“I’ll do my best. See you Monday.”
“And you’re sure this is all legit?” Laney pours us both glasses of wine.
I take my glass and lean back, looking at Hunter, who’s running around the yard. The ghost with the scraggly blonde hair hasn’t been back, and I’m a little disappointed. Though, the sun is just now starting to set. Maybe he only appears at night? “Everything checks out, and my mom said she’d heard rumors that Aunt Estelle was super rich. She just never understood how since Aunt Estelle worked as a teacher at some private boarding school, which isn’t exactly the highest-paying job.”
“Did your mom know her well? It was her aunt, right?”
“Right. And she said no, and that she didn’t even know she had an aunt until she was a teenager. I guess Aunt Estelle and my grandma had some sort of falling out, but then after my grandma was diagnosed with cancer, they made up.”
“She definitely seems like an interesting lady.” Laney takes a sip of her wine. “Too bad she’s dead.”
“Right? I’d love to talk to her.”
“Well, you can, can’t you?” Laney raises her brows. “The last time we had a séance, I couldn’t sleep for a week, but if you want to try and contact the spirit of your dead great-aunt, I’ll sit in with you. As long as you give me a cut of your inheritance.”
I laugh. “Come to Indiana with me next weekend so I don’t have to be alone and I’ll write you into the will.”
“Hah. I wish I could, but it’s my weekend at the hospital.”
I make a face. “I’ll hate myself later, but I might ask Harrison if he wants to come. Though he’ll just bitch about not getting a dime of the—”
“She didn’t leave anything to Harrison?” Laney’s brown eyes widen.
“Everything went to me.” I slowly shake my head. “It’s really weird, Laney. So fucking weird.”
“It is. And don’t be scared to travel alone,” she goes on, knowing me all too well. “I spent a semester in Italy and knew no one when I first got there. I survived that first week and then made some amazing friends.”
“I know.” I swirl my wine around in the glass, not wanting to drink since I drank quite a bit at the bar yesterday and because I don’t want to struggle any more than I do to keep the shields up. “Being alone in that house for two nights kind of freaks me out. If I could take Hunter, I’d feel a lot better.”
“Can you? I’ve never traveled by plane with a large dog, but can’t you buy him a seat? Tell people he’s your emotional support dog. He’s well-behaved enough for people to believe you.”
“They would, but he’d hate traveling. I’ll suck it up and will do my best not to get kidnapped or murdered in my century-old farmhouse in the middle of nowhere.”
“You were right. That is so fucking weird. You own a house.”
“Everything checked out, but it still seems too good to be true.”
“You’re not going to leave me, are you? Don’t move to whatever-hill Indiana.”
“Thorne Hill, and no, of course not! You’re here, my family is here, and my job is here.” I set the glass of wine on the table. “If I was going to move away from Syracuse, I’d go somewhere warm at least.”
Laney laughs. “Too bad you didn’t inherit a house on the coast in California.”
“Right? A beach house in Southern California would have been amazing come winter. Or sooner. The temps are supposed to drop the next few days.”
“I love fall, but it goes by way too fast.”
“It really does. Let’s actually go to Green Lake this year to see the fall leaves. We say we’re going to but haven’t in, what, three years?”
“Maybe even four. Being an adult sucks sometimes. But yes, let’s go. I’m on a better schedule this year than last, and you are too. I wish the hospital would go to twelve hour shifts like your clinic does. Most do. They’re behind.” Laney rolls her eyes and takes another drink of wine.
Hunter, who’s been busy tossing a dog toy up in the air, suddenly drops it and races over, whizzing past us and pawing at the door.
“What is it?” I ask him, scooting my chair out to get up and let him inside. No sooner am I up does the doorbell ring. “Oh, the pizza is here.” Laney and I grab our drinks and go inside.
“You know I gotta ask,” Laney starts, picking up a slice of pizza. “What exactly happened last night?”
I grab napkins from the cabinet I call my pantry, trade my wine for water, and join her at the little kitchen table. “To make a long story short, Travis Morrison from high school was all flirty with me, I got it in my head it would be fun and rewarding to prove that I’m not the loser I was in high school, and it turns out that’s exactly what I am to him and he thought I’d be begging for his dick in order to feel cool.”