Page 96 of With All My Haunted Heart

“I moved out.”

“You—but what about the B&B? You sank all your resources into it.”

Elle settles beside me on the couch and brushes the tears from my face with soft, gentle fingers. “I’m not planning to leave the business, but I got my own apartment in Oak Spires. Alex and I want you to move into my old room. You can run your business from there, and we’ll pay you for any magical upkeep the manor needs.”

I’m utterly speechless. The fact that she already moved out without any guarantee I’d take her up on the offer…

“No one has ever done anything like this for me.” The enormity of it is too big for me to sit still. I stand and scoop up Waffles, burying my face into her fur.

“There aren’t any strings here, Pippa. Even if you hate me, or if you want to keep things platonic, the room at the manor is still yours. I can work remotely if you don’t want to see me. It’s your space, if you want it.”

My throat is tight, but my decision is easy. I push out the words. “I want it. I do.”

“And me?” Elle stands and presses her hands against her stomach, like she needs the anchor to keep from reaching for me. “I don’t expect us to pretend the last twenty-two days never happened. But…I love you, Pippa. I love you so much, and I’d very much like the opportunity to try again.”

“You’ve been counting?” Waffles wriggles out of my grip, and I take the hint, finally letting myself reach for Elle the way I’ve wanted to since the moment I saw her outside my door. I settle my hands around her waist, soaking up the warmth of her body.

“Every minute.”

“And if I don’t want to start all the way over?” I pull her forward until our bodies are flush and lean in close until my nose brushes along hers. I breathe deep, filling my lungs with her familiar scent.

Her arms loop around my neck, and she angles her face until her lips are a hairsbreadth from mine. “I’ll happily meet you in the middle.”

So we do.

We kiss until we’re breathless, surrounded by a symphony of grumpy kittens.

Moving from a furnished apartment into a bed-and-breakfast is delightfully simple. I only need to pack the essentials. My clothes. Computer. Magic supplies. Way too many books.

And the cats.

Waffles and Cocoa shout about the injustices of their captivity the entire drive to Oak Spires. The calming sigils I’ve drawn on their carriers have done nothing to quiet their fury. Their indignant meows reverberate through the cabin of my new Prius, a splurge I allowed myself now that I won’t need to pay for my office or my apartment.

Yet their incessant screaming can’t dampen my excitement when I pass the massive Midnight Manor sign a mile before the long driveway. Xander hadn’t been able to get the mayor to approve the sign in time for the opening on Halloween, and seeing it now sends a spark of home rushing down my spine.

The gravel driveway is slick with ice when I pull in. Once I get unpacked, magically deicing the driveway will be priority number one.

After saying hi to the ghosts.

And hugging Xander.

And making out with Elle. She stayed over at my apartment that first night, but then she had to get back to the B&B to help Xander prepare for the next round of guests. It’s been three days since I’ve seen her.

Three days too long.

I park in my spot, and a surge of warmth flows through me. My spot. My room. My home.

A home that I share with my best friend. A home in the same town where my girlfriend lives. My girlfriend. Who loves me for me.

Cat carriers in hand, I step out into the cold late-November afternoon. The air is crisp with the scent of fresh snow, softened by the cozy woodsmoke of roaring fireplaces. The cats let out fresh wails at the sudden chill, and I hurry them up the steps.

The front door opens to reveal a beaming Xander, dressed in yet another of his cozy sweaters, this one a deep blue that accentuates his eyes. “I knew she could talk you into it.”

“Now why does that sound familiar?” I tease, recognizing the echo of the first words Xander said to me when I officially arrived to haunt the manor. “Here, make yourself useful.” I shove the cat carriers toward him as I step in from the cold.

Inside, the spirit board in the main hall is a flurry of colors, and at the center, Laney’s familiar teal scrawl:

Welcome Home, Pippa!!!!