Whispering Hearts by Cassandra Chandler Page A

a place where spirits couldn’t enter without her permission. To do that, she had to leave the bathroom.
    She looked toward the mirror again, but couldn’t bring herself to move. The AC was running and the water left on her skin began to evaporate, chilling her.
    If she called to Garrett and asked him to cover the mirror, it would be one more mark against her, one step closer to him giving up on her and taking her to the hospital. She was shocked he hadn’t done so already. She sank down in the tub and curled into a ball to stay warm while she thought of a plan.
    She could crawl out of the bathroom. No, too weird.
    Close her eyes as she passed? Her reflection would still appear in the mirror, making it that much more likely a ghost would find her.
    She could just deal with it. Walk out and say, “Hi,” to anyone who might be in the room with her. Not brave enough.
    Just the thought of talking openly to a ghost made her tremble. Too many memories poured through her mind.
    Whispers in the night, shadows flashing across any reflective surface, wicked smiles as they reached for her, let her know that they were touching her, even if she couldn’t feel them—and worse, the ones she could feel.
    Closing her eyes, she shook her head. She wasn’t that terrified child anymore. Was she?
    â€œRachel?”
    She shook her head harder, pressing her hands over her ears.
    â€œRachel?”
    â€œStop,” she said. “Stop talking to me.”
    She felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped sideways, her shoulder slamming into the tile of the shower.
    â€œRachel! Are you okay?”
    Garrett was kneeling next to her, leaning over the tub. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up against his chest.
    â€œI’m getting you all wet,” she said.
    â€œI don’t care. Come on.” He helped her stand, then tried to ease her out of the tub.
    â€œWait.”
    He stopped, staring into her eyes. The pain she could see there would be etched on her soul forever. How could she do this to him?
    She should tell him. Just explain everything.
    But that would buy her a one-way ticket back to the hospital.
    His gaze briefly wavered, a deep red blush coming to his cheeks. He looked away, but kept his hands on her arms.
    â€œWhat do you need?” he asked.
    â€œA towel.”
    He nodded and released her. The room was small and he was huge. He only had to take a step to reach the towels. He turned back to her with one in hand and offered it to her, averting his gaze from her body.
    â€œThanks.” She wrapped it around herself, then pointed at the mirror. “Could you cover that, please?”
    â€œThe mirror?”
    â€œYes. I—” Inspiration hit and she said, “I don’t like looking at myself since…it happened.”
    Her heart was pounding painfully against her ribs, as if it wanted to punish her for the half-truth. She had never liked looking in mirrors and only used a compact so she could control what she saw.
    He stared at her for a few moments, the lines on either side of his mouth deepening. It was obvious he wasn’t buying her story. But he picked up another towel and draped it over the mirror anyway.
    â€œThanks.” Tears pricked her eyes again.
    He helped her from the tub. His hands didn’t linger this time and he pointedly avoided looking at her. Since he had just seen her naked, that kind of made sense. He was also keeping his body as far from hers as he could.
    She was used to them gravitating toward each other, especially in close-quarters like these. Her heart squeezed painfully at the absence of that contact. It was the least she deserved for putting him through this.
    â€œAre you going to be okay if I step outside while you get dressed?”
    â€œYes. I’m fine, really.”
    He looked at her then, pinning her with his gaze. “No you’re not. And you don’t have to be. Not with me. But you will be okay.