Ghost for Sale by Sandra Cox Page B

covered.
    “Your parents seem very nice,” he repeated.
    “They’re wonderful, but I never got away with anything.”
    He chuckled. “At our house, it was my mother.”
    “Parents,” I commiserated.
    He rose in a quick floating gesture and began to pace around the pool. My breath caught square in my throat as he cut straight across the center of it, the water sparkling beneath his feet.
    “That’s amazing,” I breathed. “Even better than floating socks.”
    “What?” He stopped his pacing and hovered over the water. “Oh.” When he understood, he moved to my side. “Caitlin, I’m in a damnable situation. I want to help my sister find peace, but I don’t want to put you in danger.”
    A prickle of fear iced my spine before I tamped it down, impatient with myself. “I want to help her too.”
    He squatted down beside me. “Lass, you need to give some thought to this before you just jump head first into what could be a dangerous situation.”
    A light breeze lifted his shiny hair. I reached out to touch it before I realized what I’d started to do. My hand flopped back into my lap. “We don’t know that it will be dangerous.”
    “No, we don’t,” he admitted. “But I hadn’t expected the reaction we got to your plan tonight, either.”
    “That was a bit of a surprise. Who would want to keep them apart? Or have a vendetta against Wi—your friend.”
    The lamppost cast a yellow glow over the pool. Moths swarmed around the light in a crazy dance of death. My mind whirled with them, searching for an answer, while my body sank deeper into the cushions. “You talked about both of them, and there wasn’t a problem until I mentioned—”
    “Just don’t say it.”
    “Right.” I shifted. My pants were damp and uncomfortable. Even my underwear was wet. “Who did you know that had a crush on Anna?”
    He stared at me. “A crush on Anna? Half the male population of Ruby Falls.”
    “Well that narrows it down,” I groused.
    “I see where you’re going. You’re right, of course.” His eyes narrowed, and he tipped his head, an arrested expression on his features. “Lass, I could kiss you.”
    “Promises, promises.” I flapped my hand in a dismissive gesture.
    “If I had a bit more form to me, I’d take that as a dare and accept the challenge.”
    My breath caught in my throat. My tummy muscles loosened along with my knees. My arms rose of their own accord. His features grew more defined and his scent grew crisp. Sanity returned with a thump. I had to quit flirting with the ghost . I stood up and picked at my sticky slacks. A warm breeze plastered the material back against my skin. “Well, since I’m going to have to be up at the crack of dawn to catch Mom, I think I’ll turn in.”
    “Good idea. Maybe I’ll just surf the television.” His eyes gleamed, and he rubbed his hands together.
    Men and their toys . “Keep the sound down.”
    “Don’t push the up arrow on the little stick. On the remote,” he corrected himself.
    “Very good.” My ghost caught on quickly. As we reached the house, I didn’t even bother with the door. Sure enough, it opened. I was getting way too used to this. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
    “Good night, Caitlin.” He picked up the remote.
    “Good night.” I trotted to my room, shucked my clothes, and crawled into bed. Before I could formulate any plans for the next day, I fell asleep.
    * * * *
    The rich aroma of coffee woke me. Its damp heat tickled my nose. “Thanks, Marce,” I mumbled without opening my eyes.
    “You are welcome.”
    I jerked upright. The sheet fell to my waist. Liam and the coffee whisked to the other side of the room, his movements so smooth, the coffee didn’t even slosh over the side.
    “You fixed coffee for me.” A warm glow tingled somewhere between my heart and my tummy.
    “I read the directions.” He averted his face as we talked.
    I’d slept in my white lacy cami. Thank goodness my thong was covered. I pulled the