Page 46 of Ghost

“No, but what are we supposed to do?”

“I was thinking that you and the kid should move in with me.” He said it so matter of factly, like he’d already thought it all out. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. You could do all those things you were wanting to do, and it gets Toby in a better situation.”

I was stunned—head-spinning kind of stunned, so I said the first thing that came to mind. “But I thought you lived here.”

“I have a room here, but I don’t actuallylivehere.”

“But you’re here all the time.”

“I’m here because I’ve had reason to be.”

I thought back over the past couple of months, and it wasn’t hard to figure out why he’d been here so much. “So, you can watch over me and Toby.”

“Partly, but I would’ve been here anyway.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because you’re here.” He gave me a half-shrug. “Look, I’m not talking about shacking up,at least not yet. For now, nothing much will change. You’ll have your room, and Toby will have his. And we will carry on like we do here. It’ll give you both a chance to get out of the clubhouse and have more of astablesituation.”

“Stable, huh?”

“Well, yeah. You can start thinking about doing all those things you were wanting to do... You can get that job at a coffee shop or wherever, and Toby can start back in school. And I can keep an eye on you while you do it.”

“And there’s no ulterior motives?”

“I didn’t say that,” he chuckled. “But you gotta admit, it’s a win-win.”

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to say here.” My stomach was turning somersaults as I told him, “I’ve made some not-so-great decisions that Toby and I are still paying for. I really don’t want to make another.”

“I’m not asking you to wear my name on your back or put my ring on your finger. I’m asking you to let me keep you and Toby safe. That’s it.” He turned where he was directly facing me before adding, “I’m not gonna lie. There’s something here with you and me, and I want a chance to figure out what it is. I can’t do that if you’re a hundred miles away.”

“And what if this thing between us turns out to be nothing.”

“It won’t.”

“Okay, what if it all goes south.”

“It won’t,” he answered confidently. “But if, by some off-the-wall chance, something did happen, then we would find you a different place to live, and life goes on. You still have a chance to get back on your feet.”

“You make it sound simple.”

“It’s only hard if you make it hard.”

“Okay. We’ll give it a try, but I’m not making any promises. This idea of yours could be a huge mistake.”

“Or maybe it won’t be. Won’t know unless we try.”

I leaned back on the sofa and studied him for a moment, and while I had my doubts, his confidence in this crazy idea was contagious. “Can I talk to Toby about it?”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay, then, I’ll talk to him and let you know.”

I thoughtfor a moment more and continued, “I know this might sound silly, but if we do this, could you call me Casey? Notall the time. Just when we’re at your house?” I grimaced as I admitted, “Whitney’s an okay name and all, but it just feels off when you say it.”

“I get it. I’m sure the whole name change thing had to be tough, but using your real name isn’t a good idea. One slip up and...”

“You’re right. I just don’t really feel like a Whitney, you know?”

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