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With a shrug, Rylee hops onto the counter beside me and gushes, “You know that building next to the school that has this huge sign warning people to keep out?”
“Of course. It’s been there ever since I went to elementary school.”
“Right. So kids said there’s a ghost that haunts it. A woman who was murdered by her husband. He chopped her up into a million pieces and buried her parts all over the house.”
Mom frowns at her. “Where do kids come up with this stuff?”
“Those were the rumors I heard at school, too, Mom,” I tell her.
She shakes her head. “I did research on that building for an article I wrote for The Edenbury Press. There was a rat infestation many years ago, so the city closed it down. They still haven’t decided what to do with it. They might want to extend the elementary school—”
“Whatever, Mom.” Rylee turns back to me with bright blue eyes. “So Mia got into an argument with a boy in our class because she said the rumors were BS—”
“Language, Chloe,” Dad scolds.
“I said BS! Not the real world. Anyway, the stupid boy said the ghost will haunt us if we don’t believe in her existence. So Zoey joked that we should check out the place just to prove him wrong. I said we should do it! So as soon as school was over, we slipped through the backyard—you know there’s this broken fence in the back? Adults can’t fit through, but we can and—”
“And police found them wandering in a very dangerous location,” Mom says with a stern expression. “Seriously, Rylee, what were you thinking? That place has been abandoned for years. You could have gotten hurt.”
“But we didn’t,” she points out.
“But youcouldhave. Why are you always putting yourself in danger like this?”
Rylee shrugs like she can’t help it. “It was fun. And we didn’t see any ghosts. Take that, Loser Louis!”
“You’re grounded until you’re old and wrinkly,” Mom says. “I don’t want you going into strange places again. Do you understand me?”
“Sure,” she mutters. Then she winks at me and whispers, “Watch them lift my sentence in a week.” She hops off the counter and skips up to her room.
“You’d better start your homework!” Mom calls after her. She turns to Dad with an exasperated sigh. “What are we going to do with that girl, Bray? And I hate that she’s dragging Zoey and Mia with her. It feels like all I do is apologize to Charlie and your sister.”
Dad places his hands on her shoulders, giving her a massage. “Relax, Kara. Charlie and Bailey don’t blame you. They know you’re an amazing mom. Maybe we need to find an activity for Rylee to release all that energy on.”
“Like what? We signed her up for dance classes and archery lessons and rock climbing and rollerblading and swim lessons. If she doesn’t come up with the idea on her own or from her friends, she’s not interested in it.” Another sigh escapes her lips as she rubs her forehead.
“She’ll be okay.” Dad leans forward to kiss her. “This is just a phase. She’ll grow out of it.”
“I hope so.” Mom turns to me with a smile. “Thanks for making dinner, Chloe.”
I return the smile. “No problem. It’s ready if you want to eat.”
“Sure. Noah! Rylee! Dinner. Though, I’m considering denying that little troublemaker dinner.”
Dad chuckles as he gathers Mom in his arms and kisses her. “It’ll be okay, girlfriend,” he murmurs, using the nickname he gave her in high school. “She’s a good kid.”
“I know.” Mom relaxes in Dad’s arms and melts into his kiss. Unlike my brother and sister, I don’t mind seeing them kiss in front of me. It shows how beautiful a relationship can be if you’re with the right person, your soulmate. It gives me hope that I can have that one day.
Maybe with…the secret admirer?
I throw that thought away. I’m supposed to forget about him and not let him consume my life.
But what if…?
Chapter Four
Liam
Thank the heavens my friends aren’t discussing that darn note the next day and things are back to normal. Except, I can tell Lily is bursting to talk about it, but she must figure there isn’t much to say. We don’t know who the writer is and unless he comes forward, we never will.
