taylor Michaels,” he responded.
Julian repeated the name with a furrowed brow. Understanding then dawned on him. Which was fortunate because I still had no idea who this dude was. “Wait. You’re one of our subscribers. Didn’t we have a conversation a while back about the Winchester house?”
Probably in a comment thread on one of our videos. We’d investigated the Winchester mansion last year.
“We did! I never expected you to remember that.” Taylor smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. The sudden shyness contrasted with his good looks and stature. Guys like him usually boasted with confidence. “I’m a bit starstruck. I thought I’d gotten better since becoming friends with my favorite author, but here I am once again talking too much and rambling in front of someone I admire.”
He was… cute. But not cuter than a certain auburn-haired hottie with the sweetest blush I’d ever seen.
