Page 44 of Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places
“He should visit a vet as well. I will email you the details by tomorrow.”
Lucky laughed. He reminded her of one of thoseI don’t want no dogdads who ended up falling in love harder than anyone else in the family. “Welcome to the good life, Gengar. Prepare to be spoiled for the rest of your life.”
Xander frowned at her. “I’m assuming you will be taking the cat with you upon your departure.”
“I’m not leaving,” she said. “Speaking of, can I have access to the previous caretaker files now? I’d like to hear the firsthand accounts of their specters in case I’m missing something. Maybe I’m overlooking mine somehow.”
Xander considered it. “Sure.”
“Can I have one more favor? Do you think you could cover for me? I’m going to sneak upstairs to go lie down for a bit.”
“Of course,” he said immediately. “Get all the rest you need.”
Lucky retired back to her suite like a true Southern belle in a Gothic house. Her delicate disposition required some time to recover. An email from Xander pinged when she was halfway upthe stairs. That man was prompt—he’d given her a link to access the footage.
Settled on her bed with Gengar, she opened her laptop only to snap it closed a moment later when someone knocked on the door.
“Yes?”
Maverick poked his head inside. “Hey.”
“Not you, visiting my sickbed,” she joked.
She smelled his delicious food before she saw it—a buttery croissant breakfast sandwich and hash browns with a generous side of ketchup, a small jar of honey, sliced sweet peaches and tart apples from the orchard, and a glass of water, all on a little breakfast tray.
He set it down on her nightstand. “I noticed you’re an avid ketchup person.”
“It’s true. I am,” she said. “But I hate tomatoes.”
“May I?” He gestured to her face.
“Yes?”
She watched his face as he felt her forehead and cheeks with the back of his hand. “Tylenol is working—you don’t feel as warm. Eating will also help.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
“And the teasing continues.” He sighed. “Are you trying to convince me you’re feeling better?”
“Is it working?”
“No, but I think that’s a me problem.” He hesitated, worrying at his palms. “You forgot your glasses on the desk. I had them in my hand when I heard you scream.”
“Oh no, I’m sorry.” She crawled closer to him, sitting on her knees. “It shouldn’t have been like that. I don’t know whathappened. It hasn’t hurt like that in a long time. I’m fine. I promise.”
“You really don’t know what happened?”
She shook her head. “I used to routinely test my limits. One time, I was in class and spontaneously decided to read everyone. Made it to like twenty in a row before I had to stop.” She made jazz hands, but he didn’t laugh. “Anyway, I spent three days feeling like my brain was leaking out of my ears, but that wastwenty. Two shouldn’t have done that to me. It’s like my tolerance reset to zero or something. That’s what it was like when I was a kid.”
“Maybe the house had something to do with it.”
“I doubt it.”
“Why? You looked upset when you ran out of the room. Maybe it was hijacking you again.”
Lucky frowned. She’d felt in control—leaving the room had been her choice. Hennessee might’ve beentryingto hijack her, but then her ability kicked in around the same time to read Xander and Stephen. That must’ve been too much activity at once for her brain and everything short-circuited.
“If it was trying to, what happened was an accident,” she said. “I don’t think the house wants to hurt me.”
