Page 53 of Starrily
Ghosts were real.
Ghosts were vengeful spirits.
Ghosts were souls of the departed, here to watch over their loved ones and guide them.
You couldn’t see ghosts.
Top Ten Ghost Encounters—With Pictures!
He sighed and leaned back on the couch. What was he doing? This was insane. He wasn’t a ghost. He was clearly human. He breathed, he slept, he ate food, and he was perfectly material.
Most of the time.
He rubbed his hand and raised it toward the ceiling light. What could he even do about it? Go to the doctor? Nonsense—they’d think he was crazy. So would Everett if he asked him for advice.
Besides, he didn’t want to talk with Everett.
He wanted to talk with Calliope.
He wanted to tell her his worries and ask if he’d be fine, and she’d give him some wonderful, scientific explanation that would make every piece of the puzzle slide into place.
But the truth was—she probably couldn’t. She was a scientist, and what had happened to him went beyond science. He was all alone.
He closed the laptop and got up to get a drink. He swished it in the glass while he battled away the burning in the corners of his eyes.Enough.He’d have to believe this would pass. Bodies could heal injuries and fight off disease, so his body could fight this off, too. He wasn’t fading away, and he wasn’t turning into a ghost.
But then, how can you explain your life?The little doubt deep in his mind whispered.
Simon leaned on the counter and gazed into the slowly darkening sky beyond the windows.I’m not explaining it. I don’t need explanations.Whatever had happened, he was done with it. Everyone else was—they’d buried him and moved on. He was living this life now, and it was a damn good life.
And surely, it would stay that way.
Chapter 13
“We need to talk.”
Simon looked up from his painted masterpiece—or mess, depending on how one looked at it—to Everett, standing in the doorway to his living room. “What are you doing here?”
“You haven’t shown up at the company for three days, and I needed to talk.”
Oh.“I’ve been busy.”
“I see.” Everett stepped forward. “Fabric painting?”
“It’s silk.”
“Whatever.” He waved his hand dismissively.
Simon put his paints aside and stood. “So what’s this about?”
“It’s good news, actually.” Everett sat on the sofa and crossed his legs, ankle to knee. “I found a new way to raise profits, which means we no longer need Dr. Guidry’s software.”
Thatwasgood news. Part of the reason Simon had avoided going to the company for the past few days (aside from his minor crisis of materialness) was his less-than-stellarrelationship withCalliope. Everett was bound to ask about his progress any day now.
His avoidance tactics had been moot, though, because one, Everett could come here if he needed to talk, and two, apparently, Simon no longer had to soften up Calliope.
“Great!” He clapped his hands. “Not sure why you couldn’t tell me this over the phone, but it’s nice to know we don’t need to pressure her into selling us the software.”
“I came because you need to sign the contract termination.”
