“You’re just here to say hi and then you’re leaving?”
“Something like that,” he said with a laugh.
“And you’re positive you’re not here for John?” I needed to make sure we were clear on that point.
“Not here for John,” he promised.
I nodded in satisfaction and sat down on a chair that was still a healthy distance away. “Good. What else do I need to know?”
“I’ve come up with a penance that can show your remorse for brutally attacking me,” he said, looking so serious it was funny.
“You started it,” I pointed out with a giggle.
“I thought you were dead.”
“And smacking and shaking a dead person is a good plan of action?” I questioned.
“Fine point, well made,” Gideon said, grinning. “However, it would be good for our working relationship if I knew you were truly sorry.”
“And how would I go about showing you I was truly sorry?” I asked as the atmosphere went from friendly to loaded with sexual innuendo.
“A kiss,” he replied.
Not going to happen. A kiss with Gideon was more dangerous than dead man mind-diving. I was certain of it.
Wait. A. Minute.
Did he pull this crap with all the Death Counselors? Had he hit on Gram and my mom too?
That was so gross, I almost couldn’t comprehend it.
Was he even the same Grim Reaper who had worked with Gram and my mom? Was there a family line of Grim Reapers just like there was a line of Death Counselors?
The sour look on my face must have clued him into my thought process.
“I’m not that unappealing,” he said dryly. “Since it can’t be that, would you like to tell me what’s going on in that fascinating mind of yours?”
“Are you the only one?”
“The only one of what?”
“Grim Reaper,” I said. “Are you the only Grim Reaper? Has it always been just you?”
He nodded, and then let his head fall back on his shoulders as he laughed. “I see where you’re going with this. The answer is no. I’ve never had a relationship with a Death Counselor.”
“Never?” I pressed.
“Never ever never,” he said, watching me so intently I grew uncomfortable. “I don’t exactly do relationships,” he admitted with a shrug. “Got over that many centur— Years ago.”
“Centuries?” I choked out. “Did you stop yourself from saying centuries?”
His sigh sounded put upon and I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t sure why the thought of him being older than dirt alarmed me. I was living with dead people. Anything was possible.
“I did. And there you have it,” he said. “Happy?”
“Not particularly,” I said truthfully. “Kind of freaked out. So, you don’t age?”
“I can choose my age,” he replied casually. “Would you prefer me younger? Older?”
Narrowing my eyes at him, I made a rude noise. “I don’t prefer you at all.”
“Liar,” he shot back.
“What kind of game are you playing?” I snapped, feeling like I wanted to cry. “I’m a forty-year-old widow. You should go hit on someone in their twenties. You could have anyone. Trust me on that.”
“What if I don’t want anyone? What if I want you?” he countered.
“Then you’re crazier than I am,” I informed him. “I’m damaged goods and I’m broken. Not to mention I live with dead squatters. I’m not good girlfriend material… or booty call material,” I clarified since he was clear about not being a relationship kind of guy or whatever he was.
“You’re beautiful.”
“I’m middle-aged,” I shot back sarcastically. What he was doing was mean. I wasn’t in his league and playing with me was vicious.
“Age is simply a number. I’m not exactly a spring chicken. You… challenge me,” he said, seeming truly surprised about the statement.
“Fine. I’ll stop.”
“Don’t think you’re capable of it, Daisy. It’s who you are,” he replied smoothly, looking like he wanted to eat me alive—and not like a zombie, thank God.
“Well, I’ll do my best to stop being fascinating,” I said, standing up and going to the front door. “This is not going to happen. You feel me, Gideon?”
“Would love to,” he said with a laugh.
I rolled my eyes and laughed too. “Not what I meant.”
“I know,” he said as he approached me and the now open door. “A man can dream, Daisy.”
He stood in front of me and stilled. His scent made me dizzy. My instinct was to lean into him and take comfort. Insanity should be my new name. With extreme effort, I stood as motionless as he did—not moving a muscle.
I was staring at his chest. He was incredibly tall and I wasn’t short. At five foot ten, I was on the tall side for a woman. Gideon was easily six foot three. I debated if I wanted to raise my eyes to his. We were in dangerous territory here. However, if I did have to interact with him on any kind of regular basis, I was going to have to man-up… or woman-up in my case.
Playing at a disadvantage with the Grim Reaper probably wasn’t in my best interest. I wondered if he had a colleague who did the opposite of what he did. Was another stupidly beautiful man going to show up in my sleepy Georgia town and send people into the light when the fate of a soul was in question? I considered asking, but right now I’d learned all I could handle without losing it.
I was forty. I had balls. I’d turned to a life of crime—albeit for the good of dead people I cared about. Not even an hour ago, I broke the Grim Reaper’s nose. I wasn’t a superhero, but I was damn close right now.
What was a kiss?
A kiss was proof that I was in control. Gideon couldn’t own me. I owned me. And I was about to show him.
“Fine,” I said, raising my eyes to his. “One kiss. And that is all you will ever get. Deal?”
“Whatever you say, Daisy,” he replied as his sinful mouth became a lopsided grin that took my breath away.
I was very aware that Gideon had just given me a non-answer. I’d done the same thing to Gram all through my teenage years… and still did it occasionally. I was onto the Grim Reaper’s methods and I would beat him at his own game if I had to.
As he lowered his lips to mine, I forgot how to breathe. My arms wrapped around him. I told myself it was so I didn’t drop to the floor like an ungraceful sack of potatoes. I was a liar. I’d wanted to touch the man since the first time I’d seen him.
“You ready?” he whispered so seductively I was pretty sure I lost a few brain cells.
If this was the windup, I couldn’t even imagine what the kiss was going to feel like.
“Give it your best shot, Reaper,” I said. My voice sounded uneven and breathy. It mirrored my riotous insides.
“With pleasure,” he said as his lips touched mine—and a shot of something unfamiliar flowed through my body.
I moaned and wanted to smack myself for letting this happen. The kiss was more intimately intense than any sex I’d had in my entire forty years. What the hell was I thinking?
I’d expected his mouth to crush mine and take what he wanted. I couldn’t have been more wrong. As his lips gently parted mine, I felt a breathlessness in a new and unfamiliar way. It felt as if the entire world around us evaporated and we floated on some kind of cloud.
The kiss was like nothing I’d ever felt before. And suddenly I understood what all of those silly romance novels were talking about when they described kissing as melting. Every inch of me seemed to dissolve into him.
Gideon stole my breath as his tongue searched my mouth with a ravenous desire. I stole his right back. It terrified me that every other kiss I’d had in my life up until this one had been wrong. Right now, I had no clue where I began and he ended. We were one, and filled with an urgent need I’d never experienced with any other man.
“Stop,” I whispered against his mouth. My breathing came in short gasps. I was half ready
to drag the man to my bedroom and find out what would happen.
Gideon’s breathing matched mine. He pressed his forehead to mine and loosely caged me against the door with his arms. I could get away easily if I wanted to. However, the idiot part of me didn’t want to.
“That was unreal,” he whispered with his eyes closed as he got a grip on his breathing.
Slipping out from under his arms, I crossed the family room and placed myself behind a large armchair. I didn’t trust him or myself right now.
“You need to go,” I told him, staring at my hands holding on to the chair with a death grip.
Gideon said nothing for a long moment. But his parting words were a doozy.
“Just the beginning, Daisy,” he said softly. “This is just the beginning.”
Without another word, he left, closing the front door quietly behind him.
My knees buckled and I dropped to the floor. Donna and Karen came over and pressed their furry bodies against mine. His words were a warning and a promise. They were also terrifying.
Guilt consumed me and my eyes filled with tears. I’d never felt this way even once when I’d kissed my husband. What the hell was wrong with me?
I couldn’t figure it out. I had no answers… just sadness and guilt. Steve had deserved better than me. Yes, he’d been my best friend and I’d loved him. But I’d never felt this way about him.
I’d never once forgotten my name or felt like I was literally part of him when our lips touched.
I had cheated him out of something wonderful, and now he was dead. I could still taste Gideon on my lips and the tears came faster. They quickly turned into racking sobs. My dogs and the dead surrounded me and tried to comfort me. There was no comfort to be had.
“I’m so sorry, Steve,” I whispered brokenly as I pulled the afghan off the back of the chair and made myself comfortable on the floor. “I’m so sorry.”
I had no clue how long I cried, but eventually I was so bone-tired that sleep stole my grief. As my eyes closed, my lips formed a small smile. My dogs and my deceased squatters had settled all around me and were falling asleep. It was bizarre and bizarrely right.
Midlife was more than a series of crises. It was a freaking destination, and the ride was seriously bumpy.
Chapter Sixteen
Any hopes that last night was a dream were dashed when I looked at my black and blue hand. The knuckles were slightly swollen this morning and hurt like hell. I could only hope Gideon’s nose and nuts were faring better. The class at the Y didn’t teach me that punching someone in the face could result in personal injury.
What had happened last night would not happen again. Not the punching or the kissing. It was far too dangerous to my emotional health. Since my regular sanity was tenuous, I didn’t need to push myself into a complete nervous breakdown.
I wasn’t deluded enough to believe I was cheating on my dead husband by kissing Gideon. That would be pathetic. It was just the guilt of feeling such strong emotions that threw me off my game. It was too much to handle with everything in my life changing so fast. I’d lived long enough to know how to protect myself.
“Who’s at my house?” I muttered as I heard the sound of a truck driving up. None of my friends drove a truck and they were at work anyway. Heather had an SUV, but she was at the bar exam. And her muffler didn’t sound at all like what had just driven up. Heather took excellent care of her car. I had no clue what Gideon drove, but if I had to guess, I’d say he was a fast sports car kind of Grim Reaper.
Peeking out, I saw it was Tim, the postman. Tim took his job as a mail deliverer very seriously. Opening the door so the dogs didn’t freak out when he knocked, I waved.
“Hi, Tim,” I said with a tired smile as I stretched my sore limbs. Sleeping on the floor had not been the wisest move. “You have a package for me?”
I couldn’t remember ordering anything except the Ouija board, and that was just yesterday. Maybe someone had sent something.
“Sure do, Daisy,” Tim said, sounding official and nerdy. “Need you to sign right here, please.”
He held the package protectively against his chest like I was going to steal it from him. I refrained from rolling my eyes and signed on the dotted line. He checked my signature twice before he begrudgingly handed me the package. I was surprised he didn’t ask for my freaking driver’s license. Tim was a little too official for me this morning. I was curious about the delivery, but if he was that attached to it, he could keep the damn thing. Not to mention I’d known him for at least twenty years.
“Thank you,” I said, taking the package as he eyed it like he was going to snatch it back.
He usually didn’t get this possessive about packages until around Christmas. Half the people in town were sure he x-rayed all the packages that came in and he kept what he liked. I didn’t believe Tim would actually steal other people’s stuff, but his behavior today was definitely odder than usual.
“Welcome,” Tim said, giving me a salute and marching back to his truck.
“Weird comes in droves,” I muttered as I closed the front door and locked it just in case Tim had a change of heart about the delivery. He was harmless, but I wasn’t in the mood for a strange debate about mail.
The south had its own kind of nutty and wore it loud and proud.
Coffee. I needed coffee.
Tossing the package on the kitchen table, I made my special drink. I added two squirts of chocolate syrup this morning. I needed it. Even though I’d slept for eight hours, it was crappy sleep.
The squatters didn’t seem any worse for the wear. They floated around the kitchen with rabid excitement. I wasn’t sure if it was left over from Gideon’s visit last night or if there was a Big Brother marathon on TV. Honestly, I didn’t care.
I simply needed caffeine and to do some of the boring paperwork that was piled up next to the mysterious package. I’d procrastinated long enough. It wasn’t fair to my friends to be left with their work plus mine. I did need to get some more work to do, but running into Gideon wasn’t the best idea right now.
“What the heck is going on?” I asked my dead roommates, sitting down at the table and grabbing the pile from the office.
The ghosts were going nuts—chattering and pointing at the package. The first thing I’d done when I woke up was to glue everyone back together. Heads took a tremendous amount of superglue. I was going to have to buy some more very soon.
“Guys,” I shouted over the fray. “I have to work. You need to go watch TV in the family room.”
No one was listening to me. You’d think after all the surgery I’d done a few hours ago they’d cut me a freaking break. No such luck.
“Fine,” I grumbled with an eye roll. “I’ll open the package and then I have to work. And that means you have to leave me alone. Clear?”
Everyone nodded and trembled with anticipation. I half wondered if I should open the package outside. After Tim’s reaction and now the reaction of the dead, I was worried about the contents.
Donna barked and wagged her tail. Karen was snooping around the garbage.
“Donna, is it safe to open this?” I asked as I stood up and put the trash can under the sink.
Donna barked and kept wagging her bottom. Karen looked mortally offended that I’d taken her potential snack away. Having dogs was like what I imagined having kids would be like—not that I was going to ever have children. Pushing the sad thought away, I decided to believe Donna and I opened the package.
“How is this possible?” I muttered as I stared at it. I’d only ordered the Ouija board yesterday. How did it arrive today? I hadn’t paid for expedited shipping. I never did that.
The deceased squatters were beside themselves. They flew around so fast that a sharp wind blew my paperwork all over the kitchen. Not good.
“Enough,” I shouted over the melee as I picked up the scattered papers and tried to put them back into some semblance of order. To my relief, the pages were numbered. “This is not work
ing for me. I get that you’re excited, but I’ll send it back if you freaks don’t calm down.”
The room went still and the ghosts hovered and trembled. I could tell they were worried now and I felt bad.
“Guys, I’m not sending it back,” I promised as I sat back in the chair and let my head fall to my hands. “However, I still have to have a normal life that doesn’t have anything to do with dead people. Can you understand that?”
Everyone nodded. I was relieved no heads hit the floor. I was still peeling superglue off my fingertips from the earlier appendage reattachments.
“Great. After I get some work done, I’ll open the Ouija board and read the instructions. Cool?”
Again, they nodded. Again, all heads stayed where they were supposed to. One by one, they floated away.
Finally, I was alone in my kitchen. Even Donna and Karen had gone to the family room to watch TV. As I began the arduous task of dealing with the boring paperwork, I could feel the Ouija board staring at me.
“Stop it,” I insisted and went on reading the deal points for the sale of a shopping center.
I couldn’t believe I’d just chastised an inanimate object, but I also couldn’t believe I’d kissed the Grim Reaper and that I was living with dead people.
“I said, stop it,” I hissed at the Ouija board that was doing nothing except sitting quietly on the kitchen table. I stared at it for three minutes and then groaned. “Fine. I give up.”
Tearing open the box, I grabbed the instruction booklet and sighed. It was unfortunately long. As I began to read the pages of directions, Donna trotted back into the kitchen and growled.
“I don’t need to read the directions?” I asked, surprised. “I’ve never used one of these before.”
My puppy barked and wagged her bottom. I stared at her for a very long moment. She simply continued to wag her furry bottom so hard I laughed.
“I really need to find out what kind of dog you are,” I muttered. “Or maybe I don’t.”
It didn’t matter to me if Donna wasn’t a dog at all, which was beginning to seem like a distinct possibility even though she looked like a dog. I loved her. Completely.
It's A Wonderful Midlife Crisis : A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel: Good To The Last Death Book One Page 16
