Page 94 of Ghost

“You’re acting normal?”

He nodded. “Perfectly.”

“I think you and George are up to something,” I said.

“Nope,” he responded. “We’re up to nothing.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. Nothing at all. Everything’s normal.”

“Any new news?” I asked mockingly.

He shook his head. “Nope.”

“I was mocking George,” I said.

“Oh.”

I took a drink of my water and studied him. My birthday wasn’t for three months, and Porter’s wasn’t for seven. George didn’t celebrate birthdays, but his was in January, which was five months away.

So, a surprise party was out of the question.

I wondered if they might be planning a big fundraiser or a special dinner with the bike club. Maybe, I decided, Porter was quitting the club, which I really didn’t want him to do, now that I’d met everyone.

“Have you given any thought to quitting the club?” I asked.

“A little,” he said.

“Don’t,” I said. “I like everyone. And, I don’t want you to lose that fellowhip, or whatever it’s called.”

“Okay. Well, we can talk about that.”

“Let’s talk about it, then.”

“Not now,” he said.

I cocked my head to the side. “What do you want to talk about now?”

He glanced toward the kitchen and then shrugged. “I don’t know.”

I gestured toward the back of the diner with my eyes. “Do you want to check with George and see what he wants you to talk about?”

“No.”

“I’m going to figure out what you two nut buckets are doing. You know that, right?”

“I’m not doing anything.”

“Yes, you are. And I know it.” I extended my hand. “Your phone, please.”

He wiggled to the side of the booth, pulled out his phone, and handed it to me. His mouth twisted into a grin.

I opened his text messages, scrolled through them, and saw nothing out of the ordinary. I handed him the phone. “I’m going to figure it out, believe me.”

“There’s nothing to figure out.”

“Pancake delivery,” George said, sounding like a he was trying out for an Aunt Jemima commercial.