Page 12 of Road Trip With the Ghost Hunter

“Honey,” she looked up at Jeremy.

“Got it, Starlight.” He leaned down and kissed her chastely before addressing me. “Mind showing me your car? I’ll help with the bags.”

“Sure. We didn’t know where to park.” I walked up to Li and instinctively touched her lower back. “You sure you’re okay with this?” I asked quietly.

Her body stiffened at first contact, then relaxed into my hand. “It’s a typical movie or book plot, but we’ll be fine.”

Confused at what she was referencing, I nodded and followed Jeremy downstairs.

I was sharing a bed with a woman I met this morning. She was making light of the situation, but the nagging feeling in my gut warned me it was going to be a long night.

A very long night.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Li

I literally just read a romance with the whole one-bed trope three nights ago. This could not be real life. Dawn was spectacular, and I wanted to be her when I grew up. She was probably only five or so years older than me, but she was great. Once she left the room, it all sank in. The space was gorgeous. Everything was more modernly decorated than I expected a small town bed and breakfast to be. I almost didn’t want to sit on the well-made bed and wrinkle it.

I opened the balcony door next to the large, wide window showcasing the lake below and stepped outside. The air was balmy with that signature of Summer, but at least there was a light breeze making the heat bearable. Leaning on the railing, I looked out at the vast lake that twinkled from the sun’s rays bouncing off. I couldn’t remember the last time I slept in the same bed with another man. The last few guys I dated for longer than a month tried to get me to stay sometimes, but I always went back home.

It’s definitely been years. Looking over my shoulder, I studied the king-sized bed. At least it was big enough. Surely, I could put a pillow fort down the middle. Would that be too childish? Sighing, I headed back inside just as Jeremy, Dawn’s husband, and Lucas came back carrying our bags.

“Thank you so much for this,” I mentioned to Jeremy as he laid Lucas’s duffel bag on the beautiful, sleek wooden bench at the end of the bed.

“You’re welcome.” His voice was deep and quiet. He had a calming presence. Respectfully, as soon as the bags were set, Jeremy stepped back between the frame of the door. “Dawn wanted to know if you two would be interested in our kitchen providing dinner tonight? We have a dining hall, or we could deliver it to the room.”

“Oh. That’s so nice,” I looked at Lucas. His eyes asked, so I nodded.

“That would be great. I’ll be out a bit late tonight, but bring mine to the room. I’ll heat it up when I return,” Lucas said, opening his backpack and rifling through it.

“Oh, nonsense,” Dawn entered. I tried to keep my curiosity neutral, though a hundred questions buzzed in my head. Where was he going tonight? Was he leaving me here alone?

“You call down when you get back, and we’ll be sure to bring you up a fresh plate,” Dawn continued. Lucas opened his mouth, but she interrupted. “No, sir. I will not have you going to bed without a proper meal in your belly. You two have a long drive tomorrow.”

“Trust me when I say, just accept with a smile. There’s no winning with Starlight,” Jeremy said in his quiet way.

Lucas glanced over but quickly focused back on Dawn. “That’s kind of you. Thank you.”

“Starlight,” Jeremy almost whispered.

“Right,” Dawn perked up. “Well, you two get settled. There’re some cute shops within walking distance if you’d like to go for a walk. If you two need anything else, please let us know.”

“Thank you, we will,” I said, my smile a bit forced. My mind was still racing with questions.

Once they left, an awkward hush settled. Lucas continued going through his bag. I didn’t know what to do with my hands or anything, really.Oh, just ask already, Li.

“You’re going somewhere?” Was that nonchalant? Casual?

He paused, not looking at me, then continued to remove things from the backpack and set them on the bed. “Uh. Yeah. I actually chose this stop because it was nearby somewhere I have to check out tonight.”

“Oh.” I tucked my hands in my sweatshirt pockets. “So,” I started, slightly rocking back on my heels. “Want company?” I mean, what else was I going to do here alone?

He froze again, keeping his head down. I could tell my essentially inviting myself made him uncomfortable, but in addition to not wanting to be bored and alone, I was very curious about this mysterious errand.

Clearing his throat, which seemed to be something he did when he was thrown off, he said, “It’s kind of personal. Where I need to go. I don’t think you’d be comfortable either.”

“You know me well enough to make that conclusion?” I challenged. I mean, I was going to respect the whole “it’s personal” thing, but then he went and assumed I would be uncomfortable?

---