“Oh, shit. What were they doing out on the lake?”
“They’d taken a canoe from the boathouse. I don’t know how they got out of their cabin.” He rubbed his face, looking exhausted. “The boy who almost drowned is at the hospital, and he should be okay. They got to him in time. The other campers had a stern talking-to, and the police are involved. The story they’re sticking to is that they’ve been seeing something on the lake at night. They describe it like a ghost. They went out again tonight and saw it during the fireworks. They decided they were going to go after it, and that’s when KJ fell into the water. It was dark, and he’s not the strongest swimmer, and they almost lost him.”
Drew shook his head. “Jesus. I’m glad he’s okay. They said they saw a ghost?”
“Apparently. They said that there’s been a ghostly figure on or around Three Star Lake, by the camp’s cove. They think the camp is haunted, especially after what happened to Stu, because no one fessed up to the prank. Whoever is doing this needs to stop, because someone could get hurt.” His voice, by the end, was frustrated and almost angry.
“Or,” Drew offered. “It could be an actual ghost. You’ve made me think that they could be real.”
“I think they are,” Gabriel said. “But this smells more like a prank than a haunting.” He shook his head. “What do I know? I’m not a ghost hunter.”
Drew was absently stroking Gabriel’s bare chest. “Is there a way we could figure it out? Like a séance or an exorcism or something?”
“There might be. I could talk to Irma about it, now that you mention it.”
“Would it make you feel better to do something like that?”
“It might.”
Drew cuddled closer. “Then let’s do that. When’s your next day off?”
“I have this whole weekend off.”
“Great. I have a plan.”
Chapter 15
Gabriel
It turned out that Drew’s plan was to host adinner party that Saturday night. He hosted it at his rental house, and the guests were Gabriel, Evan DeVries, Aubrey, and Irma, Gabriel’s friend who owned the witchy store downtown. Drew cooked an excellent dinner of Cajun food and had bought several bottles of good wine to go with it.
When Gabriel arrived before the other guests, Drew kissed him and said, “I was thinking that we could do a séance tonight. I asked Irma if she could help, and she agreed to bring the supplies. Is that okay with you?”
The idea thrilled Gabriel. “I like it,” he said. “Have you ever done a séance?”
“Never,” Drew admitted. They went to the dining room, where Drew had already set the table. The Ackermanns had nice dishes. Drew wasn’t using the finest china, but had pulled out high-quality plates, silverware, and glasses. Everything gleamed and looked very beautiful. A carafe of water sat at each end of the table, a basket of bread was out, and candles flickered in tall holders.
“It looks beautiful, Drew,” Gabriel said. “You did all this yourself?”
“I like hosting dinner parties, and I don’t get the chance to do it as much as I’d like to.”
“Are we acting like we’re together tonight, or are we hiding it?” Gabriel asked. He didn’t want to hide it. He was proud to be with Drew, even if they only had a short time together. They had nothing to be ashamed of, and he wanted others to see how happy they made each other. They didn’t have much time to be happy together, and he wanted to savor every second.
“Let’s be open about it, if you’re okay with that,” Drew said.
Gabriel kissed him again. “That makes me very happy.”
They poured wine, and Gabriel chose a record to play tonight, something rich and beautiful by Norah Jones. They were sipping their wine and listening to the music in the living room when the doorbell rang. Drew went to answer it and reappeared in a moment with Evan and Aubrey. Aubrey was blushing and shot Gabriel a look that made it clear she did not know Evan had been invited to the dinner. Aubrey had had a crush on Evan since forever.
She gave Gabriel a hug and whispered in his ear, “If I had known Evan was coming, I would’ve dressed nicer.”
“You look lovely,” he said. She wore loose jeans and a simple white T-shirt. None of them had dressed up. It was a casual dinner, with nice food.
“Ugh,” she said, and he handed her a glass of wine to placate her.
Evan kept touching his hair, as if he was worried it was out of place. Gabriel didn’t know Evan very well, but had always found him to be a nice guy. He seemed nervous and kept stealing glances at Aubrey when he thought she wasn’t looking (she noticed it every time). It was cute, Gabriel thought, how much of a crush Evan had on Aubrey.
Tonight’s dinner served two purposes, according to Drew. The first was the séance, of course. The second, and perhaps equally important, was to set up Evan and Aubrey. Drew and Gabriel agreed that they would make a cute couple and thought they would be good for each other. Gabriel had limited experience playing matchmaker, and he was excited.
