used to think so. Then she’d gone and nearly ripped her younger coworker’s clothes off, and not long after that, she’d led a breaking-and-entering mission to rescue a cat. Who knew what might have happened if Grace hadn’t had the balls to crush Charlie’s with her fist. Things could’ve gone south very quickly.
“Both of us will be there to back you up,” Hope assured her. “Just relax. We’re not going to let you do any crazy rituals. We’ll just expel an unpleasant ghost so we can all get on with our lives.” Hope stood and moved to Joy’s side. “Let’s go, hot stuff. Grace needs her beauty rest.”
“I need a hot shower first,” Grace said, “and then some sleep. See you both in the morning?”
“Definitely,” Hope said. “I’ve always wanted to learn some excellent ghost hunting skills. Seems useful.”
“Useful, right,” Grace mumbled as first Hope and then Joy hugged her goodnight.
“Take care of that precious girl,” Joy said, nodding to the front of the house where Lex and Bronwyn had their heads bent together as they whispered to each other.
“I will.” Grace walked them to the door and held it open for both of them.
After a long hot shower, just as she was getting ready to head to bed, Grace got a text. There was no name attached to the message, but it read, Grace, it’s Lucas. I’m back in town, staying at my mother’s, and I need a house ASAP. Preferably one that Hope adores. But I’d appreciate it if you’d keep that information to yourself.
Lucas? Hope’s Lucas? He was the one in the market for a house? Did that mean he was moving back to town? Hope was going to lose her damned mind when she realized he was back in Premonition Pointe for good.
Well, if he was house hunting, she sure wasn’t going to keep him waiting. Except she had an appointment with the ghost-whisperer in the morning. She tapped back for him to meet her at Pointe of View Café the next day for a late lunch so they could get to it. She had a commission to earn.
Chapter Eighteen
“This is such an interesting property.” Isobel Caligari stood in front of the Victorian, studying the dilapidated porch. “The spirits here are quite entertaining, aren’t they?”
“Sure. Entertaining,” Grace said from behind the ghost-whisperer and did her best to keep an open mind. The witch had been thirty minutes late and arrived wearing kitten-print pajama pants and a cut-off tank top that showed off a pink sapphire belly button ring. Her hair was tied up into a messy bun, making her look like she’d just rolled out of bed.
“Do you know any history about the previous residents?” Isobel asked.
Grace turned to Joy, who was standing to her left leafing through a folder of paperwork. “Joy? Anything?”
“So far just names of people who owned the property,” Joy said. “No news articles or arrest records. Nothing online either. I think this place might have been a second home, so the previous owners weren’t based here. It’ll take more time to track any details down.”
Isobel waved an unconcerned hand. “No problem. Sometimes it’s better to not have any preconceived theories.” She walked up onto the porch, ran her hand over the peeling paint on the door, and chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” Grace asked.
“Just the dedication. It takes a lot of energy to achieve this level of decay over just a few months.”
“I’d guess so,” Grace mumbled as she followed the witch into the house. Joy and Hope trailed behind her, whispering softly. She wondered what her friends thought of the witch. On the one hand, she seemed completely at ease and full of confidence. The combination made her interesting. On the other, Grace didn’t appreciate that the witch had wasted their time. She had a lot to do that day, including meeting with Lucas, her newest client.
“Hmm,” Isobel said as she stood in the middle of the room.
Grace opened her mouth to ask what the witch planned to do next, but before she could get the words out, Isobel abruptly sat down cross-legged and pressed her hands together in front of her heart as if she were meditating.
Hope and Joy both moved to stand next to Grace as the three of them waited to see what she’d do next.
Nothing is what she did next. The witch spent what seemed like forever chanting under her breath about listening to the spirits. Only nothing happened. The house was completely silent, and as far as