All A Heart Needs B&N Read Free

still wondered if his comment was directed at her.
    "That's just another way of saying you haven't met someone you want to make time for," Emma said, sipping her drink.
    He shrugged and turned back to the stage as the band played on.
    After two more songs and five more minutes of awkwardness, Jessica was more than ready to call it a night. Noting Emma's now empty glass, she decided to make a break for it. "Are you ready to go, Emma? I have a lot to do tomorrow with the move, and I should probably get home. Or I can go on my own if you want to stay."
    "I'm fine to leave."
    "The move?" Sean interrupted, speaking directly to her for the first time since their kiss. "Are you going somewhere, Jessica?"
    "Yes, to a house around the corner from your parents. My apartment building went condo, so I had to find a new place to live."
    "That sucks."
    "I'm not thrilled having to move again so soon, but I'm looking forward to getting back into a house with a yard."
    "She's moving into the Emery house," Emma interjected.
    Sean's jaw dropped, and something dark and unreadable flashed through his eyes. "What? What did you say?"
    "She's moving into the Emery house," Emma repeated, her gaze filling with concern. "Sean? Are you all right?"
    It was a good question Jessica thought. Sean had gone white at the mention of her house.
    "I can't believe it," he muttered. His gaze swung from Emma to her. "How could you be moving into that house?"
    "Nicole heard that Mrs. Emery was moving into an assisted living facility and wanted to rent out her house," Jessica explained, wondering why Sean was so disturbed by her news. "In exchange for a discount on the rent, I'm going to clear out her attic. Apparently, she's built up a ton of stuff over the years and has never been able to throw anything out." She paused, frowning. "Is there something wrong with the house?"
    "There was a fire. Two people died. One was a little girl," he said shortly.
    Jessica was taken aback by his words and by what now appeared to be anger in his eyes. "No one told me about a fire."
    "I told Nicole that she should mention it to you," Emma said. "But she didn't think it was a big deal. I'm surprised Helen didn't tell you."
    Jessica wondered the same thing. "When did it happen? Was it recently?"
    "No, it was a long time ago," Emma replied. "Twenty years, right, Sean?"
    He gave a tight nod.
    "That's why Nicole didn't think it was important, and I'm sure Helen doesn't like to talk about it since it was her son and granddaughter died in the fire," Emma added.
    "I didn't know," Jessica said again, trying to catch Sean's gaze, but he wasn't looking at her anymore. In fact, he wasn't looking at anyone. He seemed to be completely lost in thought. "Sean—"
    "I have to go," he said, cutting her off. "Thanks for coming tonight."
    As Sean took off, Jessica frowned and said, "What am I missing, Emma?"
    "Sean and Stacy, the little girl who died, were best friends. In fact, she was playing at our house earlier that day. I guess the memory hit him really hard. It's kind of strange. Sean rarely gets worked up over anything. He's always super chill, sometimes annoyingly so."
    "It's disturbing."
    "Don't let his attitude bother you, Jessica. Every house has a past, right?"
    "Not always a past tragedy."
    "If it makes you feel any better, the house was remodeled after the fire. I'm sure there aren't any ghosts left. It's going to be a good place for you and Kyle to live."
    "I hope so," she said, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling that Sean's behavior and Emma's mention of ghosts had created.
    Maybe it was a good thing Sean didn't like the idea of her moving into the Emery house. She'd just given him another reason to stay away from her. And if he didn't come around, it would be easier to forget him.
    But the taste of Sean's mouth still lingered on her lips, and the voice inside her head called her a liar.

Chapter Two
     
    Sean struggled to wake up, but the nightmare had him its grip.
    Orange flames