Chapter 27 #3
“I figured it was worth consulting with Brad,” Frannie hedges, curling and uncurling her fingers for something to do with her hands. “At the very least, he might be able to tell us more about your connection to the building. Maybe you guys can develop lightning hands or something.”
Elsa blinks. “Lightning hands?”
“Like you could control the electricity,” Frannie says with a shrug. “Or, I don’t know. Something … cool.”
“And you think the twenty-eight-year-old human man would be able to teach us something we haven’t figured out in over a hundred collective years?” Elsa asks, her tone dry.
Frannie blows out a slow breath and reaches up to rub at her nose. The dust is getting to her. “He’s seen more haunted buildings than either of us. I think he might be able to tell us something.”
“You think he’s going to magically find the power lines to send us across the street,” Elsa says.
Frannie hesitates and then nods. “Yeah. I’m hoping he can.”
“Frannie—”
“Look, if we can’t find them, then … it’s all moot anyway. But if we can, then we have a conversation, right? I know you looked. I know Michael looked. But I’ve got building plans and a ghost hunter. I’m bringing something to the table here. Can you meet me halfway? At least let us play this out?”
Elsa purses her lips. “I don’t like giving Michael more hope.”
Frannie glances at the closed utility closet door and then back to Elsa. She’s not Michael’s stepmom. She’s not Bridgette’s stepmom. She’s not formally part of their family, not yet. But she wants to be.
“Kicking Brad out’s not going to stop Michael,” she says.
Elsa frowns. “He’ll keep looking. At least this way he’s supervised, and there’s someone else to answer his questions.
You should have heard them earlier in the office, talking about closed-circuit haunts and electrical surges.
Michael was in heaven. Well, not heaven,” Frannie trails off, scrunching up her nose.
Elsa snorts. “I’m sure he was.” Frannie thinks she sees a crack forming in her armor. “Is Brad hoping to use Michael as a source for his show? A single episode is one thing, but I can’t allow him to use the children for ongoing material.”
“No,” Frannie says. “No, he just wants to help. Him and Gretchen.”
“Your roommate?”
“Yeah, she’s, um, pretty jazzed about the idea of meeting the kids, and you,” Frannie says, feeling her cheeks flush as Elsa stares at her in surprise. “She was really excited to hear I had a secret girlfriend.”
Elsa arches an eyebrow. “Secret girlfriend?”
“Yeah,” Frannie says with an embarrassed shrug. “Or partner, you know, whatever term you prefer.”
Having the label conversation just never seemed relevant.
“I suppose there are worse things to be than your secret ghost girlfriend,” Elsa says, her voice warmer.
“Yeah?” Frannie asks, chancing a step forward.
“Yeah,” Elsa agrees, smiling a little when Frannie inches closer.
Frannie reaches out and snags her fingers into Elsa’s turtleneck, tugging her in. “Glad to hear it,” Frannie says, arching onto her toes to press her lips tentatively to Elsa’s.
Elsa leans into her, her hands coming to bracket Frannie’s hips.
Frannie hums, opening her mouth to slick her tongue across Elsa’s bottom lip.
Elsa’s lips part, and Frannie winds her arms around her shoulders.
Elsa pulls her closer and they lose themselves in each other for a long moment in the dusty, dim, slightly creepy basement corridor.
Until there’s a bang from the utility closet.
They break apart, turning with their arms still around each other to stare at the door.
“We’re okay!” Brad calls.
Frannie chuckles and Elsa sighs.
“You’re distracting me,” Elsa says, turning back to meet Frannie’s eyes.
“Yeah. Seems like it’s working,” Frannie chances, giving her a cheeky smile.
Elsa shakes her head. “I still don’t think this is a good idea.”
“I know. But I won’t stop trying to find you a way out until I’m sure there isn’t one,” Frannie admits, winding her fingers into the hair at the nape of Elsa’s neck. “I’m not giving up.”
Elsa searches her eyes for a moment. “There’s no talking you out of it?”
“Nope. You could try kissing me again, though. Distract me from my quest while Michael asks Brad two thousand questions.”
Elsa narrows her eyes. “What do I get out of that?” Frannie rolls her hips against the thigh Elsa slipped between her own. “You think you’re big stuff,” Elsa says, but her voice is a bit breathless.
“I think you’re incredible, and we’re wasting valuable making out time.” Elsa hesitates, but Frannie knows she’s got her. She rises on her toes to press her lips to Elsa’s jaw and noses up to her ear. “Come on. Chase the meanwhile with me until I can give you forever.”
Elsa’s shaky sigh puffs across Frannie’s shoulder. “Frannie—”
Frannie pulls back to meet her eyes, “If I’m wrong, then this is all we have, and we should make the most of it. So, kiss me,” she insists.
Elsa stares at her for one moment longer and then ducks her head, pressing her lips to Frannie’s. She walks Frannie back to lean against the dirty wall opposite the utility closet and Frannie hums against her mouth.
She’ll convince her. One kiss at a time.