Ghost Writer - Pandora Pine Page 0,60

finger.

“Fine. I’ll take a nap.” As if to prove his point, Cope yawned.

Jude was out of his seat to pull Cope into his arms. “I love it when you listen to me.”

Cope snorted and started to laugh. He clung to Jude tighter.

“It’s Bertha, isn’t it? What’s she saying now?” Jude could only imagine what saucy comment she was making, knowing full well he couldn’t hear her.

“That your pants aren’t tight enough.” Cope gave Jude’s ass a squeeze.

“Damn, woman, any tighter and I won’t be able to have kids.” Jude laughed along with Cope, as some of the stress of the day started melting away.

“Bye, Bertha. Thank you.” Cope pressed a kiss to the dip in Jude’s collarbone. “Take me home.”

“Your wish is my command.” Grabbing Cope’s hand, Jude tugged him toward the reading room door.

While Cope snoozed and Wolf spent the day with Kaye, Everly, and Baby Aurora, Jude had work to do.

27

Copeland

Most of the time, Cope didn’t mind when Jude was right. If Jude suggested a different shirt or tacos over pizza, it wasn’t a big deal to pat him on the back and tell him he was right. Today was different.

Today felt different.

Jude had dropped Cope off at their front door before going off on errands of his own. He was too damn tired to try to ferret out what the hell Jude was up to, so long as he came home with the steak and potatoes he promised.

“Hello, Brooks?” Cope yelled out when he locked the door behind himself. There was no answer from the spirit. He hadn’t put a fresh piece of paper in the typewriter last night, so unless Brooks put in a personal appearance, they wouldn’t be able to speak.

With Wolf still at Ten and Ronan’s, the weight of having to protect his son was off his shoulders. Neither of his parents had been as hands-on as Jude and Cope were with Wolf. His father had his own company to run, he could not have cared less if Cope brushed his teeth or ate a good meal. The idea of Cope being unsafe in their home was something that never would have crossed Elizabeth’s mind. She’d had the house charmed and warded tight. Not even kitchen ants could get through her magic.

Cope had warded this house too, just like his mother had taught him. Those magic words and herbs hadn’t done a damn bit of good since Jude and Cope were the ones who brought the typewriter into the house.

Jude, of course, had no way of knowing his carefully selected birthday present came with spiritual hitchhikers. Cope might not have known the machine was haunted with the way Brooks and his mystery guest were keeping themselves hidden.

Shivering, Cope grabbed a soft green throw from the back of the sofa and wrapped it around his shoulders. Jude always liked the central air on cold. Cope didn’t have the energy to walk to the thermostat and make the room warmer. Neither did he have the energy to walk up the stairs and fall into bed.

Cope yawned, nestling himself deeper into the couch. He could smell Jude’s aftershave. This was the end of the sofa where he sat for movie night or when he fed Wolf his evening bottle. Lying here was like being wrapped in a big hug from his husband.

While they’d been back in the office, Cope had barely been able to keep his eyes open. It was a good thing Jude had driven them both today. He didn’t think he would have made it the three miles across town without falling asleep at the wheel.

Now that he was lying here on the sofa, toasty warm, he couldn’t keep his eyes closed.

The problem with being this tired, and worn to the bone, was that it made his gift less effective. Not only was his mind not as sharp, but neither was his ability to see or speak with ghosts. Bertha was such a boisterous spirit that she’d come through loud and clear, but an unknown spirit like Geneva might have been lost in the crowd if she’d tried to come through.

If Geneva was caught up in whatever was keeping Brooks from being able to communicate with him fully, that would make the third spirit, so far, mixed up in this mess. Making matters worse was that Geneva had been dead for thirty years when Brooks was killed. Was it a coincidence these incidents were connected to The Beecher House or was there something more sinister