“Still hurting?” she asked. “Your head or your shoulder?”

  “Both. But I’ll live.”

  “If you hadn’t been there tonight…” Penny covered her mouth. She’d already said this multiple times, but the shock still hadn’t worn off.

  When he caught June and they both crashed, his head had bounced off the lobby’s wood floor. Paramedics had swarmed from one of the festival’s medical tents. June had been knocked cold. The medics hadn’t let Penny ride along with Matthew or June, but she and Linden had driven one of Alpenglow’s Jeeps. Accidents happen, Linden had said. They’re going to be fine. It could’ve been much worse. As if Penny didn’t know.

  Penny had asked to see June, too, but the nurses refused. Linden was trying to find out how she was faring.

  Matthew closed his eyes, hissing as he moved his arm to a different position. Bruises dotted his skin, only partly visible past his hospital gown. His right arm was in a sling.

  “I just don’t understand what June was doing up there,” Penny said. “I should’ve looked for her sooner.”

  Matthew held his left hand out to her. She slid her fingers into his comforting grip.

  “I should’ve boarded up the stairways entirely,” he said.

  “Of everyone involved in this, you’re the least to blame. If it wasn’t for you, if June—” Her voice was breaking, and the tears she’d been holding back for hours sprang into her eyes.

  “Enough of that.” Matthew squeezed her hand. “If I hadn’t been there, you would’ve done something. I’m really glad that didn’t happen, obviously, because I think my head’s a lot harder than yours.”

  “False humility doesn’t look good on you, Larsen. You’re the big, brave hero. Get used to it.”

  Watching June plummet from the balcony had been one of the most terrifying split-seconds of Penny’s life. That moment had felt endless, and Penny had simply frozen. She hadn’t even thought there was anything she could do.

  But Matthew hadn’t hesitated. He’d reached out and caught June—or at least, broken her fall—and risked himself like it was the most natural thing in the world. Because to him, it was natural.

  He laughed. “I’m not brave. I’m the guy who’s too scared to go back to his own house.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Matthew looked at the wall, as if regretting his words.

  “Is that why you’re living at the inn?” she asked.

  He nodded reluctantly.

  “Then tell me. You know so many embarrassing things about me, I could use at least one of you.”

  “It wasn’t anything so significant…” Then he stopped and swallowed. “Okay, I guess it was.” He closed his eyes, clearing his throat.

  “I saw my mother. After she died, I mean. I saw her in our house.”

  Penny scooted to the edge of her chair, resting her hand on the bed beside him. She felt his warmth through the blanket.

  “You saw her ghost?”

  “It happened a few days after she died.” He spoke slowly, taking time to form the words. “I was sleeping a lot then. I don’t know if I was depressed, or if I was just so sleep deprived. I stayed up as much as I could while she was dying. Just caught a nap here and there. She’d spent months holding on, and then those last days she got worse so fast. She was in her bed at home. I could almost feel it in the room—that shift. A few minutes later, Mom was gone.”

  He sat up, speaking more clearly now. “But anyway, I was sleeping a lot afterward. One day, I woke up around sunset. I’d heard a noise, like a door closing, though I couldn’t tell right then if I’d only dreamed it. I wasn’t sure of the time until I looked over at the clock and saw it was about five p.m. The house seemed so still. I got up and left my room. Went to the kitchen, thinking I should eat something even though I still wasn’t hungry. And then, when I got there…”

  He was quiet for almost a full minute.

  Finally, Penny asked, “When you got there?”

  “All the lights were off in the house, but I could see her outline. She was walking across the kitchen, stopping every few feet and glancing around. Like she was looking for something. And I could hear her. Not out loud. I mean, in here.” He tapped at his temple. “It was just like you described it. She was saying, ‘I can’t, it’s not right.’ Over and over. I have no idea what that meant. It was so surreal. I guess I thought maybe I was still dreaming. I went toward her, and I said, ‘Mom, what’s not right?’ Without even thinking, I reached out and tried to touch her. It wasn’t cold, exactly. But my fingers went numb. I knew then that it wasn’t a dream. I grabbed a few things, and I got the hell out of there.”

  Penny tried to catch his eye, but he wouldn’t look at her.

  “Your mom didn’t ask too many questions when I asked for a room at the inn. She seemed to understand there were things I didn’t want to discuss, and I am really grateful for that. I didn’t know how to explain it. Even though I grew up around you and your family, and all the stories about ghosts in Ashton, I didn’t know how to say what happened. Until, I guess, now. With you.”

  Penny nodded. She’d heard stories like this before. But even though she was used to seeing spirits, she’d never seen a ghost of a person she’d known well. It would’ve been intense.

  “Have you tried going back?” she asked. “It’s possible your mom isn’t there anymore.” Most of the ghosts she saw were like that. Just passing through.

  “I can’t experience that again. She was so scared, and I don’t even know why. I just feel like I failed her. I tried to make sure she was comfortable and felt loved those last few days, and it wasn’t—” His voice faltered. “It wasn’t enough.”

  Penny rested her hand on his leg through the blanket. “That’s not true. It might not have been about you at all.”

  “But it was. I felt it. She was scared because of me. I just don’t know why.”

  A nurse came in, and Penny moved her chair back to make room. While the nurse asked Matthew questions about his pain level, Penny thought. Even though she’d lived with this ability for most of her life, she still understood little about ghosts. She’d absorbed some things over the years, but she hadn’t gone out of her way to learn more. There were sophisticated research teams studying paranormal activity, but she’d stayed away from them—too many memories of her father’s paranormal club. She had no interest in being studied. As for other mediums, she avoided them. Just because Penny knew ghosts were real didn’t mean that she bought into every single person who claimed to see them, too.

  But of course, she believed whole-heartedly that Matthew was telling the truth.

  “Will I be able to leave soon?” Matthew asked the nurse.

  “The doctor will be in to discuss it soon. Shouldn’t be too much longer.”

  “I wish you had told me before,” Penny said when the nurse had gone. “About your mom.”

  Matthew looked rueful. “I didn’t tell you because you weren’t here. And it’s not like there’s anything you could do. It’s my problem, not yours.”

  His body language had closed off. They hadn’t talked yet about what he’d said last night—her moving back to Ashton. The whole idea was a non-starter. But her heart was doing all sorts of funny things in her chest.

  “I pay someone to keep the house up,” Matthew continued, “check on it every few weeks. I’m going to sell it eventually, when I feel ready.”

  “You should be able to go home.”

  “I thought home was overrated.”

  Perhaps she deserved that. But his tone was light, not critical. Penny sat gently beside him on the bed. Her fingers grazed his cheek. His blue eyes regarded her.

  How had she ever imagined that she’d gotten over this man?

  “Knock, knock,” Linden said, and tugged at the curtain blocking Matthew’s bed from the rest of the room. She peeked in and saw Penny sitting beside him. “Oh, sorry—”

  Penny stood. “It’s fine, come in. What’s up?”

  “Checking on our patient, though clearly he’s in good hands.” Linden’s hair was up in a messy bun, and her face was scrubbed clean of makeup. Penny recognized the signs of lack of sleep in her friend—a slight redness to Linden’s eyes, a crease between her eyebrows.

  Matthew shifted his weight on the bed, sitting up higher against the pillows. “Penny’s taking good care of me. But how’s June? We haven’t heard much.”

  Linden gave them a quick update on June’s condition. She’d broken the tibia and fibula in her left leg, fractured a couple of ribs, and suffered a concussion.

  Matthew spoke up. “The way she looked in the ambulance—it was rough. When she woke up on the way, she was terrified. She didn’t know where she was.”

  “Is June’s family coming?” Penny asked.

  Linden shrugged. “They said something about June’s roommate? Tripp’s been meeting with the SunBev execs, so I don’t know their plan. Or whether June’s going to be well enough to stay for the rest of the festival.” She was playing nervously with the cuff of one sleeve, a very un-Linden-like tic. There was something else bothering her. Something she hadn’t said.

  “What else is going on?” Penny asked.

  Linden smiled apologetically at Matthew. “I don’t want to stress anyone.”

  “You’re starting to freak me out,” Penny said. “What is it?”

  Linden took a shaky breath. “June wasn’t the only one who had an accident at the festival last night.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  By the time the doctor officially announced Matthew could leave the hospital, Penny had already gone.

  Bryce was waiting in his car by the curb. An orderly wheeled Matthew outside. The day was beautiful—just a few clouds, eye-watering sunshine, seventy-five degrees. The kind of day Matthew and Bryce would’ve met up for lunch, maybe even played hooky from work for an extra hour or two to play bocce ball on the inn’s lawn. But today, Matthew had a sore shoulder and a concussion, he’d only gotten a few hours’ sleep, and he still felt spacey from the drugs they’d given him. Plus, he had way too many other things on his mind besides.

  Bryce got out of his car and opened the passenger-side door. Matthew got up from the wheelchair.

  “You look like you’re half dead.”

  “Exactly. Only half.”

  The doctor had given him a Tylenol 3 prescription and told him to take it easy for a few days. Avoid alcohol and screens, if you can, the doc said. Try not to think too hard. Give your brain a rest. Which wouldn’t be easy with Penny around.

  Once they were both seated and belted, Bryce put the car in gear. They drove through the parking lot toward the main road. It was about a fifteen-minute trip back to the inn.

  “Have you talked to Penny?” Matthew asked.

  She’d stopped by his room to say she had to go. Between the two accidents last night, she was once again doing damage control. And that was only the first night of the festival. Had it been doomed from the start?

  Or is this my fault? Matthew wondered. It was my job to make Eden safe, and somehow I screwed up. But he still couldn’t wrap his head around what had gone wrong. Maybe it was the drugs, or the concussion. His brain was fuzzy this morning. Moving too slowly.

  Just like his impression that Penny had been about to kiss him earlier. His brain was definitely deficient, because she’d made it clear last night that she had no intention of trying to rekindle their relationship. Hadn’t she?

  Bryce was always a stickler about the speed limit. Right now, he was driving ten under, like he thought Matthew could break.

  “I haven’t spoken to Penny, no,” Bryce said, “but everybody’s talking about last night. You’re the big hero. Maybe even saved that girl’s life? You always knew how to get attention.”

  Matthew rolled his eyes, which he stopped when he started feeling dizzy. “But what about Scott? Is he okay? What even happened?”

  Bryce sighed, running a hand over his thick, dark hair. “Man, I hardly know. But it’s embarrassing. Apparently, he was drunk and high and someplace he didn’t belong. He got caught up in some wires, I guess? One of the people who works with Penny found him.”

  “Was it Anvi?” Matthew wondered aloud.

  “Dunno. But he got shuffled off to the hospital behind you.”

  “Poor kid. Krista’s close with him, right?”

  “Yeah, they were at the festival together last night. It’s an all-hands-on-deck family emergency according to my dad, so it’s a good thing you’re well enough to come home. We need somebody who’s not a Wright to insert a little sanity into our discussions. I tried to remind Dad that people get injured skiing or hiking around Ashton every single year. But he won’t listen.”

  “So you’re okay with Penny holding a festival in Eden?”

  “Our business around here is tourism. My mom is fine with it, too. It’s just Dad, and that’s only because of his weird fixation on the paranormal. I mean, some people around town are criticizing Penny’s motives, saying she’s sweeping in like a carpetbagger, helping big companies make money off of tragedy. Some lady actually confronted Penny at the inn.”

  “That’s completely unfair.” Matthew shifted against the leather seat, remembering that he might’ve said something similar to Penny when she arrived. “Penny’s doing the best she can.”

  Bryce raised an eyebrow in his direction. “Yeah, man, I know. Relax.”

  But Matthew gripped his door as they drove. Everybody, from the doctor to his best friend, was telling him to relax, and he’d never felt more wound up.

  “Just don’t start with Penny when you see her,” Matthew said. “That’s all I’m asking.”

  “Why would I start with her? I’m not mad at her. Besides, I barely know her anymore.”

  “Exactly. So give her a chance. You were always way too hard on her growing up.”

  Bryce laughed. “Some things haven’t changed, I see.”

  “What does that mean?” Matthew almost never fought with Bryce. An easy-going, live-and-let-live attitude defined their friendship. Bryce was the one with a temper, and Matthew always smoothed things over. Their roles were well-defined after almost fifteen years of friendship. So why did Matthew feel like picking a fight now? He couldn’t explain it. But the urge was there from the moment Bryce had said Penny’s name.

  “I just mean, you still have a thing for her.”

  Matthew’s face instantly began to burn.

  Bryce laughed again, louder this time. “You thought I didn’t know? Matt, you are not a closed book, okay?”

  “But you never said anything.” Matthew spoke through clenched teeth.

  “And you didn’t either.”

  “You’re not pissed?”

  They pulled into the lot for the inn and parked in the far corner. Bryce switched off the engine, then looked over at him. “I’ve never worried about her with you. Not for a second. It’s you I’ve always worried about.”

  “Me? Why?”

  Bryce got out of the car, shaking his head. Matthew followed. But he wasn’t letting this go.

  “Why?” He stopped there in the parking lot.

  Bryce put his hands on his hips. “Look, I’m amazed her job at this LA publicity firm has lasted this long. Maybe she’s changed in the last few years. But I doubt it. Eventually, Penny always gets bored—that’s probably why she’s back. Suddenly, our hometown and our history seem new and interesting again. But it won’t last. You know?”

  Matthew thought Penny had grown up more than her brother knew. But he wanted to hear Bryce say the rest of it.

  “Why does that make you worry about me?”

  Bryce closed his eyes and sighed. “I care about you, and I’d hate to see you hurt. I don’t want you to be the one she leaves next.”

  Debbie Wright ushered them into the dining room, which was quiet since lunch wasn’t being served yet.

  “Dora made something special for you,” Penny’s mother said, setting the plate on a table.

  Bryce reached for a square of cornbread, and Debbie smacked his hand. “Not for you,” she said. “For Matthew.”

  “Mom!” Bryce cradled his hand, though he was smiling. “I’ll just get one from Dora in the kitchen.”

  “That’s up to her. But you’re not stealing Matthew’s. We’re supposed to be taking care of him, remember?”

  Everyone seemed to know already about his supposed “heroics” the night before. He’d just done what anybody would’ve done. Mostly, he wanted to go to his room and get some sleep.

  And Matthew was still stunned by what Bryce had said—not only that he knew about Matthew’s feelings for his sister, but that he thought Penny would break his heart. Matthew had wondered as much himself. That was a big part of the reason he’d convinced himself to let her go. A part of him had wanted Bryce to go all protective big brother. Which would’ve been fair, considering the things Matthew always longed to do with her. But maybe Bryce could see what Matthew couldn’t—that he and Penny just weren’t meant to be.

  Matthew ignored the various aches and pains all over his body—the pounding of his head, the twisting of his heart—and sat down to eat.

  “I’m so sorry about what happened,” Debbie said. “All those bruises, you poor thing.” She clucked her tongue. “Do you want to talk about it, or do you just want to be left alone for a bit?”

  I’m alone all the time, Matthew thought. This had been another realization since Penny arrived back in his life. Seeing her again made him realize just how alone he’d been these past few years, though he lived in a hotel with dozens of people constantly surrounding him.

  “Alone’s good.” He didn’t like the reason for all the attention. He certainly didn’t feel much like a hero.

  “All right. But concussions are no joke, and I’ve got a key to your room, mister. I will be using it. I don’t know if you sleep naked, and I don’t want to know. So wear some PJs.”

  Matthew snickered. “Yes, ma’am.” Debbie was part of the reason he liked living at the inn. She’d always been close friends with his mom.

  His mom. The thought of her wasn’t easing that twisting sensation in his chest. He loved his mom so much, and it had been so hard to lose her. Sometimes people said things like, I’d give anything to see her again, even for a second. But Matthew didn’t feel that way. He’d thought she died at peace, but her presence in the kitchen had been so tortured. Had she been hiding something? Had she died afraid, unable to tell her son the truth? Or had she simply been trying to spare his feelings?

 

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