“But what if—”
She put her finger on my lips to silence me. “Just find out. I’m sure it’s not anything near as dire as you think. You’ll never know until you talk it out with Jack. I know you prefer the head-in-the-sand approach that you apply to most ghosts, but I don’t think that’s worked out very well for you, either, has it?”
“No, but . . .”
She gave me a look that made me stop what I was about to say.
I made no move to go inside, and not just because of the waves of energy beyond the door in the house behind us, the pulsing against the weather-beaten wood and peeling paint like little fists.
“Mother, can I ask you a question?”
“Of course. Anything. I hope you realize how desperate I am to make up for all those absent years when a girl needs her mother most.”
I blinked at her, my eyes prickling with moisture. “Am I fat?”
“What?” She actually leaned away from me, as if I’d uttered a really bad expletive.
“Am I fat? I need you to be honest with me.”
She took a deep breath and settled back into her place next to me. “No, Mellie. You’re not fat by anyone’s definition. You’ve definitely filled out more since your pregnancy, but it suits you. You might have been a little too thin before—although I have no idea how you managed that, since I’ve never seen a person eat that much junk food and not be the size of a house—but with the added pounds you have female curves in all the right places.”
“So you’re saying you can tell that I’ve gained weight?”
“Sweetheart, your body has just created two of the most precious children—you should honor it by adoring it and treating it well. Most important, you need to realize that dress size is only a number. A woman can be beautiful in any size, as long as she conducts herself with self-confidence. That alone is worth all the makeup and expensive clothes in the world.”
I leaned into her. “Where were you when I was sixteen and really needed to hear this?”
“Yes, well, that’s part of your problem, I’m afraid. But we’ll work through this together, all right?”
I nodded, then sniffed. “Jayne has the body I used to have, doesn’t she?”
“Yes, she does. Well, except for the bust. You never had a bust like that. But you’re not Jayne. And Jack picked you. Never forget that.”
“Thank you,” I said. “If it means anything to you, I’d say you’ve more than made up for lost time. It seems a shame that all your wisdom is wasted on just one child.”
A shadow passed over her face, and I looked up, surprised to find a bright blue and cloudless sky. She smiled, casting aside any hint of clouds or shadows. “Yes, well, that’s what grandchildren are for. And because of you, I now have three whom I adore. So really I should be thanking you for making my old age not nearly as bleak as I once imagined it might be.”
Without a tissue I resorted to wiping my nose with the back of my hand while my mother pretended not to notice. “So,” I said as I stood, “you ready to fight some ghosts?”
My mother stood, too, delicately wiping the seat of her pants as we turned to look up at the house. “As ready as ever. I got a good night’s sleep and I’m well hydrated—and I’m prepared for what’s coming. I think that could have been the problem when we met with Veronica. I was completely taken off guard. This won’t be easy, and it will probably weaken me, but I’ll be ready for it. And you’ll be here to hold my hand so we can be stronger together.”
“Deal,” I said, unlocking the door and leading her into the foyer. “Why did you suggest we come in the middle of the day? I thought you said that the spirits were always more active at night.”
“They are. There are fewer electrical disturbances at night, so they have more energy then. I thought it best that I first meet them when I’m not the one at a disadvantage.”
“Good idea,” I said as I closed the door behind me. The house was an even bigger mess than the last time I’d been there because, I was sure, of Jayne’s reluctance to decide what she wanted to do with all the furniture. So it had to be moved and stacked in a different room as the renovations progressed. The only rooms Sophie had marked as out-of-bounds were the attic room and Button’s room because of their personal nature. But, as she’d mentioned, the roof repair wasn’t going to wait much longer and something would need to be done sooner rather than later. As long as she promised not to move any of it to my house for safekeeping until Jayne decided, I didn’t really care what happened to it.
Ginette lifted the hair off the back of her neck, a sheen of perspiration already making her face dewy. “It’s cool outside, but my body can’t seem to regulate its temperature, so I’m either burning up or freezing all the time. I guess that comes with age.”
“It’s cooler upstairs with the window unit—assuming they remembered to keep Button’s door open.”