“Then you need to step aside and leave him alone.”
She’s back to stiff posture and that annoyed frown.
“What’s…happened here? Why the shift?”
She bites her bottom lip. “I lied. I’m actually…stuck here.”
It’s my turn to frown. “You said you chose to stay. Now you’re stuck? Which is it?”
She groans. “A part of me needs to know that Nick will find love again. And that part of me has the whole of me,” she says, waving down the length of her body, “stuck.”
Good lord. Why does the universe feel the need to make each and every case of spirits in my life disastrous? As bad as I thought it was to have Billy tailing me, having access to Nick’s fiancée is worse. Much worse.
It feels wrong on so many levels.
“While I appreciate the confidence you have in me, I’m not on board with tricking him into love.”
Her mouth drops open, and her head shakes. “Who said anything about tricking? I’m not sure you’re the one either; I just want to help you along to see if you might be.”
My eyes narrow in on the lovely ghost, wondering what I did in this life to deserve the crazy that seems to come my way.
“Alyssa? You okay?” Nick calls down the hall. “Food’s ready.”
“He cooked for you.” She doesn’t really say this to me. There’s something sad about her words, and I want to ask, but think better of it.
I have no business knowing things about Nick’s life that he himself hasn’t chosen to share with me.
“I’m coming,” I yell back, turning toward Isla. “Look…while I appreciate the situation you’re in, I can’t help you. You need to figure out how to get all sides of yourself on the same page and move on tothe afterlife.” I take a deep breath, because what I’m about to say will be hard for her to hear. “Your brother, Oliver—he recently passed.”
“I know,” she says, and my head juts back.
“But…earlier you acted like you didn’t know,” I say, confused.
“I knew, I just didn’t realize that he stuck around,” she explains. “Remember when I said Nick talks to me?” I bob my head. “He told me about my brother. Said he hoped we were together.”
I sigh in relief, glad to not have to be the bearer of unhappy news after all.
“Well…he did stick around, because he had some unfinished business with your mom.” Her eyebrows lift, and I press on. “He had money stashed that he needed her to find. I helped facilitate that.”
Her face lights up, eyes bright with a light that hasn’t been there since she first appeared. “Thank you. I…” She shakes her head, laughing lightly. “I can’t thank you enough for that.”
I shrug. “It was either help him or be forced to endure his wrath. No offense, but your brother was not exactly charming.”
She titters, covering her nose with her hands. “Don’t I know it.”
“I gotta go,” I say, motioning toward the door.
“Talk to him about the Jets. He’s a huge fan,” she says to my retreating back.
“I know nothing about the Jets. I hate football.” It’s not entirely true, but I’m not about to push this idea of matchmaking she has going on.
“Why? Football is fun.” Her voice pitches, and I smother a grin before turning over my shoulder to look at her.
I make a face. “I find it boring.”
She huffs. “Fine, then…ask him about his motocross days.”
“What’s motocross?”
