Going All Out

“Really?”

“Don’t get too excited. My sister just got engaged. I think too many orgasms are frying her brain cells.”

“I can think of worse things. But people have been saying this place is haunted for as long as I can remember.”

“Have you ever seen a ghost, Lucas?”

“No, and trust me when I say that my old friend Max and I spent our fair share of time looking for one. It’s a court tradition with the kids who grow up here.”

“Chasing ghosts?”

“And perpetrating the myth.”

She smiled. “So that explains all the mystery around here.”

“Some of it. Max and I were definitely on a roll for a few years. Came up with some brilliant stuff. But all the talk of curses started long before we came around.”

“I’m surprised. I took you for Mr. High Tech. I didn’t think you’d believe in ghosts.”

“Didn’t say I did.” Reaching for her front gate, he noticed the wary glance she cast around her yard, as if she expected someone to jump out from behind a tree. “Let’s say I’m keeping an open mind. I grew up here, remember?”

Bree didn’t reply as she reached inside her coat pocket and withdrew a set of keys. Lucas glanced at the house, at the dark windows. A coach lamp on the portico showcased them as they climbed the stairs.

Plucking the keys from her hand, he only smiled when she gazed up at him and asked, “Still rescuing me?”

He shrugged, not sure what he was doing. Bree was putting on a show for his benefit, but he got the feeling that there was more to her story than she had told him.

Nothing seemed out of place in the court. He heard only the wind rustling the trees and the muted sounds of their footsteps as they crossed the portico.

Glancing at the emblem of a security company on the sidelight, he slipped the key into the lock, pushed open the door. What had once been the front door to Number One now served as an entry to the twins’ separate units.

“Same key.” She gestured to the door on the right.

Lucas wondered if he’d get an invitation inside, was struck again by how much he’d like one. But when the security system signaled the opening door with a whining countdown, Bree flashed him a smile he recognized as a goodbye.

“If I don’t see you again before you leave, thanks for the rescue.” Rising up on tiptoes, she kissed his cheek.

He’d been right about one thing—she had a kissing mouth. Her lips were full and soft and warm, and one simple, friendly kiss galvanized him. He barely resisted the impulse to pull her into his arms. With effort, he handed her the keys.

“The pleasure was mine, Bree. Take care.”

She nodded and he took his cue. Her gaze flashed to his for a brief instant as the door shut, leaving him with the image of those exotic eyes and beautiful smile. Lucas waited until he heard the lock click and the inside door close before heading back down the steps.

As Lucas opened the gate, a cat streaked across the sidewalk, clearly startled by the sound of the creaking hinges. He watched it disappear into the hedge around the piazza, then glanced around the courtyard he’d grown up in.

No sign of prowlers. Only reminiscences from his youth were everywhere.

His family coming and going through the years. Max and Nana LeClerc always with them. Josie always noisy and noticeable. She’d burst in on their family when he was seven and she hadn’t stopped talking since.

Age hadn’t subdued his sister’s spirit, but it had taught him a lot about appreciating her. Josie was a caring person with a gift for bringing out the best in people. As a result, everyone in her life loved her.

Now she’d likely move into Max’s place at Number Seventeen. There was no real reason to keep two places—not unless they planned to eliminate the alley between the town houses. With Josie’s social work and college expenses, she might not be flush, but Max certainly wasn’t hurting for money.

But Lucas couldn’t see them going that route. Adding a few walls and a doorway, as Bree and her sister had done, hadn’t defaced the property. Even if historic preservation laws would allow more extensive reconstruction, he couldn’t see his sister tampering with anything that would change her beloved home.

For the first time, the reality of the changing situation hit him. While he’d remain connected to Court du Chaud through Josie and Max, his home wouldn’t be the same. No matter how far away he moved or how long he stayed away, his home was still a familiar and special place. Funny how he hadn’t remembered that until tonight.

Maybe he’d offer to buy Josie’s place and keep it for when he came to town, which he planned to do often now that he and Max had renewed their friendship and Josie had officially made him part of the family. Chances were they’d eventually have kids, and the job would fall to Uncle Lucas to teach his nieces and nephews the ins and outs of life at Court du Chaud so they could keep their parents on their toes.

Just the thought made him smile. He and Max had not only kept his parents and Nana LeClerc hopping, but all their neighbors, too. He remembered tear-assing through the piazza on their bikes after school, popping wheelies around the fountain and almost running down Old Man Guidry, who’d threatened to send his ghost after them.

If Bree’s sister believed a ghost haunted Number One, then she might step in to replace her late uncle. Lucas hoped so. His future nieces and nephews would need a crazy neighbor to torment.

Lucas had no clue what had him so reflective tonight, but by the time he got back inside and kicked off his shoes, he knew sleep was off the agenda. He was heading back to Pescadero at noon and had planned to get up early to pack and ship all the memorabilia he’d collected from the attic.

But when he glanced around the living room filled with mementos his mother had saved to commemorate his youth, he found his enthusiasm to get back to his familiar work environs—which had been mounting steadily since sending Josie and Max off on their honeymoon—had vanished.

Grabbing the phone, he sank onto the couch and dialed a number. His sister’s sleepy voice answered just before the cell phone rolled him over to voice mail. “Lucas. Everything okay?”

“Fine. Just wanted to chat.”

“Chat?” Josie demanded through her drowsiness. “What time is it?”

“It’s after four here. It can’t be that late in your part of the world.”

“Lucas—”

“Get over it, sunshine. You buried me in that attic sorting through our lives. You owe me. And unless I miss my guess, you and Max aren’t doing much sleeping on this honeymoon anyway.”

“Which is why these precious hours are crucial.”

“Don’t want to hear about it. What I want to hear about is Bree Addison.”

There was a beat of silence on the other end. “Bree? Did you get a chance to meet her?”

“Tonight.”

“Oh, I’m glad. She’s a sweetie, isn’t she?”

Sweetie? He’d been left more with the impression of a seductress or siren. “Tell me about her.”

Josie took off on a commentary that answered more questions than he’d have ever thought to ask.

“I know Tally better, but Bree belongs to the krewe and I run into her all the time at the café,” Josie explained. “She pops in for coffee a lot.”

Lucas cradled the phone against his shoulder and moved aside a stack of old school photos on the coffee table so he could prop up his feet.

“Okay, so she likes coffee,” he said.