Page 56 of This Time Around

“I’ll go check. It’s good to see you, Andy,” Dad said.

“You too, Dennis.”

Maegan and Elijah arrived next with Memphis quickly on their heels.

“Did you have a chance to talk to Emory about the mysterious visitor in town?” I asked him.

“Yeah, he confirmed that Lyric was passing through and—”

“Blissville?” Andy asked. “Who the hell just passes through here?”

“Well, if you want to be technical, Andy,” Memphis said, “he was driving south down I-71 from scoping out a possible film site in Columbus. He called Emory to see if he would be free for a short visit.”

Memphis’s cousin, Emory, moved to Blissville following a series of psychic visions. Emory was one of the country’s most famous psychics, not for the work he did with law enforcement agencies helping them solve cold cases, but for the episodes he filmed with Paranormal Whisperer. The show, and all the cast members, had quite a following. Emory wasn’t a series regular, but he was still popular.

“So, what did Em say about them filming here?”

“Lyric sounded interested. He drove by the house and was impressed by the outside. He’s itching to see the interior as soon as Maegan can get that arranged.” He nodded to Maegan. “Your mom wasn’t exaggerating. Lyric called Emory on his way out of town and told him how excited he was to explore the Bliss House for possibilities.

“I have mixed feelings about it,” Maegan confessed. “I’m excited to show the house to him, and I’d really like to solve the mystery of Anthony Bliss’s disappearance.”

“But with one T,” I prompted.

“But, I don’t like the idea of strangers tromping through my house. I don’t think Anthony will like it either.”

“Maybe that’s what it will take to solve the mystery. You have to make him uncomfortable enough to take action.”

I realized that everyone was looking at me with their mouths hanging open.

“What?”

“Peach, you practically ran out of that house like your ass was on fire,” Andy said.

“How would you know? You were up in the attic.”

“I heard about it from someone.”

“There was only one ‘someone’ who witnessed me calmly walking out of the house.” I narrowed my eyes at Memphis when he snorted. “Who are you to talk?” I asked him. “You were right beside me.”

“Well, if that ghost had appeared, I would’ve knocked you down so that I could escape. I didn’t have to be the fastest runner, I just had to be faster than you.”

“You would sacrifice me like that?” I asked dramatically. “Your new best friend?”

“Hey, you know what it’s like to be in love. Not all of us can say that.” Memphis’s cheeks turned red from embarrassment. He opened his mouth, and I could tell that he was going to try and laugh it off or walk it back, but he was saved when my parents came out of the kitchen carrying dishes.

“Who’s ready to eat?” Dad asked.

“Me!” we all replied.

My mom’s cooking was hit or miss; it would either be the best thing you ever had or the worst. Luckily for us, especially her since she went to a lot of trouble, the meal was exceptional. I saw how much it meant to my mom when Andy happily devoured her cooking in between praising her skills.

“Thank you, dear,” she said. “Save room for dessert, Andy. I made peach cobbler from scratch. It’s the one thing I never fuck up.”

Andy wiped his mouth with his napkin. “I always have room for peach anything.” He shot me a playful wink when no one was looking, and I nearly asked for ours to go. Instead I leaned forward for a quick kiss and settled into his side when he wrapped his big arm around my shoulder. I wouldn’t deprive my mom of hearing Andy fuss over her dessert.

Later when we were leaving, Mom held me tight and whispered in my ear, “Fall is a lovely time for a wedding, Milo.” When I pinned her with an incredulous look, she just smiled broadly and said, “You can’t blame a mother for trying.”

On the way home, I realized my mom was absolutely right. Fall was an amazing time to have a wedding.