Page 98 of Trick or Stalk

“Hades.”

“Mostly functional plumbing.”

She laughs again. “Oh my God. Where the hell are you living?”

“In the woods.”

The second the words leave my mouth, I realize my mistake.

Her expression changes slightly. It’s subtle, but I see it.

Her fingers stop against her coffee cup. “In the woods?”

“Outside town.”

“Oh.”

She doesn’t say anything more.

I watch her. Something moves behind those green eyes.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Presley.”

And there it is again. That little flicker of uncertainty.

“I live outside town, too,” she says quietly.

I know.

“Alone?”

“With Penny.”

“That's not what I meant.”

She takes a bite of her sandwich and chews. “I lived with my grandmother.”

Lived. Past tense.

The photograph flashes through my mind. Presley standing beside the older woman. Both laughing.

Her grandmother.

Has to be.

“She died recently.” Her voice changes, becoming softer. “Cancer.”

Something inside me twists. “I'm sorry.”

She gives me a sad smile. “Thanks.”

For several seconds, neither of us speaks.

She gave me this piece of information.