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“Are you okay?” he asked, searching her face. “You look a little... spooked.”
“Let’s just say I’m not a fan of the wind blowing from the north,” she admitted, attempting a small smile.
“Ah, right,” Jake said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, don’t worry. I’m here to protect you from any ghosts or visions that might come your way.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, touched by his concern.
When they got to the restaurant he’d chosen, they sat at a booth in the back corner of the quaint Italian restaurant, Layla couldn’t help but feel the weight of her visions and the threat of Clarissa looming over them.
“Jake, there’s something I need to tell you,” she began, taking a deep breath. “I had another vision about Clarissa.”
“Go on,” he urged, his eyes filled with determination.
“She keeps appearing to me, and she grips her hair as if to pull it out. It’s not a good time for this. Fiona’s having twins, and Bella is busy with all the Christmas pageants for her dance studio. We can’t just drop everything and go at the ghosts all over again. Maybe after Christmas.”
“Do you think they’d let us schedule an appointment?” Jake asked, feeling the need to lighten the mood a bit.
She chuckled. “Bella and Fiona and I have talked about it, and we’re going to wait until something else happens. I know deep inside that we need to deal with Clarissa yet, but not today. Or tomorrow. Maybe after the babies are born.”
Jake took her hand in his, and smiled. “I’ll be beside you however and whenever you need me, Layla.” He brought her hand to his lips. As they stared into each other’s eyes, their hands entwined, Layla felt a surge of love for him. Even if he didn’t feel the same way she did, she was going to ride their relationship for as long as she could. Even if things were awkward at times.
“Jake,” Layla whispered, “I can’t help but feel like we’re drifting apart. As if our connection was only ever based on this mystery, and now that it’s fading...”
“Hey,” he interjected, his voice soft and soothing. “Don’t say that. We’ll get through this, I promise.”
But as much as Layla wanted to believe him, she couldn’t shake the feeling that their love was slipping through her fingers like sand. And as the wind whispered its secrets in her ear, she wondered if they would ever truly be free from the shadows which had plagued them.
“Have I ever told you about the time I saved a kitten from a tree?” Jake asked, grinning impishly as he launched into the tale.
Layla leaned in, feeling the cautious flicker of hope begin to burn brighter within her. Maybe there was still a chance for them after all. They had so much more to their lives than just ghosts. Surely, there was enough to talk about...if they wanted to be together, there would have to be.
Chapter Twenty
The wind howled throughthe trees, carrying whispers with every gust. Layla closed her eyes, embracing the visions that came as the northern winds blew. Her heart raced as she saw Jake, standing by Bella’s dance studio, his blue eyes filled with determination and hope.
“Please, Bella,” Jake pleaded, his hands clasped together as if in prayer. “I need Layla to come to the Christmas pageant. I know this is important for her, and it’s crucial for us.”
