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“Couldn’t we have gotten here by main roads?” I asked him.

He shook his head. “This isn’t a main road, it’s an access road to the water tower. There’s a security gate down that way and a dead end this way.”

I shook my head. “Hell of a place for a bed and breakfast.”

He scoffed. “Right?”

The shabby mini mansion sat at the top of a long, winding, overgrown driveway which branched off of the access road at an unexpected angle. It was gorgeous, even with all the windows broken and the roof falling in.

“You like it?” he asked, seeing the look on my face.

“I love it,” I breathed, trying not to look all doe eyed and crap.

“I always thought you would.” Kash pulled up closer and parked the car in front of the wide front porch. One of the huge double doors hung at an odd angle, leaving enough space for a full-grown adult to squeeze inside. Reaching back, he grabbed a flashlight out of the back seat but didn’t turn it on.

“Truck lights are one thing,” he said even though he was shutting them off. “I could be water maintenance for all anybody knows. But you can see flashlights on this hill for miles, and someone would get curious.”

“So why bring it?”

He grinned. “The windows are boarded up. There’s a whole haunted house to explore. You ready for this?”

“I was born ready,” I said, tossing my hair back.

Even under all the layers of dust and leaves, the foyer was impressive. Gilded trimmings glinted under the beam of light, hinting at a rich and exclusive patronage. Somewhere above us, a door creaked. I grabbed Kash’s arm and froze. Okay, so maybe ‘born ready’ was a bit of an over exaggeration.

Kash chuckled. “It’s a bathroom door on the third floor. There’s a hole in the roof there, any little breeze will make that thing wiggle.”

My heart thudded in my teeth. “You’re sure?”

“You aren’t afraid of ghosts, now Daisy, are you?” He was teasing me, but I didn’t care. It bothered me even less when he put his arm around my shoulder and squeezed comfortingly.

“No! No. I’m not scared of ghosts,” I lied. “But what if there’s a squatter or an animal or something?”

Kash shook his head. “How would a squatter find this place? And, I mean, there might be birds or bats or rodents here, but nothing big enough to hurt you. Don’t worry, babe. I got you.”

I looked up at his face and saw shining nostalgia. For a moment he looked just the way I remembered him, young and filled with the thrill of exploration. I snuggled close to him and syphoned some of that brazen confidence.

“Okay,” I said. “Show me around.”

Rooms opened into rooms, with more rooms beyond. The kitchen filled one entire wall, with prep and service rooms flanking the main cooking area.

“I looked into it once,” Kash said after I had exclaimed over the pair of double ovens. “And it’s possible to buy this place. I mean, whoever bought it would have to pay to move the security gate and would have to put down a deposit with the county to guarantee restoration—but with enough money, it’s salvageable.”

I looked up at a rotted crack which ran across one corner of the ceiling. “A whole lot of money,” I said. “And time, and work. A project like this would suck up years of someone’s life, and what would they even do with it then? It still isn’t in a good spot to be an active B&B.”

“Not a traditional one,” he admitted. “But they’ve got those apps now. I bet someone could make a killing here.”

I slid him a look. “Is that what you want to do?” He didn’t look happy about the idea, and I knew how he felt about people being in his space. Running a B&B was the last thing I could picture him doing with his life. But he shrugged and bobbed his head.

“I like money,” he said. “And this is right here. Easy access.”

“Easy access for my dad, too,” I said wryly.

“Oh. Yeah, there is that.”

Still, the place was kind of magical. There was a big, curved staircase which led up to the rooms, one of which had been sealed tightly enough that it was barely even dusty. The bed was made, though the comforter was stiff. Kash pressed on the bed, making the springs squeak, and raised his brows at me.

“Want to give the ghosts something to talk about?”