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“And here I thought Cam was the neat freak.”
“We’re cousins, remember? I’m neat and she’s a freak.”
“I’ll be sure to tell her you said that the next time I see her.”
His eyes widened over the rim of his mug. “You wouldn’t dare.”
I filled the mug and gave it to him before he drank straight from the pot. Then I pulled myself into a seated position on the counter. “Did you ask in the group text if one of the other guild members borrowed your car?”
He took a long, grateful sip of coffee. “Do you seriously think that’s a possibility? Just because we’re in a guild together doesn’t mean we borrow each other’s clothes and cars. We’re not high school cheerleaders.” His eyebrow drew together. “Now that you’ve said it, though, I strongly covet Vaughn’s new Prada loafers. I wonder if we’re the same size.”
“He won’t get much wear out of them in this weather.”
“You don’t know Vaughn. He looks more like a thug than I do, but he’s every bit as vain.”
“That isn’t saying much. I look more like a thug than you do.”
“It’s pretty late. Would you mind if this thug stays the night, unless you don’t mind driving me home?”
I was ready to crash, and I preferred not to do it in my truck. Gary wasn’t built for comfort. “You can stay. There’s a sleeping bag in the closet. I’ll get it for you.”
He sighed. “Do I need to buy you a second bed, too?”
“If you want to have occasional sleepovers, then yes.” A second bed was very low on my list of items to purchase. “I’ll grab an extra blanket for you.”
“No need. My coat will be warmer than anything you scrounge up.”
I was relieved when Gun was situated, and I was finally able to crawl beneath the covers. It had been another long day. For someone without a job, I sure kept busy.
“Sweet dreams,” Gun yelled from the neighboring bedroom.
I closed my eyes and imagined throttling Kane. Sweet dreams, indeed.
I awoke the next morning to a freezing house. I tested my theory by blowing out a breath. White puffs of air lingered in front of my face. I pulled the covers back over me.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
I remained under the covers for a full minute, debating whether to stay in this position until spring. Ray and Nana Pratt were getting adept enough with moving objects to bring me food and water. It was feasible.
With an aggravated sigh, I pushed down the covers and reached for the fuzzy blanket folded at the base of the bed.My sweatpants and T-shirt wouldn’t be warm enough on their own.
Wrapping the blanket around me, I crossed the bedroom and banged on the radiator a few times. The radiator resisted my attempts to bully it into submission.
“This is not what I need,” I grumbled.
I padded downstairs to gauge the temperature of the rest of the house. Some radiators were working. Naturally, not the ones in the most frequented rooms. Clay’s Law.
Bracing myself for the cold air, I opened the front door in search of Ray. The ghost was a former carpenter. He’d have an idea where to start. My instinct was to tear the radiator off the wall, which seemed like the kind of thing that could result in greater problems. That I even considered that outcome was a sign of personal growth as far as I was concerned.
There was no sign of Ray or Nana Pratt. Typical. When I didn’t want them around, they were hovering within six inches of me.
I closed the door and turned around to see Gun at the base of the staircase.
“You look like someone scared you out of bed this morning,” he said.
Gun, on the other hand, looked exactly the same as the night before. Life was so unfair.
“Did you sleep okay?” I asked.
