Page 10 of Fear the Reaper
“Where’s Reaper?” I asked.
“Went into town to pick up a few things.” Swede said. “Morning to you too.”
“Sorry.” I blushed. “Good morning.”
“Are you missing our Grim already?” Swede teased.
“Yeah, like hemorrhoids.”
“Me thinks though protest too much.”
I smacked his arm. “Swede!”
He laughed. “You’re not still mad about him scaring you in the bed and breakfast are you?”
“No.” I frowned. “I only asked where he was because he asked for something last night.” I waved the paper at Swede while taking a seat on one of the elegant stools. “I wanted to give it to him first thing.”
“Give it to him? Strange turn of phrase.”
I glared at him, but Swede only laughed and winked at me.
“He’ll be back.” He told me, nonchalantly. “Hungry?”
“Starved.”
We went silent until Swede placed a plate and a mug of coffee in front of me.
“Listen, Nova.” Swede rested his elbows on the island. “Reaper is a good man. He may seem a little hard on you—”
I giggled.
“And stop that.” Swede crinkled his nose.
In that moment, I offered him the most innocent look I could muster. “Stop what?”
“Thinking dirty!”
I giggled again. “You started this.”
Swede smiled then continued. “He’s been burnt a few times. Don’t take it personal, okay?”
“He seems to get along with you just fine.”
“Yeah. We understand each other. And he knows no matter how loud he barks I will always have his back.”
I sighed and picked up a sausage with my fingers. “Fine. I’ll behave.” I bit into the sausage and chewed, my teeth sinking into the perfectly cooked meat. It’d been a while since I’d let myself enjoy a real breakfast. Most often than not, it was only because I forgot to eat anything. Other times, it was after a thorough case of self-loathing while pinching my love handles while staring with indifference at my reflection in the mirror. The people who mattered most to me thought I was beautiful. But, something I realized. They could tell me I was pretty until kingdom come, if I didn’t believe it, those words meant nothing.
I snagged another sausage off a pile sitting on the counter and bit into it.
“He thinks I deserve this, doesn’t he?”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Reaper. He thinks I had this coming, doesn’t he?”
“No.” Swede’s massive shoulders rose and fell. “He’s being moody because loves his solitude. The faster he can get this thing solved, the sooner he can go home again. I almost feel sorry for the people responsible for this—almost.”
“Why is that?”
