“I’m stuffed. Let’s take a walk on the beach. Unless you don’t think you can get down there in those shoes.”
“I’ll be fine.” She needed something to do with all this…weird, restless, uncomfortable energy pumping through her. A walk in the cold would be good. The beach would settle her.
He held her hand out of the restaurant, and down the street toward the pedestrian walkway to the beach. She knew she should do something about that, but at first the cold air was so incongruous to the warm restaurant she figured she needed the warmth his hand offered. Besides, shewaswearing heels even if they weren’t super high.
Just about when she was finally getting up the determination to pull her hand away, the museum came into view.
Lara stopped mid-stride, confused by the way the building was lit up against the encroaching night. Like every light inside was on when it should just be a few security lights. “All the lights are on.”
“Maybe Mary Lou went in sometime today and forgot to turn them off,” Ty suggested.
Lara shook her head. “No, Grandma would have mentioned if she’d gone in on our off day. I better go in and turn them off. Our electric bill will be through the roof.” She started rummaging in her purse for her keys and walking up the front walk. Ty followed her.
“If it wasn’t your grandma, you don’t think someone’s in there, do you?” Ty asked, clearly concerned. “Maybe we should call the police or something?”
She paused with her key in the lock, gave him a look over her shoulder. “No one broke in, but you don’t want to know why I think they’re on.”
His frown deepened. “The ghosts want you to pay double on your electric bill?” he muttered.
She shook her head, his refusal to believe amused her. Maybe because she knew it stemmed more from fear or discomfort, and he never tried to make her feel bad for believing. Even ifhedidn’t believe in them, he accepted thatshedid with minimal commentary.
They stepped inside and the lights immediately dimmed to the usual security lights. She sent Ty a glance. “Not going to faint, are you?”
He slid her a disapproving look. “I think you need an electrician to come in and check your wiring.”
She made a non-committal sound. Even the best electrician wouldn’t find anything, she knew. But there was no pointarguing with someone who didn’t believe, and Ty wouldn’t argue with her anyway. He’d just start saying noncommittal things and let it go.
“Let’s go downstairs to turn off those lights, then we can get on the beach from the back.”
“Sure.”
She locked the front door from inside as he started to head toward the stairs, but when she moved to follow him, it was like something…pushed her, and then her foot caught on something that wasn’t there, and she was stumbling forward.
Right into Ty’s arms.
He caught her, easy and right up against him, with a chuckle. “That the ghosts too?” he asked.
Before she could answer, radio static echoed through the empty room before a song came on. An old forties-sounding slow song. For a moment, they both stood in this semi-awkward embrace, staring in the direction of the music.
Okay, she was used to alittleghost interference, but this was getting…downright spooky.
“I guess the ghosts want us to dance,” Ty said, his voice low and far too close to her ear. Especially when his arms were still around her.
Her pulse was beginning to pound, and she didn’t like whatever game her ghosts were playing. Atall. “You don’t believe in ghosts and you’re a shitty dancer.” She tried to pull away from him, but he held firm.
“Well, what is it you said the other night? It’s not really dancing. It’s just kind of pressing up against each other.” He slid the purse off her shoulder, gently set it on the ground, and didn’t once let her go.
They should most assuredlynotbe pressing their bodies together, but that’s exactly what they were doing. And now theywere swaying to the music. Her hands on his shoulders, his arms around her waist, pulling her closer.
She sighed, couldn’t quite help relaxing into him. Into this. It was just a dance. He was the perfect height to lean into, and he smelled nice. And Bing Crosby was crooning along about all the old familiar places.
This wasn’t exactly familiar. They’d never really danced together, except once at senior prom. But only half a song before his date had gotten mad, and hers hadn’t been much happier.
It had never bothered her, that her boyfriends or dates couldn’t understand or be okay with her having a male best friend. Maybe because she’d never really been all that interested in a future with someone. Connection guaranteed loss and she’d had her fair share, so everything had been kind of shallow.
Except Ty. Always Ty. She’d allowed him to become some foundation in her life because he’d been there before the accident. Because she’d always known he wouldn’t be a permanent fixture in Wild Rose Point.
But now he was planning on being just that.
