It's A Wonderful Midlife Crisis (Good To The Last Death #1) - Robyn Peterman Page 0,75
my head away so he didn’t think I noticed. Both Donna and Karen had joined him on the couch. Donna was aware of him. Karen was not.
“I don’t have an answer for you, babe,” Steve said, glancing down at the dogs. He smiled. “You finally got your pets.”
“I did,” I said with a smile, slowly getting to my feet. “Donna can see you but Karen can’t.”
“I take it Donna is the one wagging her rear end?” he inquired with another smile.
“Yep. She’s unique.”
Steve stared at her for a long moment. I could tell he wanted to pet her, but wouldn’t risk his arm dropping to the floor. I didn’t have the heart to tell him his hand would go right through her. He was dealing with enough at the moment.
“Donna’s not a dog,” Steve said, still smiling at her as she turned little circles on the couch to impress him
“What is she?” I asked, amazed he could tell. I’d had my suspicions, but honestly, I didn’t care what she was. She was mine.
Steve shook his head carefully. “I’m not sure what she is, but she’s not a dog.”
I crossed the room, gently pushed Karen over, and sat next to Steve. He was still confused, but seemed more peaceful now that I was near.
“I’ve missed you,” I told him.
“I’ve missed you too, Daisy. How have you been?”
I wasn’t sure how to answer that. The truth would probably upset him, but I was a terrible liar and he knew it.
“I’ve been okay. It’s been a rough year,” I admitted.
“I died a year ago?” he questioned, perplexed. “It’s been that long?”
Biting down on my bottom lip, I nodded jerkily. All of the other dead had known when they’d died. None of them had been as confused as Steve seemed to be.
He glanced at his unattached arm and sighed. “I’m not sure why I’m here right now. I…”
“It doesn’t matter,” I told him, forcing my tone to sound happy and light. Since I had no clue how long he would get to stay, I needed to stop being careful. The awkwardness was ridiculous. I would treat him being here as a gift—a precious gift. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
I went to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of tubes of superglue. Resting my hands on the edge of the countertop, I stared at my reflection in the window above the sink. What was happening was unreal, tragic, amazing, and heartbreaking yet somehow perfect. Even if it was only for tonight, I would be present and thankful for a little more time.
Tucking the glue into my pocket, I smiled at my reflection. It was surgery time. I’d repaired people I barely knew. It would be an honor to make my husband as whole as he could be again.
“I’m going to glue your arm back on,” I said with a smile as I walked back to the couch and sat down. “Won’t hurt a bit.”
Steve laughed and then groaned. “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice,” he said sheepishly.
“Give me your arm,” I instructed.
“Seriously?” he asked with a wince.
“Very. I’ve been fixing people for a week now. I’m good at it. I promise,” I said, holding out my hand.
“Other dead people?” he asked.
I paused for a moment. The truth will set you free, or at least keep you from getting busted for lying. “Yep. Other dead people. You should have gotten here a little earlier,” I told him, taking his arm and slathering the shoulder joint with superglue. “There were sixty squatters here. We’re down to ten now.”
“Eleven,” he corrected me as he watched in fascination while I reconnected his arm.
“Eleven,” I agreed with a smile.
“I can feel your touch,” Steve whispered. “It feels so good.”
My eyes filled with tears again and I nodded. We simply stared at each other for a while. Even though Steve was in a serious state of decomposition, I could still see him. He was beautiful.
“Why are they here?” he asked.
“Why is who here?”
“The others. The squatters,” he said with a chuckle.
“Oh. It’s kind of a long story, but I’ll synopsize it. Apparently, I come from a long line of Death Counselors. When the dead started showing up, it took me a little while to realize I wasn’t insane. Gram was one. My mom was one. Now I’m one.”
I paused and considered telling him that my mom didn’t die in an accident, but that wasn’t something I wanted him to think about when he left me. He’d also worry… about me.