“Try me.”
His heart pounded as he read the understanding in her eyes. And he told her. All of it.
She never even flinched.
“And you think the voice is Peggy?”
“Yeah. Maybe.” He looked away. “I told you it was crazy.”
“I don’t think it’s crazy at all.” She waited for him to look at her. “Like I said before…I believe there are things in this world science and logic can’t explain.” She paused. “Why do you think she speaks to you? Did you…know her well?” She failed to cover the other unspoken question in her voice.
“No. I only talked to her a time or two here. I did my best to hide when Eva started having single women as guests.”
Her fingers rubbed absent circles on his chest. “I read somewhere that spirits can sometimes attach themselves to someone for no apparent reason.”
“To be honest, I felt sorry for her. She seemed, I don’t know, lost maybe. She and Eva were having a late dinner one night when I got home. I had dessert with them and left as soon as I could.” Those grey orbs held hers. “I meant what I said, Sam…no other woman has been in here.”
She kissed his nose. “I know.” She looked away, then back to him. “…I found her body because something called me there.”
His brow furrowed. “What do you mean, called you there?”
She couldn’t meet his fierce gaze as she told him about her first trip to the lake, the cold air around her, and the feeling of being pulled toward where the body lay buried. “That’s why I went back. I had to know if it was real or imagined.” She sat up, oblivious to the fact she was naked in his bed. “It was worse the second time.” She wrapped her arms around her middle as she recalled finding the grave, the crushing sense of loss. “The sadness was overwhelming.”
“So…you’re a psychic?”
The way he said the word psychic bothered her, and she paused. “Not psychic. I just sometimes sense strong emotions in other people, though it doesn’t happen very often. And never like it did with Peggy.”
“How does it work? This sensing thing?”
Unsure of his reaction, she hesitated.
“I’m trying hard to understand, Sam. I am. I’m way out of my comfort zone with this crap.” He reached for her hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it to sound like I thought what you said was crap. I meant…hell, I don’t know what I meant beyond I’m just trying to understand some really weird stuff.”
“…I don’t know. It…just happens sometimes.” She rubbed the top of his hand. “It happened a little bit with the first body. With Peggy…it was so much more intense.” She lifted a shoulder, didn’t look at him. “Like I said, there’s no rhyme or reason to it. It just happens.”
They remained silent for several heartbeats, each trying to process something way beyond their ability to interpret.
“Okay,” she said at last, “let’s just agree some things can’t be explained away and go from there.” She glanced at the clock on his night stand. “Oh my goodness! It’s after midnight. Eva came home hours ago. What if she heard us?”
He pulled her down beside him. “Let’s get some sleep. You wore me out.”
“I can’t stay here all night. And besides, I need a shower.”
“Why can’t you stay?”
“Duh. She’ll know.”
His devilish grin made her heart jump. “You’re noisy. I’m betting she already does.”
Face burning hot, she slapped at his shoulder. “I am not.”
“Are, too.” He pulled the sheet up over them and kissed the top of her head. “I need sleep. We can shower in the morning.”
Common sense urged her to argue, to get up and retreat to her own room, but common sense was no match for the rightness of lying beside him, and she snuggled closer.
One thought danced around her head as exhaustion claimed her: I love you Cooper Delaney. Ghosts and all.
Tuesday morning
Coop threw his hat toward the rack in the corner and fell into his chair. His day got off to a great start with Sam in his bed, but took a decided downward turn when he entered the office of Ruby’s Diner a few minutes ago. He had avoided the place for weeks, but since rumors would fly, he needed to tell Ruby once again, they could never be more than friends.
She didn’t seem surprised by the news, even wished him well, but the hurt in her eyes made him feel like the devil incarnate.
“You never made your feelings a secret, Coop,” she’d said, “I hoped things might shift, of course, but we’ve been friends a long time. That will never change.”
The trek back to the office allowed him a few minutes to work off the anger he held against himself. He disliked hurting innocent people. And he did care about Ruby, just not like she wanted.
He caught a whiff of Sam’s perfume when he reached over to power up the old computer, and more pleasant memories interrupted his concentration. Sam, last night in his bed, and this morning in the shower.
Pleasant company and good-humored conversation at breakfast, and then a kiss goodbye as he left for work. Everything absent from his life, suddenly there.
It was a lot to take in.