open and turned to see Heath step through to the entryway. He held up the drill and said, “Found it.”
I could see the hurt on his face and I felt a wave of guilt hit me right in the gut. I was about to go to him when he turned away and climbed back onto the chair to begin drilling.
“Well,
that
was awkward,” Gil said.
I balled my hands into fists. “Gil.”
“Yeah?”
“Shut it before I shut it for you.”
“Roger that, M.J.”
Heath and I finished placing the cameras and locked up before heading out. He hadn’t said another word to me, and every time I’d tried to look at him, he avoided my eyes. Once we were back in the van, I made sure my headset was off before turning to him. “Can I explain?”
Heath started the engine and checked his side mirror. “It’s cool, Em.”
I put a hand on his arm and waited for him to look at me. “No, it’s not. It’s not cool at all. And I’m sorry.”
Heath sighed and put the van into park again, but stared straight out the windshield. “I can’t blame you. I pushed you into taking this case,” he said. “I wanted you to get that you’d made the right choice by picking me.”
“Of course I made the right choice,” I told him. When he still wouldn’t look at me, I leaned in and cupped his face, turning it toward me. “I love you. And even more important, I love us. We make an incredible team, and not even Gilley understands and accepts me the way you do. That means everything to me, especially since Steven never quite either understood or accepted me for me. But you do, and I love being with you and only you.”
A smile began to tug at the corners of Heath’s mouth. “You’re only saying that because the sex is so awesome.”
I burst out laughing and kissed him sweetly. “Yes, how could I forget about the awesome sex?”
“Don’t know,” he chuckled. “Next time you apologize, maybe you should lead with that.”
“Noted.”
“You ready to get out of here?” he asked. “Maybe grab a bite to eat before we head back to the condo?”
I kissed him again, this time passionately as I wound my hand through his silky black hair. When we were both a little breathless, I said, “How about we head back to the condo first and have some awesome makeup sex?”
Heath turned away from me to focus once again on the road in front of him before squealing out of the parking space. We made it home in record time.
• • •
Around eleven p.m. Heath and I went to the twenty-four-hour diner to meet Steven, Courtney, and Luke. “You’ve seen the cameras?” I asked them as we all sat down.
“We have,” Steven said. “May I ask why there’s one in Courtney’s room?”
I saw Courtney shift subtly in her seat, and I knew the question had been prompted by her. I could imagine that as cool as she seemed about the fact that Steven and I used to date, it was a whole other thing to have his ex put a camera in her bedroom.
Thinking it wise to hold my tongue, I let Heath answer. “We can’t have an area of the house out of sight,” he said. “And Courtney’s room is right next door to Luke’s. If this spook wants to roam the house before getting at Luke, we want to know where it likes to hang out.”
“Did you get a sense of anything when you were there?” Courtney asked, and I noticed that she barely suppressed a shudder. It had to be hard to live with a sibling being haunted by an evil ghost. I gave her props for being brave and opening her home to Luke.
“No,” I said.
“Nothing on the meters?” Steven pressed, obviously remembering the old days when he used to come along on my ghostbusts.
“Not a blip,” I told him.
“So what’s the plan?” Luke asked. “I mean, I’m just supposed to go stay in the house by myself?”
I focused on him and saw that the dark circles under his eyes were a little more pronounced tonight. I’d told him that if he could stay awake today, it might be better. We needed him tired enough to
I could see the hurt on his face and I felt a wave of guilt hit me right in the gut. I was about to go to him when he turned away and climbed back onto the chair to begin drilling.
“Well,
that
was awkward,” Gil said.
I balled my hands into fists. “Gil.”
“Yeah?”
“Shut it before I shut it for you.”
“Roger that, M.J.”
Heath and I finished placing the cameras and locked up before heading out. He hadn’t said another word to me, and every time I’d tried to look at him, he avoided my eyes. Once we were back in the van, I made sure my headset was off before turning to him. “Can I explain?”
Heath started the engine and checked his side mirror. “It’s cool, Em.”
I put a hand on his arm and waited for him to look at me. “No, it’s not. It’s not cool at all. And I’m sorry.”
Heath sighed and put the van into park again, but stared straight out the windshield. “I can’t blame you. I pushed you into taking this case,” he said. “I wanted you to get that you’d made the right choice by picking me.”
“Of course I made the right choice,” I told him. When he still wouldn’t look at me, I leaned in and cupped his face, turning it toward me. “I love you. And even more important, I love us. We make an incredible team, and not even Gilley understands and accepts me the way you do. That means everything to me, especially since Steven never quite either understood or accepted me for me. But you do, and I love being with you and only you.”
A smile began to tug at the corners of Heath’s mouth. “You’re only saying that because the sex is so awesome.”
I burst out laughing and kissed him sweetly. “Yes, how could I forget about the awesome sex?”
“Don’t know,” he chuckled. “Next time you apologize, maybe you should lead with that.”
“Noted.”
“You ready to get out of here?” he asked. “Maybe grab a bite to eat before we head back to the condo?”
I kissed him again, this time passionately as I wound my hand through his silky black hair. When we were both a little breathless, I said, “How about we head back to the condo first and have some awesome makeup sex?”
Heath turned away from me to focus once again on the road in front of him before squealing out of the parking space. We made it home in record time.
• • •
Around eleven p.m. Heath and I went to the twenty-four-hour diner to meet Steven, Courtney, and Luke. “You’ve seen the cameras?” I asked them as we all sat down.
“We have,” Steven said. “May I ask why there’s one in Courtney’s room?”
I saw Courtney shift subtly in her seat, and I knew the question had been prompted by her. I could imagine that as cool as she seemed about the fact that Steven and I used to date, it was a whole other thing to have his ex put a camera in her bedroom.
Thinking it wise to hold my tongue, I let Heath answer. “We can’t have an area of the house out of sight,” he said. “And Courtney’s room is right next door to Luke’s. If this spook wants to roam the house before getting at Luke, we want to know where it likes to hang out.”
“Did you get a sense of anything when you were there?” Courtney asked, and I noticed that she barely suppressed a shudder. It had to be hard to live with a sibling being haunted by an evil ghost. I gave her props for being brave and opening her home to Luke.
“No,” I said.
“Nothing on the meters?” Steven pressed, obviously remembering the old days when he used to come along on my ghostbusts.
“Not a blip,” I told him.
“So what’s the plan?” Luke asked. “I mean, I’m just supposed to go stay in the house by myself?”
I focused on him and saw that the dark circles under his eyes were a little more pronounced tonight. I’d told him that if he could stay awake today, it might be better. We needed him tired enough to
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