Page 29 of The Haunting of Lockton

What was that about?

I withdrew my keys from my coat pocket. “Well, enjoy the rest of your evening.”

“You too,” Skyler said, returning his gaze to me. “Be safe driving home.”

I nodded to him before heading toward my car. My skin tingled as I unlocked the door and slid inside. Somehow, I knew he was staring after me.

Don’t look back.No good would come from letting this weird attraction I felt for Skyler Knox grow.

***

The soft light of a lamp filtered through the living room window as I parked my car and walked toward the front porch. Alan had been with me for so many years I couldn’t imagine coming home to an empty house.

“You’re home,” Alan said, materializing in front of me. He appeared as he always did—WWI uniform and his blond hair swept back. All for that one strand of his bangs that never behaved. “Did the tour go well?”

“It did. The Knox brothers should have all the info they need for Lockton.” I removed my coat and hung it on the hook on the wall, hanging my keys on the one beside it. “How was your day?”

“Quiet, but nice.” He followed me into the living room. “I read a few chapters of LM Summer’s new book and then went for a walk.”

“LM Summers writes the Jack Frost series, right?”

He nodded. “It seemed fitting since winter is nearly upon us. Snow is predicted for next week.”

An ache wound through my chest. “Mom would be excited about that. She loved the snow.”

Alan enveloped me in a hug. Saying nothing. The cold coming off his body felt like I was standing in front of an open window in winter. But I didn’t mind it. I returned his hold, wishing I could take his sadness away. Probably just like he wished he could take away mine.

“I miss her too,” he mumbled against my neck, his large body flickering once, like he was an old TV that had lost signal.

I had kept Alan a secret from my mom for years, but she’d seen him one time when cleaning the house while I was at school. He’d been sitting on my bed reading a book when she’d walked in on him. I had been thirteen at the time. It had taken her a few days to process, but then she’d accepted it—accepted him.

From then on, she had treated him as if he were her son too. We hadn’t been a traditional family by any means, but we had loved each other wholeheartedly. Five years without her had eased some of the heartache, but the grief would never fully go away. It was just easier to carry some days.

Alan pulled from the hug and regarded the window with sad blue eyes. Ghosts couldn’t cry real tears, but I knew a few would be falling down his pale cheeks if he could. “She wouldn’t want us being upset.” He then nodded, as if to himself, and vanished.He reappeared in the armchair. “Do you want to watch a movie with me? The new one about the special ops Marine released. We can stream it for nineteen dollars.”

“You and your military movies,” I said with a shake of my head, walking over to sit on the couch. “I guess you’re worth nineteen bucks.”

He smiled and selected the movie.

As the opening credits played, my thoughts drifted a bit.

How would the twins react if they found out about Alan? They had spent years searching for evidence of the paranormal, when a real ghost was sitting beside me, watching a movie with excited eyes.

Alan was just as much a human as I was, even if he looked different and didn’t have a pulse. He felt pain, happiness, and loneliness. He laughed and got angry.

“You haven’t eaten dinner,” he said several minutes into the movie.

I smiled. I might’ve given him crap for it sometimes, but I secretly liked his mother-hen behavior. Knowing someone cared enough was nice. He paused the movie and walked with me to the kitchen. I threw together a peanut butter sandwich and grabbed the bag of baby carrots from the fridge.

He eyed my choice of food but bit back a remark. At least I was eating.

After the movie, I went upstairs and crawled into bed, keeping my sweater on because of the draft in the house. Before I fell sleep, I felt something cold brush the hair from my forehead, followed by a soft pressing of cool lips to my cheek. My throat wobbled.

Alan rarely showed affection when he thought I was awake. He worried over me though, saying I spent too much time with him instead of “actual living people.”

The next morning, I woke to a bright and sunny day. And a text message.

Skyler:Morning, Ichabod ;) Just thought you should knowJules uploaded the interview last night, and our subs are loving you. They’re excited for the investigation.