“Let’s see… what am I forgetting?” Sam tapped his finger to his chin thoughtfully. “I showed you the plants… You met Toby… I showed you where his food is. Oh, don’t…”

“…Feel bad if Toby doesn’t come out — he’s shy around strangers,” Derek smiled.

“I… already covered that, didn’t I?”

Derek nodded. “It’s cool, man. You’ve got a lot on your mind with this trip. It’s all good. I know which plants to water when, I know Toby’s food schedule. I’ll camp in your guest room tomorrow night, and you’re back next Saturday. That about it?”

Sam visibly relaxed. “Thanks, man. This is all written down and I sent it to your email.”

“Tell me it’s not a PowerPoint.”

Sam reddened.

“Bro, you need this vacation so bad! Maui is waiting!”

“Thanks man.”

“Let’s see… what am I forgetting,” Marlene tapped her finger to her chin thoughtfully. “I showed you the best places to manifest cold spots… Oh, about the stairs, don’t…”

“…Sound footsteps until at least 3am because that’s the accepted ‘witching hour’?”

“I… already covered that, didn’t I?”

Elaine nodded. “It’s fine, Marlene. I understand, this is the first time you haven’t had Amelia to ghost sit for you. But she’s gone into the light, and I’m here to cover for you! You’re good.”

“Thank you, Elaine. I really appreciate it.”

“Hey, it’s not everyday you get to meet up with the ghost of your great, great, great…”

Marlene laughed, “It’s just great-great. And it’s my great, great granddaughter – heart attack, I heard. Died in her sleep.”

“Oh, give her my congratulations!” Elaine smiled.

“Will do. And you think you’ll be back next Saturday?”

“Oh, dear yes. Nothing worse than a visiting ghost overstaying her welcome.”

“Talk about things that go bump in the night!”

They both laughed.

“Hey Toby,” Elaine said gently to the cat sitting on the throw rug in front of the bed as she crouched in the doorway to the guest room. The cat regarded her warily. “We met the other night? Marlene introduced us? She’s out, but she told me to make sure you were okay.”

Derek noticed the cold spot at the top of the hallway as he brought his duffel to the guest room. “That’s weird,” he said shivering and crossing to the thermostat. Seventy degrees. He shrugged and saw Toby sprint under the guest bed as he dropped his duffel. “Hey buddy,” he said, kneeling to look at the two eyes in the darkness. “Pspspspsps…” he said, smiling. Toby stared back at him, then looked over his shoulder. His eyes grew wide and he receded farther under the bed.

“Who is this guy?” Elaine stood behind the man now kneeling in front of the bed. “He’s not coming out for you, buddy. Where’s Sam? I was told Sam was the only living person here?”

Derek tilted his head at the cat looking over his shoulder. He turned and looked straight through Elaine. “Nothing there, buddy.” Derek stood up and turned to face the door and pulled out his iPhone.

Elaine stood directly in front of him as he scrolled through his phone. “Who. Are. You?!” she yelled at him.

“Okay, the Boston fern gets watered today…” he read. He lowered his phone, stared right through Elaine and stepped through her, shivering as he did. “Seriously, why is it so cold up here?” he said to himself as he headed downstairs.

Elaine stared after him as he left the room. “Marlene said Sam was the only living person here. This guy must be… a squatter! He’s probably going to… I don’t know… strip out the copper wires! Like what happened to that foreclosed place I was at. Not today! Not on my watch!” She stalked out of the room after Derek.

Derek had set the small watering can on the counter beside the sink when a cabinet door opened on its own. He stared at it… and then closed it.

It opened again.

He closed it again.

It opened again.

He moved to close it again, but it slammed shut before he could touch it.

“What the hell?” he said.

“Ah, scared you, didn’t I, squatter?” Elaine stood in front of the cabinet. “Now leave!” She turned the faucet on right in front of him.

Derek looked at the running faucet and shut it off.

Suddenly all of the cabinets started opening and slamming closed at the same time as the kitchen lights flashed on and off.

“Woot! Woot! Kitchen rave, squatter!” Elaine flicked the light switch on and off with one hand as she gestured to the cabinets.

Derek turned and ran out of the room.

“Gets them every time…” Elaine said proudly as she followed Derek out of the kitchen.

Derek sprinted up the stairs. He was about to grab his duffel and get the hell out of this house, but he saw Toby prowling around his duffel bag on the bed and remembered he had a responsibility. Instead, he continued down the hall to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face, breathed deeply, and counted to ten.

Coming out of the bathroom, Derek was feeling a little calmer. He noticed Toby padding tentatively out of the guest room into the hallway. “Hey buddy,” Derek said gently to the cat.

“Mrrrow,” Toby meowed at Derek.

Derek smiled.

Toby turned away from Derek toward the stairs where Elaine was just coming up onto the landing.

“Mrrrow,” Toby meowed at Elaine.

Derek stopped smiling.

Elaine crouched down and Toby moved towards her, already purring before she had even scratched between his ears.

Derek stared at the cat purring and moving around… something. He saw the fur between Toby’s ears move as if scratched. Derek swallowed hard.

Elaine looked up from the cat and saw Derek staring directly at her – not through her, at her.

“You can’t see me… right?” she said aloud.

Derek slowly reached in his pocket and drew out his iPhone.

“Oh, you’re not going to try the whole, ‘take a picture of the ghost.’ Because you know that never really works…”

Derek took his eyes off the space where… whatever was petting Toby must be and opened his message app. “Sam… Sam… Sam…” he found his friend’s message thread and started typing, speaking aloud, “Dude, is your place frickin’ haunted? Because you probably should have mentioned that in the PowerPoint somewhere between cleaning Toby’s litterbox and don’t water the succulents…”

“Oh, you know Sam?” Elaine said, standing up, Toby rubbing against her ankles. “Maybe you’re not a squatter…”

“…Because a ghost kinda changes things…” He read back over his message before sending.

Elaine’s shoulders slumped.

She focused and then said, “Don’t send the message.”

Derek jumped. “Holy crap!” He stumbled backwards as he stared at the transparent woman in front of him. “You… you’re…. you…”

“Yes, I’m a ghost. Get over it.”

“A… ghost… Okay,” he said, backed up against the door to the linen closet. “Wh-why shouldn’t I send the message?”

Elaine sighed. “Because Marlene would kill me.”

Derek raised his eyebrow. “Marlene would kill…”

Elaine shook her head. “Leave it alone.”

“Wait, who’s Marlene?”

“She’s the ghost here,” Elaine said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Oh,” Derek said. “And you’re…”

“Ghost-sitting. What are you doing here?”

“Housesitting.”

“Oh!” Elaine brightened. “That makes way more sense than trying to steal the copper…”

“Wait, you thought…”

“It doesn’t matter.” Elaine waved her hand. “So, we’re both here to take care of the place.”

“Yeah… it seems that way.” Derek took a step away from the linen closet door. “And, well, Toby,” he gestured to the cat still threading around Elaine’s ankles.

She looked down at the orange cat and smiled brightly. “And Toby…”

Her smile made Derek smile as he regarded her.

She looked up at him and their gazes met for a long second. “Wait,” she broke the silence, pointing to the guest room. “Were you reading watering instructions from a PowerPoint?”

“Oh my God, yes!” He pulled out his phone and strode towards her holding the phone in front of him. “You have to see this – there’s three pictures of Toby’s food bowl! Too much food.” He scrolled to the next slide, “Not enough food,” And to the next slide, “Just enough food! And the big green check mark next to it!”

Elaine laughed as she stood right next to Derek looking at the screen.

Derek realized she was right next to him. He smiled at her and she smiled back.

The front door opened and Sam backed into the foyer, dragging his roller bag through the door. “Hey Derek,” he called. “Sorry it took so long…”

From the kitchen, Marlene came in. “Hey Elaine, sorry I’m late, I…”

Sam and Marlene stared into the family room where Derek sat next to Elaine on the couch, a happy, purring Toby sitting between them.

Toby opened one eye.

“Mrrrow.”