“Don’tmake this worse by taking the Lord’s name in vain!” Sky gave Mason a disgusted look as he leaped off the loveseat, shuddering at their depravity. “I barely believe in Heaven but you and I are persona non grata afterthis. Who, in their right minds, would do such a thing?” he asked while smoothing the front of his shirt and his tie.
“Lance?” Mason guessed with a sheepish wince. “That’s kind of why we’re here.”
Sky shook his head and pointed. “You aren’t allowed to make jokes. You’re married tomy sister. We’re in a funeral home.” He swung his head at the door. “Yourwife and childand our families are out there!”
“You’re right! This was…bad.” Mason didn’t sound the least bit repentant. “We shouldn’t have gotten carried away in here but if you just let me?—”
“Not here or anywhere. This is so wrong!” Sky clutched his head as it started to pound. He couldn’t look at Mason without wanting to scream or throw up so he grabbed the door handle and yanked it open. “I just want to see Nana and my nephew and then I’m getting the fuck out of here.”
“Sky, please!” Mason started to follow but Sky held up his middle finger as he stormed out.
The sweet older woman looked up from her planner when Sky rushed past the front desk.
“How did it go, dear?”
“Thank you. Fine,” he mumbled, unable to look her in the eye as he pushed open the door and turned towards Sutton House. It was about a four mile walk to Nana’s but Sky would use the time to curse Mason Cartwright’s soul to Hell for eternity.
Chapter Five
Two years later…
After the debacle in the Reflection Room, Mason took it upon himself to keep a closer eye on Nana and do whatever he could to keep the old lady’s ticker running for as long as possible. Nana Sutton was intimidating in her own way and had never seemed overly fond of Mason, but she meant a great deal to Sky and Sarina.
Sky’s life was going well in the city, from the scraps of news Mason got from Nana and the various articles he had read. Sky’s debut novel had been a huge success due to his style of realistic, small-town horror and gripping prose. It spent months at the top of the bestseller lists and was being adapted into a streaming series.
He was finally being recognized for his brilliant, baffling mind and creativity, and from a distance, Sky seemed happy. Mason didn’t want another loss to ruin Sky’s streak so he pushed Nana to the beach in her wheelchair a few times aweek and brought Sam by with lunch on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, after picking him up from preschool.
Sam got a kick out of Nana Sutton’s feisty attitude and she lit up like the 4th of July whenever her great-grandson came into the room. She also loved the meatloaf from Joe’s Diner on Main Street so Mason and Sam brought her an order with a side of mashed potatoes and banana pudding every Friday. Sam always had a grilled cheese and fries and Mason’s standing order was a tuna on rye with a side salad.
He was juggling Sam, a bag of to-go boxes, and flowers for Nana when they climbed the Sutton House’s front steps. “Go ahead and press the doorbell, buddy.” Mason leaned so Sam could reach it.
The door opened almost as soon as it rang and the housekeeper, Ms. Ashley, was breathless and shaken as she ushered them in. “Thank goodness you’re here, Mr. Mason!” she whispered as she took the bags and the flowers from him.
“What’s wrong?” He set Sam down but he had a feeling it wasbadby the way her eyes watered and her hands shook.
“Mrs. Sutton isn’t…herself today,” she said quietly. “I wanted to call the doctor or Mrs. Sarina but she said she would wait for you.Onlyyou,” she mouthed.
“Me?” Mason’s neck swiveled.
She nodded and her gaze flicked to Sam. “You should hurry.”
Mason swallowed hard, mustering his courage. “Okay.” He looked around, scrambling to make this moment as gentle and easy as possible for Sam and Nana, and eventually Sarina and Sky. His cheeks puffed out as he looked at Sam, then lowered to a knee. “Hey, buddy. Can you do me a favor and hang out with Ms. Ashley while I visit with your Nana? Go ahead and eat your grilled cheese. You don’t need to wait on us.”
“I was thinking of making cookies.” Ms. Ashley attempted awatery smile. “Would you like to help me after you eat your lunch?” she asked Sam.
He nodded rapidly. “I’m a good cookie baker!”
“That’s right, Sammy.” Mason gave his hair a ruffle, then pulled him close and kissed his soft black curls as he held him. “Be good, okay?”
“Okay!” Sam hugged Mason’s neck before racing off to the kitchen.
“Go ahead and call Dr. Klein and ask him to come as soon as he can,” Mason said to Ms. Ashley, then calmly headed up the stairs.
For the life of him, Mason couldn’t fathom why Nana wanted to talk tohim. She had tolerated his hovering for the last two years but he wouldn’t describe them as friendly by any means. Knowing the Suttons as well as he did, Mason braced himself before softly knocking on her bedroom door and letting himself in.
Nana’s tall, lithe frame had shrunk and she looked almost like a child in the massive mahogany four-poster. The covers were pulled up to her chin and she was faded—pale and still. She had been coming downstairs less over the last few weeks but Mason had hoped she’d bounce back once the weather warmed.
“Is that you, Mason Cartwright?” Her voice was a weak rasp but he snapped straight to attention and nodded quickly.
