Page 27 of See Through

“You’ll believe sooner or later, Dean. That, I’m sure of.”

That earns me an eye roll, and, before I know it, he’s gathering my things for me, filling my water bottle up, and opening my car door for me.

“I’ll see you for dinner?” he asks, as if I may have changed my mind in the last fifteen minutes.

“You’ll see me later, and maybe I can sleep over again.”

“Any time you want to fall asleep next to me, you’re more than welcome to. What’s mine is yours, Aubs. Just how it has always been.”

“Okay.” I smile as I get into my car, Dean’s face invading my personal space as he goes to give me a kiss. “Don’t go to work too happy, or Cooper is going to know something happened.”

“Oh, I’ll barely be able to keep my mouth shut today. He’s going to be annoyed with me.” His lips meet mine, his stubble scratching my face as he grabs the back of my neck, bringing me as close as he can. “Keep me updated about your day. I love knowing what you’re doing.”

“I will.” I smile against his lips. “See you later.”

“See you, gorgeous.”

He watches me all the way out of his complex, only getting into his car just before I turn out of sight, and I’m giddy the entire way home, love songs filling my car with noise that matches exactly how I feel.

It’s amazing how twenty four hours can change your life.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“This all feels like it should have happened a lot earlier, but I am still glad it’s finally happening,” Maven says as she takes a sip of her coffee. I asked her if she wanted to meet me at our favorite local place to get some work done. She has a rare day off, so she’s working on her newest side project—needlepoint.

I really don’t know how she has any time for hobbies, but how does anyone really have time for them? You make time because you love it, and I’m lucky enough to have a job that feels like my hobby every day, despite how much time I spend hunched over my laptop.

“I know. I was blind, and everyone else saw it before I did. I’m the most oblivious person on the planet, because even now, I feel like an idiot not seeing that he liked me.”

“I’m happy for you, babe.” She smiles. “It’s good seeing you with that glint in your eye when you’re not talking about ghosts.”

I shake my head at her, though she’s right. “Yeah, yeah.”

“So, did anything else happen that you want to fill me in on?” Her eyebrows are pumping, and I tear off a piece of my muffin and throw it at her. “What? It’s a valid question. Plus, you’ve heard all about my sex life. It only feels fair we trade stories now that you’re seeing someone!”

“It’s been one week, Mave. We haven't gotten there yet, and that’s fine with me.”

“Yeah, but you’ve got years of sexual tension built up. That’s bound to pop soon. How do you feel about that?”

“I feel,” I take a second to think, “okay. It doesn’t feel weird or anything. I trust Dean more than anyone else on the planet besides you. Plus, you’ve seen him. Now that he’s mine, I would totally climb him like a tree.”

Her jaw drops as I laugh, my stomach hurting from trying not to be too loud, and she slaps the top of my hand resting on my mouse.

“Aubrey Spencer! Oh my gosh,” she giggles into her hand. “I can’t believe this is happening. I remember you telling me how bad the sex was with Shane. I feel like a proud friend right now.”

“I don’t know if I should say thank you or what?”

“Maybe let's change the subject before we get kicked out of here.” She nods, picking up her canvas. “Where’s your next investigation?”

“I actually meant to ask you about that.” I take a sip of my coffee. “I had this bizarre idea that maybe the next place Dean and I went would be where Adrian died.”

She’s silent for a few moments, her eyes wide, and I’m waiting for her to tell me it’s a bad idea, but she doesn’t.

“Do you think you’re ready for that? You haven't been back there since your parents moved.”

“I know. That’s also part of the reason I wanted to talk to you about it. Dean thinks we’ll need some reinforcements, so he’s asking Cooper if he wants to come, and I figured I’d ask you if you wanted to man the cameras and keep a look out for us.”

“You want me to come to an investigation?”