“You do remember who you’re talking to, right? I’ve known you since you were twelve. You don’t have allergies.”
She shrugged. “Yesterday was a lot. It was overwhelming.”
“Are you sure that’s all it is? Josh mentioned he was setting you up with one of his friends.” Bri laid a hand on Em’s arm. “That’s a huge step. It wouldn’t be surprising if you’re emotional. I’d be more surprised if you weren’t.”
“You don’t think I’m rushing it?”
“Only you know that.”
“Take off your therapist hat and put on your best friend hat. Tell me what you honestly think.”
“That I’m proud of you, and happy for you. So is your brother. He’s also relieved.”
“Of course he is,” she muttered around a mouthful of cereal.
“It’s okay if you change your mind, you know. Just being open to the idea of dating is a good first step.” Bri took a sip of coffee. “Do you mind me asking what brought it on?”
“I don’t mind you asking but I don’t have an answer.” At least one she felt comfortable sharing. “Maybe because I nearly died?”
Bri nodded and took another sip of her coffee, meeting Em’s eyes. She smiled.
Em was familiar with that particular look… and smile. Bri was in therapist mode, waiting for Em to spill her guts. Em wondered if she’d heard her talking to Brad. But she’d put on her podcast, the volume high enough that they wouldn’t hear her whispering. Except now that she thought about it, when she’d picked up her phone to text Josh, it had been turned off.
“Did you turn off my phone last night?” she asked conversationally, picking up a pink iced Pop-Tart.
“Cal did when he checked on you.”
She worked to keep the panic from her voice. “I didn’t say anything to him, did I? I don’t remember him coming into my room.”
“You were out cold. He didn’t want to disturb you. Right now, the best thing for you is sleep. He moved your appointment at the hospital to tomorrow.” She nodded at the digital thermometer, blood pressure machine, and stethoscope on the kitchen counter. “We’ll send him your vitals after you eat.”
“He’s at the hospital now?”
She nodded. “He had back-to-back surgeries. He left at eight.”
“Huh. I could’ve sworn I smelled bacon cooking when I woke up.”
Bri smiled. “You did. Patsy dropped off a Caesar salad. I think it’s her way of making up for all the junk food she bought for you.”
Em snorted. “Josh probably guilted her into it.”
“I’m not sure her version of a Caesar would get his stamp of approval. The ratio of bacon, croutons, and cheese to romaine lettuce is ten-to-one. She bought the salad at the grocery store and wasn’t happy they used imitation bacon so she cooked up a pound of the real stuff here and added it.”
“Sounds like my kind of salad,” Em said, turning in her chair to survey the living room. “Where’s Gus?”
“Josh picked him up an hour ago and took him to his football practice. He thought the kids and exercise would be good for him.”
“Yeah, he’s not been himself. Gus I mean, not Josh,” Em said. “How did you find him today?”
“He seemed depressed. Cal tried to take him when he went for his run, but Gus wouldn’t leave the house. He kept sniffing around like he’d lost something.”
The lump in Em’s throat made it difficult to swallow, and she put down the half-eaten Pop-Tart. Focusing on the empty bowl in front of her so Bri wouldn’t see the tears swimming in her eyes, Em nodded. She should’ve woken up earlier. She was the only one who understood what Gus was going through.
“Charlotte thinks it’s because he misses the ghost,” Bri said in the same conversational tone Em had used only moments before.
“Steve and Jenny’s Charlotte? She was here?” She sensed Bri watching her, waiting for a reaction for her to analyze. She wouldn’t get one. Em was good at hiding her feelings under an impenetrable mask.
“Jenny and Charlotte stopped by this morning to borrow some sugar. You’re eating her breakfast.” Bri smiled. “She wanted to play with Gus instead of eating but asked me to save it for her. Jenny’s bringing her by for a session in twenty minutes. They’re worried about Charlotte. She won’t talk about the accident. When Jenny found out I was a family therapist, she asked if I’d talk to her.”
“I’d be worried too if the kid’s seeing ghosts,” Em said instead of coming to Charlotte’s defense. Not everyone wanted or needed to talk about their traumatic experiences ad nauseam. But this was an opening to get her best friend’s opinion on whether Em had been imagining Brad without outing herself. “You don’t actually believe she’s seeing ghosts, do you?”
“I believe Charlotte does, and that’s all that matters. But I got the impression she wasn’t seeing a ghost so much as sensing a presence.”
“Tomato, tomahto. Do you think the kid saw a ghost or not?”
“Do you believe she saw a ghost?”
“It’s annoying when you answer a question with a question. But you don’t fool me. I know exactly what you’re thinking.”
“What am I thinking?”
“That it was Brad, and that’s why Gus is depressed. And if you ask if I think it was Brad, I’m going to smack you with my Pop-Tart.”
“You wouldn’t want to waste a perfectly good Pop-Tart by smacking me,” Bri said with a hint of a smile before it disappeared and she got a serious look on her face. “Are you upset because Charlotte and Gus might’ve seen Brad but you didn’t?”
If she only knew. “No, not at all. I’m just trying to figure out what’s real and what isn’t.”
“Okay. Let’s go back to your original question. Is it possible Charlotte and Gus saw a ghost in your house? Yes, I think it is possible they sense something we can’t. Children and animals are sensitive and more open and aware than adults. They don’t have built-in biases.”
“Yeah, but it’s not only kids and animals. Plenty of adults see ghosts. I had a call not that long ago from an older woman who’d lost her dog. She talked like there was someone else in the room with us. When I asked who she was talking to, she told me it was her dead husband.” It wasn’t true but Em needed Bri to confirm she wasn’t losing her mind.
“It’s not uncommon for people who’ve lost a loved one to talk to them. It’s a way of keeping them with them, of keeping their memory alive. I’ve worked with clients who believe their departed loved ones visit them in their dreams or swear they’ve received signs they’re still with them. For the majority of them, they were comforting and healing experiences.”
“But you don’t think they’re real? You think they were all in their head.”
“It doesn’t matter what I think. I believe we should judge by what happened as a result of their paranormal experiences. For my clients who maintained they were visited by their departed loved ones, it was an absolute gift, and they found peace.” She covered Em’s hand with hers. “It’s quite common for people who’ve had a near-death experience to witness all manner of supernatural phenomenon. Some report seeing bright lights or angels or being reunited with departed loved ones. There’s no definitive answer to why—”