“Pierce.” She couldn’t hide her excitement when they pulled in front of the old-fashioned-style soda shop in the center of town. The balloon lettering on the dusky pink awning over the building read SUSY’S SODA SHOPPE. Identical font was scrawled across the window in gold.
“You like it?”
“I love it. Oh, my God. This might be the best trip I’ve ever been on.” She unbuckled her seat belt and scrambled out of the car before he could walk around to open her door. She ignored his laughter and drank in the beauty she spied through the large glass window. Rows of wooden shelves lined with candy and glass cases with treats of all shapes and sizes made her mouth water.
“Wow, this is straight out of Willy Wonka.” Pierce wrapped an arm around her waist, and she forced herself to relax and enjoy the closeness. Pierce wasn’t some guy trying to get into her pants. She could trust him. They moved forward, and she snuggled into his side, giving fear a swift kick to the shins. She’d allowed her mother’s death and her father’s response to it to scare her so much she refused to try her hand at love. The time to grow up and move on had arrived. They opened the door, and a bell jingled. Dressed in white shirts with black aprons over them, the women behind the registers greeted them with bright smiles.
“Welcome to Susan’s. Have you been here before?”
“No, we haven’t,” Demi said, grinning as excitement vibrated through her body. Her giant sweet tooth had her practically drooling.
“Okay, then let’s give you the rundown. Candies are over there. Baked items are in the glass display cases you see here, and here. And the main attraction over there.” The woman gestured toward the counter with a handful of stools. A giant chalkboard with pristine white writing hung on the wall. “All our flavors and combinations are listed there. If you have any questions at all, please let us know.”
“Thank you. I think this’ll take a while.” Pierce snickered.
She nudged him in the side. “Hey. This is like hitting the lottery for me.”
“I know.” He winked.
“Dessert for lunch? Brownie points.” She tilted her head and studied him from beneath her lashes.
“I’m in this to win you over. All the stops are pulled out.” He leaned down and brushed her lips. The sweet sincerity thawed out her cool resolve. Women dreamed of men like this. “Come on, let’s get ice-cream wasted,” Pierce said against her lips.
She giggled, and he pulled away, leading her to the counter.
In the end, they decided to try the banana-split sundae for two. She watched with childlike glee as they scooped the hand-churned ice cream out of a silver bin and placed it inside a glass boat with gold etchings. The toppings were ladled across and topped with whipped cream and two cherries.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you,” they said in unison.
“Ladies first,” Pierce said, offering her the first bite. She dipped her silver spoon into the picture-perfect treat and brought the sweet concoction to her lips. Flavor coated her tongue, and she moaned, closing her eyes.
“It’s amazing.”
“Yes, it is.” She opened her eyes and found him staring at her. Heat infused her cheeks, and she looked away. He trailed his fingers down her arm and took a bite.
“Okay, it lives up to the hype.”
Her admiration for him grew. He had a sense of how far to take things before he pulled back. She appreciated his gentle nudging toward more while continuing to respect her boundaries. They ate in silence, enjoying each other’s company and the brief reprieve from the mystery staring them in the face.
Chapter Five
With the lights dimmed for the investigation, the hotel took on an almost sinister tone. Shadows cast along the walls made ominous shapes that set him on edge. He held the EMF meter out in front of him and swept the wall on the left side in tandem to Demi, who took the right. A heaviness entered the atmosphere that raised the hairs on the back of his neck. The temperature fell. Her EMF beeped, and the buttons shifted through an array of colors.
“Did you see that?” she asked.
“Yeah. Do you feel the difference in here?” He scanned his side once more and came up empty.
Her meter spiked again. He took his camera out of his pocket, powered it on, and snapped few photos of the area. “Apparently it likes you, D.”
The light beside her went on full tilt, flickering between close your eyes and normal illumination before it returned to the dim set it’d held originally.
“We should do an EVP.” She pulled a slim gray cylinder out of her pocket.
“Is that you, lady in white? Can you tell us your name?” She paused.
“Do you think we got a response?” he said. Chills covered his body. He rolled his shoulders to relieve the tight muscles.