Page 52 of Checkmate
Erica had given him that excitement back and the love of ghost stories that had always gripped his attention.
“This is incredible, Erica,” he said, clearing his throat. “I am blown away.”
“It’s only taking what you already had and tweaking it.” She shrugged, but he could see the flush of pleasure on her cheeks.
“No. You don’t understand what you’ve done for me,” he said, reaching across the table to squeeze her arm.
“It’s nothing, Marcus. I’ve loved doing it.”
“Well.” He pulled his hand back, clearing his throat again of any lingering emotion as he sat up straighter. “I know we said you were a partner just to annoy the cheaters, but I think with all this work you’ve done, this is as much your project as it is mine.”
“Oh, nonsense,” she said, waving a dismissive hand. “Please, Marcus. Don’t feel like you have to do that.”
“I don’t feel like I have to, Erica. But I would like to invite you to be my business partner. Officially, I mean.”
“I’ve got nothing to contribute financially—”
“How much financing do you think walking needs?” He smirked at her, his tone teasing. “I don’t need money, Erica.”
“Then what?”
“Just more of your enthusiasm and support. That’s all I need.”
Erica’s eyes searched his, her fingers drumming against the table. “I tell you what, why don’t we order food and then we can talk about it some more?”
“Okay. Yeah, that sounds like a good deal,” Marcus said, flagging down a waiter. “Food first, then we’ll get down to business.”
“You mentioned actors in your plans,” Marcus said as he cut into his fish. “What did you mean?”
As they waited for their food to arrive, they exchanged pleasantries and swapped stories about how their spouses had reacted to their constant communication.
He was very glad to hear his presence in Erica’s life had rattled Alex. Especially as she had been deliberately hiding her phone from him. He’d have to try that on Sophie, even if all she did was report back to Alex.
“Oh, so I had a fun idea,” Erica said, bringing his attention back to their conversation. “I thought we could get a bit more interactive with our audience.”
“Go on,” he encouraged.
“Well, can you imagine telling them all about Agnes and her bar, only for Agnes herself to make an appearance?”
“And that’s where the actors come in?”
She made an affirmative noise, covering her mouth as she chewed her food. “Exactly. Only, we can’t afford that right now. So, I don’t mind dressing up. And I know my sister would love to help. She’d find it all a riot. My sister-in-law would probably lend a hand. Hell, even my brother likes to get goofy.”
“Yeah? We gonna pop him in a dress?”
Erica grinned at him. “Surprisingly, I think he’d be first in line.”
“It would add a bit of realism to it all, I suppose,” Marcus said thoughtfully.
“Right. We could try it out for a couple of weeks, and if the reception is positive, we can look at the university drama programme. I bet a lot of students would jump at the chance for some experience.”
“You’re really fucking good at this.” Once again, she had blown him away by the level of thought she had put into this.
“I learned a thing or two from Alex,” she admitted. “But this kind of thing is right up my street.”
“Are you a fan of ghost stories?”
“Who isn’t?” She said with a delicate shrug. “Who doesn’t like a spooky story to send a shiver up their spine, even if they don’t believe? And more importantly, you’re giving history lessons.
