wasn't about to tell him that.
I rolled my eyes and took a bite of the dry donut. I needed milk. I sure hoped that Wallie had picked some up. I couldn’t remember if I put it on the list.
Focusing on Clay, who was now sitting on the countertop next to me, I sighed. “I was so busy playing human most of my life. I wanted to be normal.”
He nudged me. “Hey. I loved that you were never normal.” He knew I had hang-ups about my necro powers. "I wish I'd seen how incredibly special you were many, many years ago. Hell, if we'd moved back to Shipton so you could embrace your powers, maybe I'd still be here now."
Tears filled my eyes. "I've missed you so much."
The sound of a truck door closing made Clay and me lock gazes. My heart sank. Our interlude was over. “What is Wade doing back?”
“That’s Wallie and Zoey. They went over there to get his truck and some more groceries.” I waved for him to leave. “I don’t want Wallie seeing you yet. I need to see how he takes it.” He hadn't seen his father since he was a young teenager. This wouldn't be easy on him, to say the least.
“Fine. But don’t wait around too long. We have to figure out why I can’t move on.”
I nodded as he disappeared. Seconds later the front door opened and Wallie and Zoey came in with their arms full of reusable shopping bags.
Wallie pointed at Zoey. “The junk food is her fault.” I saw the tops of chips bags sticking up out of the sacks.
Zoey scrunched up her nose at him and took off her hoodie, revealing her tiger ears on the top of her head. “Not all of it.”
Hoping they'd remembered the thing I was craving the most, I searched through the bags until I found the double chocolate brownie ice cream. I grabbed a spoon and took it to the living room. I needed to think after spending that last hour with Clay’s ghost.
An overload of chocolate was just what the doctor ordered.
Chapter Five
The house felt empty without Clay visible, but now that I'd seen him, I felt him every time he came near. He was still here, just behind the veil.
Was it a veil? Heck if I knew. I was barely struggling through this necromancer mess.
“Was Wade home when you got the truck?” I plopped down into the kitchen chair and looked at my son. The hair on the back of my neck prickled. I was pretty sure Clay was touching me there.
Wallie shook his head and he put the frozen meal in the microwave. “No. I called him and left a message that I had his truck. He hasn’t replied yet.”
That was odd. I thought he'd be here by now. He'd made it seem like he was going to be here all day today to help. “I just called him, and he didn’t answer.” Something settled deep in my gut, a feeling the situation was slightly off.
“We can walk over after we eat and check on him before it gets dark,” Zoey suggested before taking a bite of her sandwich. She grunted. “Alfred makes better sandwiches.”
I laughed. “Only because you don’t have to make them.” But hey, she wasn't wrong. And checking on Wade was a good idea. It'd be good to get a bit of fresh air anyway.
Wallie pulled his meal out of the microwave. “She’s right. You should've brought him.”
Rolling my eyes, I wadded up my napkin. “That would have gone really well, getting him through airport security.” I had a hard enough time hiding Zoey’s tiger parts that kept popping out. Shaking my head, I went to the living room and put on my tennis shoes. I'd spent the day working on my closet, packing some, and donating a lot. I'd lost enough weight in Shipton that I needed to go shopping. Happiness was good for my waistline
About fifteen minutes later, the kids were ready to go check on our Uncle. “You know this’ll be our last walk around the neighborhood.” My heart clenched with sadness that I'd probably never be back. Bittersweet
Wallie shrugged. "I'm okay with that."
I stared at him as we walked down the street. Was he this detached emotionally about his childhood home? "Aw, come on, don't be all bummed out."
Zoey snickered while Wallie rolled his eyes. I just pretended my left ankle wasn’t giving me a sharp stabbing pain with every step. "I'm just