“You wouldn’t dare,” she screeched.
“I would.” I pulled my hair over one shoulder. “Now. What is it?”
“It’s just… no one goes near the Gambrell house.”
“No one or no spirit?” I picked up a magazine and pretended to pay attention to it while I flipped through. Actually it wasn’t hard to pay attention because the hottest man in the world had just married the most beautiful woman and everyone was celebrating how gorgeous they both were and I wondered if I could get my arms as tone as hers if I did a few more push-ups in the morning.
I tossed the grocery store impulse-buy bait onto the coffee table. “Tell me about the house.”
“There’s an evil spirit in there.”
“That I know.”
Susan sipped from her can. “That’s all I can tell you. Only a spirit stupid enough to risk being attacked would go there.”
“Do you know who it is? Who’s the spirit?”
She shook her head. “I have no clue.”
I chewed the inside of my lip, trying to find a chink in that ghost’s armor. “The spirit appeared to me like a black blob. It was very strange. I’ve never seen a ghost do that. Have you?”
She shrugged.
“Susan. Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“I’m telling you everything I know.” She raised her can and shook it. “Oops. All empty. Looks like I totally have to go and get more beer. This stuff was really gnarly. See you, Blissful!”
“Wait. Susan!” I extended my hand. Not that it would’ve helped if I grabbed her because she was a ghost and couldn’t be touched.
Susan vanished into the wall. I sighed and threw my head onto my palms. I rubbed the heels of my hands into my eyes as I tried to work up a plan.
Luckily my phone rang just as my plans were quickly crashing and burning.
I thumbed the button. “Hello?”
“You sound horrible.”
I grinned. “Is that the way animals in the wild find mates? By telling each other they sound horrible?”
Roan chuckled. “How’d you know?”
“Lucky guess. So did you call to insult me or were you going to ride up on your noble steed and sweep me off my feet?”
“I didn’t know I was a pirate.”
It was my turn to laugh. “I didn’t say you were going to lock me on your ship and take me from my father. When I said steed, I meant your truck, and by whisk away, I meant date.”
Hetsked.“You don’t give a guy a chance to woo you.”
“I’m all for wooing. I’ve just had a rough couple of days.”
“Oh no. That’s not good at all. Tell you what—I’ve got a roast in the oven and I’m baking something for dessert.”
My ears perked up, and my stomach growled. “Is this dessert packed with lots of calories that will make me regret eating it?”
“How’d you guess?” The sound of a mixer whirled in the background. “So how about it? I’ve got guests eating in a few hours, but I’m not serving them. One of the housekeepers is. What d’you say you come by and keep me company?”
“Sir, you want me to come sit in your apartment and entertain you?” I said in a mocking tone. “But I’m not the one who plays the guitar.”
