the car, she took her eyes off the road long enough to give him a quick smile.
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone,” she teased.
“No one would believe you.” Turning his head, he stared out the dark window.
“Why? The big bad Reaper doesn’t know how to tell a joke? Don’t you know laughter is soup for the soul?”
“You’re in a good mood all of a sudden.”
“Why wouldn’t I be in a good mood?”
“You weren’t earlier.”
“I guess it just hit me that singing at the nightclub is coming to an end.”
“What will you do next?”
“I haven’t decided.” It was the same evasive answer she gave everyone.
“Bullshit.
“I have a few options I’ve been thinking about.”
“Such as?”
“When I decide, I’ll let you know.”
“In other words, being your soul mate doesn’t invite me into your confidence?”
“It does if you believe I’m your soul mate. If you do, tell me and I’ll be completely transparent about my future plans.”
Reaper locked his jaw shut. He could wait until she was ready to tell him. He had never been good with ultimatums.
“I can wait.”
“Then we have that in common.”
Slowly braking, Ginny pulled into an open parking spot in front of a pizza restaurant.
“At least it looks cleaner than the last one you took me to.”
“You should lighten up. It’ll make the pizza go down easier. You can wait here. I won’t be a minute; my order is ready.”
“I’m coming inside with you.”
“Suit yourself.”
“I will.” Getting out the car, he went inside with her.
Two teenagers were behind the counter and greeted her as she came in the door.
Reaper stood beside the cash register as Ginny talked. The chitchat went on so long that Reaper picked up the boxes. “Nickel is waiting,” he reminded her.
“Oh … you’re right.” Smiling at the teenagers, she reached into her jeans pocket and took out some cash, giving it to the girl behind the counter. “That’s for you two to share. There should be enough in there for you to get the prom dress you wanted, Annie. Jason, you can get those tennis shoes you’ve been saving for.”
Both teenagers looked shell-shocked at Ginny’s generosity. They weren’t the only ones.
“You’re kidding?” The young girl, holding the thick wad of bills in her hand, was able to get her wits together to respond.
Reaper felt for the pimply-faced boy who was staring at Ginny as if she hung the moon.
Ginny gave them a sweet look. “No. You two are working every time I come in here. You deserve to have something nice done for you. I’ll be leaving Nashville soon, and I wanted to give you something to remember me by.”
“You’re leaving?”
Ginny gave the boy another gentle smile at his stricken expression. “Yes.”
“You won’t be coming back?”
“No.”
Reaper liked the way Ginny didn’t give the boy false hope.
“I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss both of you,” she stressed, not singling Jason out. “In a few months, you won’t even remember my face.”
“I’ll remember.”
Reaper bet the boy would; it was hard to forget a first crush.
That Ginny was aware of the boy’s feelings was plain. She wasn’t overly friendly, nor did she come across as anything other than a good customer who appreciated their work.
“Can I—”
“Ginny.” Reaper broke in, knowing what the boy was gathering his courage to ask.
Ginny gave him a grateful look. “We should be going. A friend of ours will be wondering what is taking us so long. Bye.”
Holding the door open for Ginny to walk through, Reaper caught the envy and resentment from the teenager.
Reaper let the door close after them. “You have an admirer there.”
Ginny waited until they were back in the car before she acknowledged the crush. “He’s a really sweet guy. The first month Jason started working here, his mother sat across the street in her car, watching him, afraid he was going to be robbed. His dad passed away when he was just a baby, so it’s just the two them.”
While listening to Ginny, he took out his cell phone. “That’s a lot to learn in the few minutes it takes to get a pizza.” Shifting in his seat, he tilted his phone to the side as he started texting Shade.
Ginny turned her head to the side. “If you’re texting Shade about Jason, save yourself the trouble. Jason has never been out of Nashville.”
He put his cell phone back in his pocket.
“Did you seriously think Jason could be my stalker?”
“No, but it wouldn’t be the first time I was wrong, either.”
“I’m sorry.”
He jerked his head to the side. “What for?” he snapped. Reaper