“Why do you think so?” Cas asked, eyes narrowed.
“Little things,” Guy said. “Lights flicker off and on at weird times. Or I’ll hear footsteps down the hall. Once, when I was in the kitchen, the TV turned itself on to a baseball game.” He chuckled. “I hate baseball.”
“Spooky,” Abby said.
“The building is old,” Guy continued, “but I feel a different energy in there.”
“I’d love to investigate,” Cas said, and I choked on my water. “I have a talent for feeling out different energies myself.”
“Oh yeah?” Guy’s smile was tight, like he couldn’t tell if Cas were messing with him or not. Which the demon most definitely was.
“Yeah,” Cas drawled. “I have something of an ability to communicate with those who are no longer with us.”
“Shut up!” Abby swatted his arm. “Like, you’re psychic?” She looked to Guy. “We have to go to your place.”
“No, we really don’t,” I put in, shooting Cas another helpless glance.
“I have a bottle of ’94 Terreno I’ve been waiting to try,” Guy said with a grin. “After dinner, we’ll go to my place and talk to some ghosts.”
“Yay!” Abby clapped her hands together.
“Yay,” Cas agreed.
An hour later, I pulled him aside while Guy stood with Abby on the sidewalk, calling an Uber. “What are you doing?”
“‘I find And Death Shall Have No Dominion to be more arresting,’” Cas mimicked and rolled his eyes. “Is he always that pretentious?”
I glanced down. “You sound jealous. But I guess that’s part of the plan, right?”
Cas hadn’t heard, still ranting. “And if that man’s house is haunted, I’m a swamp imp.”
“So you have to prove him wrong?”
“I’d rather prove him extremely right and deprive him of sleep for a week.”
“Cas,” I warned.
He blinked, the picture of innocence. “Are we not rivals for your hand?”
“If you make a fool of Guy, he’s not going to be super keen to hang out with me in the future. I’ll be guilty by association.”
Guy waved us over to the Uber.
“Just don’t do anything scary,” I muttered as we headed over.
The demon’s grin was unnervingly cheery. “Who, me?”
Guy had a cozy apart
ment in the meat-packing district with exposed brick walls and a view of the Hudson.
“Make yourselves at home,” he said, giving me a warm smile as we stepped inside. “I’ll see to the vino.”
Abby nudged me. “Why don’t you see if he could use some help?”
Before I could answer, she plopped herself on the couch next to Cas, leaving no room for anyone in between. I headed to the kitchen, listening to his low voice and her answering peal of laughter.
Guy’s kitchen was all wood and glass with a half-dozen houseplants for added warmth. For a bachelor pad, it was homey and welcoming, like Guy himself.