Page 59 of The Ghost of Ellwood

“Well, duh. You’re kind of crushing on a ghost.” He sat across from me and faintly smiled. “We suck at detective work, Ben. You’re supposed to solve the mystery, not romance the victim. And with me crushing onyouand getting upset, it’s more like a damn soap opera. So much for us beingThe Hardy Boys.”

I chuckled, even though I was still a little mad at him. It was just damn hard to stay upset at him when he said shit like that. The dimple in his cheek didn’t help matters any.

“Speaking of our detective work, you never told me if you found more about Harvey.”

“I was dying from embarrassment at the time, remember? After we talked, I took another look at the pile I’d made about Edward…Harvey…whatever. All I found were love poems and letters. Nothing about him and Theo.”

Love poems.

“What did the poems say?”

“Hell if I know. I hate poetry. I can bring the box over for you sometime, though, if you want to sort through it.”

“I don’t know if it even matters anymore.” I scrubbed my hands over my face. “Theo’s made it clear he wants nothing to do with me. Prying through his ex-lover’s things will only upset him more. I think it’s best if we leave the past alone for now.”

“Is your head still hurting?”

“A bit.”

“You should go back to bed.”

I went to argue but found I was too tired to do so. “Okay.” I stood up and poured a glass of water to take with me. “I still want you to go with me to the signing, if you aren’t too disgusted.”

“I might not get it, but…I’m not disgusted with you. It’s just weird.”

“You said yourself you thought he seemed human.”

“He does,” Carter said, chewing the edge of his bottom lip. “But knowing he’s a ghost? I can barely be next to him without getting creeped out. I don’t see how you’re around him so much.”

“He doesn’t need a pulse to be alive to me.”

Carter looked at me then, as if seeing me in a different light.

“Can I expect you to come with me to the signing or do I need to find another non-date?”

“A non-date,” he repeated, chuckling. “No need to panic. I’ll be there.”

Somehow, I’d known all along he would be.

Once Carter left, I stood in the foyer, listening for any signs of Theo. The rumbling thunder and taps of rain against the glass reached my ears. But no Theo. The loneliness suffocated me. The dark house depressed me. I made my way upstairs and fell into bed, feeling the shadow of my migraine in my temple. Lightning lit up the room, and I turned over to face the wall.

My broken heart hurt way more than my head.

***

Shane and James didn’t know what to make of Carter when he showed up the next day, wearing his usual emo-styled clothing and sporting orange snake-eye contacts. They had stopped by to help load everything up for the signing when he came strolling up the driveway.

“Carter Edward Jones,” he said, shaking Shane’s hand. He then turned his attention to James. “Are you the ex-boyfriend?”

“Oh my God,” I muttered under my breath.

James shot me a look before shaking Carter’s hand. “Er, yeah. That’s me.”

Carter flicked his tongue ring between his teeth and said nothing. Just stared. With his contacts, he looked pretty freaky. And James had a horrid fear of snakes. Had I mentioned that to Carter and he purposefully showed up wearing them? Or was it a coincidence?

Oh well.

“You ready to head out?” Shane asked me, looking at his phone. “We need to be there early to set up your table. Not sure if there’ll be any crazy fans, so I hired a few bodyguards that will walk around the party. Don’t worry, they’ll blend in.”