Page 33 of The Ghost of You

I crackmy neck as I climb up off my knees on the front deck. I am almost done. A few more feet of boards and then it will be finished. Of course then I need to do the railings and sand and stain the entire thing.

I grab a Gatorade off the table in the front yard where the table saw is and chug half of it down. It’s a nice day, perfect weather for working outside, but the physical labor is making me sweat. I grab the bottom of my shirt and wipe my face off just as Anna pulls into her drive.

My phone beeps with a text.

Mason: Dude you didn’t tell me you were living next totheAnna May Cooper!

Me: You met her the other night.

Mason: But I didn’t know who she was!

Who she was?What is he talking about?

Me: You are going to need to clarify.

Mason: One of my favorite indie musicians from the beginning of the decade.

Me: Great clarity there.

I watch her get out of her car and grab her guitar. I forgot she was meeting up with Mason today. The fact that she is home means he didn’t seduce her. That’s a win for me.

Mason: If you listened to something other than soft rock you might know, asshole.

Anna sets her guitar on her porch but then turns around and starts walking toward me.

Me: Great convo bro. TTYL

Mason: No one uses that anymore

I shake my head and put my phone back in my pocket.

“Howdy there neighbor,” Anna says as her cheeks flame.

“Ugh howdy?”

She jams her hands into the pocket of her hoodie. “Sorry I’m just—ugh, it’s weird. Never mind.”

“What?” I ask as Brutus jumps on her and she scratches behind his ears.

“I’m just like on a high right now and I get weird sometimes. I’m just going to go back to my house.”

She’s high? What did my brother give her? And why would she be telling a cop?

She must sense my confusion because she goes back to stuttering. “Sorry, oh my god I’m a mess,” she says putting her face in her hands. “I just haven’t played like that in years and it gives me this adrenaline rush and it’s almost like a high and gosh now I am babbling. I am just gonna go.”

I smile as she starts to leave. This babbling woman is adorable right now and even though I shouldn’t want her, I do, nothing is going to change that. But I won’t act on it.

I grab her arm and turn her around. “You don’t have to go. It’s cute.” I let go of her arm and run my hand through her hair. “So you had a good day?”

“Amazing! Thank you so much for introducing me to your brother. I haven’t played or written or had as much fun as I did today in over seven years.”

“I’m glad I introduced you then.”

She grabs my hand and pulls me closer to her. I can count the freckles running across her nose and smattering her cheeks. “I mean it, Noah. Thank you. I needed that so bad. And I’ve denied myself for years the pleasure of playing so freely. If it wasn’t for you, I would still be cooped up in my sunroom playing for just myself. So thank you.”

I don’t know what to say to her. I didn’t think it would mean that much to her. I thought she would just like to play some music, maybe record a bit. I don’t know how long I stand there, searching her hazel eyes for some deeper truth behind her words. It’s not until she clears her throat and pulls away I realize how close we were standing. The loss of her body heat near mine shocks my system and I find words again.

“You’re welcome. I’m glad it meant something.”

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