Page 107 of It'll Always Be Her

Which he was. And an incredibly hot, sexy man at that.

Excitement shot through her as they hurried outside. They were really doing this. Together.

Adam had parked on the driveway, and he yanked open the door for her before going around to the driver’s side.

“How in the world do you know what to do?” Bee asked, pulling on the seat belt as he steered the car toward the driveway exit.

“I’ve learned more about ghosts than I knew there was to learn.” He turned sharply onto the coastal road leading to the boardwalk. “Not just how to hunt them, but how to capture them. Although usually people want to capture ghosts to bury them or get rid of them, not reunite them with a long-lost love.”

Bee couldn’t stop herself from reaching over and patting his thigh. “This is going to be so good for your karma. Not that your karma was bad to begin with,” she added hastily. “But I don’t think the otherworldly realms have been looking at you too favorably.”

“Given the way Marcus kept trying to kill my game with you, I’d say that’s about right,” Adam muttered, flexing his hands on the wheel. “Can’t say I’ll be sorry to see him go.”

Though Bee grinned, something about his comment caused a flicker of unease. But she didn’t have time to dwell on it, as Adam pulled into the boardwalk parking lot.

They got out of the car and hurried past the ticket booth to the deserted pier. The game booths and rides were all shuttered and still, and the only sounds were a few squawking seagulls and the ocean splashing against the rocks.

Halfway to the end of the boardwalk, Adam came to a stop and put the plastic bag down. Bee slowed too, though her heart continued to race.

“What now?” she whispered.

He reached into the bag and handed her the jar. “Take the lid off, but keep it close at hand.”

She unscrewed the lid and slipped it into her hoodie pocket. Adam lit a match and held the flame to the bottom of the candle until the wax had melted and started to drip.

He fixed the candle to the inside bottom of the jar so it stayed upright, then he lit the wick. The flame flickered and glowed against the glass.

“She’ll be more receptive to you, so I’ll stay as far away as I can.” He handed her the jar, his forehead creasing with concentration. “You need to put the jar down as close to the end of the boardwalk as possible. Move slowly. The candle is protected by the glass, so the wind shouldn’t extinguish it. As soon as you put the jar down, back away but try to stay within a few feet. The ghost should be attracted by the energy of the flame. As soon as she approaches it and is actually inside the jar, then put the lid on as fast as you can.”

Bee blinked, hardly able to believe this was Adam talking. “How will I know if she’s in the jar or not?”

He gave her a rueful half smile. “I have no idea.”

She laughed. Adam leaned in and pressed a hard kiss against her mouth. Warmth swept through her entire body, and her toes tingled.

“Go.” Adam stepped back. “She could leave any second, so we have to hurry.”

Bee clutched the jar. “What are you going to do?”

“I’ll film.” He pulled his phone out of his back pocket. “The Wi-Fi and data are off, so we have to use the camera. Hopefully, it won’t cause any interference.”

He brought up the camera, switching it to night-vision controls. Bee took a breath and started toward the end of the boardwalk.

Aside from being excited, she was also nervous. She didn’t want to do anything to upset either Millicent or John, and though all signs had indicated that this was what she—they—were supposed to do, it was rather unprecedented.

The ocean wind grew stronger as she approached the railing. Whitecaps skimmed the water's surface, and a fingernail-shaped moon hung low on the horizon.

Bee’s heartbeat thumped inside her head. Moving slowly, she set the glass jar down on the pier, right in the center.

“We’re here to help you,” she whispered into the cold, salty air. “John isn’t coming back on his ship, but we can take you to him. I promise.”

She backed away as far as the cotton candy booth, feeling Adam come up behind her. The screen on his camera glowed in the dark, and he shielded the light with his hand.

They waited. Clouds swept across the sky, only faintly illuminated by the pale moon. The ocean surged and splashed. The candle flame flickered but didn’t go out. Bee thought she caught the scent of flowers. Gardenias?

She watched the glass jar, not knowing what to look for or what she even expected to see. Then Adam nudged her arm.

She glanced at his phone screen. The night-vision capability showed a thin shadow moving back and forth. Pacing.

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