The Haunted_Edit Copy 4-7-17

“Seriously? You had me drive all the way here just to tell me
to leave?” Then his usual warmth laced the last word. “Chelsea?”
I couldn’t help myself. I raised my gaze to meet his and
found my boyfriend looking back at me. His dark eyes spoke even
more wounded puppy than Trouble’s. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to
upset you. Please ride with us.”
My jaw clenched tightly as I stood up and retrieved my bag.
I knew that Richard and Daisy liked us all to go in only one or two
cars so we wouldn’t attract attention to the house we were
investigating. We didn’t want the neighbors to be like, “You guys
have ghosts? WEIRDOS.” And the strange look had completely
vanished from Tucker’s eyes, creating at least an illusion of the
safety I’d known for the entire time I’d known him. As long as he
didn’t go bizarro again, it should be fine. I could redo my protection
on the way there.
“We’ll talk later,” I said as I brushed past him.
Daisy and Anthony were already standing on the sidewalk
beside their car when we pulled up. The house in question was a
little green bungalow with white trim. It looked like something out
of a children’s book, especially with the little glass sunflowers and
butterflies sticking out of the front lawn.
“Everything okay?” Daisy asked, her eyes flitting
suspiciously to Tucker. “You guys are a little late.”
“We’re fine,” Susannah chirped. “Just a little traffic.” If
she’d picked up on tension between Tucker and me, she hadn’t
mentioned it. Actually, if it hadn’t been for her, that would have
been one completely frigid car ride.
I hugged my denim jacket tightly around me as we filed up
to the front door. The snow had mostly melted from the grass but
Massachusetts was hanging tightly onto winter, as always.
A thirty-something woman with long hair as blonde as
Susannah’s, but much less fake, answered the door. She smiled at us
and the way her freckles stretched out made me think of Michelle
and a quick pang squeezed my heart. Not now, Chelsea. Keep your
shields up.
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