“Thank God. Part of the reason I moved to Lowery’s Crossing was the low crime rate,” I muttered, and it got me the little laugh I’d been hoping for. Some of the darkness in Alex’s eyes eased, and I even got a hint of a smile. “How long had it been since you dealt with a ghost before you met me?”
“Over a year, actually. Before Mrs. Kostek, it’d been so quiet I started to let myself believe it’d never happen again. Which is kind of dumb, because there were bigger gaps when I was a kid.” He wrinkled his nose. “No one ever accused me of being the sharpest tool in the shed.”
“Hey, don’t do that.” I leaned my head against his, catching his eyes. “Don’t put yourself down like that. You’re allowed to hope that it had gone away, after everything you’ve been through. There’s nothing stupid about that.”
“Yeah, but—”
I silenced him with a gentle kiss, lingering until he relaxed again. “No buts. You’re not dumb. You’re one of the smartest, bravest people I’ve ever met. How many other people do you think could have handled this alone their entire life and still manage to stay sane and have a sense of humor about it?”
Alex’s soft laugh whispered across my lips. “Look, I’m going to need you to stop being so damn perfect, okay? You’re setting the bar way too high. I don’t stand a chance.”
“I’m pretty far from perfect,” I murmured. “Besides, I’m already crazy about you. You don’t have anything to prove, especially to me.”
We both pretended not to notice the tears in his eyes when he hugged me again. We laid together in silence after that, spending every second we could reconnecting before reality intruded. Together, we’d weathered the chaos and in that moment, I knew that the worst was over.
Chapter 11
Alex
“Aww,nowthere’sasight for sore eyes!”
“We should have eaten at home,” I groaned to Donovan the second we walked into Buns ‘n’ Roses. One of the perks of how much time I’d spent there was that I’d become friends with the two baristas, Rachel and Ashley. The downside of that was that they’d become friends in return and treated me as such, rather than as a customer.
Case in point, Rachel stood at the cash register with a teasing grin on her face. I wouldn’t call myself particularly tall, but Rachel barely reached my shoulder. What she lacked in height, though, she made up for with sass and a touch of evil.
“At least they’re busy, so she has to deal with customers instead of interrogate us,” Donovan murmured back. “I always thought she’d be a terrifying detective if she ever wanted to change jobs.”
“The rest of the police department would beoutof a job if she worked there. Everyone would be too afraid to do anything bad if it meant dealing with her.”
“I can tell you’re talking about me!” she called down the line, despite the customer standing right in front of her. Anyone who came to Buns ‘n’ Roses regularly knew how it went, though. It never felt like walking into a corporate coffee chain, but rather more like a bustling family kitchen that also happened to take your money.
“It’s not too late to run,” I whispered.
“Yes, it is. She’s spotted you. It’d be like trying to run from a velociraptor.” Ashley, her arms full of mugs and plates from the table she must have been clearing, paused beside us and grinned. “The chase just makes it more fun.”
“You two have been spending too much time together. You used to be so sweet.”
“I just put on a good front,” she laughed. “I’m glad to see you both back in here together, though. The last few days just felt wrong.”
“I’m so glad we can provide gossip and entertainment for everyone here.”
“It’s a small town,” she shrugged without a bit of remorse.
“It’s good to have things back to normal,” Donovan cut in, taking my hand in his. “Those mugs look pretty heavy. We won’t keep you from taking them to the kitchen.”
“Very smooth. Fine, I’ll leave you alone. You still have to face Rachel, though, so have fun!” Ashley disappeared into the kitchen to deposit the dishes, but now we were at the front of the line.
“So, you two obviously worked everything out,” Rachel said immediately, already punching in things on the computer without even asking for our order.
“What would you do if we wanted to try something different today?” I asked instead of responding.
She just rolled her eyes. “Donovan has been getting the same thing since he started coming here and you let yourself be at the whim of Camille and Raina, but sure. What can I get for you?”
“It’s like having the little sister I never wanted,” Donovan teased. “I’ll have my usual.”
“And for you, sir?” Rachel’s smirk was all evil, brows raised as she waited for my inevitable answer.
“The raspberry coconut coffee and… whatever that is,” I pointed toward the new item in the bakery case.
