She rolls her eyes, trying to contain a smile, but it falls away quickly, replaced by something resembling horror.
“What if…” Her words trail off. “Could you…”
My head tilts to the side, waiting for her to continue, but then it hits me.
I gasp. “What if he’s a ghost? And I can summon him.”
We gulp simultaneously.
Things could get very grim very quickly, and I’m not sure I’m prepared to be the one to uncover something so dark. Not when Nina’s attached.
“If it’s any consolation, I haven’t seen any deceased men hanging around. A woman? Yes, but no man.”
Her eyebrows lift skyward. “You saw a dead woman? When?”
I chuckle darkly. “You know how Mrs. Fields claimed to see someone in the snow?”
Nina’s shoulders shiver before I’ve even managed to finish my story.
“Turns out, she did see a woman. A poltergeist.”
Nina’s puffy, bloodshot eyes widen, making her look like a cartoon character.
“Did she reach out to you? The ghost.”
I shrug a shoulder. “I mean…I saw her. She was staring at my house, just as Mrs. Fields described, but I haven’t seen her since Nick left last night.”
She whistles. “Thank god. Ghosts are scary enough, but poltergeists…”
“Are frightening,” I say.
“What do we do?” Nina chews on her bottom lip, a habit she’s recently formed.
I stand, moving beside her. “Let’s get through Christmas, and then we’ll discuss what to do. Okay?”
She bobs her head, taking a sip of coffee and spluttering.
“Eck. It’s cold.”
I pat her shoulder. “Time for a refill.”
“I’ll take mine with liquor,” Nina calls.
Me too, girlfriend. Me too.
4
Page of Pentacles
The past fewdays have been nothing short of pure laziness. I haven’t left my house since before Christmas Eve, and I have no regrets.
“Mom,” Ava calls up the stairs.
“Just a sec,” I yell back, running a brush through my hair one more time to work out a stubborn knot.
Ava and I have spent as much time together as possible, lounging around and continuing our movie binge. She’ll be heading back to school in just a couple days, and I’m soaking in all the time I can.
I practically jog down the stairs to find Ava at the door, bundled up and ready to go.
