Nikki added, wiping up the last of the egg yolk on her plate with her toast. “What are we doing?”
“Nikki, go away. This is between me and Jack. And don’t park in my spot anymore; I almost rear-ended you this morning.”
“Uh-huh. His name is Ken, dear.”
“Hush up. Go to the bakery. Go to the bathroom. Something.”
“You figured it out.” Ken-Jack looked absurdly relieved. And adorable, with the dish towel slung over one shoulder. He smelled like Dawn detergent. “I thought you might. I’ve been trying and trying to think of how to tell you—”
“My ass!”
“Ooooh,” Nikki said.
“You’ve only had a million chances to bring it up and you blew it every time. How about after we made love last night, buster? Huh? How about then?”
“Jesus, I can’t leave this place for one night without all hell breaking loose,” Nikki commented.
Jack put his hands on her shoulders, dark eyes serious. “Cathy, you’re right.”
“I
know
I’m right. I’m not an idiot. Nikki?”
“That’s right,” she said. “She’s not an idiot.”
“I meant go away.”
“I should have told you,” Jack was saying. “But to be honest, I couldn’t think how. I was afraid I’d scare you. There just isn’t a nice way to say ‘when Ken died I took over his body’ without sounding like a bad man. And I would never want you to think I was a bad man. I love you, Cathy. I’d do anything for you.”
“Oh. Well…” She chewed on her lower lip. “You’re kind of taking the wind out of my sails, here…”
“Let me get this straight,” Nikki began. “Your house was haunted by this guy, who, when you killed Ken off in a fit of rage—”
“I did
not
—”
“—took over Shirtless Ken’s body. Well, who’s knocking down all the pictures?”
“Ken,” Cathy and Jack said in unison.
“Man, no wonder he’s pissed. Not only did you steal his body and put the moves on his girl, he’s now relegated to the spirit world and stuck in this termite trap? Bogus!”
“You’re taking this awfully well,” Cathy said suspiciously.
“I’m the one who keeps getting almost eye-gouged with flying glass,” Nikki reminded her. “And Ken
was
an asshole. This whole passive-aggressive crap would be just like him. It makes sense, sort of.”
“I want you to know,” Jack said, his hands still warm on her shoulders, which was unbelievably distracting, “that I didn’t take over Ken’s body. I was sort of…sort of pulled into it. You’ll never know and I don’t have the words…I was so happy when I woke up in the hospital. I couldn’t believe I’d been given a second chance after all these years. A second chance—”
“Ugh, don’t say it,” Nikki warned.
“—with you.”
“Okay, I’m officially barfed out now.”
“Shut
up,
Nikki. Really, Jack?”
“Why else do you think I wanted to come back here? Not just because I grew up here. I wanted to be close to you. When my sister moved away, I thought it would be my time to just…leave. But then I saw you…you looked so…so lost and so determined. And you were so pretty…”
“And don’t forget about her cute split ends.”
“Nikki!”
Jack laughed. “I even liked your friend.”
“Did you like me, or did you
like
me like me?”
“Nikki.”
“And I-I couldn’t leave. When I heard you talking on the phone with your family, I thought, this woman is alive, and she’s as lonely as I am. And I just…couldn’t leave you.”
“Thanks,” Nikki commented. “Thanks a lot. What am I, chopped liver?”
“Nikki, get it through your head: this is not about you.” She looked back up at Jack. “I went to see your sister today, Jack. She told me everything. About what happened to you in the basement. About why you never left her.”
“I’d like to go see her, too. If I could just get you to drive me—”
“
That’s
why you’re a shittier driver than me,” Nikki said. “You’re about a hundred years out of
“Nikki, go away. This is between me and Jack. And don’t park in my spot anymore; I almost rear-ended you this morning.”
“Uh-huh. His name is Ken, dear.”
“Hush up. Go to the bakery. Go to the bathroom. Something.”
“You figured it out.” Ken-Jack looked absurdly relieved. And adorable, with the dish towel slung over one shoulder. He smelled like Dawn detergent. “I thought you might. I’ve been trying and trying to think of how to tell you—”
“My ass!”
“Ooooh,” Nikki said.
“You’ve only had a million chances to bring it up and you blew it every time. How about after we made love last night, buster? Huh? How about then?”
“Jesus, I can’t leave this place for one night without all hell breaking loose,” Nikki commented.
Jack put his hands on her shoulders, dark eyes serious. “Cathy, you’re right.”
“I
know
I’m right. I’m not an idiot. Nikki?”
“That’s right,” she said. “She’s not an idiot.”
“I meant go away.”
“I should have told you,” Jack was saying. “But to be honest, I couldn’t think how. I was afraid I’d scare you. There just isn’t a nice way to say ‘when Ken died I took over his body’ without sounding like a bad man. And I would never want you to think I was a bad man. I love you, Cathy. I’d do anything for you.”
“Oh. Well…” She chewed on her lower lip. “You’re kind of taking the wind out of my sails, here…”
“Let me get this straight,” Nikki began. “Your house was haunted by this guy, who, when you killed Ken off in a fit of rage—”
“I did
not
—”
“—took over Shirtless Ken’s body. Well, who’s knocking down all the pictures?”
“Ken,” Cathy and Jack said in unison.
“Man, no wonder he’s pissed. Not only did you steal his body and put the moves on his girl, he’s now relegated to the spirit world and stuck in this termite trap? Bogus!”
“You’re taking this awfully well,” Cathy said suspiciously.
“I’m the one who keeps getting almost eye-gouged with flying glass,” Nikki reminded her. “And Ken
was
an asshole. This whole passive-aggressive crap would be just like him. It makes sense, sort of.”
“I want you to know,” Jack said, his hands still warm on her shoulders, which was unbelievably distracting, “that I didn’t take over Ken’s body. I was sort of…sort of pulled into it. You’ll never know and I don’t have the words…I was so happy when I woke up in the hospital. I couldn’t believe I’d been given a second chance after all these years. A second chance—”
“Ugh, don’t say it,” Nikki warned.
“—with you.”
“Okay, I’m officially barfed out now.”
“Shut
up,
Nikki. Really, Jack?”
“Why else do you think I wanted to come back here? Not just because I grew up here. I wanted to be close to you. When my sister moved away, I thought it would be my time to just…leave. But then I saw you…you looked so…so lost and so determined. And you were so pretty…”
“And don’t forget about her cute split ends.”
“Nikki!”
Jack laughed. “I even liked your friend.”
“Did you like me, or did you
like
me like me?”
“Nikki.”
“And I-I couldn’t leave. When I heard you talking on the phone with your family, I thought, this woman is alive, and she’s as lonely as I am. And I just…couldn’t leave you.”
“Thanks,” Nikki commented. “Thanks a lot. What am I, chopped liver?”
“Nikki, get it through your head: this is not about you.” She looked back up at Jack. “I went to see your sister today, Jack. She told me everything. About what happened to you in the basement. About why you never left her.”
“I’d like to go see her, too. If I could just get you to drive me—”
“
That’s
why you’re a shittier driver than me,” Nikki said. “You’re about a hundred years out of
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