Page 148 of Squad Ghouls
Owain
1 month later…
“Thank you for choosing the Last Resort,” I said as I waved the last of the guests off and closed the door behind them.
We had no reservations for the rest of the day and I had planned accordingly.
Turned out, running a functioning B&B was even more work than running a failing one. Between reservations, check-ins, check-outs, clean-up, meals, excursions, and of course, the psychopomping, I was barely getting any time to actually enjoy my life. So when I’d realised Saturday was going to be slow after the departure of my guests, I’d closed the last-minute reservations for the day and got to work.
Ryan was still sound asleep in our room.
Yes, heart, our room. He stayed. Squeeeee!!
And the translucent team was wherever ghosts went when the house got quiet.
I bustled around the kitchen, preparing breakfast, setting the table, and turning the radio on to play soft music in the background to keep me company.
A quiet ping sounded from inside the microwave and I smiled.
“It’s all good, Pop,” I said. “You can chill. I’ve got this.”
He pinged again and I nodded.
“Ryan isn’t up yet either.” As big of a crush Popty had developed on Ted, he had an even bigger bro crush on Ryan.
He followed him everywhere, demanded he be allowed to help with whatever Ryan was doing, hovered over his shoulder at all times and pinged at him relentlessly.
At first, Ryan thought it was because Popty wanted access to Ted through his phone, but it became very obvious very quickly that Popty had a list of people he adored and I was inching my way lower and lower on it day by day.
I opened the oven and took out the croissants, setting them to the side to cool a bit while I made some fresh orange juice. I knew the ghosts couldn’t eat, but they all loved sitting around the table and just chatting, so I wanted to make sure we all had a nice breakfast to start our day.
I set up my juicer and was turning to fetch the oranges when I noticed a croissant missing from the pan. I narrowed my eyes and shook my head.
“You’re gonna have to talk to her one of these days, you know,” I said seemingly into thin air, but I knew he’d hear me. “Running away screaming every time she sees you isn’t gonna work forever.”
“She’d kill me again,” Harold said, phasing into view in the corner.
I shrugged. “Maybe. But at least then there’s a chance you both can move on and find a way to exist together. She has every right to be angry.”
“I know. But it’s been so long and I thought maybe she’d be less angry by now.”
“She might be if you ever apologised and tried to make it up to her,” I suggested. He blinked twice in silence before huffing like I’d just said the most ridiculous thing and rushing off with his stolen croissant. That Bronwyn hadn’t even made. They were frozen. Sue me; I wasn’t much of a cook or a baker.
I shrugged after Harold left and continued prepping breakfast. Juice squeezed, fresh fruit mixed in a bowl. Jars of jams on the table. I even put a bunch of wildflowers in a little vase in the middle of the table. I could hear the house slowly waking up as I worked. Little shuffles and groans that told me I wasn’t the only one up and moving.
Popty slunk out of the microwave, dispersing in a little cloud around the kitchen.
“Make sure you stretch,” I told him. “That microwave is pretty cramped. You sure you wouldn’t rather take the oven?”
He pinged in offence and I held my hands up in surrender.
“Sorry, sorry!” I said. “I’ll never suggest it again. Squeeze away.”
“Don’t mind if I do.” I felt hands on my bum squeezing tight before Ryan plastered his chest against my back and kissed my neck. “Morning, love.”
“Hi,” I breathed, shivering in his arms like it was the first time he’d ever held me. It still blew my mind that he chose to stay. That he wanted to take on this massive risk with me. For me. Nobody had ever believed in me like that and it made me happier than I’d ever been.
I turned in the circle of his arms and wrapped mine around his neck. I looked up into his eyes and smiled when I saw him sleepy and messy-haired. And mine.
