then he would win the bet. That wasnât going to happen. No way, no how.
âYou are so not funny. I know your game, and it wonât work.â
âKind of like the Miami Vice taunt you threw at me earlier?â
She opened her mouth, then snapped it closed. Raising her chin, she looked down her nose at him. Until he stood. Damn, he was tall, with really broad shoulders.
âThat was different,â she said.
There was no humor in his laugh. âDifferent. How so?â
Caught red-handed. Darn, she didnât think heâd catch how sheâd baited him. Any decent psychic wouldâve known he would eventually figure out her game. She was really slipping.
âIt doesnât matter. Iâm going to explore the hotel. You might see a ghost, and then again, you might not, but theyâre more likely to appear around me since theyâve already made contact. Itâs your choice if you go or stay.â
âHeaven forbid I might miss Whistle or Ditsy.â
âItâs Wesley and Dixie, and if I were you, I wouldnât make them mad.â
âIâll take my chances.â
He had no idea what they could or would do. Just as long as she didnât get caught up in the middle that was fine with her.
âWhere are we going?â
âIâm going to the basement.â He could go to hell. âThe Realtor said thereâs a lot of boxes down there that we can go through if we wantâthings that have been stored by previous owners.â
âAnd itâs still here?â
âThey left in a hurry. Ghosts, you know.â
He chuckled.
Wait until Dixie did more than pinch his butt. Then he wouldnât be laughing quite as much or mocking what he couldnât explain.
She opened the door leading from the kitchen to the basement.
âLet me go first,â he said, practically lifting her off the floor to move her out of the way.
She clamped her lips together. He had his nerve! She raised her hands to assist him on his way down the flight of stairs, then thought better of it. Murder wasnât on her list of things to do this weekendâ¦yet. Besides, it wouldnât count if he saw his own ghost.
He switched the light on as he went down the stairs, testing each step before he put all of his weight on it.
âAre you sure you want to come down here? Itâs in pretty sad shape,â he said.
âI want to look through some of the boxes. Itâs not so bad,â she said, looking around.
She sneezed. When he glanced over his shoulder, disbelief was written all over his face.
âOkay, maybe it is,â she conceded. âBut I still want to look around.â
He continued down the stairs. She carefully followed, watching her steps. She didnât trust the staircase not to collapse beneath her.
Once her feet were on the concrete floor, she looked around. The basement was pretty dismal, but she wasnât about to back down now.
A thick layer of grime coated the windows, letting no light in whatsoever. It didnât matter. There was enough light from the bulb that she could see what she was doing. And right now her palms were itching to see what was in some of the boxes that were stacked against the wall. She made a beeline for them.
âLet me get it down for you,â Trent offered.
âBack off,â she told him. âI can get it myself.â The boxes were only stacked chest high, and she didnât need his help. He was only there in case the ghosts showed up. Besides, she was still ticked by his earlier remarks. Her breasts werenât sagging. They wereâ¦perky!
âFine,â he said and backed away.
She wrestled with the box. Okay, it was a little heavier than sheâd expected, but nothing she couldnât manage.
A low table sat in the center of the room. She clamped her lips together to keep from grunting as she carried the box over to it so she could spread out her