Shelly didn’t like Marc much either, but the boy in the elevator hadn’t looked too upset about being stuck in the hotel. Maybe he wasn’t ready to move on—some ghosts were stuck, but some wanted to stay. Shelly doesn’t like the hotel keeping the ghost around just to make money, doesn’t like him having his story changed, but maybe he’s happy haunting the elevators.

Grandma’s obviously upset about the ghost this time, though, so Shelly can’t say it doesn’t seem that bad to her. She nods instead. “I know.”

Grandma gives Shelly’s hand a gentle squeeze and lets go. “We shouldn’t tell your mother about this one,” she says. “I was hoping for a different outcome, but she’ll worry about this.”

Shelly’s got ghost secrets and french fry secrets. She doesn’t want her mother to worry about either. She nods and squeezes Grandma’s hand. “I won’t tell, I promise.”

• • •

The long wait in the hotel lobby means Mom is home from work when Shelly and Grandma open the front door.

“Let me guess,” Mom says. “Ghost hunting?” Her hair is loose around her shoulders and she’s changed out of her uniform into a hoodie and leggings. “Mom, we just had this discussion!”

“We didn’t get close to the ghost,” Grandma says. “We observed it.”

Shelly’s mother closes her eyes and breathes in deeply, exhaling through her nose. “Okay,” she says, pulling a hair tie out of her hoodie pocket. She reaches up and twists her hair into a bun. “Shell, we’re going to go pick up some food for dinner. Go to the car, please.”

The tension between Grandma and Mom is thick in the air. Shelly turns on her heel and walks back out the door. She doesn’t want to be caught in the argument just waiting to spark between them. Their family has always been just the three of them living together in a small space. Mom and Grandma fighting makes everything uncomfortable, especially because Shelly’s usually what they’re arguing about.

Mom doesn’t take long to follow her out, slamming the door behind her. “We’re getting Zhou’s,” she says. “I need an egg roll.”

“We just went to a hotel and had tea,” Shelly says, getting into the car. “I didn’t even talk to the ghost.”

“You should be spending weekends playing with other kids,” Mom says, starting up the car. “You should be having friends over, not hanging out in graveyards.”

“I like ghosts. I don’t mind going places with Grandma.”

Mom sighs. “I know you don’t,” she says, sounding tired. “Promise me you’ll have fun too, though, okay?”

It’s an easy promise to make. Ghosts can be a lot of fun. “I promise,” she says. “Music?”