CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Gage found Jess sitting against the huge oak tree closest to the graves. Its trunk had to be about six feet across by Gage’s estimate. Judging from the distance from the gravesite, the tree had probably been planted around the time of Gracie and Emma’s funeral.
Allison, it seemed, was nowhere to be found. It hadn’t surprised Gage. The girls, who had seemed to enjoy each other’s company the first day or two here, had grown more distant. Especially since the Ouija board incident. Girls. Go figure. One day, they’re bonding and BFFs and the next day? Well, they were like this—all moody and non-social.
Of course, that was mostly a front. What they usually wanted was company. With any luck, his company. He liked Jess. A lot. Smart, kind and sexy as hell. The way she looked at him sometimes nearly took his breath away. Unless he was dead wrong, she’d noticed him, too.
Siler House might be haunted, even though he’d yet to see a ghost, but now seemed like a good opportunity to spend some alone time with the girl who’d been haunting his dreams since they’d been here.
Besides, Gage knew what was really bugging Jess. At least he thought he did. It wasn’t Allison herself, and it wasn’t because Allison didn’t see eye to eye with Jess on the whole house and ghost business. They each had their points. Allison saw demons. Jess wanted angels.
“Hey,” he said as he sat down next to her. “Is this side of the tree taken?”
“No,” Jess said with a halfhearted smile.
“This experiment isn’t turning out quite like you expected, is it?” he asked, sitting close enough that his shoulder almost brushed against hers. It was a good lead-in.
“I’m not sure what I expected,” Jess replied without taking her eyes from the graves.
“Sure you do. You’re looking to find someone. And, unless I’m wrong, it’s not the ghosts of those two little girls. Well, not really.” His eyes met hers. “It’s not exactly your grandmother, is it? You mentioned that your dad died.”
She looked at him then, as though determining how serious he was. Gage didn’t look away. “Feel like talking?”
She shrugged and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“I know what it’s like to lose someone you love, Jess. I get it. I loved my little brother.”
“How did it feel?” Jess asked. “How did it feel when you couldn’t bring him back?”
“Like crap,” Gage admitted. “Like I’d let him down. Hell, like I let my whole family down.” It felt good, how easy the words came out. How easy it was to tell her.
Her expression softened, the pinched, worried look gone and Gage couldn’t help but notice her natural beauty.
She stared out into the open field. “My dad died about a year ago. Cancer. I wasn’t there when he passed away. I’d been going every day after school. Mom was going to take me to see him right after dinner, but then…they called and…” Jess closed her eyes, clearly fighting back the memory. “He died alone.”
Gage resisted the urge to reach out and touch her face, instead resting his elbows on his knees. “Sorry. That really sucks.”
Jess offered him a sad smile. “For you, too. Especially since your parents think you can undo your brother’s death.”
“There are days when I’m not sure what’s really expected of me. Do they think he’ll just show up good as new—as if nothing happened? Or do they think I can summon his ghost?” He sighed and raked a hand through his hair. “Problem is, I’ve never seen a ghost. Now, you on the other hand…”
“So, you believe me? You don’t think it’s just my imagination?”
“Oh, I believe you,” Gage said. And he did believe her. He wasn’t lying about that. Hell, he hadn’t lied to her about anything. “I guess I don’t have to see one myself to believe that you can. At first, I thought that maybe you were just a little too eager. But, I think you’re the real deal. Allison, too.” He smiled. “Not so sure about Bryan, though. The largest thing I’ve seen him make disappear is a plate of food,” he kidded. It made her smile which got him smiling, too.
“Nah! That’s not true,” he quickly amended. “Bryan is a good guy and he’s got one scary talent. Anyway, I say that we see about getting out that Ouija board. Give it a try. Just you and me. What do you think?”
“You’d do that?” Jess asked, turning those golden brown eyes his way once more.
He would. Not just because he’d like to one up Bryan, but because if he was going to do this, he needed to prove it to himself and his parents once and for all that whatever hocus pocus mojo he might have had wasn’t there anymore. Okay, and it wouldn’t hurt to impress Jess, too.
He shrugged. “Hey, we’ve both got something to prove and nothing to lose. That’s the way I figure it. We use that Ouija board to make the connection, I’ll see what I can reel in and you do the talking. Because, otherwise, we’re just going to walk around with all this equipment and get nowhere. Bryan and I tried it out after you and Allison went to your room last night. Other than a few EMF readings and cold spots we didn’t get much.”
“Dr. Brandt said we’d use the board with or without Allison by the weekend. He just wants to give her a little more time.”
Gage cocked an eyebrow. “You don’t want to wait until the weekend, do you? You’re miserable just sitting around.”
She stared at him, apparently considering his offer. He nudged her with his shoulder. “Come on. No one will really care. Maybe they won’t even have to know if you’re more comfortable with that.”
Please say yes.
Jess’s smile widened. “Okay, I’m in.”
“Then I say we get started.” He stood and reached down a hand. Jess looked up at him and took his hand into hers, sealing their deal and allowing him to help her up. When she was standing in front of him, he was almost reluctant to let it go. With those eyes and that smile, she really was a beauty. The guys back home might have thought she wasn’t his type, but they’d have been wrong. Deep inside, he liked girls like Jess over the flashier ones with the tough-chick attitude. Those were easy to come by. And for Gage, easy to get. He had learned early on how to turn on his good looks and charm. But girls like Jess were fun, easy to be around. And definitely worth his best effort.
Jess gave him a faint smile. “How are we going to get the board?”
“Come on,” he said, squeezing her hand gently and pulling her with him. They headed toward the house. “I’ve got a plan.”
Which to him, was an understatement.