“Um.”
She turned to bring his plate to the table and stopped. His shoulders sagged and his head drooped forward, then jerked back up, the coffee in his cup sloshing out.
The man was falling asleep in the chair.
She put the plate in front of him. “You need to eat and go to bed. You’re dead on your feet.”
He jerked upright and shook his head. “Sorry. Guess I’m more tired than I thought.”
She went to the sink and wet the end of a towel. “At least wipe your hands first. No telling what’s on them.”
The dark beard stubble emphasized a weak smile. “Yes, Mother.” He dutifully wiped his face and hands, then proceeded to scarf down the roast beef and vegetables with renewed vigor.
She refilled their cups and sat down across from him.
A strange expression crossed his face as he nodded toward her laptop. “You believe in ghosts?”
The question sounded more curious than critical, but she stiffened anticipating ridicule. “I…believe there are things in this world we can’t explain.”
“Like ghosts?”
“You don’t believe they exist?”
He ducked his head and forked another bite into his mouth. “Never thought much about it.”
“I think this place has one.” Crap. He’ll think I’m nuts.
A coughing spell followed the remark, and she waited for him to regain his composure.
At last, he sat up straight, the light in his eyes electric. “You think we have a ghost? Here?”
Nervous now, she fidgeted in her seat. Why did she speak out loud? Paul mocked her mercilessly when she told him of her belief in ghosts. Would Coop do the same thing?
“Well, I haven’t actually seen one, it’s more of a feeling. Cold spots, the sense of not being alone, strange sounds. That sort of thing.”
“And it doesn’t frighten you?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“It doesn’t…feel evil.” She closed the top on her computer. “You must think I’m crazy.”
“Why would I think that?”
A long exhale preceded her reply. “Some folks think it’s a silly notion.” Paul said I was crazy to believe my grandmother sometimes visited me when I was scared or troubled.
He watched closely. Too closely. “What makes you so sure they exist?”
She met his steady gaze, trying to determine how to answer. What the hell. Cat’s already out of the bag. “Sometimes I hear her voice. My grandmother. And I smell gardenias where none exist. She loved gardenias. That’s how I know she’s close.” She held her breath and waited for him to tell her how ridiculous that sounded.
Instead, he nodded and sipped his coffee. “Your research tell you why ghosts hang around after they’re dead?”
She sensed an underlying intensity he tried to mask. This wasn’t a conversational question. He really wanted to know. Why?
“Well, there are different schools of thought. Personally, I think they either have some unfinished business or they’re keeping an eye on a loved one.”
His head came up and those mesmerizing grey orbs locked on hers. “So you think she’s keeping an eye on you?”
She squared her shoulders, daring him to make fun of her. “Yes. We were very close.”
He maintained eye contact, face giving away none of his thoughts. “Is the car hers? You said it was special.”
“Yes. She taught me to drive in it. My grandfather died when I was five, and she came to live with us. Mother worked odd hours at the hospital, so Granny looked after me.”
He offered no comment as he finished his meal, wiped his hands with the towel, and reached for his plate. “I hate to leave good company, but I’m beat. Thanks for doing this.”
“Leave it. I promised Eva I would take care of you. I mean, see to it you ate when you got home.” She stood and took the plate from his hand. “Go to bed, Dee. Now. Doctor’s orders.”
He stopped at the door to the dining room, glancing over his shoulder, features softened by tired grin.
Her stomach fluttered like it did the first time she rode the roller coaster at Six Flags, only more extreme. He was so damned good looking. And sexier than any man had a right to be.
“A friendly ghost, huh?”
His gravelly voice, deepened by fatigue, and a spark of amusement in those stormy eyes, sent the sensuality level off the charts.
It was impossible not to return his disarming smile. “Yep.”
