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Oh, God Did Derek soive that much away? Kylie didn&039;t know But neither did she want to ask

So she lay back on the rock and looked up at the trees The sound of the nearby waterfal s seeend for a second, but then Derek&039;s nearness was ato think about They didn&039;t talk Derek shifted his arainst hers That little touch sent tingles coursing through her body

"Yourtomorrow?" she asked

"Of course She never turns down an opportunity to e how Derek had blushed when his htened his hair "She loves you"

"She treats ?"

"Both," Kylie said "Or so they say" Her dad had lied once "Did you know the world ether?"

"Is that what&039;s got you so stressed?"

"Some of it"

He turned his arentle squeeze "I care about you I don&039;t like seeing you upset" His warain He&039;d pro hands asShe wasn&039;t sure she could cal it that, either She did know it felt good-sort of like a hug His palm felt war out to another "I care about you, too"

"Good," he said, and she could almost hear the smile in his voice They didn&039;t talk for the next few host another part of what&039;s stressing you out?"

"Yup" Feeling safe with hihost, and how she thought the ghost wanted her to help exonerate him of a war crime he didn&039;t co she&039;d done , she asked, "Do you stil want to turn your back on your gift of co real y good at tuning them out Holiday says if I keep this up, soon I won&039;t even notice the" He paused "What about you? You stil want to kick your gift back?"

The fact that Kylie had to stop and think about her answer left her a little surprised "It scares h to do it But since the drea about the soldier How brave he was He knehen he went back to save the woh it I wish I knew his na he didn&039;t do And if he was, then I want to find a way to ht" She closed her eyes for a second "But you knohat&039;s weird?"

"What?" Derek&039;s fingers wiggled in her hers

"Every time I see him, he looks familiar Like I know him from somewhere"

"Maybe you do"

"Maybe," Kylie said "But I&039;ve even asked my mom if we had anyone in our family who ever served in the military and she said no"

Derek shifted beside her "Did Holiday say how a ghost picks the person they attach themselves to?"

"She said it could be al kinds of ways I could have passed by somewhere his spirit was, or it could be personal"

Derek raised his arm to check his watch "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but our hour was up thirty o"

"That is bad news" She closed her eyes "Derek?"

"Yes"

"Thank you"

"For what?" he asked

"For everything" She rol ed over and looked at him And heaven help her, but she wanted to kiss him so bad she could scream And if the look in his eyes was any indication, she wasn&039;t the only one wanting

He moved in just an inch She could feel his breath on the corner of her mouth He was so close, she could count his lashes, but it was his lips that tempted her

"Kylie" The way he said her naed

"You&039;reit hard for me to keep my promise"

"I&039; it wouldn&039;t be fair to him, or herself, she didn&039;t do it Not yet

The nextKylie sat with her mom and watched her check her watch for the tenth ti with Kylie soup that er to leave Probably both

"I&039;htening her tan suit jacket The color did nothing for her olive complexion and dark hair It only enhanced what looked to be dark circles under her eyes

"Your friends seelanced over to Del a and her parents at the table in front of them Kylie had introduced her to both Miranda and Del a when she arrived Her irl But if you tel uess I have to believe you"

"She&039;s not wild, Mom," Kylie muttered Silence fol owed, and Kylie knehat it would be like living with herwith her mom&039;s prejudices and aard silences Kylie could feel the chil frohostly chil , either Or was it?

Kylie shifted her gaze across the roo ripped and Kylie real y wished she knew his name so she could help him

"Are you sure we don&039;t have any faain

"Positive, dear" She looked at her watch again "Your camp leader-what&039;s her name? Holiday? She see how she&039;d exchanged glances with Holiday after she&039;dthe camp leader shake her head no, as if to say, her o," her mom said "Do you want to walk me to my car?"

Kylie spied the clock on the walHer hter quality tiot up As they passed Del a and Miranda with their parents, Kylie realized neither of thehtly ritual, was going to be more like a whine session

Kylie and herThankful y, the ghost didn&039;t join theood-byes, she reached out and gave Kylie&039;s arhtened as theback at her

"You know, so their kids"

Shock crossed heryou?"

"No," Kylie said Who wanted a hug you had to ask for? It was like having to ask for an apology

"Bye, Mo hal to wait for her dad She didn&039;t look back and watch herand expecting Kylie to do the sas equaled no fareaves