Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
KENNEDY
Yesterday was…intense.
Not so much because of everything Theo opened up to me about, but because I hadn’t expected to see such a relaxed side of him. If only someone besides Aidan had been there for him all these years, maybe he would be a completely different man, or ghost, today.
Throughout the time we spent together yesterday, it felt like I was sharing a house with a different ghost. One that didn’t hide away from his problems and actually spent time with others. He laughed and made jokes. And even, for a brief moment, it felt as if he saw me as more than his roommate.
Seeing Theo from such a new perspective has me feeling even worse about the way he left last night. I haven’t seen or heard a peep from him since he faded away before my eyes. The house was eerily quiet without him there, and a day filled with friendship and laughter, I felt utterly alone.
I did, however, have an excellent night’s sleep.
Sleeping on the floor did wonders for my back, and the thick layer of blankets I created was a lot more comfy than I expected it to be.
Along with the heat radiating from the fireplace, I stayed warm and cozy until the blinding sun pierced through the now streak-free windows.
The bright sun reminds me it’s time to get moving.
Before leaving Kiki’s yesterday morning, Simone offered to take me on a tour of the town, and a little distance from Theo feels like the right move.
Though I’ve managed to explore quite a bit on my own so far, it would be nice to see Shadow Hills from a local’s perspective.
I know there’s so much that’s changed since I was a child.
I would love to see where my sister lives now, where I might be living if I decide to move in with her.
I neatly fold the blankets and stack them one by one on the day bed.
The fire is just barely smoldering in the grate, so I leave it, hoping it will keep the house warm until Theo decides to come back.
I’m terrible with survival skills and know there’s no way I’ll be able to relight it once it goes out.
I discreetly sniff my underarms, but I don’t smell. Thankfully, showers are not something I will need to keep up with in the afterlife. I summon a matching set of navy leggings and a sports bra along with a purple sweatshirt.
Despite the restful night I had in front of the fire, my body is starting to feel fatigued from how long I’ve spent in it.
I shift into my spirit form before heading out the door and instantly feel relief.
Carrying the weight of my body around feels like having dumbbells strapped to my ankles.
No wonder ghosts prefer to remain incorporeal.
I no longer feel the temperature once I’ve shifted forms, but when I get into town, I see there are a lot of folks who have opted to ditch their jackets today.
It must be an unseasonably warm day for December, but Tennessee has always had finicky weather.
We never experience true winter until January, even if there were small cold spells in between.
There’s very little snow left on the ground as I pass in front of the high school.
Besides a handful of brown-tinged mounds, the sidewalks are fully cleared for pedestrians.
Even with the festive snow melted, the general mood is still centered on the holidays.
I hear Christmas tunes playing from a car passing by, and the red bows are still tied tightly to every lamp post.
Kiki’s is already packed this morning, but I head straight for the bakery.
I actually missed not seeing Claudia yesterday, and now that I’ve had some time to consider, I think I might actually want to work there.
It would be a fun, easy gig that will help me start earning money.
It’s also the perfect way to meet more people in town while spending more time getting to know this new version of my sister.
The only thing is, I don’t know what to tell her about my other offer.
The day I had yesterday with Theo only proves how much he would benefit from having me around.
I don’t want to disappoint my sister, but I feel like I need to stay for him, if only for a little while, to help him acclimate to being a member of Shadow Hills again.
The CLOSED sign is displayed in the door of the bakery when I arrive, but I see Claudia bent over the counter inside, so I float through the door. Her nose scrunches in concentration as she scribbles numbers on a notepad.
“Good morning!” I greet her.
She jumps and clutches her chest. “Ah!”
I frown. “My bad.”
Claudia presses her forehead to the notepad then straightens, plastering a smile on her face. “I’m fine. It’s fine. I need to get used to the fact that my sister could pop up at any moment now.”
“I don’t have to pop up,” I say, “if you don’t want me to. I could knock.”
“No, no!” She shoves her papers in a drawer and shakes her head.
“You shouldn’t have to shift for my benefit.
” The collar of her shirt is already stained with something, and she tries to wipe it away when I notice.
“Early bird gets the worm,” she titters.
“Or so they say. I’ve been here since 4 A.M. baking. ”
“Really?”
“Oh yes.”
She heads to the back and I follow, careful not to get too close. I don’t want to accidentally pass through her.
“Three days a week, I get here early to start baking,” she explains, grabbing the apron she has hanging on the corner of a plastic shelving unit. “Some items last longer than others, but most of the time I’m churning out scones.”
I lift myself over the worktable and glide to the other side of the room where I can sense Claudia is headed. “Are those popular?”
“The most popular,” she says. “I can’t make them fast enough.”
“I saw some blueberry ones in the case the other day. They looked delicious.”
“You always did like blueberries, didn’t you?” I nod sheepishly. “Well, I’ll just have to make some more, won’t I?”
“I can’t wait.”
She smiles proudly. “I did win first place in the annual baking contest three years in a row. My scones are never dry.”
“What’s your favorite?” I ask.
“Vanilla bean.” She gathers ingredients from the fridge and a large bowl from one of the shelves. “Wanna help?”
I float to the other side of the table. “Oh…I wouldn’t want to mess up your prize-winning recipe.”
“It’s easy,” she says with a sing-song voice. “I’ll show you.”
She begins by adding flour, small cubes of cold butter, and baking powder into her bowl. She then mixes everything together gently with her hands. “Don’t over mix,” she tells me. “We want them airy.”
After pouring in some heavy cream and scraping fresh vanilla into the mix, she forms a ball of shaggy-looking dough and places it on a sheet of parchment paper.
“It’s nice getting to hang out together,” she says as she flattens the dough and cuts it into triangles. “Have you thought about whether or not you want to work here?”
I fumble with the hem of my sweater. It feels like a blanket of water sliding through my transparent fingers. “Yeah, actually. I think I would like that.”
The apples of Claudia’s cheeks rise. “I’m so glad! I think it will be great, Kennedy. Truly, I do.”
She reaches for a spare apron on one of the hooks nearby, then offers it to me. “This can be yours.”
I instinctively reach for it, but it slips through the fingers.
Claudia chuckles. “It will be here waiting when you need it.”
She places her tray of freshly cut scones to the side and starts the process over again. I watch as she goes through four more, then she stacks them all in a cooler.
“Once they’ve set for about five minutes, we bake,” she says, continuing to instruct me through the process, though I’ve done absolutely nothing to help.
“I thought I was going to get to ice a bunch of stuff.” I peer over a fresh batch of cupcakes that’s been cooling since I arrived.
“Those are muffins,” Claudia chastens.
Whoops.
I should probably learn to recognize the difference if I’m going to work in a bakery.
I watch my sister do her thing for another half an hour, then we hear a knock on the front door.
“That’s probably Simone,” I say, heading to the front. “I told her to meet me here.”
“Don't forget!” Claudia shouts after me. “I want you to come by the house tomorrow!”
“I will!”
Simone has her hands cupped around her eyes and pressed against the door. “Kennedy? You in there?” she utters from the other side of the glass.
I float through the display window on Simone’s right side. She doesn’t notice me until she pulls away from the door and reaches for her phone. “Oh, hey girl!”
“I’m glad I didn’t scare you,” I say with a chuckle.
She purses her lips to the side. “Nothing scares me. I’m made of steel.”
“Or maybe it’s a witch thing,” I suggest.
“Or that.”
I hadn’t noticed when I was inside the bakery, but there’s someone else standing beside her. They have long, shaggy hair that falls over their eyes just like Theo’s, and they are dressed head to toe in black.
“This is my boyfriend, Casey,” Simone introduces us. “Case, this is my new friend, Kennedy. She’s a ghost.”
Casey makes a deep sound of acknowledgment in his throat. “Obviously.”
She smacks him playfully across the ribs, and he fakes a wince.
“So,” Simone starts, “where do you want to go first?”
I’ve become well acquainted with this side of town that houses most of the small businesses, so I’m eager to see what all has changed on the west side, including my old middle school.
“We can take my car,” Casey suggests. “We’ll ride around and show you the sites. If there’s something specific you want to see, we’ll check it out.”
I grin enthusiastically. “That sounds great. Let’s go.”