brother. Both men were smiling through their tears.
Grace sat frozen in the driver’s seat. She couldn’t see their mother, or any ghost for that matter, and she wondered if Matt could. She doubted it, since Hunter had to tell him who Hayden was talking to. Grace turned to Matt, her eyes brimming with tears, and waited for his reaction. Would she be met with ire or curiosity? Something in between? She really had no idea what to expect. She just didn’t know Matt well enough to predict anything.
“How did you know?” Matt asked, still watching his boys.
“That their mom was here?” she asked, her voice hitching a little.
“Yeah.” He spun to face her, his brows knit together. “Did you conjure her or something? You and your coven?”
Grace blinked briefly, wondering if they could even do that. She supposed it was possible, but she had no desire to call up ghosts. That was just asking for trouble. “No,” she said more forcefully than she intended. She cleared her throat and tried again. “I didn’t even know she was here until Hunter said so. We don’t conjure anyone other than the goddesses when we’re doing our blessings. And they don’t exactly show themselves to us if you know what I mean.”
He turned to look back at his boys. “No. I don’t know. I’m not a witch.”
“Oh.” Right. “I’m sorry. You can’t see her either, can you?”
He shook his head.
“Did your wife have magic?”
“Yeah. So do the boys.”
That made more sense. “Okay, I’ll tell you what I found out and why I brought you here, but don’t you want to go speak to her? At least through your sons. It looks like they’re having no trouble communicating with her.”
He nodded once and then slipped out of her SUV.
Grace watched as Matt joined his family on the porch. They stood there for a long time, crying, talking, laughing. And then the conversation came to an abrupt stop, and all three men stared at each other in silence. Finally, Matt reached for the front doorknob, but didn’t get far since the home was still locked.
Grace got out of the vehicle and asked, “Did you want to see the inside?”
“Yes,” Matt said, his voice sounding hoarse. “But unless it’s substantially different than the pictures online, I’m pretty sure I’ll be making an offer tonight.”
Grace’s heart soared. Not because she was getting ready to make her first sale and secure her job with Landers Realty, but because there seemed to be a peace that had settled over the Dahl men. She’d managed to give them a moment with the wife and mother of their family. It was a moment that filled her heart and soul.
“I doubt that’s going to be an issue, but let’s get you guys inside so you can get a peek at the real thing.” Grace fiddled with the lockbox until she had the key in hand and then let the men in. Once again, she stayed outside, letting them have the time they needed to process what had just happened.
Normally Grace would never dream of not being present during the first walk-through. Someone needed to be there to ease their fears or validate their concerns. But this was a special circumstance, and she didn’t want to interject herself any more than she already had.
Grace sat down on the top step of the porch and made herself comfortable.
It didn’t take long for Matt to rejoin her on the porch. He sat down next to her and said, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. But I didn’t do much. All I did was get you here.” She smiled at him. “I’m glad it worked out.”
“I want to know how you knew this was the house for us. When I was here the other day, I felt… Well, let’s just say I felt too much. Pain, sorrow, regret. It was very much what I felt in those last days before I lost my wife. It made me never want to come back here.”
“Oh, wow,” Grace said softly. “I’m sorry, Matt. It sounds like your wife was here that day, too, only you couldn’t see her. But you could sense the lingering emotions that were present during her last days. How was it today? Better?” She sure hoped so, because no one would want to live anywhere that had such heavy vibes.
“Much better,” he said, smiling. “You’re right, she was here, and she gave me shit for running away.” He chuckled. “That’s just like her. She filled us in on