Kindred Spirits
Page 27
“Oh, Derek. They actually fired you?”
He shrugged. “It’s not like I didn’t expect it. But I had to go down there and clean out my desk and tie up some loose ends. And by the time I left the building, I had to run a gauntlet of reporters from other stations.”
“So, then, you were a bit busy.”
The corners of his mouth quirked up. “A bit. By the time I had a chance to come see you, you’d already been released. And since you hadn’t called, I thought maybe you didn’t actually want me around.”
Chris huffed out a sigh of frustration. “I didn’t call because I thought maybe you’d changed your mind about me. I wanted to give you space.”
He looked at her then, his gaze unwavering, his face a mask of shock. “What? How could you think that?”
“Pfft. Seriously? Like you didn’t get your fill of the paranormal craziness that is my life?”
He narrowed his eyes at her like she’d lost her head. “In case you didn’t notice, the ghosts helped save our lives. It was people who tried to kill us. My people. And they hurt you in the process.” He shook his head and rubbed his forehead. “I sent you home that night to keep you safe. If I’d known I was sending you into a trap—”
“You couldn’t have known. Surely you don’t blame yourself for everything that happened. Or think I blame you.”
“I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”
“Then you’re an idiot. Do you even know why I came over to your place that night?”
He shrugged. “To check on our progress? To see what I’d found out from my trip to the lake?”
“To tell you I’m in love with you, you big dummy!” Her hand flew to her mouth as she realized what she just said. Sheepishly, she lowered it. “Sorry. I warned you about the filters.”
He stared at her a long moment, clearly stunned. Then he laughed. “Really?”
She couldn’t look him in the eye anymore, so she looked down and fiddled with the hem of her shirt and shrugged. “So in all that busyness, when did you get time to upload that video?”
Derek leaned back. “You saw that, huh?”
She nodded, then shook her head. “I couldn’t believe it. You shouldn’t have done that.”
“I had to do it.”
“Why?” She forced herself to look at him. “Why would you throw away your career like that?”
Derek looked at her like she was stupid for not getting it. Then his face softened. He leaned closer and brushed her hair out of her face. “Because I’m in love with you, you big dummy.”
Chris couldn’t help it. She burst into giggles. “Really?” He shook his head at her in wonder as he took her face in his hands.
“Really.” He muffled her uncontrollable giggling with a kiss. Her giddy laughter quickly subsided as the kiss heated up, and the disbelief she felt melted into assurance under his caresses. His arms slipped around her waist and pulled her closer, but a lance of pain in her leg threw a damper on the blaze that had ignited between them. “Ow,” she said, wincing.
“Sorry. Forgot for a second.” Reluctantly, Derek let her go, then scooted closer to her and leaned back. “Come here.”
She snuggled up against him and rested her head on his chest, the pain already fading into memory. They just sat like that a while, him stroking her hair and her arms, every now and then planting kisses on top of her head. She sighed contentedly before asking, “So, what happens now?”
His sigh didn’t sound quite as content. “Beats me. I think my journalism career is done. It’s just as well, I guess. The whole reason I got into crime reporting was to gain access to information that might help me find Jimmy’s killer.” His arms tightened around her. “That’s been my whole life’s mission, trying to bring him justice. Now that it’s over, I don’t know what I’ll do.”
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
“Yeah. Thankfully, my house is paid for. And I’ve got some savings. So it’s not like I have to figure it out right away.”
“That’s good, then.”
“Yeah. But there is one thing I’m sure about, at least.”
“What’s that?”
He put a finger under her chin and tilted her face up to his. “Whatever my future holds,” he said, looking her in the eye, “I want you to be part of it.” His mouth quirked into a smile. “That is, if you’ll have an unemployed, disgraced ex-reporter with no prospects.”
Chris felt powerless to control the grin spreading across her face. “I guess so,” she said, “if you can put up with this crazy chick who talks to dead people and all the unpredictability that goes with that.”
Derek’s grin stretched to match hers. “Deal,” he said.
And they sealed it with a kiss.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
During the course of this novel, I took a lot of liberties with the concept of using a ghost box to communicate with spirits. This is an actual thing that some paranormal investigators use in their investigations. You can look it up on YouTube. It’s pretty spooky. If you do, you’ll find that it doesn’t really work the way I portrayed it in this novel. I hope it’s clear from the story why I needed it to work a little differently. If you’re a ghost hunter, either professional or amateur, I hope this detail didn’t keep you from enjoying the story.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jean Marie Bauhaus is a red-headed GenXer who speaks with a twang that attests to her Northeastern Oklahoma upbringing. She developed a passion for good storytelling at an impressionable young age, and today, channels that passion into writing romance and fantasy novels.
A freelance blogger and book editor by trade, Jean is addicted to yarn, dark chocolate, and even darker coffee. She makes her home in Oklahoma with her husband, Matt, and their menagerie of four-legged dependents. Jean blogs about faith and overcoming life’s challenges at Daydream Believer. Connect with her at her website, JeanMarieBauhaus.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram @jmbauhaus.
Acknowledgements
There are a few people I need to thank who helped out during the creation of this book. First of all, I owe big thanks to Dawn Carrington, without whom this book would never have existed.
I’d also like to thank Brian Francis, Terrence Hancock, Scott Roche, Matthew Hull, Nanette Halliwell, Carol Aldrich, Rebecca Babb, Jason Prout, and Erin Palette for their votes of confidence via Kickstarter and Patreon. Special thanks go to Brian, Terrence, Scott, and Nanette, and also to Courtney Bycroft and the book club gang for their enthusiastic support of Restless Spirits.
I also want to thank Tessy Smith, Lissa Clouser, Hannah Gordon, Rebekah Loper, and Becky Rae Armoto for their friendship, support, and cheerleading. Lissa especially went above and beyond and basically became my one-woman street team. My sisters Shelly Harrison and Liz Huckleby also provided a lot of love and encouragement, as sisters do, and so did my mom and Aunt Faye.
Finally, to the man who had to live with me and put up with all the zoning out and forgetfulness that being in the middle of writing a book tends to ratchet up to eleven, Matt Bauhaus, thank you for being a loving, patient, and supportive husband, and for doing the cooking and buying me chocolate and not letting me stay stuck in self-doubt. You’re my kindred spirit, and the reason I started writing sappy romance novels. I love you.
Dear Reader,
If you enjoyed reading Kindred Spirits, I would appreciate it if you would help others enjoy this book, too. Here are some of the ways you can help spread the word:
Lend it. This book is lending enabled so please share it with a friend.
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Review it. Please tell others why you liked this book by reviewing it on your favorite ebook site like Amazon or Barnes and Noble and/or Goodreads.
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nbsp; Everything you do to help others learn about my book is greatly appreciated!
Jean Marie Bauhaus
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