He only nodded and returned the ball to its place at the foot of the hoop. I often wondered what it was like for Lucas, this package deal. If he’d wanted Paige, he had to take Savannah, too. How many twenty-five-year-olds would have gone for that? Not just accepted the inconvenience of having a kid around, but embraced the whole foster-father role? Well, okay, I’ve known a few twenty-something guys who wouldn’t mind having a teen girl as a ward, but there was never any question of that with Lucas. Right from day one, he’d been exactly what Savannah needed—a combination big brother and father figure who balanced her ideological conflicts with Paige. I wanted to thank him for that. I really did. But I couldn’t think of any way to do it that wouldn’t embarrass him…and probably me, too.

“I think it’s a ghost,” I said when Lucas returned.

“Hmmm?”

“What’s happening with the Nix. She was acting pretty freaky inside, staring into space, then snapping at herself. If I have Paige’s abilities, then she must have Jaime’s, meaning she’s probably seeing a ghost. When I mentioned that, I startled her—maybe she didn’t realize that’s what was happening.”

He nodded. “It could be. It could also be Jaime herself.”

“Trying to get back in, you mean.”

Another nod, then a pause before he glanced over at me. “Does Paige know?” He cleared his throat, tamping down the note of anxiety. “That is to say, you were able to explain this to her, weren’t you? What you did?”

“Uh, no. I couldn’t, or believe me, I would have.”

“So she doesn’t know what’s going on.” He adjusted his glasses, then glanced over at me again. “Is there some way to tell her? To check on her?”

“She’s okay, Lucas. I swear she is. And I’ll get out of here as soon as I can.”

A slow nod. “We should get inside. It doesn’t take long for pizza to arrive, and I doubt Savannah is planning to pay for it.”

“I hope she ordered mushrooms. Pizza isn’t pizza without mushrooms.” I shook my head. “This is getting more absurd by the second, isn’t it?”

“Playing basketball and arguing over pizza while we wait for an evil demi-demon to get around to trying to kill us?” A tiny smile. “Absurd? Not at all. Though I do wish she’d get on with it. Savannah rented Pirates of the Caribbean, and Paige really wanted to see that.”

“She’s welcome to it. I’ve had my fill of pirates for a while.”

He arched a brow.

“You don’t want to know. As for the Nix, I’m starting to think we might need to give her a push. Especially if she is preoccupied dealing with ghosts or Jaime’s spirit. Maybe—Whoops, here she comes.”