I laugh, and Jared looks flustered. “Your surly attitude is familiar too, though mine came from my lack of family and constant bereavement from male cops telling me I wasn’t good enough just because I have tits and a vagina.”
At the mention of boobs, Jared’s eyes fly to my chest. He blinks rapidly and looks away.
“Look, kid, I get it…knowing something is wrong and not being able to let it go. Refusing to take no for an answer and trusting my instincts. Throw in how your parents disapprove of your interest in the paranormal and I gotta say I feel for you. Just a little, tiny, minuscule amount, though.”
He doesn’t shoot back another stupid comeback or try to prove how cool he is to me. Instead, he nods and perches on the edge of the stone railing.
“This house is haunted, isn’t it?”
“It wasn’t when I first moved in, but it might be now,” I confess.
“How is that possible?”
“You know how adults are always warning kids not to play with Ouija boards? Don’t.”
His mouth opens a bit in shock, and his eyes widen with interest. “You have a Ouija board? Can I see it?”
“Definitely not. It’s too dangerous.”
“Then why did you—”
“Yard work first,” I interrupt.
“Do you even own a lawn mower?”
“There’s one in the barn out back. I have no idea if it works.”
Jared makes a face. “Are you serious?”
“Yep. Hey, I’ve lived in apartments pretty much my whole life and I actually planned on selling this place.” I push off the pillar and start down the steps. Jared follows.
“Why would you sell this place? It’s fuck—I mean freaking—awesome.”
“Awesome doesn’t pay for repairs or put in central air.”
“Why’d you stay?” He falls in step with me.
“It’s been in my family for years. I don’t have much in regards to them, so the sentimental value got to me. Plus, I can’t sell a haunted house, now can I?”
Jared laughs. “I’m sorry, uh, about your family. What happened to them?”
“My parents were murdered.”
“Shit—shoot.” He shakes his head. “Sorry. I can see why you’d want to hang onto the place then.” He gives me a wry smile. “Plus, ghosts are kinda cool and all.”
“Have you ever seen a ghost?”
“Yeah,” he says excitedly. “Twice.”
“Where were you?”
“Are you going to arrest me if I tell you I was at a graveyard?”
“People are allowed to go to graveyards.”
“It was one of the historic ones.”
A lot of the historic graves around here are open to the public, but I’m not going to bother getting into it. Jared thinks he’s cool by doing something “illegal” and then seeing a ghost. I’ll let him have this.
