Once we were outside, we found Marcus waving from the closest corner and we hurried over to him. “Hey!” he greeted, smiling warmly at us. “Did you manage to get some rest?”
“We did,” Mike replied, smiling back at them both. I sometimes hated that I couldn’t see Erik, but maybe that was for the best. I would much rather be Mike’s anchor than just another medium. At least as his anchor I could help him.
“I’m glad. That Kimmie was a mean bitch,” Marcus grumbled as we followed him down the street. He’d said that the restaurant was a ten-minute walk from our hotel, and a nice evening stroll was preferred over taking a taxi.
“She was,” I agreed easily. “It was clear that she had some opinions on how others should live their lives.”
Marcus scoffed. “For her to have such demands of others, I fail to see how she can be a good medium.”
“Or,” Mike began, “She was feeling down because we’d managed to do something she failed to do herself and she lashed out, mentioning the first thing she could latch onto.”
Marcus seemed to think that over. “Hmm, perhaps. Still a bitch, though.”
“Oh, for sure,” I agreed with a grin. “When we come back here, we only want to work with you and Erik.”
That earned me a soft smile. “I can’t wait.”
“Oh,wow!” Mike exclaimed and I turned to face the building he was so awed by. It had lots of fairy lights outside and ivy that grew up the sides of the front, creating an inviting environment.
“This is it,” Marcus announced, seemingly pleased by our reaction. “Cozy, isn’t it?”
“Romantic is more like it,” I smiled, following Marcus inside.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Mike
The beautiful restaurant and all the happy people eating inside did nothing to abate my tears. I was doing my very best not to weep as we ate the six-course meal, but my eyes kept getting glassy whenever I saw how in love Erik and Marcus were. Dylan and I sat on chairs next to each other with Marcus in front of us on a bench seat, making room enough for Erik to sit with us. I’d feared he would have to stand awkwardly next to the table, but he sat like he truly was a part of our evening, and I loved that.
“Before I forget,” Erik said, looking directly at me. “Where did you buy your lace panties? I want Marcus to wear the same ones but we couldn’t find them online.”
My face was burning up and I prayed that Marcus kept Dylan's attention so he wouldn’t notice. “I’ll—” I swallowed. “I’ll send Marcus the link.”
“Thank you,” Erik winked. “We plan on visiting you in the future, maybe work on more cases where more mediums are needed.”
“We would love that,” I grinned. “But I have to admit, it feels lonely without you tailing me.”
His smile turned sad. “I know. It was hard for me too. I’m just glad you have Dylan, otherwise it would’ve been even harder for me to leave you.”
“Had it been anyone other than Marcus who’d tried to take you, I would’ve fought them on it,” I admitted with a soft smile. “We had fun together, and I’m glad you were my first ever ghost.”
Erik’s eyes turned wet and he had to look away from me. I knew the feeling all too well. The absence of his gaze gave me the chance to pull myself together, too, so I did, trying to look at the happy eaters around us and admire the décor.
“That sounds amazing!” Marcus exclaimed. “A whole week!”
“With snow and everything,” Dylan agreed with an eager smile. “We leave tomorrow.”
Marcus sigheddreamily. “We might need to do the same in the future. Just sitting inside a warm cabin while the snow is falling outside the window. With the fire going and some hot cocoa….”
“We can go next month,” Erik interrupted, clearly also hooked on the idea. “You were told to use some vacation days, this could be amazing for us, and there likely won’t be any other ghosts there considering it will be a small cabin.”
Marcus nodded eagerly. “I just hope they won’t judge me for renting a cabin for a whole week alone.”
Erik just shrugged. “We save on the expense and no one will be around to hear you scream my name there.”
“Erik!” Marcus hissed, his cheeks getting redder.
“What did he say?!” Dylan whispered, eager for gossip.