She purses her lips to the side. “Nothing scares me.I’mmade of steel.”
“Or maybe it’s a witch thing,” I suggest.
“Or that.”
Ihadn’tnoticed when I was inside the bakery, butthere’ssomeone else standing beside her. They have long, shaggy hair that falls over their eyes just like Theo’s, and they are dressed head to toe in black.
“This is my boyfriend, Casey,” Simone introduces us. “Case, this is my new friend, Kennedy.She’sa ghost.”
Casey makes a deep sound of acknowledgment in his throat. “Obviously.”
She smacks him playfully across the ribs, and he fakes a wince.
“So,” Simone starts, “where do you want to go first?”
I’vebecomewellacquainted with this side of town that houses most of the small businesses, soI’meager to see what all has changed on the west side, including my old middle school.
“We can take my car,” Casey suggests. “We’llride around and show you the sites. Ifthere’ssomething specific you want to see,we’llcheck it out.”
I grin enthusiastically. “That sounds great. Let’s go.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
THEO
Iwait until Kennedyhasgone to slip back from the void. The blankets have been folded neatly in apile; the fire completely extinguished. Only the reminder of the night before lingers in the room.
I was a coward.
I got scared and ran away, just likeI’vealways done, both in life and in death. No matter how many times I continue to feel this connection to Kennedy, Ican’tseem to allow myself to embrace it.
Shedidn’tmention where she was going today, but I assumeshe’llat least be out for the morning, so I levitate the blankets and make my way upstairs.
The first floor of the house wasdifficultto clean, but the second story will be an entirely different beast. The front room, the entryway, the kitchen, and the dining area all lack furniture, so there were significantly less surfaces to wipeand dust. The bedroom, on the other hand, is littered with antique fixtures and clutter. Even worse is the library. Part of me wants to close off that room entirely and forget it exists, but I knowthat’snot possible.
I summon the cleaning supplies from the pantry downstairs and wait for them to appear in the bedroom. I can complete most of my tasks in my spirit formifI use my magic, but only for so long. Using magic isnearly asdraining as being in my physical body, butI’mnot ready to return to it just yet. It will only remind me of Kennedy’s gentle touch.
As I remove dust and grime from all the furniture, I begin to lose track of time, and with ittheacheI feel for continuing to push Kennedy awaylessens.I’min the middle of polishing the posters of the bed when I hear a knock coming from downstairs.
I float over to the front window and look out on the lawn. The view of the door is obstructed by the porch, but just asI’mabout to check downstairs, Aidan walks out from underneath and looks up. He smilescheekily, then gestures at someone on the porch to come out.Joanna appears and waves up at me dramatically.
Perfect. Witnesses to my embarrassment.
They’velet themselves in by the time I make it down the stairs.
“This is your third visit in one week,” I tell him. “You must be truly bored.”
Aidan chuckles jovially and scratches his chin. “Happy to see you too, old friend.”
“Shouldn’t you be at work? Or something?”
Joanna answers for him. “It’s Saturday. We both have the day completely free.”
I arch my eyebrow. “And you chose to spend it here?”
“I told you I wanted to help with the house,” Aidan says. “You didn’t think I was going to let that go, did you?”
“Of course not,” I grumble.
