Page 32 of With All My Haunted Heart

I haven’t decided yet.

More than okay, at least.

Her being queer doesn’t mean she likes me. It doesn’t mean I’m her type. It doesn’t mean anything. Except…she asked Xander about me. She makes my favorite meals because Xander told her I liked them. She’s reached out to touch me way more than once. In the library. In my room. Yesterday, in the kitchen. Does she feel the same jolt of wanting I do every time her skin glides across mine?

An alarm goes off, shattering my wayward thoughts. Xander silences his phone.

“That’s my cue.” He gives me a wave as he yanks open the front door with his other hand, but he pauses a moment on the threshold, smiling at me. “I’m glad you’re here, Pip. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too,” I croak past the sudden emotion tightening my throat.

“Have fun researching.”

I watch him leave, fresh worry spreading through my chest. When I woke up this morning, I knew there were only twenty-two days left to haunt the manor. But now…I realize I have only twenty-two days to live with my favorite person in the world.

Twenty-two days to figure out what I could mean to Elle.

By the time I’ve finished my research for the night, the world is dark outside my window and my stomach is grumbling for snacks.

I had a solo dinner earlier—Xander had already eaten with the mayor, and Elle wasn’t home—but that was ages ago. Besides, a full day of successful research deserves a treat. Closing my laptop, I slip out of my room and make my way downstairs by the light of my phone.

On the main floor, light spills out from the back of the house. The kitchen, as far as I can tell. Xander must also have the late-night munchies. I turn off my flashlight and creep toward the open door to surprise him, but instead of finding Xander in the kitchen, I find Elle…climbing onto the counter.

I pause in the threshold, watching as she stretches to reach into the small cabinets tucked away above the fridge. She curses under her breath when whatever she’s trying to grab remains out of reach.

“Uhh…what are you doing?”

Elle freezes, her body going taut for a beat before she glances over one shoulder. “What are you doing?”

“I came to find something to eat.” I step farther inside, stopping near the table in the middle of the room to stare up at her. “Why exactly are you on the counter?”

She bends over and grabs a long wooden spoon from the organizer on the counter. “I’m trying to get something.” She sticks the spoon into the cupboard. Cellophane crinkles, but she winds up empty-handed.

“When you’re ready to admit defeat, I can help.”

“Why?”

“For one, I’m taller than you.” I reach out a hand to help her climb down from the counter. Begrudgingly, she accepts the help, and I force myself to ignore the thrill that runs through me at her touch. She hops down to the floor, landing so close to me that she has to crane her neck to meet my gaze.

Elle stares at me with those spring-green eyes. “Was there a second reason?”

“A second reason for what?” I ask, flustered at her proximity but unwilling to be the first to step away.

“For—never mind.” She points to the cabinet. “Go ahead. Make use of your extra inches.”

I follow Elle’s original path skyward, via a chair she pulled over to the counter, and reach into the high cupboard. I have to stretch onto my toes, but my fingers close around a small package in the back corner. “Victory!” I pull the package toward me and read the label. “Cannabis-infused chocolates?”

Elle reaches up and snatches the package from my fingers. “I had a shitty day.”

“Hey, no judgment here.” Once I’m safely back on the ground, I offer a smile. “I’m just surprised. You don’t strike me as the weed type.”

Elle unwraps one of the chocolates and slips it into her mouth. “I mean, I grew up next door to Alex.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Come on, you went to college with him.” Elle returns the chair to its proper place at the table. “You can’t tell me you didn’t get high together.”

“Not in college,” I admit, tugging on the end of my ponytail as embarrassment warms my cheeks. “I was terrified of pot back then. My parents really reinforced all the pre-legalization scaremongering. I didn’t smoke for the first time until I moved in with Xander five years ago. He made it seem like it was new to him, too.”