Page 47 of The Haunting Plot

Don’t tell Raven that. She’ll think you’re an idiot.

Too late.

CHAPTER 13

RAVEN

It’s nine a.m. when Bella rings my doorbell. Her arms are full, and I step aside so she can enter. “Need a hand?”

“I got it! Just point me in the right direction.”

We get settled at the kitchen table since it’ll give us the most room to work.

“Thank you for helping with this. I looked everywhere online, but Jonah didn’t like any of the costumes.”

“No worries. I love making costumes. Aunt Delilah taught me how to sew a few years ago, and I’ve been hooked ever since.”

A loud crash sounds from above, and Bella lets out a squeak. “What was that?”

“It’s just Jonah on his crash pad. It sounds louder since the sound carries worse in this house.”

“Oh. Speaking of houses, how do you have all these extra houses hanging around?”

I let out a sigh. “I suppose it’s time I come clean about a few things.”

“If it’s that Summer is your favorite, we already know.”

Bella has a way of putting me at ease with her humor. She’s one of the kindest yet most perverted people I know. “When Kris passed, he left me several properties, including the beach house, the property that RJ and Summer are living in, the house I should be in if it weren’t for that fucking candle, and this fixer-upper. I’m sorry I never told you any of this but⁠—”

“But you didn’t want anyone to fuss over you in any capacity, so you kept it all in, and now you feel like a bottle of soda that someone shook up that’s ready to burst at the lightest bit of pressure.”

I blink at her, surprised at her perceptiveness. “How did you do that?”

“I’m a witch.” She grins, and I chuckle. “I know you. I see you. You have the biggest heart, even if you don’t want people to know. And I don’t care about any of that. You could have told me that Kris was an alien from Mars and you faked his death so he could return to his home planet, and I would have supported you. I mean, I’d have questions, but I’d support you.”

She leans on her arms across the table. “You and Kris always seemed so happy. I was thrilled you found someone who brought you so much joy. I don’t care what you were doing behind closed doors. But I’ve also seen how much you’ve retreated since he passed, and I just want to see you happy again.”

I should tell her everything and admit that I’m also a secret romance novelist. For years I’ve been pretending to be annoyed or grossed out by their love of romance books, when I was secretly taking notes. They had unknowingly become my target reader group.

I know they’d accept this part of me, but I’ve held on to this secret for so long because it was my way of processing my emotions. Only RJ knows.

“If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here.” Bella’s voice startles me, pulling me from my thoughts. “Also, why does your life sound like the plot to a book?”

Oh, if she only knew.

“So Halloween costumes—” I’m interrupted by giggling from upstairs, and I look up at the ceiling wistfully.

“Sounds like they’re having fun up there.”

“Yeah. Sorry. Sometimes I swear I can hear Kris’s voice when I hear them laughing like that.” I swallow down the sob that wants to come out. I’m strong. I have to be strong. I’m Raven fucking Hawthorne. “Where was I?”

“Inflatable cocks.”

“Bella, we talked about this. You can’t call it that in front of the kids.”

“It’s fine. They’re upstairs.” She bends down, pulling something out of one of her comically overstuffed bags. “I found this. It’s an adult-sized inflatable rooster costume.”

“He’s eight. That’ll never fit him.”