“Anything you want to talk about? Like what happened upstairs earlier, maybe?”
“Not particularly.” She cringed at how sulky she sounded.
“Okay, then. How ‘bout your father?”
“Definitely not.”
He rubbed the back of his head and made a show of blowing out a breath of frustration. “Welp. Then what if—” He stopped abruptly and frowned in the direction of the window. “Speakin’ of the devil.”
“What?”
He jerked his chin toward the window, indicating that she should look. She did, in time to see her father getting out of his SUV and starting up the front walk. “He came back.”
“Guess you didn’t scare him as bad as you thought.”
“I’m surprised he’s alone, though. I hope Chris and Marsha are both okay.”
Joe frowned thoughtfully while her dad let himself in through the front door. “Derek, too. I woulda thought he’d be back by now.”
“Maybe he went to join Chris.”
“Maybe.” He stood up. “Maybe I should go check on him, though.”
Ron was about to agree when suddenly, out in the hall, her dad called her name.
She and Joe looked at each other in surprise and confusion. Then Ron got up and went to the door. She stopped short of the glass and peered out at her dad, who stood near the stairs at the spot where her body had fallen. “I know you’re here,” he said, looking around as he spoke, his voice loud and clear enough to be heard all over the house. “Your sister tells me you’re here, at any rate. I hope she’s right.”
Ron stood frozen, not knowing what to do or how to feel. She couldn’t believe this was happening. Joe drew up behind her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder as her father went on.
“I’m probably talking to myself,” he muttered. “It’s just as well if I am, because I don’t know what to say. I’ve thought a lot about what I should say. I’ve been thinking about it ever since… all the things I should have said while I still had the chance.” A bitter laugh escaped him, and he rubbed the back of his head. “Another thing I screwed up when it came to you.”
His hand fell to his side and he stared down at the spot where she’d died. “I know I screwed up. I screwed it up so bad. Your sister tells me you’ve been blaming yourself all these years, for how your mom died. She said you think I blamed you.” He leaned his head back and squeezed his eyes shut, as though overcome with emotion. Then he shook his head. “Oh, baby, I never blamed you. I only ever blamed myself.”
Ron trembled as he spoke, not sure what she should be feeling and choosing to focus on the irritation she felt at the stupid ghost tears streaming down her ghost face. Both of Joe’s hands caressed her shoulders as he stood behind her, lending her his strength.
“I was selfish. It hurt me so badly to look at you, not because I blamed you but because you were so much like her. I just… I missed your mother so much, and I couldn’t get past my own pain to help you with yours. And you were so strong—” He let out another little laugh and shook his head. He wiped his eyes with the palm of his hand, and only then did Ron realize he was also crying.
“I saw that. I saw how strong you were for your little sister, taking care of her and helping her through her grief. Lil ke your mother would have. And instead of being proud of you like any normal father, I resented that you could be that strong while I was so weak. That’s how screwed up I was.” His voice cracked. He hung his head as his shoulders shook with silent sobs.
Ron couldn’t take it. She turned around and buried her face against Joe’s chest.
When he could speak again, her father said, “Your mother would’ve hated me for the way I treated you. I know you probably hated me, too. You should have. God knows I deserved it.”
“I didn’t hate you, Daddy,” Ron whispered. “I wanted to, but I couldn’t.”
Joe squeezed her and kissed the top of her head. Then he released her and turned away, heading for the back of the room.
“What are you doing?”
“Where is that dadgum contraption?” he asked, more to himself than to her, as he scanned the shelves at the back of the room. “Ah, here we go.” He plucked the ghost box off the shelf where it rested and brought it over to the desk.
Out in the hall, her dad said, “I know I don’t deserve one, but if you’re really here, if you can hear me, can you give me a sign? I mean, maybe that wasn’t you that bumped the coffee table earlier. Maybe you can’t do anything. Maybe you’re not even here. But if you are, and you can… please, Veronica. I’m not asking for forgiveness. Let me know you heard me.”
She stood frozen to the spot. Joe came over and leaned past her. With his hand on the doorknob, he paused to look at her, his eyes questioning. The thought of actually talking to her dad after all these years terrified her, even though part of her wanted nothing more. Another part of her wanted to leave him hanging with his guilt and grief, leave him wondering forever. But mostly, she wanted to hear her daddy say that he loved her.
She nodded. Joe opened the door.
Her dad jumped as the door swung open. He stared at it in wonder. After a moment, he approached it, looking it up and down, reaching out a tentative hand to touch it. Joe went to the desk and pulled out one of the guest chairs for him. His breath caught, and Ron could tell he wasn’t sure whether to accept the invitation or run for his life.
After a long hesitation, he finally squared his shoulders in resolve and walked over to the desk. As he took the offered seat, Joe moved behind the desk and pulled out the chair there for Ron. Again, her dad flinched as the chair appeared to move by itself.
Ron also hesitated, as afraid as her dad had been, only for different reasons. The only thing that got her moving was the stern look Joe gave her. She made her way over to the chair and sat down. Then Joe turned on the box.
Her dad gave a start as the device’s power indicator lit up and it crackled with static. Standing at the end of the desk, Joe waved his hand in a circular motion as if telling her to go on and speak. Ron stared at the box. It was easier than looking at her father. Finally, she said, “Hi, Dad.”
His mouth fell open and he stared at the box. It wasn’t her voice that came out of it. The device worked by cycling up and down the radio dial, picking up words from different frequencies and stitching them together to convey the spirit’s words. “V-Veronica?” He sounded breathless.
“It’s me,” she said. “I’m here, across from you, in this chair. I heard everything.”
Cupping his hands over his nose and open mouth, he stared at the chair for a long time. Then, gradually, he lowered his hands and composed himself. “How… how are you?” He cringed and shook his head. “Sorry. Stupid question.”
“No, it’s not. It’s okay. I’m… I’m good, actually, all things considered. I’ve got a good guy, and I’ve got Chris, and I get to help her and watch over her. As afterlives go, this one’s not bad.” She realized as she spoke how true her words were. In her recent depression, she’d been so focused on everything she’d lost, she’d lost sight of everything she’d gained.
“Good. That’s good. I’m glad.” He nodded as if for emphasis. “I mean, I’m not glad you’re…” He squeezed his eyes shut and swore. “I want you to be at peace.”
“I am. Don’t worry.”
“What about your mother? Is she…”
“Mom moved on a long time ago.”
“Moved on? What does that mean?”
“It means she crossed over to whatever’s beyond this.”
“You mean, like, Heaven?”
“Yeah. Maybe. Something like that.”
“Good.” He nodded to himself. “That’s good.” Then something seemed to occur to him, and he frowned at her chair. “Wait. Why haven’t you moved on? Are you telling me you’re stuck here? Are you stuck because of me?”
“No. I’m not stuck. I could cross over any time I want. I’m here by choice.”
He looked relieved. “Yo
u stayed for your sister.”
Ron looked up at Joe and winked. “That’s part of it.”
They sat in silence for a moment. Then her dad blurted, “I’m proud of you.”
Ron didn’t know what to say. She was suddenly on the verge of crying again. Her dad forged on, sparing her from having to say anything. “I know I said I wasn’t before, that I should have been but I couldn’t be. But I am. I’m so proud of your strength, of the woman you turned out to be. And I—I hate that it’s all over.”
“It ain’t over,” said Joe. He looked at Ron. “Not by a long shot.”
Gazing up at him, she knew he was right. Her earthly life might be over, all the hopes and dreams she’d had along with it. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t room for new hopes, new dreams. A new kind of life.
“That was Joe just no now,” she told her dad. “And he’s right.”
He frowned. “Joe? Who’s Joe?”
“He’s another ghost. He’s my…” She trailed off as she tried to think of a word that summed up everything Joe was to her.
“I’m her fiancé,” he supplied. She looked up at him in surprise, and he held her gaze, his eyes questioning. Smiling, she reached out and took his hand.
“Yeah,” she said. “He’s my fiancé.”
Her father looked both surprised and confused. “You were engaged? I never knew—”
“I wasn’t, before. I am now. You’re the first to know.”
“I…um.” He rubbed the back of his head. “How does that work, exactly?”
“I don’t know,” Ron admitted and looked up at Joe. “But we’ll figure it out.”
Joe winked at her and kissed her hand. She silently mouthed “I love you” and smiled. “I’m okay,” she said aloud, glad that the ghost box didn’t convey the hitch in her voice as she fought against more tears—happy ones this time. “I’m really okay.”
Her dad didn’t exactly look happy about the news, but he seemed to accept it in stride. “I’m engaged, too,” he said.
“I know.”
“Her name’s Marsha. She’s… she’s really not like your mother.”
“I know that, too. I’ve been keeping an eye on her while she was here.”
“Of course you were.” He shook his head in amazement. “This thing that’s happening to her. Can you do anything about it?”
“You mean, like, fight it?”
He nodded.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I can’t even see it. Whatever it is, it’s strong. But we’ll figure it out. We’ll find a way to help her.”
Again, he nodded, rubbing his face—whether from weariness or disbelief at this entire situation, she couldn’t tell. “She’s a good woman,” he said. “I know she’s young, but she’s been through a lot. I know I’m like a walking cliché, marrying a younger woman in my advanced middle-age. But she’s helped me grow up a lot. She’s the one who helped me see how unfair I’ve been to you.” He leaned forward and braced his hands on the desk. “I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness. But I want you to know, for whatever it’s worth, that I love you, sweetheart. And I miss you so much.”
The tears Ron had been holding back burst forth. She didn’t trust herself to speak. He nodded resignedly at her silence. “Like I said, I don’t expect anything in return. But I w anted you to know.”
“No, Dad—” Before she could finish, the front door opened out in the hall. The voices of Chris, Derek, and Marsha drifted in through the open office door. Her dad looked back toward the hall as Marsha appeared in the doorway, looking much more subdued than the last time Ron had seen her. She saw Drew and gave him a little wave. He stood up and looked back at the chair. “I hope we can do this again.” Without waiting for an answer, he turned to go.
“Dad?” Ron called. He stopped and looked back. He didn’t know where to look, but somehow, his gaze landed directly on her. “I do forgive you,” she said.
Something in him seemed to melt. He covered his mouth with his hand as he appeared to struggle for control. Squeezing his eyes shut, he nodded and took his hand away. “Thank you.”
Chris and Derek appeared in the doorway. Chris’s face lit up as she took in the scene. “Can you take Marsha to the living room?” she asked Derek. “We’ll be there in a minute.”
He nodded and ushered Marsha down the hall. Chris came into the office. “Hey. How are things?”
Drew looked at her in amazement. “She’s really here.”
Chris glanced at Ron, then back at her dad. “Yeah.” She looked over at the ghost box. “You two talked?”
“Yeah. We did.”
“And?”
“You should ask your sister.” He smiled with wonder and gave a little shake of his head. “Anyway, I should check in with Marsha.” He nodded in the direction of the desk and then turned to leave.
Chris came over and took the seat he had occupied. “Well?”
“Well what?” said Ron.
Chris gave Joe a look of exasperation, then turned back to Ron, leaning on the desk. “You talked to Dad. So how was it?” She glanced back at Joe. “Did you guys meet?”
“You could say that,” said Joe. He turned off the ghost box, which was repeating everything he and Ron said. “I’m gonna head to the parlor, keep an eye on things, let you two talk.” He lifted the device. “Think I’ll take this with me, give ‘em all a little show.”
As he headed for the door, Chris immediately started peppering Ron with questions. But before Joe made it halfway across the room, Ron called out, “Joe, wait!”
He stopped and turned, and she flew to him—literally, passing through the desk and even through Chris in her hurry to get to him. When she reached him, all she could do was grin. “Hey.”
“Hey,” he said, returning her smile. He glanced over at Chris before pulling Ron close, leaning down to whisper in her ear. “You want to tell her before I go?”
“Not yet. I w anted to tell you I love you.”
He pulled back to look in her eyes, and they stood like that for a long moment, both of them grinning like fools over their shared secret. Then he kissed her until she was glad she didn’t have any breath for him to take away. Finally, he released her with a wink, nodded to Chris, and headed out the door.
“Oookay.” Chris looked a little dazed. “What was that all about?”
Ron waved the question away. “Nothing.” She hated fibbing to her sister. Normally, she’d be bursting with excitement to share her happy news. But it was still so new and there was so much to figure out and process. For the time being, she liked that it was a secret between the two of them. Well, and her dad. “He was really great while Dad was here. He’s the reason we ended up talking.” She made her way back to the desk and leaned on it, facing Chris. “It went well,” she said, finally answering her sister’s question. “I mean, about as well as could be expected.”
“Does that mean things are finally good between you two?”
Ron thought this over. “I don’t know about good. I mean, it’s not like years of hurt and disappointment are going to go poof after one conversation. But we’re better. I got what I needed from him.”
“I have to say, I’m impressed by how mature your outlook is on all of this.”
Ron shrugged and tried not to look embarrassed. “That’s Joe’s doing.”
“Maybe,” said Chris, standing up. “But don’t give him all the credit. I can see how much you’ve grown lately.”
Ron gave her sister a look that said she should know better. “Chris, dead things don’t grow.”
Chris’s look matched hers. “Then it’s a good thing your spirit’s not dead. Now come on.” She turned and started toward the door. “We’re having a family meeting. Maybe if we all put our heads together we can figure out how to beat this poltergeist.”
“I’ll be there in a minute,” said Ron, moving back around the desk and pulling up the search results from earlier. “I want to check something first.”
With a nod, Chris head
ed for the living room. Ron watched her go and thought about what she’d said.
She had grown.
Ron smiled. She’d been so caught up in grief over her old life, but she realized it was only her physical life that was over. Body or no body, she went on. So did Joe, and so did everybody else. And they still had so much to look forward to. She was done lamenting her old life and her old dreams.
She was ready to get back to building a new life with Joe, one in which they could go practically anywhere or do almost anything their minds could conceive.
Grinning wide and bursting with joyful energy, Ron sat down at the desk and got busy.
Chapter Twenty
Chris found the others gathered in the living room. Her dad, Marsha and Derek had each chosen the same spots where they’d sat at the dinner party, back before this craziness started, when Chris’s biggest problem had been the thought of gaining a new step-mother. That she’d actually thought that was a problem filled her with shame now that she’d gotten to know Marsha. The real Marsha, that is, not the perky, perfect front she put on to convince the world she had it all together.
While their seats were all the same, their positions were not. Whereas that night they had all been relaxed and happy, now they all sat tensed and on the edge of their seats. Her dad had a protective arm around Marsha, who sat huddled against his side. Joe stood watchfully behind them. He nodded to Chris as she walked in.
“Everything okay in here?” she asked.
“So far, so good,” said Derek.
“This device is amazing,” said Marsha, nodding to where the ghost box sat on the coffee table. “We’ve been getting to know Joe. I hope when all of this is over I can use it to talk to Ron.” She glanced up at Drew as she said the last part, patting him on the leg.
In response, he squeezed her more tightly and rubbed her arm. “I hope so, too.”
“I’m sure she’d like that,” said Chris.
The device in question lit up as Joe asked, “Where is she?”
“She’s coming. I think she needed a few minutes to process stuff.” With a quick glance at her dad, she crossed over to the love seat and took the vacant spot next to Derek. Trying to stay business-like, she resisted the urge to melt against him as his hand rested reassuringly on the small of her back. “So here’s what we know.” She leaned forward as she spoke, resting her elbows on her knees as she adopted the same position as everyone else.
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