Page 129 of Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places
Hennessee House read like a…television? A giant flat-screen mounted onto a wall covered in Hennessee’s floral wallpaper. The white static on the screen clicked through the speakers and was the only light in the otherwise pitch-black room.
Lucky gasped, fully enthralled by the concept coming through. “Whoa.”
Because the house didn’thaveeyes. It didn’t have a core for her to read. But it knew how her ability worked and created an alternative that allowed her to see.
Each channel allowed her to watch a different chosen memory.
Owner after owner moving in and moving on. Being empty for long stretches of time—aFor Salesign staked in the overgrown front yard. Neglect and decay and a loneliness so profound it made an old house realize it existed. Learning how to open the doors and windows. Experimenting with electricity and wires. Moving the curtains to entertain itself when neighbors walked by. The Hennessee family on a house tour—Brightly. Endless, painful renovations. Brightly alone, knitting in the parlor room late at night, seemingly talking to herself until the lights flickered in response. Language and numbers and concepts. Observing Xander and Brightly in the orchard and assigning them a word,family. Discovering that disabling the cameras meant more people would visit. Extra dust and dirt made people stay longer. Unruly bushes and too much fruit made people stay longer. Gengar, as a kitten, curled up in a corner on the porch.
Silence, so much silence, when connections cut out.
Lucky sighed with her entire body, slouching against the door as she let go of Specter-Maverick’s hand. Finally, she got it right. Companionship had always been Hennessee’s goal.
And if it hadn’t been for Maverick, she never would’ve figured that out.
Maverick caring enough to call her every night led to her asking him to help with her experiment.
Maverick falling asleep gave Hennessee the boost it needed to create the perfect specter to help her understand. Lucky’s desire for him directly led to her success. She laughed to herself, heart feeling fuller than it ever had. He’d changed her life, and what a life it was becoming.
Hennessee’s true voice resonated inside Lucky’s head. “you see me.”
“I do. You are both fascinating and deeply unimaginative,” Lucky teased out loud. “A TV? Really? You didn’t have anything more creative to use?”
“you will stay.”
Letting go of their connection so she could safely perform the reading had been a tremendous act of trust. All those severed connections were the only things that haunted Hennessee House.
“Well, Xander did say my residence here could last for as long as I needed. Do you have more secrets to discover? I’ve obviously figured out the why but not the how you’re able to do what you can. We’ll have to convince him to let us continue.” She wanted to give as thorough an answer as possible without upsetting the house. It had serious abandonment issues—she didn’t want to add to them. “I’m not leaving like tomorrow, but I will leave someday. And I won’t be able to come back. I need you to accept that.”
“i accept—you are family—family visits.”
Lucky instantly thought of Reggie. “Yeah. Sometimes.”
“i will sleep.”
“What? Why? What’s wrong?”
But Specter-Maverick disappeared.
Lucky pushed off the door, spinning in a pointless circle. “Hennessee? Where did you go?”
The doorbell rang. She hesitated for a split second before answering it.
Maverick Phillips was standing on Hennessee’s front porch.
“Hi.” Lucky had been humbled enough to admit that not only was she flustered, but she was thrilled to be so. Even now, seeing Maverick still did that to her. “What are you doing here?”
A black duffel bag hung from his shoulder, and he woretheblue sweater. Her brain momentarilyglitched, thinking thatHennessee was trying to trick her. She might have truly believed it and despaired, if she hadn’t also spotted Maverick’s car in the driveway.
“I wanted to—I washopingto spend some time together. Right now. If you’ll have me. May I come in?”
“No, you can’t.”
“Right, uh, I know Xander doesn’t want me here.” He quickly cleared his throat. “But you came to my place and—”
“Xander? I said no because you’re too close. Hennessee’s reach spans the entire property. From the sidewalk to the back of the orchard. You shouldn’t be here. It’ll know—Oh.”
Oh.
