Page 30 of Mourner for Hire
“He also works six days a week at that damn bar and considers Mondays his Sundays. That’s when he rests and gets right with God and all that,” she continues. I shake my head in disbelief. “He has a very specific routine. Coffee at Something Sweet at seven a.m. before he takes the Jeep over to the arrowhead trails to hike the hills next to the beach.”
She keeps rattling off this man’s likes and routines like I’m plotting his murder.
“He makes an egg and bacon sandwich on an everything bagel almost every morning. It was his favorite since he was twelve. He also is super weird about his coffee. He drinks it?—”
“Black with a shot of espresso and two Splendas,” I finish for her.
“Hmm,” she says softly.
I don’t look at her, but I sense her smile through my closed eyes.
“Sounds like you did like him.”
“This feels deceptive.”
“It’s strategic.” She waves a hand in the air. “I’m just giving you the gist of him.”
The gist of him.
I thought I already had that. I was happy with the memory I had of him. The perfect kiss. The drunk crying. The sleepover. The everything bagel.
“Fine,” I agree reluctantly.
“Fine?” She sounds hopeful.
I sit up in the chair and turn to face her. “I’ll do it.”
“All of it?”
“Yes.” I breathe out a sigh of defeat. “On one condition…”
She raises her eyebrows, waiting for me to tell her my own terms of the agreement.
“You leave me alone after I finish the list.”
“Scout’shonor.” She salutes.
“And tonight,” I add.
“Tonight what?”
“Go away. I need to sleep.”
She laughs. “Okay, but we’re leaving at nine a.m. sharp to head back to Shellport.”
I throw my hands up and shake my head. “Whoa. Who said you’re coming with me? Can’t you just wiggle your nose and appear wherever you want?”
“No, that’s not how it works. It’s kind of like drifting, but there needs to be some sort of wind to get me moving.”
“Well, then can’t you get back there some other way?”
She laughs again. “Oh, honey, I haven’t driven in years.”
NINE
DOMINIC
“I’ll take a Vada,and he’ll have a Billie.”
