The Secrets of Ghosts (35 page)

‘But—’

Cam put an arm around Gwen and kissed the top of her head. He smiled at Katie and said, ‘Take some time off. Have a gap year.’

Katie felt her throat close up. It was so nice of them, but... ‘I can’t take a year. I’ve signed a contract to live with Anna. I’ve got to work out what I’m doing next. I might do a course, or something. I can’t—’

‘I knew you’d say that,’ Cam said. ‘Just for a few weeks. Take a trip, have some fun. Or use the time to work out whatever it is you feel you need to work out. Everything will still be here when you get back.’

Katie let out a breath. ‘That is amazing.’ She threw her arms around Cam and Gwen. ‘Thank you, thank you.’

‘Where will you go?’ Gwen said.

‘Paris, Barcelona, Prague, Rome, Venice,’ Katie said. ‘Everywhere.’

‘Maybe avoid the catacombs, though,’ Gwen said.

Katie wanted to tell her that the dead were everywhere. Graveyards and catacombs were no busier than the average high street, but maybe that was information she didn’t really need.

Cam hugged her and then stepped away, towards Max. ‘You’re going with her, yes?’

‘Um,’ Max said.

‘You don’t have to,’ Katie said, trying not to feel as if she’d been punched.

‘He is,’ Cam said. He stuck out his hand. ‘Best of luck.’

‘Hey!’ Katie said as Max warily shook Cam’s hand.

Gwen smiled. ‘I’m relying on you to make sure she has some fun, okay?’

‘No problem,’ Max said. He put an arm around Katie’s shoulders.

Cam opened his mouth, but Max said, ‘I know, I know. If I hurt her you’ll have me killed.’

‘Oh, son.’ Cam shook his head. ‘Not only is that girl clever and beautiful and twenty-one years old, she’s the latest in a very long line of witches and it appears she has power over life and death. I reckon I’m the least of your worries.’ And then he smiled. Widely.

*

Once Gwen and Cam had gone back into the house, Katie gave Max the guided tour of the van. Gwen had reupholstered the bed settee and had fitted beautiful wooden drawers and cupboards along one wall. ‘I can’t believe she’s given me Nanette,’ Katie said.

‘Me neither,’ Max said, not looking quite as thrilled as Katie thought Nanette deserved.

‘Where do you want to go?’ Katie said. ‘How about France? Or Italy?’

‘If you think this rust bucket will get us that far,’ Max said.

‘Don’t be rude,’ Katie said, patting the van. ‘You’ll hurt her feelings.’

‘Weirdo,’ Max said, with affection. Then, ‘I suppose we’ve got enough cash for repairs, anyway. Even after I’ve paid off my debts, I’ve still got plenty of cash from my dad’s watch.’

Katie felt cold. She’d forgotten about poor Oliver Cole. ‘That’s something I don’t understand. Why is he at peace? I never gave him his watch back.’

‘Maybe it was just the thought that he’d left ten grand’s worth of jewellery in his wash bag. Maybe he knew what his wife would do and he couldn’t stand the thought of it being chucked out. I mean, if I’d left ten grand lying around, it’d prey on my mind, too.’ Max pulled Katie to him. ‘Or, it wasn’t really the watch he wanted. Maybe he just wanted someone to know how he died.’

‘You mean, he was just saying “watch”.’ Katie thought about the dreams, how she had repeatedly watched Oliver Cole die without understanding what had happened. Now it felt obvious: it had been Alexander trying out his first possession. A practice-run. She could imagine him drifting into Oliver Cole and just staying there to see what happened. She sat down. ‘You know I brought the ghosts into life? Does that mean I killed Mr Cole?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I think it was Alexander testing out his powers. I think that’s what gave Oliver Cole his heart attack.’

‘You don’t know that.’

Katie shook her head. ‘He was so cold. Like he’d been in a freezer. You know what that means. If I hadn’t been at The Grange, Mr Cole would never have died.’

‘Doesn’t make it your fault.’

Katie leaned against Max and rested her head on his shoulder. She’d always thought you needed to have all the information, all the knowledge, and that way you could protect yourself from ever making a mistake. Now she knew that wasn’t possible. Didn’t matter how hard you tried, you could never be sure you knew everything. Instead, she took comfort from the feel of Max’s arm around her shoulders, the diesel-and-herb smell of Nanette and the warm light of her power, curled up inside.

‘So,’ she said, after a moment, ‘you got your watch back?’

‘Don’t worry. I paid for it,’ Max said. ‘They only had it marked up at two fifty, so I made a donation, too.’ He looked at her, anxious for approval.

Katie touched his cheek, wanted to wipe away the uncertainty. ‘You did good.’

‘I don’t want you getting the wrong idea of my reformed character. It was still only a fraction of what it was worth,’ Max said. ‘If I was being truly good, I would’ve told them so they could’ve made full whack.’

‘It’s a grey area,’ Katie said. ‘It did belong to you in the first place.’

‘I’m sick of the grey area,’ Max said, turning so that his face was close to hers. ‘I’ve lived my whole life swimming in it, but I want that to change. I want to be with you and being with you makes me want to be a better person.’

‘That’s good, but I’m glad you kept some of the money.’

Max put his hands on her waist and looked into her eyes. ‘Really?’

‘Really,’ Katie said, enjoying the sensation of his hands holding her. ‘You can use it for university fees if you decide you want to study maths or to start a business or go travelling or whatever you want. Fresh start. And, if there’s enough left over, you can take me out for that dinner.’

‘I did ask you out about a hundred years ago, didn’t I?’

‘You did,’ Katie said, moving closer. ‘But I forgive you. You’ve been busy.’

‘I really like you,’ Max said. He looked so uncertain. ‘A lot.’

‘I know.’ Katie smiled up at him, drinking in the sight of his upturned mouth, the warmth in his eyes. So what if he had a dodgy past? No one was perfect.

‘And if we still like each other after four months in this tin can, I reckon I should stick around.’

‘Is that right?’ Katie said, happiness spreading through her like sunshine.

Max smiled. ‘Trust me.’

CARINA™

ISBN: 978 1 472 05480 7

The Secrets of Ghosts

Copyright © 2014 Sarah Painter

Published in Great Britain (2014)

by Carina, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited, Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR

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