Page 38 of Paws & Order

A real one.

Short.

Unexpected.

Liza immediately brightens.

"There he is."

"What?"

"The real Cassian."

I groan.

"Don't start."

"You laughed."

"It happens."

"Twice a year?"

"On special occasions."

She grins.

And suddenly I forget what we were talking about.

Theodore.

The investigation.

The ghost.

All of it.

For one suspended moment, it's just her.

The fog curls around us.

Streetlights glow overhead.

Liza's smile softens.

My pulse kicks once.

Hard.

The conversation slows.

The space between us narrows.

She must feel it too.

Because the teasing fades from her eyes.

Neither of us moves.