Page 40 of Death and Divination
Chapter 14
Nash
The moment Ophelia drove off in her car, I felt a sense of loss. But even I knew that to hold her too tight would be to kill this fragile growing thing between us. So, I watched until I could see her car no more, then I headed over to the only hotel in town, filled out an application, and asked for Hollister.
The man showed me around, telling me the various housekeeping duties the part-time job entailed, then shook my hand and told me he’d call me. Actually, he’d be calling Ophelia since I didn’t have a cell phone yet.
Yesterday had been like heaven—at least what I’d always thought heaven was. Outside of Ophelia’s quick trip into town, we’d spent the day in the little paradise of her house, snuggling together, talking, watching movies, eating. Making love. But now the reality of my situation hit me like when I’d turned the wrong knob in the shower and gotten sprayed with ice cold water. I had no phone. I had no clothes beyond what was on my back. I had no money, nowhere to live, nothing to eat beyond what Ophelia generously provided for me. I had no transportation and didn’t even know how to drive a car. I was completely dependent on Ophelia and I knew that wasn’t good for a relationship.
The waitress at the diner had told me when she’d dropped off the French toast that she was pretty sure I had the assistant cook job. I got the impression this Hollister might also be making me an offer. I had one more place to fill out an application, and if luck went my way, I would hopefully have a job by the end of the week. Ophelia could talk all she wanted about fulfilling careers, but I'd worry about that later and take whatever I was offered—whether it was cleaning bathrooms and changing sheets, frying eggs and slicing potatoes, or whatever this other job might entail. I didn’t have the luxury of waiting to figure out my dream career. That could come after I’d made enough money so Ophelia wasn’t having to pay for everything.
Leaving the hotel, I explored the town. There were clothing shops with outfits to cover all sorts of bodies with any number of appendages. With the money Ophelia had given me, I bought a few shirts and pants, then continued on down Main Street, checking out art galleries, furniture stores, a pharmacy, and a florist.
Besides the basil and oleander plant, I’d reaped two boxwoods, a sugar maple sapling, and an entire row of peony bushes since yesterday. I might be as Ophelia liked to call a “retired reaper,” but clearly, I still had my abilities at least when it came to plant life. That realization had definitely played into what job opportunities I could pursue. Landscaping jobs were completely out, as was anything involving horticulture.
I forced myself to keep away from the florist, even thought I could tell that some of his asparagus ferns were not long for this world, and kept walking to the edge of the town. Next to a coffee shop that tantalized me with its aroma was a jewelry shop.
Mirabelle Jewelry. I looked at the list Ophelia and I had made together to confirm this was the place, then went on in.
Inside, a fairy examined a tray of earrings, her iridescent wings vibrating behind her as she sorted the sparkling gems. Her skin was a luminous gray, her pink lips parting to show a row of sharp teeth as she smiled at me.
“A reaper.” Her voice rang like windchimes. “What does an agent of death want with baubles from the earth?”
“I’m actually here about the job you posted,” I told her.
Her eyes widened, her mouth dropping open. “Job?”
I pulled out the piece of paper. “Sales clerk?”
She stared at me for a moment. “Do you know anything about fine jewelry?”
I looked down at the trays in their glass cases, chains and rings of metal with sparkling gems. “Is it something I can learn?”
She pulled something from the case and held it up. “What’s this?”
“A ring?” Was this a trick question?
“The stone. What’s the stone?”
I peered closer. It was colorless but cut in angles that reflected the light and made it appear to sparkle. “Glass?”
She sighed and put the ring back. “Perhaps you should stick to being a reaper.”
I opened my mouth to tell her I’d been fired, then remembered that I needed to word it differently. “I’m on a bit of a sabbatical and am looking for part time or full time work.”
She wrinkled her tiny button nose. “Reapers take sabbaticals? And they don’t give you all some sort of stipend for when you’re on leave?”
“No. It’s okay if I’m not qualified for this position,” I assured her. “I’m confident that either the job at the diner or the one cleaning bathrooms and changing sheets at the hotel will come through.”
“There’s got to be a better option for you.” She tapped a long silver nail on her lower lip. “You should talk to Sherriff Oakes. I’ll bet he’d be thrilled to have a reaper as a deputy or maybe you could be a bailiff at the courthouse. Nobody would mess with you. They’d all run when they saw you coming. And if they didn’t behave, thembam. Dead. It’s a job that would take advantage of your natural talents.”
It was an excellent idea. I took out the piece of paper and made a quick note. “Ophelia and I didn’t see any job openings online in law enforcement but that’s an excellent suggestion. Right now, I’ll take whatever I’m offered, but perhaps I can look into this as a long-term option.”
“Ophelia?” She motioned for me to lean over the glass case. As I did, she reached out and ran her silver nails down my cheek, her light blue eyes staring into mine. “You are Ophelia’s.”
“Yes. I’m Ophelia’s.” I didn’t hesitate at all because it was absolutely true.
“Pity.” She smiled. “I have no wish to anger one of the Perkins witches by inviting you back to my house later. But perhaps this is an opportunity. Let me show you some rings.”
