Chapter 4

“And a bit arrogant.”

He winked at me, smiled again, and replied, “Someone’s gotta be.”

* * * *

Instructions: sage the apartment, welcome a positive spirit, walk from room to room, don’t cry, guys should never cry.

“No bad spirits…No bad spirits,” Liam said, working.

* * * *

Inside the living room Liam said, “You have four very close friends.”

I rattled off their names one by one.

“Are they in the woods this weekend?”

“Again, you’re good. They’ll be back in Porter on Monday.”

He stood over a battered reading chair with wide arms. He closed his eyes, touched the chair with his left hand, and asked, “Does one of the friends like you?”

“Z does. Or I think he does.”

“He does like you. A lot. You tend to ignore him.”

“I really don’t feel the same way for him.”

“He doesn’t get that,” he confessed, opening his eyes.

“But he should.”

Liam sat down in the chair, crossed his legs, and said, “Jaye used to write in this chair. Short things.”