Free Ghost Betweens by E. J. Krause Page A

that."
    "Roni Peppers."
    "Roni Peppers? Yeah, I think I noticed that. In the shopping center on Strafford Street, right?"
    "Yes, sir."
    Mr. Douglas pulled out a phone and started tapping away on it. Whisper leaned over to Josh and said, "He got an Internet-ready phone right before we left. It's his new passion. And of course Wi-Fi and our desktop were the first things set up."
    Mrs. Douglas joined in. "Yeah, God forbid we have beds or anything. Nothing's more important than Wi-Fi or that phone."
    "You won't be complaining when I have that phone number."
    Mrs. Douglas and Whisper rolled their eyes at the same time.
    Josh had to cover his mouth to stifle a laugh. He couldn't remember if his parents had ever been so playful. Probably, as Mom always spoke fondly of Dad.
    "It's important to be connected to the world. Isn't that right, Josh?"
    He wasn't sure, but he guessed he should side with her dad and hope it didn't cost him any points with Whisper or her mom. "Yes, sir. Can't live without the Internet."
    "Exactly. Hang on to this one, Whisper. He knows the ways of the world."
    Whisper burned red again. "Daddy, stop it!"
    "You know he's only going to keep it up, honey," Mrs. Douglas said. "Why don't you two head to your room and get started on your homework or whatever you had planned. And make sure you keep the door open."
    She grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the living room towards a hallway. "We will," she called over her shoulder.
    The hallway turned to the right, and they were greeted by two doors on the left, one on the right, and a door that led to a big bedroom, obviously her parents' room, at the end. Her room was the one on the right. He held his breath as they turned in. Besides Kendra's, and she didn't really count, he hadn't ever been in a girl's room. Well, at least not since early elementary school when it was still okay to play with girls without the social stigma of boyfriend-girlfriend and all that.
    Her room turned out to be pretty bare, just a bed, a chest of drawers, and a computer on a desk. Nothing hung on the walls. "We're going to paint it sometime in the next couple of weeks," she said. "That's why it's so boring now." He couldn't help but wonder what it'd look like once she was done with it. Hopefully he'd still be invited in here so he could see.
    "I'm so sorry about my parents," she said. "My dad can be obnoxious."
    "No worries. Does he do that to all the boys you bring home?"
    "I'm sure he would, but I can't say for sure. You're the first."
    Wow, she was so pretty he figured she'd had a ton of boyfriends where she used to live.
    She smiled and blushed. Or maybe she still hadn't paled from all the blushing she did in the living room. "Anyway, I guess you can tell they're going to assume you're my boyfriend. Sorry."
    Josh started to speak, had his voice catch in his throat, and tried again. "Since they're going to think it anyway, maybe we can, I don't know, go out sometime. See if we can be boyfriend and girlfriend."
    She rolled her eyes, but smiled brighter. "It's about time you asked. I was beginning to wonder."
    It was his turn to blush. "I didn't want to ruin anything between us. You're new here, and we were getting along and all. I didn't know if you had many other friends yet or what. I just . . . I just didn't want to mess anything up."
    She watched him, and he could tell she was trying hard to not crack up. "You finished?" she asked, in a careful voice edged with laughter.
    "Yeah."
    She glanced at the door, and then melted into him for a big hug. He stopped breathing. "I like you. A lot. As a friend and as, well, a boy."
    She let go, flashing him another smile, and turned to the computer. "We should probably email Mr. Baxter. I'm sure he's waiting for us."
    Josh nodded. "When I emailed him on Friday, he responded in less than a minute. I wonder why he doesn't come with us to the farm if he's so excited about it."
    "I wonder the same thing. Maybe he'll tell us tomorrow." She glanced