Page 71 of Kissing Kin
Again, he switched off the set. “What the—”
“Vendors are requesting the county to allow the sale of fireworks between June 28 and July 4—.”
He turned off the TV.
It boomed to life. “Even with a ban on missiles and rockets—”
Luke pulled the plug. “What is going on?”
I half expected the TV to turn itself on despite being disconnected. When it remained silent, I gave an uneasy laugh as I caught Luke’s gaze. “That’s…weird.”
“To put it mildly.”
“Has it ever done that before?”
“Nope.” He shook his head.
Then a faint creak drew my attention. I turned toward the nearby rocker, gently swaying back and forth, as if someone were rocking. “Do you see that?”
“Yup.”
With each rock, the squeak became louder and more insistent.
The dog began barking.
“Now do you believe me?”
Nodding, Luke caught the chair’s top rail to stop its movement. Then he let go.
Again, the chair started teetering back and forth, creaking.
“Okay, rain or no rain, that’s it. Out.” He pushed open the door and shoved the rocker onto the patio.
I blinked, unsure which issues to focus on first: the chair and TV or Luke and Bea. Even if this place isn’t haunted, I won’t stay where I’m not welcome. My shoulders sagged. But what choice do I have? Where could I go?
Luke slammed inside and brushed off his hands. “That should end these strange happenings.”
“Excuse me.” I tried to squeeze past.
“Where are you going?” His jaw fell open.
“Ho…uhm…” I shook my head, angry at my slipup. “Away.”
“Why? What’s wrong?” His eyes bunched.
“What isn’t?” Is this guy for real? I scowled.
“Can’t we talk?” He gestured toward the rocker on the patio. “I got rid of the problem.”
“That isn’t the problem…okay, part of it…but you obviously have feelings for Bea, so I won’t stay—”
“Whoa, whoa!” He shook his head. “I don’t have any ‘feelings’ for Bea. She was saying goodbye.”
“She’s leaving?”
“No, she just accepted that whatever we had is over, and she wants to be friends.” He shrugged.
“And you believe her?” Snickering, I cocked an eyebrow.