Page 79 of Feels Like Home

My smile could be seen from themoon.

I hum in response rather than say something embarrassing, and hechuckles.

It’s low and makes my stomachflutter.

“What are you doingtomorrow?”

I smile into the receiver. “No plans,yet.”

“Don’t make any. The boys and I want to take you somewhere. I think they knew they would need a distraction aftertoday.”

“You guys want to take mesomewhere?”

“Well, honest moment. It’s not really somethingIwant to do. But the boys want togo.”

“What’sthat?”

“They want to take you to this ridiculously dumb haunted house that apparently is so awesome it can’t be contained to just Halloween, so it’s opening for two weeks at the end of spring for people willing to test it out, whatever that means. It’s a new one, and they’re using some new pyrotechnics. The boys found out about it online, of course. The goal is to get people talking about it until it actually opens, or something like that. Apparently, there are some complete freaks out there who actually like this sort of shit and want to be scared. Which is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard ofbut…”

“They?” I interrupt, not caring aboutwhenthe haunted house is but latched onto hearing that the boys were wanting to includeme.

“Are you going to just keep askingquestions?”

“Well, you’re not exactly giving me muchinformation.”

“I don’t really like getting scared,” hemurmurs.

I can’t help it — a bubble of laughter bursts out ofme.

“Are youserious?”

“Oh, I’m deadserious.”

“You do know the purpose of haunted houses is to be scared,right?”

“Oh, I know. Trust me. But the boys love it. They can’t get enough. And they begged me to call you so you could comealong.”

My heart is so full with that onesentence.

“Really?”

“You mean the world to us,Christine.

Us.

“Ditto.”

“Tomorrow. Be ready. You better wear flats because you could end up carrying me on your back out ofthere.”

“You’re really thatscared?”

“I didn’t say Iamscared. I said I hatebeingscared,” he says like that’s anydifferent.

“I have a feeling this is going to befun.”

“You like hauntedhouses?”

“Not like. Love. I lovethem.”

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