She paused halfway to her car.“When you walk through a grocery store, canned air starts exploding.”
“That was one time.”I held up a single finger.“I bumped into the display, and they started shooting off like fireworks.It wasn’t my fault.”
“People still talk about it.I hope you’re not planning to steal Josh’s clothes again or cause some sort of disaster—that wouldn’t go over well.”
“I’m not staying.”I almost added:He’s all yours, but the words got stuck in my throat.
ChapterEight
ERIKA
“Metal or wood?”the mortician, Rick, asked, like he was helping me pick patio furniture instead of a coffin.“Wood’s the traditional look.Lots of stain options.We’ve even got eco-friendly versions.”He tilted his head, appraising me.“You strike me as the environmentally conscious type.Am I right?”
Rick had to be in his sixties.His swoopy dyed black hair looked like early-era Elvis.He patted the casket beside him with pride, as if waiting for applause.Then he winked.
Why was hewinking?Was the wink supposed to sell me on a coffin?It wasn’t as if I was going to drive up the street to the competition.Rick had the bodies here…somewhere.
And what exactly dideco-friendlymean here?Cheap?Biodegradable?Cheap wasn’t a bad thing, but I also didn’t want to be remembered as the world’s biggest cheapskate at my father’s funeral.I wasn’t aiming fortree-hugger vibeseither.
Sure, I cared about the environment.I’d drive an electric car in a heartbeat, if I could afford it.My dad, on the other hand?There hadn’t been a single conservationist bone in his body.The man had thought recycling was a government conspiracy.
I cleared my throat and stepped back as Rick moved my way.“Traditional is good.What do you think the Methodist crowd would consider most appropriate?”The service was at the Methodist church—Hope’s church.She’d converted Dad after they married, though I suspected he’d never completely let go of his Baptist roots.
“Poplar is our most popular option,” Rick announced, like he was pitching a used car.“Do you want matching caskets?”
Before I could answer, he opened the nearest display model and immediately had to slam it shut when it sprang back open.It refused to stay closed.Rick threw his weight onto the lid, wrestling it down in an undignified scuffle, until it finally surrendered with a sharp, satisfying click.
“It’s a floor model only,” he said, slightly out of breath.“Whatever you choose won’t pop open.”
“Glad to hear it,” I muttered, stifling a giggle.“The medical examiner recommended we keep the caskets closed.”
It didn’t stop there—endless decisions.White interior?Red interior?Pink interior?What outfits did I want them to wear?I felt like I was planning a wedding from hell, except the guests were guaranteed not to complain.
I don’t want to think about their clothes.To shorten this visit I announced,“White interior.Poplar.Matching caskets.Closed casket ceremony.”
“We have your parents here, of course,” Rick said, like he was confirming a dinner reservation.“I’ll need you to bring the clothes as soon as possible so we can press the outfits and all that.And any jewelry they wanted to be buried with.Do you want the rings left on or are those heirlooms you want back?Also, I’ll need photos so we can style their hair.”
I blinked.“Does it matter?It’s a closed-casket ceremony.”
His eyebrows shot up like I’d just suggested we replace the caskets with trash bags.“Ofcourseit matters.Come with me.”He waved dramatically.“We still need to discuss awning colors for the service.Andflowers.Also, don’t forget to put together your eulogy speech.”
I’d have to talk to Marty about what to say about Hope.I barely knew her, but I wanted to do her justice.Then my mind snagged on something worse—what she’d be buried in.I didn’t know my stepmother well enough to choose the clothes her body would lie in forever, and the thought alone made my stomach twist.
I could ask Vinny, but that felt like too much to put on him.
I hoped like hell Rick wasn’t going to show me their bodies.I hadn’t seen them, and I didn’t want to.A viewing was beyond my ability to handle.I didn’t need that kind of closure.I needed distance.
My phone chimed an incoming message.
Unknown:This is Josh.Can you come by the clinic now?
Finally, I could get that dreadful part of today done.We could talk about how I would not be working for him.I would take out a second mortgage on my condo to get him the money owed.I hadn’t yet figured out how to pay for two mortgages.How did he get my number?Maybe from the lawyer.
Erika:I’m at the funeral home.Be about an hour.
Josh:Not much time.Now is better.
Erika:Ok.Will try.
