team there. But I did get paid."
"Really?"
Cindy's shock wasn't without cause. Alex had been stiffed on payment before. Sometimes people simply couldn't afford to pay him.
He helped them anyway.
"Yeah. Oh," he said, remembering. "We need business cards."
She stuck her head out of the shower to read his face, see if he was serious.
"People with haunted houses care about business cards?"
"Eh, I don't know. But it can't hurt."
"Well, it makes sense," she said, nodding before disappearing back into the shower. "We're trying to start a business. Make money. Did you take any notes?"
"I actually did. I even got video of me sending the demon home."
"Demon? It was a demon? Holy shit." She was quiet a moment before concern entered her tone. "And…you're okay?"
"Of course."
Cindy breathed a sigh of relief. Humans weren't comfortable with demons, and they shouldn't have been. As close as they were, it sometimes amazed Cindy that he could look a demon in the eye and smack it across the face without so much as blinking.
"Okay, well, I'll grab your phone after work. I'll give it to Kevin, so he can upload everything into that database he's working on. Did you get them to sign the paperwork?"
Alex said nothing, only clenched his eyes shut. He'd forgotten all about it, and the paperwork was still in the glove compartment in the truck.
"Babe?" Cindy said, noting his silence. "Please tell me you didn't forget."
"Uh, forget is a mighty strong word—"
"Alex, it's important . If any of them so much as have a bad dream, they'll probably sue us now."
"I'll get it over to them. Don't worry."
She poked her head out of the shower for a moment to glare at him, but ended with a bright smile.
It was still hard to believe it was really happening. Cindy said she was going to grow what she called the family business , and she wasn't joking. Alex had dreams of helping haunted families for an actual living. No more driving a forklift all day in a warehouse. No more getting bitched at by his boss who hadn't worked an eight-hour day in ten years. He wanted to use his powers to help people, and make enough money to put food on the table. That was a respectable, noble goal. However, it wasn't an easy one.
Thankfully, Alex had Cindy.
She already had a plan in motion, although Alex had trouble following it. He could barely operate the phone she bought for him. One of the many phases of the plan was getting Kevin to build some kind of database to track and log all the cases Alex worked on. Cindy imagined a day when people would pay just to get a look at Alex's case files. She literally wrung her hands together in glee when she brought that idea up.
"I want to talk to Kevin about that database," Alex said.
"Get Leese over here. He'll draw one of those magic portals real quick for her ass."
He rolled his eyes at the thought of Alicia and Kevin. The vet tech and the witch. Definitely an odd couple. Somehow, they were perfect for each other.
"It can wait until Halloween. They're still coming over?"
"You know it."
Cindy opened the shower curtain without bothering to turn the water off. She looked Alex up and down as they traded places. Alex winked, knowing they were going to have a fun night. Most of their nights were fun, regardless of what they did. They led an interesting life. Only in their marriage could Alex talk with a visiting ghost in the house while Cindy did accounting work from the dining room table.
"I'll head out in a few," Cindy said. "You want me to make you anything before I go?"
"No, thanks, though."
They shared a quick kiss. She pointed at him on her way out of the bathroom.
"We've got to talk more tonight about the business."
Cindy was trying to hide it, but Alex easily picked up on her enthusiasm.
"You thought of a name, didn't you?"
She smiled. "Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't.
"Really?"
Cindy's shock wasn't without cause. Alex had been stiffed on payment before. Sometimes people simply couldn't afford to pay him.
He helped them anyway.
"Yeah. Oh," he said, remembering. "We need business cards."
She stuck her head out of the shower to read his face, see if he was serious.
"People with haunted houses care about business cards?"
"Eh, I don't know. But it can't hurt."
"Well, it makes sense," she said, nodding before disappearing back into the shower. "We're trying to start a business. Make money. Did you take any notes?"
"I actually did. I even got video of me sending the demon home."
"Demon? It was a demon? Holy shit." She was quiet a moment before concern entered her tone. "And…you're okay?"
"Of course."
Cindy breathed a sigh of relief. Humans weren't comfortable with demons, and they shouldn't have been. As close as they were, it sometimes amazed Cindy that he could look a demon in the eye and smack it across the face without so much as blinking.
"Okay, well, I'll grab your phone after work. I'll give it to Kevin, so he can upload everything into that database he's working on. Did you get them to sign the paperwork?"
Alex said nothing, only clenched his eyes shut. He'd forgotten all about it, and the paperwork was still in the glove compartment in the truck.
"Babe?" Cindy said, noting his silence. "Please tell me you didn't forget."
"Uh, forget is a mighty strong word—"
"Alex, it's important . If any of them so much as have a bad dream, they'll probably sue us now."
"I'll get it over to them. Don't worry."
She poked her head out of the shower for a moment to glare at him, but ended with a bright smile.
It was still hard to believe it was really happening. Cindy said she was going to grow what she called the family business , and she wasn't joking. Alex had dreams of helping haunted families for an actual living. No more driving a forklift all day in a warehouse. No more getting bitched at by his boss who hadn't worked an eight-hour day in ten years. He wanted to use his powers to help people, and make enough money to put food on the table. That was a respectable, noble goal. However, it wasn't an easy one.
Thankfully, Alex had Cindy.
She already had a plan in motion, although Alex had trouble following it. He could barely operate the phone she bought for him. One of the many phases of the plan was getting Kevin to build some kind of database to track and log all the cases Alex worked on. Cindy imagined a day when people would pay just to get a look at Alex's case files. She literally wrung her hands together in glee when she brought that idea up.
"I want to talk to Kevin about that database," Alex said.
"Get Leese over here. He'll draw one of those magic portals real quick for her ass."
He rolled his eyes at the thought of Alicia and Kevin. The vet tech and the witch. Definitely an odd couple. Somehow, they were perfect for each other.
"It can wait until Halloween. They're still coming over?"
"You know it."
Cindy opened the shower curtain without bothering to turn the water off. She looked Alex up and down as they traded places. Alex winked, knowing they were going to have a fun night. Most of their nights were fun, regardless of what they did. They led an interesting life. Only in their marriage could Alex talk with a visiting ghost in the house while Cindy did accounting work from the dining room table.
"I'll head out in a few," Cindy said. "You want me to make you anything before I go?"
"No, thanks, though."
They shared a quick kiss. She pointed at him on her way out of the bathroom.
"We've got to talk more tonight about the business."
Cindy was trying to hide it, but Alex easily picked up on her enthusiasm.
"You thought of a name, didn't you?"
She smiled. "Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't.
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