Dead People In Love (Haunted Hearts) Read Online Free Page A

was true. He was and he did. But they were usually negative together. Except when it came to Erin—his daughter, her stepdaughter. Then they were two of the most positive people on the planet.
    “I can do complicated.”
    “It won’t work. You’ll want Joe’s help and you haven’t seen him for months. You can’t call him. As far as I’m aware, ectoplasmic phones aren’t invented yet.”
    “Pessimist,” she said, but put no force into the word. “We have Isabel.”
    “She’s not going to leave home.”
    “I’m taping her favorite TV shows. She owes me.”
    “You think she’ll care? She knows what a sucker you are.”
    Cassie jabbed her elbow in his ribs, and he laughed at the puny force she put into it. All show and no muscle. Not with him, anyway. With him she was a marshmallow. One with a crusty covering.
    A kid skateboarded past them, then another. Laughing and talking to each other. A woman and her dog jogged by them. Coming their way, two teens walked hand-in-hand, eyes only for each other. Looking at them, Cassie felt an ache.
    Luke’s hand slipped onto hers, their fingers entwining.
    The ache warmed. She forgot what she was thinking of before. Oh, the ghost.
    “It will work,” she said. “It has to.”
    “I believe you.”
    “No, you don’t. You just want a piece of ass.”
    He grinned. “I love your ass.”
    She stopped. “I love a different part of your anatomy. Let’s go back to the hotel.”
      The return was quick. What followed was slow. And satisfying. And made her glad she was married to him.
    So was cuddling with him afterward. Something she hadn’t expected before she met him. For her, it was a way to extend the lovemaking. The warmth. The joining of their two bodies.
    She thought of it as dessert. Foreplay was the appetizers. Sex was the main meal. Cuddling in his arms was her tiramisu. Or key lime pie. Or anything with chocolate.
    With the last thought, she reluctantly pushed away but the contentment remained. A small piece of happiness lodged in her chest, right next to her heart.
    Ten minutes later, she was on her way to Rose’s place, only five minutes away by taxi but she walked. As much as she loved their home by an inland lake, with her nearest neighbors a car ride away, she felt energized by the bustling pedestrians, the constant flow of traffic and the great expanse of Lake Michigan.
    Her heart beat faster, her blood flowed quicker, her feet in their low-heeled shoes ate up the sidewalk. Blending in. Becoming one of them.
    That’s what she’d learned to do in the years before she met Luke. Because letting people know you were different was like a puppy showing its belly. Its vulnerable spot. And she never knew when the so-called normal people would strike her in the belly.
    At the condo, Rose hugged her, as if they were friends. “Thank you for coming,” she whispered.
    There was a sinking feeling in Cassie’s gut. Not a small ship either. A battleship flopping over. “They’re here, aren’t they?”
    The tips of Rose’s eyebrows rose while the corners of her mouth dipped. “I tried to stop them.”
    “They’re in your living room?”
    Rose nodded, looking unhappy.
    “I’ll talk to them.” Cassie squared her shoulders, though she had no idea what she was going to say. She was better with dead people than live ones. But she marched into the living room, Rose following her.
    Miss Gracious and Mr. Hunky were sitting on the couch. As if they were action figures and someone pressed their buttons, they stood.
    “So nice to see you again,” Miss Gracious said.
    Mr. Hunky shifted his feet and nodded.
    “I wish I could return the compliment.” She spoke calmly but coolly. “Ghosts don’t like group confrontations. They’re shy.”
    “Are they shy?” Miss Gracious’s smile didn’t dip but the skin around her eyes tightened. “Or is there some reason you prefer being alone with Donovan’s grandmother without any witnesses?”
    Behind Cassie, Rose