“She sees hearts whenever she looks at me,” Landon supplied. “If you’re going to be in here, you should grab some files and go through them.”
“I didn’t come to look through files,” Aunt Tillie argued. “I came to watch Bay in action with this ghost. If she really did force him to stay behind, I think that means she can control him.”
“I think she proved with those other ghosts that she’s in control,” Landon said. “As for Hopper, he’s not here.”
“Not yet.” Aunt Tillie focused on me. “Call him. I want to meet his guy.”
I shifted on the floor, suddenly uncomfortable. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. What if I can’t get rid of him?”
“You’re the boss of him. You can get rid of him. Have you tried?”
“Not really.”
“Then you’re not a failure.”
I balked. “I wasn’t worried about being a failure.”
Aunt Tillie arched a dubious eyebrow. “Really?”
“I’m worried about being a failure now.”
“Just call him. I want to meet this guy. He sounds like a real tool.”
“He definitely sounds like a tool,” Thistle agreed. “Clove thinks he’s a relationship genius because he was giving her advice on her engagement. I don’t understand why she needs advice. She’s the one getting married — even though I’ve been dating Marcus longer than her — but she’s one of those idiots who buys self-help books, so it fits she would take advantage of this situation.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Wait ... are you jealous that Clove is getting married before you?”
“Of course not.”
She answered a little too fast. “You are. You’re jealous.”
“You’re jealous,” Thistle fired back. “You’re the oldest. If anyone should be jealous, it’s you. She’s basically turning you into a spinster.”
I wasn’t a fan of that word. “That is ridiculous,” I shot back. “I’m not a spinster.”
“You’ve been dating Landon longer than she’s been dating Sam.” Thistle refused to back down. “In fact, she moved in with Sam before Landon decided to move in with you. She’s been ahead of us this entire time ... even though she started out behind us.”
“You’re the one who sounds jealous.”
“You both sound jealous,” Aunt Tillie countered. “It feels as if you’re fourteen again and I’m stuck babysitting while you fight over the Hill boys. Do you remember them? Hoodlums each and every one. Two of them were handsome, and one looked as if he’d been run over by his father’s truck eight times in a row. You spent an entire summer squabbling about who was going to win their affections.”
“I won,” I pointed out. “Sebastian Hill totally fell for me.”
“He was only the second cutest,” Thistle argued. “Dickie Hill was cuter, and he fell for me.”
I snorted. “In your dreams.”
“I’m going to just assume that I’m cuter than both of them combined,” Landon interjected.
We ignored him and remained focused on each other.
“Dickie Hill had a bad name,” I reminded her. “Plus, I believe he’s bald now. Sebastian still has all his hair.”
“And a gut so big you can balance a pizza box and a case of beer on top of it.”
“Wait ... these guys are still in town?” Landon asked. “I want to meet them. I’m positive I’m better looking.”
“Yes, you’re a prince amongst men,” Aunt Tillie drawled. “That’s not the point.”
“I lost track of the point twenty minutes ago,” Landon complained.
“The point is that Thistle and Bay, while happy for Clove, both have their noses out of joint because Clove is winning this particular game,” she explained. “Thistle started dating Marcus first. She knew him from childhood. He should’ve proposed by now. I’m not sure why he hasn’t ... except for her attitude.”
“Hey!” Thistle glared. “I have a great attitude.”
“Yes, you’re sunshine and kittens every day of the week,” I agreed.
“You’re not innocent in this either, Bay,” Aunt Tillie charged. “You’ve been dating Landon longer than Clove and Sam have been together, too. You don’t seem stressed out regarding marriage — we all know it’s going to happen — but you’re still being a bit of a baby. It was easier before Clove set a date. Now she’s going to be married while you’re just living with your boyfriend. You can’t help being a little jealous.”
I didn’t like that she was right. I was a giving person. At least that’s the way I saw myself. I wanted Clove to be happy, and Sam made her happy. “You’re imagining things,” I groused.
“And you’re annoyed that I’m right.” Aunt Tillie puffed out her chest in triumph. “Ha! I won the argument. That proves I should’ve been in charge from the start.”
“I’m in charge and I want you to sit down and help us,” Landon instructed. “Getting Thistle and Bay worked up isn’t helping.”
“You just want me to stop talking about marriage because it gets your mind working,” Aunt Tillie countered. “You’re wondering if you’re behind, if you should’ve proposed already and if you’re somehow lacking in the romantic partner department. I can put your mind at ease. No one should work on anybody else’s timetable. You’re fine.
“Besides that, you and Bay have more to deal with than the others given her new powers and your job,” she continued. “You’re not behind. You’re right where you should be. Stop worrying about inconsequential stuff. That drives me crazy. You guys witch and moan about the stupidest things. There are more important things to worry about in this world.”
“Like what?” Thistle asked, genuinely curious.
“Like where that ghost is. I want to talk to him. I happen to love a good pervert ... especially if he’s dead.”
I risked a glance at Landon and found him watching me with speculative eyes. “I’m not jealous ... just so you know.”
“Okay.”
“We should probably look at these files,” I suggested lamely.
“I agree. Focus on the files. We’ll talk about the rest of it later.”
Oh, well, that was something to look forward to ... or not.
Twelve
We sorted the files. It took time to figure out Hopper’s system, but when we finally did we managed to weed out twenty that looked as if he took the low road when offering his services.
“I think that’s it.” Thistle stood and dusted off the seat of her jeans. “None of the rest have that notation for ‘special treatment’ like he has in Maxine’s file.”
“He’s only been in town a few years,” I noted. “That’s quite the number of special clients for that amount of time.”
Aunt Tillie, who finally got involved in the files when she recognized one of the names, was positively apoplectic by the time we’d finished. “I hate this guy!”
“You’re not the only one.” I glanced around the room. “We need to put the files back.”
“What about the ones we pulled out?” Thistle asked. “We can’t put those back. It will take forever to find them a second time.”
I risked a glance at Landon, whose nose was buried in Maxine’s file, and shook my head. “We can’t take them. That’s breaking the law.”
“We broke the law when we entered the house,” Aunt Tillie pointed out. “Why not continue our streak?”
“Because ... it’s not right.” Technically, I agreed with Aunt Tillie. I didn’t see the harm in taking the files. Plus, there was probably more to glean from each one. But Landon wouldn’t like that. “Tell them, Landon.”
Instead of answering straightaway, he closed the file and added it to the smaller stack. He groaned as he stood and stretched his arms over his head. When he finally spoke, I was flabbergasted by his response. “We’re taking them. We have to keep them at the guesthouse because I don’t want Chief Terry knowing what we did. We can’t explain it. If we have to sneak the files back into the house, we’ll
do it later. If I have to admit what we’ve done, that will be on me down the line.”
My mouth dropped open. “Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“But ... that’s stealing.”
“We’re already breaking and entering. We might as well add stealing to the list.”
“That’s what I said,” Aunt Tillie supplied, beaming. “I think we’ve been a good influence on you.”
Landon snickered as he bent over and scooped up the files. “I was thinking the opposite, but we’ll go with that.”
WE DROPPED AUNT TILLIE and Thistle at the inn before heading to the guesthouse. It was well after midnight by the time we slid into bed. My body ached from sitting on the floor so long.
“What do you think?” I murmured as Landon slipped his arm under my waist and drew me to him. “Do you think one of Hopper’s clients killed him?”
“I think that’s a good place to start.”
“How are you going to broach the subject with Chief Terry without letting him know what we did?”
“I haven’t decided yet.” He brushed a kiss against my forehead. “Go to sleep, Bay. We’ll strategize in the morning.”
“Okay. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
I was out within seconds and slipped into an odd dream minutes later. I recognized the location. It was the campground from when I was a kid. The area was a hive of activity, young Clove racing past me with a doughnut in her hand, black hair streaming behind her. She didn’t so much as look in my direction.
“What the ... ?” I jolted when a figure moved in at my right, pulling back sharply until I realized I recognized the individual invading my space. “Landon?”
“What are we doing here?” Landon glanced around the spacious campsite, obviously confused. “Where is this?”
“It’s the campground.”
“Which campground?” His eyebrows migrated north as he figured out the answer before I could help. “The campground where we met?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Mom is over there with Marnie making doughnuts.” I pointed for emphasis. “Aunt Tillie is over by the cabins with Thistle and Clove, which probably means I’m not far away.” I craned my neck to search. “I don’t know where I am, though.”
“Wait ... we’re in the same dream together?”
“Yeah. I think it’s my dream and I created a likeness of you to bring along for the ride.”
“Why can’t it be my dream?”
“Because I’m fully aware of what’s happening. That means it’s my dream.”
“I’m aware, too.”
“Yeah, but ... huh.” I rubbed my cheek and shifted so I could see the large picnic tables to the right of the cooking area. “There’s Chief Terry.”
Landon followed my gaze and smiled. “He had a bit more hair then, huh? I bet helping you guys through your teen years caused him to lose it.”
“He still has a full head of hair.”
“He’s getting a bald spot.” Landon twirled his finger around his crown. “I’m worried I’m going to lose my hair one day because you guys might make it fall out with your antics.”
“You were with us for our antics tonight. It was voluntary. I would’ve snuck out of the house without you if it came to it. You insisted on participating.”
“That’s because I prefer being part of the group.”
“Even when we break the law?”
“Always.” Landon linked his fingers with mine as he watched the show. “There’s my brother.” He smiled when a young boy let loose a loud bellow and mimed smacking his chest like King Kong. “He always was an embarrassment in public.”
I snickered and came to attention when I caught sight of a blond head out of the corner of my eye. When I tilted in that direction, I found what I was looking for. “I’m over there.”
Landon walked with me so we could have a better view, his expression softening when he saw the younger version of me sitting under a tree. “What are you doing?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea. I might have been pouting. I seem to remember Mom being down on me because I was overwrought about the ghost I was seeing.”
“Is the ghost here now?”
I shook my head. “I don’t see her. She was haunting me. She wanted to be found.”
“You found her. I remember. You found a body. That’s all my brothers could talk about when we got home.”
“I went off to find the body myself,” I clarified. “I was angry that Mom wouldn’t allow it, so I took off. Chief Terry and Mom followed, and he gave me one of his patented ‘You’ll understand when you get older’ speeches. I remember being furious at the time, but he was right. I understand why they didn’t want me wandering around without supervision.”
“You obviously survived.”
“Yeah. I ... .” I trailed off when a dark-haired boy with familiar blue eyes broke away from the male pack and headed in young Bay’s direction. “That’s you.”
“It is.” Landon’s grin widened. “I was an operator even then. Look at that. I bet I’m smooth talking you.”
We weren’t close enough to hear the conversation, which was fine. I doubted that we said anything all that illuminating. Simply watching the interaction was entertaining enough, especially when Landon’s younger self sat on the ground next to teenaged me and launched into a long tale about ... something.
“What do you think you were saying?” I asked.
“I think I was laying the groundwork for when we would meet again. That’s why you practically melted at my feet when we met in that cornfield fourteen years later. Part of you remembered me and you were warm for my form all those years.”
I made a face. “I did not like you the day we met. I thought you were a tool.”
“Don’t cover up your feelings.”
“I’m not covering up my feelings. I thought you were a tool.”
“You liked me and you know it.” He poked my side, his eyes alive with memories and magic. “This is really cool. I can’t believe you managed to do it.”
I balked. “I didn’t do this. You’re not even really here.”
“Oh, I’m here. If you didn’t do it, how did it happen?”
“I made it happen, Skippy,” Aunt Tillie announced, appearing beside us. She looked the same as she had when we broke into Hopper’s house, including the same clothes and jacket. “I thought you might enjoy it.”
“You did this?” I didn’t understand. “Why?”
“Because I wanted to remember, too,” she admitted. “I don’t know that I particularly remember Landon at this age — he looks like a goof, doesn’t he? — but it’s nice to see you guys together.”
“I do not look like a goof,” Landon argued. “I look young and strapping.”
“Oh, please.” Aunt Tillie rolled her eyes. “You look like you weigh a hundred pounds soaking wet. You clearly hadn’t come into your own yet.”
“I was always a smooth operator.”
“No, you weren’t.” Aunt Tillie was matter-of-fact. “If you were a smooth operator, Bay wouldn’t have trusted you ... and she clearly trusts you. That means you were sweet and probably dorky, because that’s how she was before she grew up to be cynical.”
“I was always cynical,” I argued. “You taught me to be cynical.”
“I taught you to be a survivor ... and maybe cynical,” she conceded. “I wanted to make sure no one took advantage of you. The same with Clove. I never worried about that with Thistle. I had to watch her for other things.”
“Like what?”
“Taking advantage of those weaker than her,” she replied. “There are all types of kids, Bay. You and Landon were clearly sweet and basically nerds. Clove was sweet with a hint of manipulation running through her. And Thistle, well, she was something else entirely.”
Aunt Tillie had a nostalgic streak. It survived despite her hard demeanor, and it was one of my favorite things about her. “Why did you give us this?”
“I already told you. I thought it would be fun ... for me, too.”
“You did it for us.”
“I did it because you need to calm yourself, Bay,” Aunt Tillie corrected. “You’re dealing with a lot. I get that. The simpler things in life are still there for the taking. Nothing that’s happened uproots your life. It merely enhances it.”
“I’ve been telling her that from the start,” Landon grumbled. “She doesn’t listen.”
“She listens. It just takes time for the truth to infiltrate that hard head of hers.” For emphasis, Aunt Tillie rapped the side of my head and smiled. “I’m heading off. You guys can hang out here a bit longer if you want, but it’s probably best to let it go.
“The past is fun to reminisce about, but the present is more important,” she continued. “Focus on the present and let the rest float away. Everything will come together the way it’s supposed to.”
I WAS ENERGIZED when I woke, a good night’s sleep easing the aches and pains I’d felt when I dropped off. I shifted my eyes to Landon and watched as he greeted the day, enjoying the way he stretched his lanky body and smiled.
“Good morning, Sweetie.” He gave me a soft kiss. “How did you sleep?”
“Great. I feel good.”
“Me, too.”
I doubted that Landon would remember the dream. The odds of him being there were slim, no matter what Aunt Tillie said. Still, when he smiled at me, my heart pinged. “Did you dream?”
“Yes.”
“About what?”
“You should know. You were in the dream with me.”
I stilled. “Seriously? You remember that?”
“Did you think I wouldn’t?”
“I didn’t know if it was real,” I admitted. “I thought maybe I dreamed all of it.”
“We dreamed it together, and it was nice. Aunt Tillie was right, though. We need to reminisce about it and then move on. We’re exactly where we’re supposed to be.”
“Yeah.” I fluttered my fingers over his cheek. “I’m kind of hungry. I bet they have bacon up at the inn.”
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