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Nate had no desire to fill his cousin in on the details knowing that whatever he told him would also reach his mother’s ears. “It was an emergency.”

“What kind of emergency?”

Nate shrugged. “It’s been taken care of.”

Caleb nodded slowly. He drank his coffee. Nate drank his. For a moment it seemed like he’d actually let it go.

Then he turned toward the ghost.

“What happened, Leo?”

Surprise at being addressed registered on Leo’s face, and he replied probably before thinking things through. “Nate did something so he could touch me.”

“Touch you?”

Nate stared at Leo.

Leo glanced aside, chin up. “I’m not saying more than that.”

Caleb’s gaze settled back on Nate. “What did you need to touch the ghost for?”

“It’s none of your business.” The words came out a little sharper than intended. He sighed. “But I know you’re not going to stop probing now, so I might as well tell you. Leo was upset and I didn’t want him to dissolve.”

Leo was pouting at the floor now. “I had every right to be upset.”

Nate decided not to comment on that while they had an audience.

“Okay,” Caleb said. “What were you upset about?” he asked Leo in a gentle voice.

That might have worked on other ghosts, but not on Leo. Leo just glared back at him, and while Caleb was unable to see Leo, he could definitely sense the hostility.

He held his hands up. “I mean you no harm. I’m only trying to understand what my cousin is going through.”

“Your cousin chewed too many tea leaves and now he’s hungover.”

“I have had worse,” Nate said.

“Sure. That’s why you squint at the light from the window.”

“Leo.”

“Well, somebody should say it. You won’t.” Leo turned on Caleb like it was his fault. “If you want to help, be useful. Will it make him sick, chewing tea leaves?”

Caleb looked at Leo for a long moment. Then at Nate. “We don’t normally chew them.”

Nate stood there with his coffee and his headache and wished more than anything that he could just shove his unwanted visitor out the door.

“Like, I said, it was an emergency.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Caleb said to Leo. Then to Nate, “Just don’t make a habit of it.” He set his mug down, half-finished. “Can I see the house?”

“Why?”

“Because I drove two hours and I like old houses.” He shrugged. “And because if I go home and say I stood in your kitchen for ten minutes, Aunt Miriam will just send Jonah next.”

That was probably true.

“I can show you around the ground floor,” Nate said. “Upstairs is a mess. And don’t go anywhere near the basement.”