Page 40 of With All My Haunted Heart

But now that I’m finally sitting and appropriately warm, the exhaustion and frustration of the day catch up to me. My back hurts worse than it has in a long time, and my limbs are impossibly heavy. An ache builds at the base of my skull, pulsing with each beat of my heart. I don’t know what I’ll do if Elle decides Laney doesn’t fit whatever arbitrary checklist she’s using with these spirits.

I can’t quit. I need the money. And I’m so close to pulling this off, to getting the bonus payout that will save my business from the brink of ruin. To impressing Sloane and potentially having the investor’s testimonial on my work. But I don’t know how I’m supposed to succeed if Elle won’t cooperate.

Going to Xander feels like a last resort, one I want to avoid if at all possible.

He might be able to talk some sense into Elle, but he’s been so protective of her reasons. He already deferred to her to pick the ghosts. And the chance that, at the end of the day, Elle and Alex have a tighter bond than Xander and me…The chance that he’d pick her and cast me out? My heart aches at the thought, the early signs of tears stinging at my eyes.

I’ll never have to know if I don’t put him in a position to choose between us.

A firm knock on the wooden side of the dugout jolts me out of my thoughts, and I find Elle staring down at me, her expression unreadable.

“You’ve made a decision?” I try to keep the snark out of my voice, but I’m not sure I succeed. I can only hope she mistakes it for exhaustion, which is definitely playing a role.

“Laney’s a no.”

“Shocker.” This time, I don’t bother hiding my irritation. I cross my arms, delaying the moment when I have to leave the little pocket of warmth I’ve created for myself. “What’s wrong this time?”

Elle’s eyes flash. “Does it matter? My answer is no. You can release them from the circle. We’re done for today.”

“I’ve busted my ass for hours on this. I think I deserve an explanation.”

“You not actually entitled to one, but they don’t like kids.”

A humorless laugh bursts out of me. “Who cares? Are you planning to have kids anytime soon?”

“Our guests may have children,” she answers, sidestepping my admittedly inappropriate question. “I don’t want ghosts who might make their stay unpleasant.”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing. What happened to the methodical, stubbornly determined woman who hired me? “We don’t have infinite options, Elle. How often do you think parents will bring small children to a haunted bed-and-breakfast? And even if they did, are you willing to risk your biggest investor backing out? Laney could easily avoid interacting with the extremely occasional child guest. Please, be reasonable here. Give Laney a chance.”

She shakes her head, but instead of the anger or defiance I expect, she sounds achingly sad when she finally responds. “You promised to give me the benefit of the doubt. That you wouldn’t make me the bad guy without cause.”

“Elle—”

“Send them on their way. I’ll wait in the car.”

I watch her leave, hating that I’ve hurt her despite how frustrating the day has been. It stings to think that she might lump me in with Kinsley, who chipped away at Elle’s confidence during their relationship. I carry the guilt and shame with me all the way back to the pitcher’s mound, where Laney is sitting cross-legged beside the nearly burnt-out incense.

“Hey,” they say, brightening as I approach. “You’re back!”

“I’m back,” I agree, and the warm greeting makes Elle’s dismissal of Laney all the more confusing. “I assume Elle told you the ‘don’t like kids’ thing was a dealbreaker for the B&B?”

“Yup.” Laney shrugs like they’re not all that concerned about the rejection. “For the record, though, it’s not that I hate kids or anything. I’m just, like, super awkward around them.”

“Would you want to move to the B&B if Elle wasn’t weird about the kid thing?”

“I’m honestly good either way. There’s so much I didn’t get to see when I was alive. I like getting to wander around.”

“I assume you don’t want to cross the veil then?”

“Nah, I’m good.” Laney stands and brushes off the back of their jeans. “I just need help getting out of your witchy circle.”

“That I can do.” I reach for the current of magic, but I find myself stopping short. It doesn’t feel right that this is goodbye. “Actually…would you mind hanging around this general area for the next week or so? I think you’d be a great fit for the B&B. There’s a chance I can get Elle on board.”

Laney runs a hand through their teal hair as they consider me. “Could you come let me know either way? Turns out anxiety doesn’t go away when you die, which is bullshit if you ask me. I’ll drive myself nuts wondering if I took off too soon if you don’t come back. Time can be a little intangible.”

“You got it. Any special sensory requests for next time?”

“I’d kill to smell brownies again.” They grin. “Metaphorically, of course. And I wouldn’t say no to the new Taylor Swift album instead of whatever that noise is.”