Page 7 of With All My Haunted Heart

Following her back into the main hall, I try to unscramble my brain. Xander didn’t invite me here to lust after the woman baking for his B&B. Unless…Is she why Xander asked about my love life last night?

I shake the ridiculous thought away. That is definitely not what Xander intended. I’m here to clear the building of ghosts and be on my way again. Yet despite telling myself to get it together, I feel the sway of the baker’s hips like a shot of adrenaline straight into my veins.

The woman stops in the main foyer, a scowl pinching her face when she sees the bag I dropped off at the base of the stairs. My things are clearly out of place in a room where everything was meticulously chosen and arranged.

“Will you be needing any of that?” She nods toward my bag.

“Not unless I find ghosts on the property.” I take a deep breath and settle into the professional witch mode I’ve spent years perfecting. I’ve done this countless times before. A hot redhead isn’t going to undo me. I reach out a hand. “I’m Pippa, by the way. Pippa Ainsley.”

“Elle.” She shakes my hand, her grip firm and warm against my cold fingers. “Where would you like to start?”

“As far away from the front door as possible. I’ll work from the back of the house forward and toss anything unwanted out the door.”

Her eyes flick from me to the bag sitting by our feet, her expression unreadable. After a beat, she turns on her heel and leads me up the main staircase and into the bedroom farthest from where we started. It’s a corner suite with a private bathroom and small office area.

“This is…incredible.” It’s tastefully decorated. There’s a queen-size bed in a distressed wood frame with matching side tables bookending it. Olive-green paint covers paneled walls. The way the pillows are arranged, with the extra blankets draped tastefully on the end of the bed, is cozy and quaint. Xander has subscribed to interior design magazines since college, and it shows. The intentionality of everything eases some of my rebound-business worries.

While Elle loiters at the doorway, I move to the center of the room, beneath a stunning crystal chandelier. Deep breath. This is the fun part.

I trace an amplification sigil across my forehead to activate my third eye and increase my ability to see energy. My system floods with magic, and the room glows with a gentle bluish light. Next, I trace a revelation sigil in the air around me. It’s a risky technique, since it will also strengthen any lingering energy in the room, but it’s the best way to uncover hidden spirits.

It’s a calculated risk, but it’s what sets me apart from other witches. It’s why what I do is more powerful than the DIY shit that Coffee, Charms, and Crystals peddles to their customers.

When I turn around, Elle sucks in a sharp breath. “Are your eyes supposed to glow like that? The other guy didn’t glow.”

I take in the blend of shock and wariness on her face, and a smirk pulls at my lips. “Xander wanted the best. No one does this like me.”

Elle echoes my cocky smile. The expression sends a thrill of excitement from my head all the way to my toes. “You’re sure you’re the best?”

“Positive.” The certainty in my voice brightens her smile, but there’s a gleam of challenge in her eyes. I don’t bother arguing my point. Actions speak louder than words, after all.

I follow the baker through the B&B, checking each of the ten bedrooms and all the common areas for signs of ghostly activity. Elle watches from each new doorway, and under her scrutiny I’m exceptionally thorough. Two of the bedrooms already look lived-in. One is clearly Xander’s; I’d recognize his summery scent and closet full of cashmere sweaters anywhere. The other, though…does Elle live here? Or is this Louie’s room?

Whoever cleansed the home initially removed any active ghosts—if there were any—but they left a stagnant energy that could give any sensitive B&B guests a feeling that things are off. Xander deserves a truly clean slate. From room to room, I gather up remnants of stale energy, folding it into my hands and carrying the load until we finally get back to the foyer.

“Could you get the door?” I do my best to hide the strain in my voice. My arms are full of old, sticky energy, and I’m eager to get it off me. I’m going to need a thorough self-cleansing after this.

Elle opens the door, and I nearly crash into Xander in my haste to get out.

“Done already?” He sounds disappointed, but the promise of being free of this energy keeps me from caring. I skirt around him, hurry down the front steps, and sink to my knees in the grass. With my hands pressed firmly to the earth, I release everything that isn’t mine.

“Is she okay?” Elle asks from the porch.

“She’s great. Pip does this all the time.” Xander’s certainty fills me with a warmth that drives out the cold ick of stagnant energy. There’s work to do before I can deal with either of them, though.

As the last of the ghostly residue bleeds from me into the earth, I pull in more magic, funneling it through me for a final deep clean. I press magic into the ground, supporting the earth’s natural ability to neutralize spiritual waste.

With that handled, I stand and brush the dirt from my jeans. With a few quick flourishes of my fingers to undo the sigils I cast at the beginning of my work, I settle back into my body before turning to face Xander and Elle.

“Brilliant,” Xander says, beaming at me. He wraps an arm around Elle’s shoulders and draws her in for a tight side hug. “What’d I tell you, Louie? Pip’s the best.”

Louie? The world seems to tilt beneath me. “I thought your name was Elle?”

“It is.” She pulls away from Xander and smacks his side. “Alex refuses to accept that I’ve outgrown my childhood nickname.”

“You’re Louie,” I say as the realization washes over me. The stories Xander told in college shift and rearrange themselves. “The ‘best friend since kindergarten, used to steal Mr. Owens’s liqueur in high school together, and once broke into the neighbor’s yard to skinny-dip’ Louie?”

Elle smacks Xander again. “What’d you do? Tell her all the worst stories about me?” She offers me an embarrassed smile. “I’ve matured a lot since our high school antics.”