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“I can’t just hand Leo over to Mom.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because he’s mine.”

Silence on the other end of the line.

“My case,” Nate added too late. “My problem to solve.”

There was a long pause before Jonah spoke again. “How long has it been since you left the house and talked to someone who isn’t dead?”

“This isn’t like that, Jonah.”

“Uh-huh. So how long?”

“I’m going into town tomorrow night.” To ask about Leo, but Nate found it wise not to add that part. Not if Jonah thought he was developing an unhealthy obsession with the ghost. It happened in their community sometimes.

Already he could picture Jonah staging an intervention.

Nate ran a hand over his face.

“Talk to Mom, please,” Jonah said.

“Jonah—”

“I’m not going to out-stubborn you. I never could.” A door closed on his end. “But you’re making some worrying decisions.”

“Jonah.”

“Love you. Talk to Mom.”

The line went dead.

Nate set the phone on the counter, screen down, as if that could protect him from his family.

Leo looked at the device as if it might start ringing again—and as if he didn’t know how to feel about that possibility.

“Your brother wants you to sell my house,” he said.

“He’s worried about me.”

“Should he be?”

“No.”

Leo was quiet for a moment, considering. “He wants you to give me to your mother.”

“Yeah.”

“Why won’t you?”

Why indeed? It was the sensible option. Jonah hadn’t been wrong about that. Nate should have chosen to sell this house and get out of this mess instead of… putting on a ghost show for the internet.

Instead of risking exposure.

But…

“Mom’s good,” he tried piecing together his response. “Better at this than I am. But...”