Free Must Love Ghosts by Jennifer Savalli Page B

that.”
    A sudden image of Dec slapping her ass flashed into Tia’s mind. Her mouth went dry. She wasn’t sure if she was turned on or outraged.
    Billy glanced between the two of them. “About those intentions—”
    Dec cut him off. “Why’d you show up here after Tia threatened to drop you in the ocean?”
    Billy’s lightning grin replaced his brooding expression. “No way she’d make good on that threat. And if she tried, you’d stop her. You’re not the first glory-hound ghost hunter I’ve met in the afterlife, buddy. I’ve got your number.”
    An uneasy feeling crawled its way up Tia’s spine. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    â€œLover boy thinks I’m his big chance to prove to the world that ghosts exist. He’s not going to stand around and let you scatter my soul to the wind, even if you were mean enough to try it, which you’re not.”
    â€œYou think Dec is playing me.”
    Dec’s face turned to stone.
    â€œLike a trumpet.” Billy leaned back against the fireplace bricks, crossed his arms. “And you’re letting him because you’re in love with him, no matter how much psychobabble you use to deny it. That’s what love is. It reaches into your chest and rips your heart out and you don’t care because your heart doesn’t belong to you anymore. You’ve given it, and everything else you’ve got, to someone else.”
    â€œWe call that codependency,” Tia said, and Dec gave a bark of laughter.
    Her unease melted away now that she recognized the unhealthy thought patterns Billy clung to. She wasn’t in love with Dec, and she didn’t see how he could be playing her unless you counted using her for sex, but that was pretty much a mutual thing. One she wasn’t gong to discuss with her great-uncle.
    Dec crossed the room and perched on the arm of the sofa, helped himself to her chocolate cake. “Let’s analyze Tia’s and my relationship another time. Tell us about Cassandra. You’ve been in love with her all this time?”
    â€œYeah. I’m a lovesick sap of a ghost.” Billy sighed. “When they brought my body back, I tried to contact her. But she’s as bad as Tia when it comes to repelling ghosts. Couldn’t do much more than slam a couple of doors and give her a chill. Got a medium to visit her house with a message from me, but she threw the man out. Called him a fraud and threatened to have him arrested.”
    Dec glanced at her. “Two of a kind,” he murmured.
    Unable to meet his gaze, Tia busied herself plumping the throw pillow on an armchair. “That’s why she said she wasn’t going to fall for those tricks again. When you were pulling your juvenile stunts earlier, you reminded her of what happened all those years ago.” A sudden thought straightened her spine, pillow clutched in one hand. “Oh my God, she thinks I was trying to con her?”
    â€œSucks, doesn’t it, sweetheart?” Dec looked entirely too smug.
    â€œI’ll never get used to men using that kind of language in front of ladies,” Billy said sadly, and the smirk fell from Dec’s face. “Listen. I need your help. You’ve got to get Cassandra back over here. I meant to pop in on your guests, but I didn’t expect her. Shocked me silly to see her, and I blew it. But I want to talk to her. I need to talk to her, after all these years.”
    Tia’s heart pinched. She sank into the armchair. “Uncle Billy, I don’t think there’s any way I can get Cassandra back here. She’s deeply suspicious of me already.”
    Dec pushed the plate of cake to her and rose to pace in front of the fireplace. “There has to be a way. This is what Billy’s been waiting for all these years. This is what will allow his soul to move on.”
    â€œDec, even if we got her over here somehow,