Page 60 of Haunted Hearts
I don’t think I would’ve believed him if he’d told me before I saw her. That he has this…gift. There hasn’t been time for him to tell me all the details, but he told me the gist of it. How the gift comes from his dad’s side and all his siblings have it. How he put up some kind of energetic wall over a decade ago to keep the spirits out of his life, trying to distance himself from anything that might make him turn out like his dad.
And then how, through what he described as the perfect storm of moon phase, alcohol, and despair, my mom managed to reach through that wall and snag his attention.
I know there was a seance, and I know his brothers were there. I’m still murky on how it all works, but honestly, it sounds like Will kind of is, too. I guess it’s something we’ll figure out together, now that his wall thing came down, and he’s already hearing spirits whispering right and left.
Across the table, Will clears his throat and I snap out of my thoughts. He’s sipping his coffee, grimacing, and I shoot him a questioning glance.
“This is some weak ass coffee,” he says with a sniff.
That gets him another eye roll, along with a chuckle. “Nothing’s ever good enough for you, is it?”
Will shoots me a coy smile over his coffee cup. “I wouldn’t say that. You certainly are.”
“Jesus. How many times am I going to have to roll my eyes before this coffee’s gone?” I’m acting annoyed, but I can feel myself blushing, and I know Will sees it, too.
“Who knows?” He smirks, reaching across the table to stroke my cheek with the back of a knuckle. “I like pissing you off. You’re sexy as hell when you’re mad.”
“Huh. Noted.”
I take a sip of my coffee, which is, in fact,notweak and makes me a little concerned about what kind of coffee Will’s making at home. We’ve been spending most of our time together at my place, since Will’s brother, Zeke, is still crashing at his place for the time being. Will said he wasn’t ready yet to inflict his brother on me—which I found intriguing, although I didn’t argue. After all, we have plenty of time ahead of us, and I want to savor every minute of it. Everything will come in time.
“Um…” Will runs a hand through his wavy mop of honey-colored hair. Meaning there’s something he wants to bring up.
“Hey,” I say gently, squeezing his knee under the table. “I’m listening.”
He brings a nervous gaze to mine, but he clears his throat and continues. “So, you know Ethan Wilde, right? On the library board? Super successful developer here in Hawthorne Bay—and all over the greater Boston area, really…”
I nod. I’m more than aware of who Ethan Wilde is, of just what role he’s had to play in this whole renovation business. And I knowWillknows I know. But it’s water under the bridge now. I won’t hold it against the guy. I don’t even know him.
“Right, so… he called me this morning. He’s got that old colonial he wants to restore outside of town and up the coast a bit. Absolutelygorgeousproperty—original eighteenth century paneling, widow’s walk, cupola, the works. And he wants me to design it.”
Will stops, gazing at me. It seems like he’s holding his breath to see what I’m going to say. It’s like he thinks the very mention of Ethan Wilde is going to set me off. Like I won’t be happy for him.
But nothing could be further from the truth. I’m fuckingproud. Because I’ve also heard about this project—I don’t think there’s anyone in Hawthorne Bay whohasn’t—and being chosen as the architect for something like this is huge. A career changer. And Ethan picked Will.
I meet Will’s gaze, smiling. “You said yes—right?”
Will’s taut face relaxes into a grin. “Fuck yeah, I did.”
“Good. You better have.” I take a sip of my coffee, give his foot a playful kick beneath the table. “But seriously, Will. That’s… amazing. I’m proud of you, and I hope you know that.”
He quirks an eyebrow at me. “Really?”
“Duh.”
Satisfied, he settles back against the chair, arms crossed over his chiseled chest. I know I’m pretty much gawking at the way his biceps strain at his t-shirt, butgod—would you blame a girl? I still can’t get over how gorgeous Will Holloway is.
And I’m caught.
“Are you… checking me out?” Will’s blue eyes sparkle as he feigns shock.
“No,” I lie.
His lips curl into a devilish grin. “Uh-huh. Well, you know, there’s still twenty minutes before I have to be back on site. We could?—”
He’s interrupted by the buzz of his phone, and I’m thanking my lucky stars. I cannot believe the shit he says in public sometimes.
Will answers his phone, and I sit sipping my coffee, watching him as he cocks his head to the side and listens to whoever’s on the other end of the line. I’m trying not to listen in, but his expression when he answered looked so surprised I can’t completely help it.
