“It was only a dollar,” Evan said.
I spit out my coffee, spewing it all over Zeke across the table. Luna covered her mouth and giggled, and Ezra and Evan hollered with boisterous laughter. Zeke’s eyes were closed as he nodded, then wiped his
face off with his hands, spitting out the coffee I got into his mouth.
Whoops.
“That was real nice. Nothing like a good coffee shower.”
“I’m sorry, Zeke. I just, I thought Evan said the entire Hampton place was a dollar.”
“It was.” Zeke wiped his face in impatient movements. He’d have to shower again. Brown specs of coffee glistened in his blonde hair. “No one wanted that place. Everyone believes it is haunted, and with half of the mansion being ash, people think its damned or cursed or something. I swear, if you get me killed when we leave there, I am going to haunt your ass! Damn it; I smell like coffee. I’m going to shower again.” He tossed a napkin on the table and pushed back from the table. The chair legs rubbed against the floor, making a shrilling nose. “Excuse me, Luna,” he said to her sweetly, a little too sweet if you asked me.
“You’re excused,” she said, biting that bottom lip, which drove me insane. She slid the paperwork toward me and tilted her head, giving me her beautiful green eyes that I wanted to look at for the rest of my life.
“You’re going to live with us, right? You’re going to live with me?”
Her mouth fell open, then closed, opened again, and then closed. All eyes were on her. I didn’t mean to put her on the spot, but the words just spewed out before I could stop them.
“Um, can I think about it? My dad is sick, and they need my help.”
My heart sank, but at the same time, I understood completely. Her parents needed her right now. I couldn’t be selfish. I brought her hand to my lips and kissed the sweet, soft knuckles. “Absolutely, Luna. There is no pressure.” I meant it. I hoped her dad beat this cancer, and then she could move in with me.
I wanted us to finally start our lives together. They had been put on hold for way too long. I was getting anxious like if we didn’t start our future now, we never would. Patience was key right now, but I had been patient for far too many years. Now I actually had the woman of my dreams, and I had to wait.
It was torture.
“Shit,” Evan sighed as he stared at his phone. Another beep rang, and Zeke cursed from the restroom, then turned the shower off.
I didn’t like the look on his face. His face was masked in stone, but his knuckles were white from how tight he held the phone. “What?” I finally managed to voice.
“Another fire.”
At this rate, the entire town was going to burn, and we were nowhere closer to figuring out who was starting them, killing people, ruining lives, and placing fear in the residents of Camden.
Chapter Nineteen
Luna
I was trying out a different café in town. I wasn’t going to support the coffee place that didn’t support my best friend. Speaking of, Oliver sat down next to me with his vanilla latte
and London sat on the other side of me, drinking her chai tea.
It had been three days since the fire at the high school. Luckily, no one was injured this time. People were chalking it up to an accident, but I wasn’t so sure.
“You know, I’ve been thinking,” Oliver said, tapping his chin. “What if it’s that inmate from the state prison?”
“In Camden? No way.” London shook her head, and the tendrils of her red hair flowed over her shoulders. It was straight as a board but shiny and beautiful. The color was unlike anything I had ever seen, and she had no freckles, just pale skin that matched the snow falling outside. “Who would want to come here? It’s off the map.”
“Maybe that’s why,” I said. I couldn’t stop the feeling in my stomach. The one that told me the fires were far from over and that others were going to get hurt.
“Okay, let’s talk about a happy subject. The fires are depressing, and Kathy and Rocky’s funerals are coming up, and I just can’t with all the sadness, okay?” Oliver said, leaving no room for argument. “Luna, how is the shop? Actually scratch that. How is the man?” He sipped the foam on his coffee a little too loudly as he locked those curious blue eyes on me.
I hadn’t been able to update them because I had spent the last three days with Easton, and it was like the entire world faded away. “Good,” I squeaked, trying not to blush, but my cheeks betrayed me. Damn, I hated my fair skin.
“Good?” Oliver mocked. “Good! Are you kidding me? That is all we get? No juicy details?” He slapped his hand on the table and gawked. “This is slander, no! It’s pure blasphemy.”
London chuckled. “He is right. We want some details.”