Clean and dry in a pair of comfortable sweatpants, Lance took a seat at the kitchen table with Angus and his brother. He still couldn't believe that Jackson was back. He stared at his brother, taking in the bit of gray around his temples and a few new lines around his eyes. It hadn't been that long since he'd last seen him, but it seemed he'd aged since his last visit. Lance couldn't imagine the things Jackson had seen over the years during his service. Wasn't sure he wanted to know.
"She's not going to leave that spot by the back door." Angus glanced over at their dog who was lying beside the sliding glass door, eyes trained on the backyard where the ghosts lingered. "We've got to get this taken care of."
"Leave it to me," Jackson told them. "I don't have anything planned for the next few days other than dinner with Megan tomorrow night. You two have to work in the morning. If I can borrow your car, I'll drop you off at work and go get some traps. I'm pretty sure it's voles."
"Lance can ride in with me. That's not a problem. But are you sure you don't want to relax for a few days?" Angus asked.
"I'll go nuts sitting around. This gives me something to keep my mind occupied. I'm still in a bit of shock that I really retired. I'm not sure what to do with myself now," Jackson told them. "I'll be working with my friend, Elliot, doing security, but I won't even meet with him for a few weeks. He and I agreed I needed time to get used to things around here before jumping back into work."
The doorbell rang and Lance stood. "That'll be the pizza." He quickly went to the door and retrieved the three boxes from the delivery driver. The smell had his mouth watering as he walkedback into the kitchen and put the boxes on the table before turning for napkins. "Are voles hard to get rid of?"
"I don't think so. First, we need to find out what attracted them to your yard. I'll research a bit. Maybe one of the flowers you planted attracts them." Jackson reached for a slice of pizza. "So, I'm not going to be in the way, am I? I can stay somewhere else. I know you weren't expecting me."
"No, of course not. You'd never be in the way. The room is yours for as long as you want it. Angus and I knew you'd be back sooner or later and both agreed that you're welcome here. We're at work most of the time, so you'll have the place to yourself during the day. And you can use my car. I can always ride with Angus or have you drop me off."
"I'll look into buying one soon. I just need some time to get used to civilian life. Remind myself that I'm not waiting for orders or for some mission to drop into my lap. Haunt and I will deal with the voles." Jackson glanced outside. "Is Kel out there with the other ghosts?"
"He is. They're all sitting around the picnic table now after they investigated the garden a bit." Lance smiled. "I'm glad he came with you."
"Yeah, me too. We don't get to talk a lot. There's only so much you can say with the yes and no touches you taught us to use, but I think he'll be happy here since there are other ghosts for him to interact with." Jackson reached for his water bottle.
"When you two are ready, we can sit down, and I'll talk for him if you want. Have a real conversation for a change. You heard about Megan's dad, right?"
"Yeah, I was devastated for her. She was really close to him. I hear he's still around though." Jackson shook his head. "I wish I could have been here for her."
"It was a tough time for her, but he has Angus's mom, or I communicate for him when he wants to talk to her. Currently,he's been working with the ghosts to help track the drug trafficking in the area. They've had several major busts due to the ghosts working with police to locate the dealers and big time traffickers," Lance explained.
"How are they working with the police? Aren't you homicide?" Jackson asked Angus.
"Due to certain events that happened, my captain became aware that my mother and Lance can see and speak to ghosts. Surprisingly, he believed them. So, when the senator died and was worried about his son's drug use, he had us form a somewhat unofficial task force of ghosts who collect the names and addresses of the dealers in town. My mother, Lizzy, sits down every week or two with the captain to pass on information so the police know which homes to have under surveillance or which people they need to track. It's working out well. Though Megan's brother is still using, it's getting harder for him to find drugs since his dealers keep getting arrested." Angus grinned.
"Megan didn't mention all that in her letters." Jackson laughed. "I can't wait to hear more about this."
"Does she know you're back?" Angus asked.
"She picked me up from the airport and brought me here. She didn't want to stay and interrupt our reunion, so she headed home. We'll go out tomorrow and catch up. See if there's still enough between us to try dating again." Jackson shrugged. "We're taking things slow."
"I hope they work out. I like her," Lance told him.
"So do I," Jackson admitted.
The sound of the doorbell surprised Lance. "Are we expecting anyone?"
"Not that I know of." Angus was up and headed to answer it.
Lance listened and grinned when he heard Lizzy's voice.
"There's my favorite son," Lizzy said.
"Your only son, Mom," Angus told her. "Hey, Dad, what brings you two over?"
"Megan called us and told us Jackson was back in town. We wanted to bring over a welcome home cake. We won't stay for long." Lizzy walked into the kitchen, grinning as she set a cake on the table next to the pizza boxes. "Welcome home, Jackson. It's Martin's chocolate strawberry cake."
Betty, her mother's best friend who happened to be a ghost, waved at Lance and made her way to the backyard to talk with the other ghosts.
Jackson stood and hugged Lizzy. "Thank you. You didn't have to do this." He released Lizzy and offered his hand to Martin. "But I'm glad you did. Will you join us?"
"No, we need to get back home. I need to be at the golf course by seven in the morning," Martin informed them. "We just wanted to say hello and invite you all to dinner on Friday night. Bring Megan as well. We'll be dining at Desorio's. Does that work for everyone?"
