It should be a lazy morning. After Troy and Shayla left, Dad said he was proud of me for apologizing. It showed I cared and wasn't a jerk. My words, not his. Of course, it made me feel worse, but I really was sorry for looking like a crazed fan. And all of this means I am no longer on house arrest, although he still doesn't want me leaving home due to the whole murderer-on-the-loose thing.
But when I open my eyes, there's nothing lazy about the sound of a high-powered jet engine. What on earth is that? I get up, walk to the living room, which is where the offensive sound is loudest, and peer out the window. It's Eli, pushing a lawn mower.
What's he doing here, and what bleepin' time is it?
I pee, brush my teeth, and throw on some clean clothes, before rushing downstairs. Dad's office door is open. Whoa. And when I peek inside, it's empty. I lift a foot and hesitate in the doorway. This would be an opportune moment to do a quick search—see what he's up to in the case…um, book. But that darn lawn mower pulls my attention away.
I hurry into the kitchen, ready to march out the back door and demand to know why Eli is here, when I nearly collide into Dad. He's carrying a cup of coffee and his tablet.
"Slow down, Piper. Are you starving? Did you go to bed hungry?"
"No, I'm fine. What's Eli doing here?" I watch the Fedora bob past the window.
"You know him too?" He sounds surprised. "I saw his flyer up at the grocery store, looking for yard work. And since my daughter won't learn how to turn on a mower…"
I roll my eyes and go outside, closing the door on Dad's so-called comedy. The sun blares down on my head, making me sweat instantly. Gosh, I can't wait for fall. Oh wait, then school will begin. I can't win.
Eli spots me and waves, a stupid, cheesy grin on his face.
Of all the flyers in all the supermarkets, it had to be his?
The back door opens. "I'm getting back to work. Don't forget to offer our guest something to drink."
"He's not a guest," I shout. "He's the help."
"Did he do something to you?" Dad's tone becomes serious.
"No, why?"
"'Cause you sound angry."
Dad's right. Eli may be a jerk, but I want whatever other information he stores under that ridiculous hat. He lives in this town and knew Linzy. He has to know more. I push past Dad, back inside, and head to the freezer.
"I just don't like being woken," I say.
"My grumpy daughter." Dad smiles and walks out of the kitchen.
I grab a can of concentrated lemonade and take out a pitcher. The quicker I get Eli to open up, the sooner I can ignore him. And everyone always says the quickest way to a guy's heart is through his stomach. Not that I want anything to do with his heart. That belongs to Kinley.
I pour two glasses of barely cold lemonade, despite being frozen a second ago, and take them outside.
The second Eli sees what I'm holding, he turns off the lawn mower and walks over.
I was so confused and annoyed that he woke me that I didn't realize he was shirtless. Now that his pecs are approaching, my stomach is jittery, and I want to forget this whole thing and go back to my room. Nakedness isn't something I'm comfortable or all too familiar with. Growing up without a sister, a mom or even a best friend meant learning about the physical anatomy from sixth grade health class. Dad never walks around in his boxers, and the only reason I know he doesn't wear briefs is because I sometimes do laundry.
So seeing the sweat glisten across Eli's tanned, slightly defined chest, I can't help but look away, and back, and then away again.
"Is that for me?" he asks while reaching out for the glass.
I hand it to him a bit too abruptly and some of the liquid splashes onto his hand and the ground. "Yeah, sorry."
He doesn't seem to care. He brings the glass to his lips and downs it all in one long sip. Wow, impressive.
I hold out my glass, careful to keep it steady. "You must be thirsty. Want mine?"
He nods, switches cups with me, and only drinks half this time. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. "Thanks. It's hot out here."
"Do you work for a lot of families?" I ask and sit in one of the folding chairs. The metal is hot, so I have to sit on the edge.
"A few. I'm saving up for a car though, so I need as many as possible." He doesn't sit down, but he glances at the chair several times. Also at the door.
He's nervous about being in the same position as last time. "I'm surprised you're here."
He rubs the back of his head. "Yeah, well I wasn't going to take the gig when your dad called but…" He takes another gulp of lemonade.
"You need the money?"
"Yeah." The word is muffled by the glass.
Then right on cue, Linzy appears. Has she been hiding and listening all along?
She circles him several times.
That he can't see her makes it kinda creepy. Imagine he gets a glimmer, just for a moment, and suddenly sees this dead girl in his face. That would make anyone freak out. I can see every move she makes, and I'm a bit freaked.
I look away.
He sets his glass down. "I gotta finish."
When he starts toward the mower, I whisper to Linzy, "What are you doing?"
She doesn't answer me though. She suddenly runs toward Eli.
There's no time to stop her. Not that I can. And it all happens so fast.
She passes through him, which makes him stop and shudder. She throws herself on top of the mower and disappears. The mower gives a little shake, like it's cold, and fear fills my empty belly.
This cannot be good.
The mower mysteriously roars to life, or not so mysterious when you see dead people.
Eli flinches and freezes, probably not sure what to do.
I, however, know exactly what's coming next, so I run forward.
The possessed machine jerks forward like a hiccup and heads straight for him.
I reach Eli first and shove him out of the way. My ankle twists and instead of moving with him, I go down on my knees. The ground is hard. Pain shoots down my right shin, and I look up in time to see the mower stop short. Right in front of my face.
Linzy's face appears. She wiggles out of the machine and stands beside it with her hands on her hips. She looks pissed. "Why the hell are you interfering?"
"Because I don't want a dead body on my lawn, thank you very much. And you won't even admit if he's the one who killed you. I'm starting to think you don't even know."
"Who are you yelling at?" Eli whispers.
Crap.
I giggle. "Oops. I usually only talk to inanimate objects in private. My bad."
He rises to his feet. "But you said you won't admit he's the one who killed you. Are you talking about me?"
I brush the dirt off my legs and attempt to stand up, but the pain is too sharp. I wince. "No, that's just silly. Why would you kill my lawn mower?"
Gosh, I must sound like an idiot.
He steps to me and grabs my forearms. With a tug, he brings me to my feet.
"Thanks," I say.
"Can you stand on it?" He's staring at my leg, but hasn't let go of my arms yet.
I lean on my right leg. My knee still hurts, but not as bad as before. "I'll just be the girl with the limp."
He doesn't say anything but let's me go. "She's here, isn't she?"
Panic starts to buzz in the back of my neck. I try to pull free, but he must not want to let go because his grip just slides down to my hands.
Linzy hovers by his left shoulder, staring at his profile.
I let out some weird hybrid laugh—part chuckle, part groan. "I don't know what you're talking about."
He leans closer. "You see Linzy's spirit. That's who you were talking to."
How does he know this? I mean, why is that his first thought? The panic spreads out. It swirls in my chest, bigger and bigger until I have to open my mouth to breathe.
"It's okay," he whispers. "My abuela can see them too. It's nothing to be afraid of."
How condescending. "I'm not." Shoot, I just admitted it, didn't I? "I mean…I…"
He squeezes my fingers. "You don't have to explain it. And I'll keep your secret. I know how sensitive the issue is."
The panic begins to ease up. I let out a shaky breath. "Thanks."
I want to keep denying, but the idea that someone knows and isn't calling for a straitjacket makes me want to blow up balloons, hang streamers, and buy a big cake. Of course, the idea that my secret-keeper is Eli makes me want to pop those balloons with an icepick, but I guess he's better than no one. And he's definitely better than Dad or Kinley not believing me.
"This explains the blanket and the mower," he says.
"She says you hated her enough to kill her." Well, that's my version of what she said. I watch his face intently in case he gives away his guilt.
He remains expressionless though and lets go of my hands. "Why? I rejected her."
Linzy glares at him.
"Um, I wouldn't say anything too negative."
I must have glanced to Linzy, because he jerks his head and stares at her as if he can see her. "Dude, I didn't kill you. You know that. I had no reason to."
Linzy snorts then disappears.
Eli looks to me. "She's gone, right?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"It's like with my abuela. There's this charge in the air. Then it went away. She says I'm sensitive to the spirits, but I can't communicate with them."
"You make it sound like there's a whole world of people with different abilities to deal with them."
"There is. You should talk to my abuela. She knows much more than me. Now, I need to get back to dealing with my possessed mower." He winks.
I smile, grateful he's playing along, but not sure if I'm ready to trust him or his abuela. "Yeah, I should go ice my knee."
As I wobble back to the house, movement catches my eye across the yard.
Kinley's standing in her kitchen window, watching us. And she looks mad.