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“I thought it was for the headache. I had painkillers.”

“That was silly of you.”

“I didn’t want this conversation, okay?”

“You would rather keep making yourself ill?”

Nate huffed. Put like that, it sounded stupid. “I didn’t know I was doing that. I do now. That’s why I’m calling.”

His mother let out a breath. “I gave you that tin in case Leo needed help.”

“He did need help.”

“Every time?”

Nate glanced at Leo. “No,” he admitted. “Not every time.”

“I saw your video.”

He’d expected that, but his stomach tightened anyway. “Okay.”

“You painted him beautifully.”

That, he hadn’t expected. Neither had Leo, apparently. A faint smile showed on the ghost’s lips. Seeing it almost made Nate want to smile too.

“Thanks.”

“But I watched you talking to him, and now you’re telling me this...”

Nate could have let her work it out. She was clearly getting there. But he hadn’t actually said it, and he wanted to. “We’re together, Mom. Leo’s my boyfriend.”

Leo turned toward him. Nate held his gaze as he added, “That’s why I’ve been taking it. I want to be able to touch him.”

A pause on the other end of the line.

Nate braced for his mother’s objections. For her to tell him that he couldn’t do this, that he was being unreasonable.

What she actually said hit harder.

“I wanted you to come back to this life, Nate,” she said. “But not like this.”

Nate’s jaw clenched.

He’d spent years refusing to use his gift, and she’d hated that. Now he was using it, and she hated how. Nate could understand her being upset about the tea. He could even understand her being upset that her son chose to date a dead man, but this was about more than that, and they both knew it.

“How did you want me to come back?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah. I do. You wanted me clearing ghosts again. Taking the jobs nobody else could handle.”

“I wanted you to do something good with what you were given.”

“And this doesn’t count? I’m happy, Mom. He makes me happy.” His followers on YouTube could see it. Why couldn’t she?

“I’m worried about you.”

“You’ve been worried about me since I stopped doing what you wanted.”