GHOST PORTAL (#1 GHOST PORTAL series)

TWELVE

Though Mrs. Spencer sent the footage, as requested, it didn't come without consequences. Jessamine's phone wouldn't stop buzzing as she waited for the files to transfer, and she had to dodge several calls from her mother, who wasn't too keen on sharing the photos and videos with her.

"Do you need to get that?" said Avery, after the third time that a call popping up interrupted their exchange of numbers.

The files were nearly all on her phone, and she sent a hasty text to her mom telling her they'd talk later, that she was busy now.

"No, it's... nothing to worry about." Her phone pinged to signify the transfer was complete, and she at once forwarded everything to Avery's newly entered phone number. "Should take those a few minutes to go through, but they're all there—videos, pictures. Please don't judge me too harshly." Her face overheated, remembering all too late that many of the pictures were blurry blobs of her, Landon, Angela, and their antics.

Avery smiled as he rubbed the back of his neck. How handsome he was when he wasn't arguing or going berserk in his attempt to find Amy; how hot he was in his calmer demeanor, relaxed and friendly. Scanning his figure as he stretched, Jessamine sucked her lips in to stop them from puckering at the idea of what his lips might taste like, slick with sugary iced-coffee, wet and welcoming—

She shook out of her fawning at the recollection that mere moments ago, Avery had been cornering her and harassing her with questions she couldn't answer. Her attraction for him would need to stay on the back-burner for now. She wouldn't give in to someone so fast, and certainly not someone who'd pissed her off so much.

But the temptation was there, and it was hard to resist. She'd found Avery attractive the instant he'd first walked into Common Grounds, regardless of who he was, of his YouTube stardom. Now, unfurling little layers of himself—showing his raw passion, a smidgen of his background, displaying his expertise—she found him even more intriguing. He'd annoyed her—borderline scared her—with his attacks on her, with his insistence; and yet, it was that insistence that had gotten her to open up. And opening up might have gotten her the help she needed to treat her issues.

No, she didn't believe in his paranormal patterns, but she'd choose him over some old, ragged doctor set in his ways and who only listened to the whispered words Mrs. Spencer put in his head.

Avery Boomer, paranormal investigator—Jessamine cringed—might have had a solution to extract her memories slowly, painlessly, so she could get on with her life.

"I have everything," he said, locking his phone and stuffing it into his back pocket. "I need to get all this to some of my contacts. The faster they analyze it, the better."

"And you'll..." Jessamine gulped, suddenly worried about him leaving her alone—he had comforted her and listened to her, after all. "You'll let me know?"

Avery set a hand on her shoulder, squeezed, and offered a weak but genuine smile that warmed her up from her toes to the tips of her ears. "Of course. You're the important puzzle piece here; I have to see where you fit. Hang tight, I'll be in touch with you soon."

Their gazes locked for a few instants, and for the first time she noticed something honest and real in his eyes. Not a flirtatious sparkle, not a fiery, flustered glare; but a true concern for her, and a true promise to help her. Though his speech had almost sounded like a potential boyfriend quickly deciding he'd be a one-night-stand, she believed his words, believed him.

He'll be back. He'll figure this out. No need for doctors and hospitals and Mom's interference.

He left, but not without a final glance as he opened the door—a glance clouded with emotions she couldn't decipher, though she did think she saw some determination in there, and a dash of curiosity.