Page 33 of Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places
The back of his hand brushed against hers. “What was your plan?”
“In hindsight, it was pretty bad,” she said. “I thought I was ready to share my ability with the world, but surprise, surprise, I can barely handle five people.”
“Everyone has to start somewhere.” He held a low-hanging branch out of their way, allowing her to pass under it first. “You just need more practice.”
“Maybe. Anyway, thank you for running out here to rescue me. The wilds of the orchard are fearsome indeed,” she joked.
He regarded her with a serious expression, eyebrows pinched with worry, but said, “Anytime.”
12
Lucky fully believed Maverick’s explanation once Hennessee tried it again.
When she’d gone inside, she felt an invisible force gently tugging her back. Maverick had to escort her up the stairs so she could get cleaned up and change her clothes. Everything felt normal inside of the suite, but the second she stepped back into the hall, the tug returned.
“Fine. I’ll go! I wanted to be out there todayanyway,” she relented and then noticed Maverick staring at her. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No reason,” he said. “Come on.”
“So, you admit it: you’re giving me alook.”
“In that I’m lookingatyou, yeah.” He gestured for her to go down the stairs first like a gentleman. “None of this gets to you? You’re just fine with everything that’s happened so far?”
“Someone has to be.” She shrugged. “Might as well be me.”
“Georgia is flipping out because it seems like you’re triggeringreactions too often.” He shook his head, clearly worried as well. “You can tell me if this is too much.”
“It’s honestly not,” she said. “This is what I meant when I said my style clashes with everyone. People expect me to panic, I never do, and then they get scared ofme. It always plays out like this.”
“She’s scaredforyou. There’s a difference,” he said. “Would you even tell me if it was too much?”
“You’re my second, right?” She grinned at him. “I wouldn’t even hesitate.”
The team, Maverick included, set up shop in the gazebo. They stationed cameras on both sides of the backyard to get a full panoramic view from two angles, with strict instructions for Lucky to announce if she planned to travel deeper inside the orchard. For the time being, she only wanted to build the pet house. She picked a spot near the fence, right where the backyard grass ended and the orchard began.
“Hi.” Rebel’s shadow arrived before she did. The sun beamed overhead at the perfect angle.
“Hey, Shortcake.”
“What are you doing?”
“About to start building a cat house. See?” She held up the instruction booklet.
“I like cats.”
“Of course you do. You’re a young lady of taste.”
Xander didn’t ask a single follow-up question when she emailed him requesting a bag of top-quality cat food, throw blankets, a stainless-steel water fountain, and a medium-size yellow house she’d found online. He’d only replied with “OK” and like magic, the box arrived. He must’ve known that black catlived in the orchard. She’d spotted it a few more times and had a feeling it was currently in the bushes watching her.
“Does it have a name?” Rebel asked.
“I think it’s a stray so probably not. I’m leaning toward Gengar. Every haunted house needs a haunted cat.”
“That’s a good name, I guess. Can I help?”
She glanced at the gazebo. “How’s interning going?”
“I’m on break.” Rebel squatted down, hugging her knees to her chest. “It’s kind of boring. I wanted to film more of my show, but they said no.”
