Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 68143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“Done!” She held out her cone to me.
I took it from her and watched her climb bodily over Sutton before racing back into the playroom.
“She has so much energy.” Sutton sighed. “I wish I had that much.”
“I talked to a few buddies with the club, and they all agreed to come up to Boston with us,” I started in. “They’ll watch Lottie for me while I run. So I guess that means I actually have to train for this one.”
Her eyes turned to study mine. “You can join in with me.”
I looked at my watch. “When do we start?”
“Is tomorrow okay with you?” she asked. “There’s no way I’ll be able to process all this dairy tonight and still be able to make a good run of it.”
“You name the time and place, and I’ll be there.”
Eleven
Today we’re going to stay hydrated and ignore people who give us high blood pressure.
—Sutton’s secret thoughts
SUTTON
I was exhausted, but exhausted in a good way.
“Do you need anything else from me?” the mortician for Downs Funeral Home asked.
“Nope,” I answered as I set out my boxes. “Thank you.”
She touched my shoulder before she headed out of the room.
“All right, Lucina,” I said softly. “Let’s get down to business. What’s your favorite color?”
She thankfully didn’t answer me, but based on her funeral outfit, and the red pendant she was wearing around her neck, I chose to believe that it was red.
I went with the fire engine red that seemed to be the most popular lately and started to do my work.
By the time I was done, her fingers shone.
I snapped a quick picture and sent it to Lucina’s daughter, then started packing my things away again.
My phone beeped with an incoming call, and I answered it absently as I finished closing up my Caboodle.
“Hello?” I answered.
I really should’ve checked the caller ID, because my ex-husband’s voice was really grating as he said, “I’ve been trying to call you for a week, and you haven’t answered.”
I sighed and tucked my Caboodle underneath my arm before waving at the funeral director who’d shown me back in the first place. “Can I move to the next one?”
The funeral director nodded, but didn’t get out of her seat.
I chose to think that I had permission to move to the next room—they were each set up in opposite viewing rooms across the building from each other—and did just that as I said, “I don’t want to talk to you. You should’ve taken the hint.”
“It’s important,” he grumbled. “I have something to ask you.”
I found a seat near the sound desk and tugged it over to the coffin.
This client wasn’t an old woman, though.
This client was young, maybe twenty-three or twenty-four.
She’d died in a car accident, and the family wanted her in a full set of nails befitting her usual style. They’d even sent me her Instagram where I’d taken inspiration for the set of nails I planned on doing for her.
“What is it?” I grumbled. “I’m working and I’m a little busy right now.”
Someone whispered in the background, and Jackson cursed under his breath. “I wanted to ask you if it would be possible for me to get some of the sperm back that I let you have with the divorce.”
I burst out laughing. “Absolutely fucking not.”
There was a long pause and then Jackson said, “I knew you were going to be unreasonable about this.”
“Unreasonable?” I asked carefully. “You think I’m unreasonable? You wouldn’t even think about me getting the car I’ve been driving because, as you put it, you’re the one that was having to make all the payments on it. Because I was ‘living off your back’ and couldn’t ‘afford to pay for it. And you didn’t want your credit ruined.’”
“So?” he sneered.
“So, I’ve been very nice. I let you have the cars. I let you have the house. I let you have everything, and you so helpfully allowed me to have your sperm,” I said. “So no, I won’t share it with you. In fact, as of last week, I stopped paying the monthly stipend to keep it on ice. It is set to be destroyed. Tomorrow, actually. So unless you can get an emergency injunction, you’ll never have it.”
There were some raised voices on the line after that, but I hung up before he could really get going.
I went ahead and turned my phone on silent and got back to work, really going above and beyond for my young client.
I was so involved with what I was doing that I had no clue anyone was even in the room with me until a deep, low voice said, “Sutton?”
I looked up to find a familiar looking club president standing behind me.
My heart sank. “Please tell me this young girl isn’t related to you in any way.”
“She’s not.” He smiled softly. “She’s actually an employee’s little sister. I offered to pay for her service.”