Page 43 of The Single Dad Project

“What?” He laughed, cocking his head. “You don’t believe in the story or the possibility of a ghost?”

“You have the papers,” she said, letting that be her answer. But curiosity niggled at her, and she crossed her arms. “Do you? Believe in the ghost story, I mean?”

“Not everything can be explained by what we see with our eyes or our limited reason. If that was the case, why would we need faith? Or...” He shrugged, then that faint smile grew, and he flashed his pretty white teeth. And damn if she didn’t feel the phantom graze of those same teeth down the side of her throat and over her shoulder.

Walking over to the far wall, he stood directly beneath the stained-glass window, planted his foot on a board right in front of the baseboard and eased his weight on it.

A creak echoed in the room again.

“Or it could be this right here.”

A chuckle bubbled up inside her at his unexpected and—screw it, yes—charming display of whimsy. But she swallowed it down, narrowing her eyes.

“Did you justMystic Pizzame? I can’t really tell because the other older guy’s endgame was to fuck, and we’ve already done that.”

He blinked, and after a long moment, he barked out a sharp crack of laughter, shaking his head. “You can say the weirdest shit and I have no idea what to do with that.”

But he didn’t deny knowing the old ’80s movie, or her reference of trying to seduce a younger woman with a ghost story, pizza and a rainy night.

And didn’t that just make him even more attractive?Damn it.

“Seriously, though, I’d like to include that story in the coffee book. I’ve never heard of it, and I bet most people around here haven’t, either. If they had, there definitely would’ve been more teenagers trying to sneak in here on dark, moonless nights to catch a glimpse of a ghost.” She snickered, imagining she would’ve been one of those teenagers, especially around Halloween. “Maybe I can take pictures of the documents with the stories and include pictures of this room from old records and today. It would make a wonderful piece of lore.”

Adam nodded. “I’ll gather the documents I have and make them available to you.”

“That would be amazing. Thank y—” Her cell rang, and the peal of Sister Sledge’sWe are Familyrelayed that a member of her family called. “Excuse me a minute,” she said, reaching for the phone in her back pocket.

“Sure.” Adam dipped his chin.

Swiping her thumb across the screen, she answered the call and pressed the cell to her ear.

“Hey, Cole,” she greeted with a smile. “What’s up?”

“Flo.” The grim note flattening his usually warm voice had a seed of disquiet lodging between her ribs. “Are you at the reno site or your studio?”

“The Hudson house,” she quietly said, attempting to remain calm, but that question did shit all to help the nerves already knotting her belly. “Cole, what’s wrong?”

“Listen, I hate to do this, but do you think you could meet me at the inn?”

Disquiet mushroomed into full panic, and her knees trembled, causing her to sway. Her heart shot for her throat and wedged there, beating so hard it constricted her breath. She didn’t hear Adam move across the room, but suddenly his arm grasped her elbow and his other hand spread across her back, steadying her.

“Why?” she rasped, her fingers clutching the cell so tightly the blunt edges bit into her skin. “Why, Cole? Did something happen to...?”

She couldn’t voice a name. Couldn’t because that might bring her biggest fear into fruition.

Not again.

Though her mother had died when Flo was barely two, the hole she’d left behind had haunted Flo far into her adulthood. As did the absence of the man who’d been her original father figure. And then, when Cole had lost his first wife and son in childbirth a little over seven years ago, the pain had cut so deep Flo had sometimes doubted any of them would heal. She didn’t think she could bear that agony again. Especially if it were her parents or brothers and sisters...

“No. God, no, Flo,” Cole nearly shouted in her ear.

And she nearly wilted in relief as it surged through her like a swollen flood. Adam’s hold on her tightened, and he shifted closer, his body bracing her. And she leaned on that strength. Took advantage of that strength in this moment, when her greatest fear had been alleviated, but she still trembled with the remnants of it.

“I’m sorry, Flo. I didn’t mean to scare you like that. Everyone is okay and safe, I promise,” Cole said, an urgency in his tone. “But if you can, I do still need you at the inn. Do you think you can get here soon?”

“Yes,” she rasped, then clearing her throat, repeated, “Yes, I can. I’m leaving now. I’ll see you in about fifteen minutes.”

“Good. Drive safe. I’ll be waiting for you.”

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