Harmonized by Mary Behre Page B

lied about the colors to get attention. That I read about them in a book from the library.”
    â€œHow come you never told me that before?” Zig shifted on the couch. A few inches closer to her. He wanted to reach out, comfort her, but didn’t want her to stop talking. Fool that he was, he missed the sound of her voice. “We were together two years and you never hid your crift from me.”
    â€œCrift?” she asked on a surprised laugh.
    â€œCursed gift.” He shrugged and managed to hide his smile when she shifted an inch closer to him. “I have a friend who talks to ghosts. She calls her ability a crift.”
    â€œA friend, huh?” Karma’s smile fell at the corners, but she firmed it with obvious determination.
    She reached for her water bottle, then turned her body to face his. One knee draped over the other in a move that definitely sent out the
back-off-loser
vibe. Was she jealous?
    Was it small of him to hope she was, just a little?
    â€œIs that the friend you called on the way here?” Karma’s words spilled over one another as she began to babble. “You called a ghost whisperer-type to help us find Wesley? ’Cause he’s alive, not dead. And he’s a baby. Do baby ghosts talk? I wonder what that’s like.”
    Her rambling chatter didn’t disguise her change of subject. And he really wanted to get back to it. All those years ago, she’d been happy, if cautious, about discussing her childhood. Today, she appeared serious and even more protective. Why?
    The doorbell rang before he could answer any of her questions. Pushing to his feet, he held up a finger. “Hang on. My friend’s here.”
    He opened the door and smiled at the too-serious cop. “Hi, Detective English.”
    â€œWe’re off-duty, Harmon, call me Seth or English,” he said, carrying a large, still-hot Philomela’s pizza. The scent of oregano and garlic wafted out of the large square box in his hands.
    Zig’s stomach rumbled, which made the normally surly detective chuckle. “Jules figured you hadn’t eaten either.”
    Zig glanced at his watch for the first time since Karma had sashayed into the station. Seven fifteen. Had it really only been three hours since she’d strode back into his life? In some ways, it seemed like she’d never left.
    â€œOh, wow. I didn’t realize the time. Sorry to interrupt your dinner, sir.”
    â€œNo ‘sir’ring me. Not ever and especially not tonight. This is unofficial.” Seth shifted his weight, shouldered his black briefcase. “Ah, here she comes now.”
    Jules hurried up the steps to stand beside Seth. The detective grinned at Zig and said, “Assuming you invite us in, we’ll just be friends having dinner with a couple girls.”
    Jules cleared her throat. “I’m a woman, not a girl.”
    â€œPlease, come in.” Crap! He’d left Seth standing in the hallway. Zig gestured them both into the room. He quickly deposited the pizza on the coffee table while the couple strode through the door, hand-in-hand.
    â€œI swear, you call me a girl just to annoy me,” Jules said to Seth before giving Zig a big hug. “Hi, Z. Great to see you.”
    Zig laughed and hugged her back with both arms despite the ache zinging to his left shoulder. She’d have definitely noticed and fussed over him if she thought he was still in pain. “Hi, Jules, thanks for coming over.”
    Seth emitted a growl that had Jules laughing. She released Zig then swatted her fiancé on the arm. “Seth, you’re going to scare the man acting like that. Cut it out.”
    Karma rose from the couch, her expression friendly but cautious again. She stood several feet away, twisting her fingers together, a nervous smile on her lips.
    Zig stepped to her side to make introductions. “Detective Seth English and Jules Scott, this is my old,