Chapter 8

8

“What was that about?”Shaun demanded as they headed to the town hardware store.

“What was what about?” Cash asked, feigning ignorance.

His brother let out a huff of irritation. “Listen, I know things have been rough between you and Harlow the past year, but that’s no reason to treat her so coldly. It sucks that she broke things off with you, but you could at least try to understand where she’s coming from.”

Cash ground his teeth together and forced himself not to snap at his brother. Instead, he pulled into a parking space, killed the engine, and turned to Shaun, his tone even when he said, “Listen, Shaun, I know you mean well, but this really isn’t any of your business. Harlow and I—we’re done. She made that perfectly clear last night.”

Shaun narrowed his eyes and shook his head slightly. “You can keep telling yourself that, brother, but anyone with eyes can tell that it’s not over. It’s never going to be over. Not with that one.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Cash said stubbornly and then climbed out of the Jeep.

Shaun quickly caught up with him and chuckled to himself. “Don’t I? We both know that as soon as I have another vision, or if she calls, you’ll go running.”

Cash paused and closed his eyes for a brief moment. “Please, just let this go.”

“I will if you tell me what happened. Last night when you got in, all you said was that Harlow was fine and that she handled the situation.”

“You know what happened. Your visions are always accurate,” Cash said impatiently, refusing to go into the details of his encounter with Harlow.

Shaun pressed his lips together in a thin line and shook his head. “Not lately. I had two yesterday that haven’t manifested. And it’s happened a couple of times before when you and Harlow were able to stop a spirit from doing its worst. But the ones yesterday, I don’t know. They felt off, and I⁠—”

Cash turned to study his brother, his eyes piercing as suspicion creeped in, and Cash felt a wave of dread wash over him. “Shaun, have you interacted with any spirits lately?”

His brother startled as he took a half step back. “What do you mean? Ghosts are your thing, not mine.”

“It’s just that…” Cash ran a frustrated hand through his short dark hair. “Dammit. I’m paranoid now.”

“Explain.”

“You told me last night that one of the visions was from my perspective. And that you saw me and Harlow making out. Those are the two that didn’t come true. I’m just wondering if it’s at all possible that a spirit was hijacking your visions.”

“I don’t think so,” Shaun said, frowning. “You’d think I’d feel that, wouldn’t I?”

“Maybe?” Cash’s brow furrowed. “I just don’t know. Imogen was possessed last year, and it made her do things wildly out of character. She knew she had a spirit traveling with her, but she couldn’t communicate it because the spirit forced her to stay quiet. Harlow and I had never seen anything like it. So I suppose now that your gift is doing unusual things, I’m a bit paranoid.”

“I see.” Shaun rubbed his stubbled jaw with one hand. “Well, I can honestly say that I don’t think I’ve been possessed. However, I didn’t just decide on my own to come to Keating Hollow.”

“You didn’t?” Cash rubbed his aching breastbone again but didn’t even notice until Shaun’s gaze landed on his hand.

“You should get that looked at,” Shaun said. “If you have a heart attack and die on me, I’m going to be really pissed. Knowing that you’ll likely be haunting me is going to put a real crimp in my love life.”

Cash let out a huff of surprised laughter. “What love life? You haven’t dated anyone since…” He didn’t need to finish the sentence. They both knew it’d been over three years since Shaun had caught his fiancée in bed with his best friend. Since then, Shaun hadn’t dated anyone. Cash wasn’t even sure if he’d had a casual fling.

“I’m not a monk,” Shaun confirmed.

“That’s good. I was starting to get a little worried about you,” Cash said lightly. Then he quickly changed the subject. “Why don’t you go back to why you came to Keating Hollow?”

“Grandma told me to,” he said with a shrug.

“Grandma Moses?” Cash asked, startled. “When? How?”

“She came to me in a dream. A few nights ago, actually. She said my place was with you in Keating Hollow and that we needed each other. When I woke up, it just felt right. So I told my boss I had a family situation and that I either had to go remote or give notice.”

“And she said?” Cash asked, his eyebrows raised. Shaun was a video editor for a production company that mostly worked on commercials and independent films.

“She said we’d give it a try and regroup in ninety days. I hope we have good internet to upload all that video content.”

Cash didn’t know about that. Internet speeds weren’t exactly his specialty. He wasn’t worried about it though. He was certain Shaun would figure it out. There were other matters they needed to discuss. “When I asked if you’d interacted with any ghosts recently, you implied you hadn’t. Now you’re saying Grandma came to you in a dream. So you have. Anyone else?”

Shaun waved an impatient hand. “I thought you meant if I’d seen a ghost. Dreaming about Grandma isn’t the same thing.”

“You don’t know that.” Cash knew that spirits appeared to people in many different ways. One of them was through dreams. “Are you sure it was her?”

Shaun rolled his eyes. “Stop worrying, brother. I’m not possessed. This isn’t an Imogen situation. I promise you. I’m just here because I dreamed that Grandma said I should be here, and it felt right to me. Aren’t you always the one saying I need to trust my gut?”

“Yeah. I am.” Cash draped his arm around his brother’s shoulders and said, “Well, since Grandma sent you here. Might as well put you to work. How do you feel about laying hardwood floors?”

“It sounds like a pain in the ass, but if that’s what’s on the agenda, then let’s get to it.”

Cash grinned. And for the first time all week, he felt like maybe, just maybe things were starting to look up for him.

* * *

“I’m headed downstairsfor a drink. Want anything?” Shaun asked.

Cash wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced back at his brother. They’d been ripping up the old damaged floors in the master bedroom and adjacent den for the past two hours. All of it was cleared except for the last part of the den and the walk-in closet, which wasn’t big enough for two people. “Sure.”

“I’ll be back.”

Cash heard his brother’s footsteps on the stairs as he got to work prying up the last of the boards. Miraculously, most of the subfloor was still in decent shape. There was an area just on the other side of the wall of a hall bathroom that would need to be replaced, but as near as Cash could tell, that was all that needed to be done before they started laying the new boards.

He’d finished the last of the den and was working his way through the walk-in closet when one of the old boards refused to come free. Using the claw end of his hammer, he did his best to pry up a few different areas and then bent down and grabbed the edge with both hands and yanked as hard as he could. The board protested but then ripped out of the floor, sending him backward until he slammed into the wall with a loud thunk.

“Son of a…” he muttered, rubbing the back of his head.

Suddenly his skin prickled, and the air turned cold as ice. His vision was still slightly blurred from his contact with the wall, but there was no mistaking the presence in his aunt’s house.

A spirit.

The hair stood up on the back of his neck.

But then he heard the very soothing lilt of a vaguely familiar voice. I always wanted to replace these floors.

“Aunt Jane?” he asked, squinting to try to focus on the ethereal being floating in front of him. The spirit looked young. Maybe in her midtwenties with long, slightly wavy auburn hair and kind green eyes. Her skin was porcelain, and she looked like she’d just walked right off a movie set.

I know I look a little different, she said with a cheeky grin. But who wants to look like an arthritic old maid for the rest of eternity?

“Can’t blame you there,” Cash said. “If I could be twenty-five again, I might just go for it.”

Nah. The best years of your life are still ahead of you.She reached out and pressed an ice cool hand against his cheek.

As weird as it was to feel the presence of a ghost, this one actually comforted him. Aunt Jane felt like family.

I see good things for you.

He opened his eyes and studied her. Did he want to know her predictions?

Her grin widened as her eyes sparkled. You’ll have that family you want, Cash. It might not be traditional, but you’ll have everything you need.

Cash wanted to ask if that family included Harlow, but if she said no, he wasn’t sure his heart could take it. Even though he was still angry at the way she’d dismissed him the night before, he knew he’d never stop wanting her.

His brother’s footsteps sounded on the stairs again. “Are you finished yet, Cash?” Shaun called out.

I’m really sorry about this, Aunt Jane said with a frown. But it’s for your own good.

“What—”

An ice-cold wind whipped through the room and the discarded boards started to fly.

Cash stumbled out of the closet and was immediately smacked in the head with one of the boards. He went down hard, too stunned to move.

“Cash! What the hell?” Shaun cried.

In the next moment, through his foggy haze, Cash heard Shaun talking. “Harlow, it’s an emergency. Cash has been attacked by a ghost.”

Cash tried to push himself up, but a cold weight of energy settled on his chest as his aunt whispered, It’s time to face your past.

Then his world went dark.