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"A key?" Natalie repeated sharply.

I wished immediately that I'd kept my mouth shut but it was too late to backtrack now.

"Yes, it's a special kind of key," I explained. "It opens doorways between places."

"Do you have it with you?" she demanded.

"Well, I…"

I hesitated. Something about the eagerness in her voice made me uncomfortable.

"Maybe later," I said, trying to sound casual. "I'd rather not take it out here. It's pretty important."

Natalie looked disappointed, but before she could argue, Tamara asked another question.

"So where did you stay while you were there? Was there a hotel or something?"

I felt my cheeks getting warm.

"Well, there is an inn there. But I stayed in this enormous old Victorian mansion called Blackthorn Manor."

"Ooooh!" Phyllis exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "That sounds fancy!"

"It was," I admitted. "Though it was kind of spooky, too."

"Spooky how?" Tamara asked.

"Well…” I cleared my throat. “It was haunted."

All three women stared at me.

"Haunted?" Natalie repeated.

"Yes.” I nodded. “By a ghost."

"A real ghost?" Phyllis whispered.

I nodded.

"Absolutely real."

"Oh my God!" Tamara exclaimed. "Was it scary?"

I thought about Garrik's enormous shoulders, his deep blue eyes, and the wonderful way he'd held me in his arms and couldn’t help smiling.

"Not really," I said softly. "He was actually pretty nice."

"Nice?" Natalie repeated, sounding incredulous. "What do you mean by nice?"

"Well, he was kind of grumpy at first," I admitted. "But once I got to know him, he turned out to be a really good guy."

"Wait a minute!" Phyllis exclaimed, her eyes widening. "Was this ghost a man?"

"Yes." I nodded again.

"Was he handsome?" Tamara wanted to know.

I felt myself blushing.