Page 49 of As Long As You Kiss Me

“What in the world?” He looked down to see the mouse scurry up his snowman pajama bottoms. He shrieked and started hopping around, shaking his pants’ leg in an attempt to knock the mouse off.

“It looks like you have a mouse problem here,” Jackson said. “You know, where there’s one, there are a lot more you aren’t seeing.”

Mason’s face went white. “You don’t say.”

Sully was backed into the corner next to the exit like she could inch her way out without Mason noticing. She looked absolutely terrified.

Hopefully, Mason wouldn’t do anything to retaliate. Sully had been through enough already.

Mason reached down to sweep the mouse from his leg but only howled in pain. “This thing bit me!” The mouse jumped down and scurried into the house behind Mason.

Jackson kept his face from showing the triumph he felt. “You know these older houses have a lot more problems keeping bugs and mice out,” Jackson said. “I don’t think the exterminator is even good enough.” He’d just made that last part up, but hopefully Mason would buy it. “It’s just something you’ll have to put up with. That’s probably why you were even able to find this place. No one wants to live in an infested property.”

The wolf spider chose that time to crawl up the wall about halfway up the stairwell. “Looks like you have a spider infestation too,” Jackson pointed out.

“What?” Mason screeched like a frightened little girl.

“It’s too bad. I just moved into an older house too. I have the same problem. Some of the spiders I’ve found have been huge. And they just keep coming. I can’t seem to get rid of them.”

Sully shuddered in the corner with her eyes glued to the spider. Mason darted back into the house.

“Should we go?” Jackson looked over at Sully.

Her eyes were wide with fear, and she seemed frozen in the spot.

“Are you okay?”

But she didn’t get a chance to answer because Mason came back out with a shoe. He gripped it and swung it at the spider, missing it barely. The spider ran up to the ceiling.

“Those spiders are hard to catch.” Jackson tried not to sound too happy about it. But he was proud of his little friend. He should have named the little guy. Hopefully, he’d get away, and Mason wouldn’t kill him.

The spider fled across the ceiling over Mason’s head. “That thing better not drop onto me.”

Now that would be funny. Only the spider didn’t. Instead, he rushed into the house to go join his buddy from the pet shop. Aww. How sweet now they could be together forever. At least until Mason found them and killed them.

“Well,” Jackson said. “It looks like we’d better go. Good luck with your pest problem.”

Mason scrunched up his face. “What’s that sound?”

In the midst of all the chaos, they’d forgotten to shut off the noisemaker.

“Looks like your place is haunted,” Jackson said. “They don’t have exterminators for ghosts. Unless you want to find a priest to do an exorcism for you. You might want to visit some of the local churches. You know how these old houses tend to keep ghosts around. All that history. I had heard that someone was murdered on this street. It must have been here.”

Mason looked like he was going to be ill. He turned and shut the door without saying goodbye to them. How rude.

Sully had hardly spoken through the entire exchange.

He brushed a hand across her cheek. “Are you ready to go?”

She nodded, taking the paper sack and boxes from him and stuffing them in the backpack where the leftover spiders were hanging out.

They stepped outside. He’d almost forgotten about the ladder. He contemplated coming back for it, but he might fall asleep and then Mason would find it in the morning when he left for work. If Mason caught him with the ladder now, he’d be busted for sure.

But it was the best option.

Sully clicked off the sound maker, and they took down the ladder together, lifting it to their shoulders as they headed back to the truck.

“I’m glad that’s over with.” Sully still sounded pretty shaken up.

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