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Eh, I didn’t need to. We were all in the business of death. Why hide it? “Call your man, pack your bag, and get out of here.”
“But for how long?” Imogen asked. “I mean, I kind of need to know when to come back.”
Now, that was up to Rocco.
“How about until we get a body?” He squinted and scrunched up his nose. “Though, that could very well happen in the next thirty seconds.”
“And if that does, how are you guys going to handle a funeral?” Imogen shook her head. “Yeah, no. I’m not going on vacation. Thanks for the offer, but I can’t just leave you guys hanging like that.”
Imogen deserved some time off. She was not going to talk her way out of it. “You aren’t leaving us hanging. You and I do a funeral with help from Merv and Bruce, so that means Rocco and I can do a funeral with the help of Merv and Bruce.” I mean, right? I hadn’t really seen what Rocco could do, but I had to assume he knew enough to be able to help me if a funeral sprung up soon.
Imogen shook her head. “You hate doing embalming, Dorothy.”
She was right; I did hate doing the embalming, which was why Imogen and I worked so well together. She wasn’t a fan of taking care of the family, and I hated doing embalming.
“I can take care of that,” Rocco offered.
Imogen and I both turned to Rocco. “You will?” We asked in unison.
Rocco shrugged. “Yeah.”
“Uh, well, okay,” Imogen laughed. “I guess if you guys can handle things without me.”
“For two weeks,” Rocco interrupted. “We can handle it without you, but only for two weeks.”
And there was a chance we might not even have a funeral in that time. “So, it’s settled. You’re going on vacation. Pack your bags!”
Rocco
Imogen and Dorothy headed upstairs to help Imogen pack, leaving me alone in the funeral home’s main area.
I wasn’t sure if Dorothy realized it, but with Imogen gone, it was going to be just the two of us. Sure, we had Merv and Bruce around, but they weren’t always there, and they certainly weren’t as involved in the day-to-day operations of the funeral home as Imogen and Dorothy were.
Dorothy may have thought that Imogen’s time off was going to be great for her, but I couldn’t help but think that it was going to be a good time for the two of us to get to know each other better. We were being thrown together, and Dorothy only had herself to blame for it.
The next two weeks were sure to be interesting.
Chapter Ten
Dorothy
“I think that is everything I’ll need,” Imogen announced, zipping up her small duffle bag with a satisfied smile.
I glanced at the bag, then back at her, unable to suppress a laugh. “Um, what? How do you have enough things for the next two weeks in there?”
Imogen shrugged nonchalantly. “I mean, it’s not like I need to pack my good funeral clothes or anything. And I’m going to stay at a motorcycle clubhouse, Dorothy. It’s not like there is a fashion show every night.”
I tilted my head, considering her logic. “I guess you’re right. Though you should have packed at least a couple of cute things if you guys go to the strip club.”
Imogen rested her hands on her growing belly, and a soft smile played on her lips. “As if Mace is going to want his pregnant girlfriend in a strip club.”
I chuckled, nodding in agreement. “Fair point. But Mitzy did tell me they have pretty good food. You guys could always wind up there for a bite to eat and then enjoy the show.” Mitzy, Monk’s ol’ lady, always had things to tell me about the strip club. I knew if I was going on vacation to Sacramento, I would totally make a pit stop there just to people watch.
Together, we walked down the stairs and out the front door, the warm afternoon sun casting long shadows across the pavement.
I was surprised to see Rocco standing by the curb, chatting with Mace and Barracuda by their bikes. As we approached, I couldn’t help but notice how effortlessly Rocco seemed to fit in with the two bikers. His easy smile and relaxed demeanor made it seem like he had known them for years.
“Imogen,” Rayna called out, her voice filled with excitement. “We’re having Girls’ Night for two weeks!”
