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“She really is,” I said. “I’ve seen the ghost too.”

“Christ,” my mother said. “You are definitely a Burke, Bailey, through and through.”

“What kind of ghost?” my father asked. “It’s not my father, is it? That would give me the willies.”

“No, it’s not Grandpa.”

“He did show up one night,” Grandma said. “At the foot of my bed. I thought he was coming to take me to the other side, so I told him to get the hell away from me.”

My dad guffawed. He turned to my mom. “What would you do if my ghost came to the foot of your bed?”

“I’d tell you to lay down at my feet like the dog that you are.” The words were harsh, but to my surprise, she was smiling.

He laughed even harder. “That’s my girl,” he said, putting his hand on her back.

She didn’t pull away. I had no idea what that was or what it meant.

Jake glanced over at me. I lifted my shoulders and shook my head slightly.

I was just happy that Grandma didn’t mention Ryan by name as the ghost she was hanging out with.

Mrs. Marner, who preferred to get her digs in with a smile and a backhanded compliment, found my mother too direct. She intervened now and changed the subject. “Are you ready for the play? That’s so sweet of you to direct it for the seniors.”

“I’m nervous,” I admitted. “I just want all the participants to have fun. I inherited this play and I don’t actually know what I’m doing.”

“You did theater in high school,” my mother said. “I’m sure you’re doing a wonderful job.”

“Will you be there?” I asked her.

She nodded.

I turned to Dad. “And you’ll be there.” I didn’t pose it as a question. If I had to publicly shame him to be involved in his mother’s life, I would.

To my shock, he said, “Absolutely. Wouldn’t miss it.”

No blustering. No excuses. Nowthatwas a birthday gift.

Two hours later everyone was gone and I smiled at Jake. “Thank you. That was a wonderful birthday, even if it was a surprise.”

“It wasn’t a surprise. I gave you a whole hour of warning.”

“That was a loophole. I don’t normally associate you with those. You’re getting tricky. I’ll have to keep my eye on you.”

“You can watch me load the dishwasher.”

That made me laugh. “I’ll take the trash out. I love having an attached garage. I can do trash disposal in my socks.”

I bundled up the bag from the large kitchen can and tied off the strings. I went into the garage and jumped when I saw Ryan sitting on the hood of my car.

“Hey,” I said. “What are you doing?”

“I just needed a minute. That was a lot of people.”

It was nine people. Not a lot by any stretch of the imagination. “Far cry from your rager days back in college.”

“Don’t say rager. That’s just embarrassing.” He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“What’s going on with you?” I tossed the trash into the bin. “You don’t seem like yourself.”