"I thought women always knew what to say."
"I don’t."
"My wife was a very different kind of woman than you, Ms. Blake."
"I hear that a lot," I said.
"Please, help me get her back."
"I can’t give her back to you, Mr. Bennington. No human being could do what you truly want, no matter how psychically gifted they might be."
"And what do I truly want?"
"You want resurrection of the body and mind and soul. I’m good, Mr. Bennington, maybe the best. But no one, not even me, is that good."
He left then without another word, closing the door carefully behind him. Micah hugged me. "That was unpleasant."
I raised my face for a kiss, which he gave, and hugged him back. "Unpleasant," I said. "That’s one word for it."
Nathaniel hugged me from behind, and I was suddenly sandwiched between my two live-in sweeties. Nathaniel kissed the top of my head. "Come to lunch, and Jason and I will flirt outrageously, and make you smile."
"As long as I’m left out of the flirting," Micah said.
"It’s okay that you don’t flirt in public," Nathaniel said, "you do fine at home."
Jason came to stand beside us. "If four’s a crowd I can take a hint."
It was Micah who opened his arm and brought Jason into the group hug, which let Nathaniel do the same. We snuggled together for a moment, and Jason put his face against mine. "I don’t know how you deal with clients all day, Anita."