Ghosts of Christmas Past

Chapter Twenty

He sighed. "Why?"

"I don't know." But she did. She knew what they wanted. But how could she say it to that face?

"Why not me? Why not my mom?" He was trying so hard to be patient with her. "Why you, someone they don't even know?"

She frowned. "I'm not making this up to get you out here. What kind of a psychotic loser does that?"

"I like you, Emily. I do. I think I've been really clear about that." His smile, which had been failing, now dropped altogether. "But let's don't do this anymore, okay? It's hurtful."

She nodded weakly. What could she say?

"I've got the Christmas program tomorrow night. But I'll come out first thing on Saturday and change the lock." He looked down at the keys in his hand, then back up at her. "How about you don't have any more close encounters in the meantime, okay?"

Now that was offensive. He didn't deny he thought she was a psychotic loser. He didn't consider that she might be telling the truth about her supernatural visitations. He just assumed that it was all about him and getting him out here in the middle of the night and what kind of an egomaniac do you have to be to think something like that?

Like the whole world revolved around Leo Kendrick? Like she didn't have any other way of attracting someone than to make up ghost stories about their dead grandparents? Like she even wanted to attract him? Like she couldn't attract him out here in the middle of the night if she wanted to, some other way? She looked away to keep from saying all that.

"Okay. Well, I should go." He shrugged but made no other move. "I've got school tomorrow."

She brushed past him to the door and held it open.

"The Christmas program is tomorrow." Now he seemed hesitant to go. Was he going to invite her to the stupid Christmas program again? What was it with this guy and his mixed signals?

"I know," she said and held the door wider. "And don't worry. I won't call you again."

He gave her a look. Apology? Sympathy? Pity?

"I will stay outside in my pajamas until I freeze solid before I call you again," she mumbled.

"Emily—" He stopped when he met her eyes. Then he seemed to give up. "See ya."

She pressed her lips together to keep from saying it back. He walked to his truck with his hands in his coat pockets. He only looked at her once, just before he got in and pulled out of the drive. When she could no longer see his taillights, she slammed the door shut.

That is, she attempted to slam the door shut. It bounced back open and nearly hit her in the face. She pushed it once again, but it wouldn't shut all the way. Something was blocking it. She looked at the door frame, all around, but didn't see anything there.

She tried to close the door slowly, but once again, it wouldn't go all the way. She was about to blame Rose and Mr. Statton, when she saw what was blocking the door. A piece of weather stripping was hanging down from the top of the door and had somehow blown into the hinge area. She reached up to clear it. That would just be one more thing Leo could fix when he came to change the door lock.

Not that changing the door lock would keep the busybody ghosts out of her hair. Unless Leo changed the lock with one that required a key to lock on both sides. That might do it. It would at least make it more difficult for them to lock her out.

She pulled at the weatherstripping, but the adhesive side of it had stuck to the inside of the door hinge and she had to carefully peel it back to keep from tearing it. She was already freezing, standing here in the open doorway in a t-shirt. No sense in creating a gap in the door frame to let the cold in continually.