Chapter 2 #3
“Really?” I squeak, then clear my throat again. “I mean, that’s surprising. Don’t people love a good ghost story, ha ha.” My fake laugh game is so weak.
“Are you deterred by ghosts? Since you’d be living on site, you’d be dealing with them a lot.”
“Nope!” That sounds a bit too enthusiastic. “Uh, that is, I’ve never had much experience with ghosts. Do they, like… moan and rattle chains?” I try to pick the biggest ghost cliché there is, and Kieran seems to buy it.
The ghost, on the other hand, harrumphs loudly. I’m not making a friend there.
“No, there’s no moaning. Not the sense you mean, anyway. They’re very good at moaning in the whiny sense, though.”
What?
“You mean… they talk to you?” A tiny kernel of hope begins to unfurl inside me.
He nods. “Sometimes. We don’t fully understand how it works, but there’s something about the estate that gives them… power? Energy? Whatever it is, it allows them to sometimes manifest to most of us.”
“R-Really?” Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod.
“Yes. So part of your job will also be calming down guests and… well, ghost wrangling, for want of a better word.”
Okay, I wasn’t expecting that. “Sorry?”
He sighs and flicks another glance toward the ghost… or, actually, toward her chair? His gaze isn’t quite focused on the right area. Maybe he can’t see her? Is he pulling my chain here?
But he knew to call her “her.” This is too complicated.
“I’m going to cop all sorts of trouble for saying this, but ghosts can be… enthusiastic. Our ghosts are all so happy to see the estate restored and full of visitors. Well, most of them are. And they try to help. A lot. But… uh, have you ever been around little kids?”
Not really. “I had a neighbor with twin toddlers a few years ago. I watched them once while she went to a job interview.” And boy, wasn’t that a disaster.
But it seems to be what Kieran wants to hear. “Great! So, think of the ghosts as those toddlers. They’re enthusiastic and want to do all the things, but sometimes they’re not successful.”
“EXCUSE YOU, YOUNG MAN! HOW DARE YOU MALIGN OUR ABILITIES?”
This time, I manage to restrain my reaction to only a tiny twitch. Kieran studies me.
“So yeah, cleaning up the ghosts’ messes is something you’d have to deal with.
Incidentally, we’ve found that while some of the stronger ghosts are able to leave the estate, our ability to perceive them fades the further we go.
Here in town, I can’t hear or see any of them, but if they express themselves strongly enough, I can get a sense of what they’re feeling.
” He winces slightly and tips his head toward the ghost. “For example, I can tell right now that Hattie’s very displeased with me. ”
I can’t help it; my eyes slide over to the ghost. Hattie? She looks very displeased, but she’s nodding reluctantly.
“IT’S TRUE. I HAVE TO SHOUT HERE SO HE CAN HEAR ME. IT’S MUCH EASIER AT HOME.”
Wow. Okay. Wow. This… I blink back tears. This could change my life.
I suck in a deep breath. “You can really see ghosts and talk to them when you’re on the estate?”
He huffs out a laugh. “Yeah, you want to run from the crazy man, don’t you? I swear, I’m not nuts. I really thought you might be able to hear her, just from how you reacted before. It would be awesome if someone could.”
“IT WOULD CERTAINLY MAKE THIS PROCESS EASIER,” Hattie agrees, and I can’t take it anymore.
“Ma’am—Hattie—do you mind not yelling, please?” I ask as courteously as I can manage.
They both stare at me in shock. “You can really hear her?” Kieran whispers.
“You can hear me?” Hattie echoes, thankfully at a normal decibel level.
I swallow hard and nod.
“You’re hired,” Kieran declares. “Wanna start right now?”
The laugh bursts from me, sharp and hysterical, and I bury my face in my hands, eyes stinging with tears. It’s been so hard for such a long time.
A hand tentatively touches my forearm. “Can I get you anything?” Kieran asks quietly, and I shake my head, rubbing my hands over my face and then lowering them. I meet his gaze as I let out a sigh.
“Sorry. I guess it’s my turn to worry that you’re going to run from the crazy man.”
“Don’t be foolish, dear,” Hattie says, and for the first time in years, I allow myself to react openly to a ghost in a public place, turning my head to look at her. She smiles kindly. “I’m sure it’s been very difficult for you, having to pretend all the time.”
“It has,” I admit.
“What has?” Kieran asks, his gaze tracking from me to where Hattie’s sitting. “Sorry, do you mind, uh, interpreting?”
My smile is so wide, my cheeks hurt. God, finally a way I can be useful! “That’s fine. Hattie was just saying it must have been hard for me to pretend not to notice ghosts.”
“Hell, yeah,” he agrees. “Not to be pushy, but what do I need to do to get you to take the job? I wanted to offer it to you before I knew this, especially since Hattie liked you, but now it’s essential.”
I clear the sudden roughness from my throat, still unable to believe my luck. “I’ll take it. Thank you.” Then I chuckle. “Wait, so when Hattie was shouting that you should hire me, you could sense that?”
He nods. “Yep. It was a sense of approval, along with mild consternation that I’m such an idiot.” He glances toward her. “Right, Hattie?”
“He tries,” she tells me. “And mostly he’s a good boy. But his job is to look after the living, and it’s not like he can always hear us. Manifesting is hard work, even at the estate. Thank goodness we’ve got you now. It’s going to be so good to have a representative.”