Page 59 of Dead Serious Case 4 Professor Prometheus Plume
“And I think you’re biased.” I roll my eyes but smile anyway. Then I release a frustrated breath. “A year ago, everything seemed so simple. I looked after Dad, went to work, fed my grumpy cat. Then I met this great guy, and I thought everything would be perfect.”
“There’s no such thing as perfect,” he points out.
“I know.” My brows furrow. “I love our life, Danny, I wouldn’t change a single thing about it. I love my job at the mortuary too. It’s just all the other stuff. I don’t know what they want from me.”
“They?”
I lift a hand and point up towards the sky like I’ve seen Dusty do on so many occasions, but it’s kind of lost as I’m wearing chunky knitted mittens. “They, them, the powers that be, the upstairs management, whatever force it is out there. I don’t know why they gave me, of all people, this ability.”
“Because you care,” he says simply and drops a kiss on my cold nose. “No matter how many ghosts move the bedroom furniture, drop in on you unannounced, haunt your mortuary, or try to accidentally electrocute you,” he says with a smile, “you still care enough to make sure they’re okay. I’m not an expert, but I’m betting that’s why they chose you. Because they see in you what I do.”
“And what’s that?” I ask, my voice softens.
“Everything.”
“You’re too good to be true sometimes, do you know that?”
He chuckles. “No, I’m just here to keep you grounded. So stop worrying about what’s going to happen later on down the line or what everything means. You don’t have to have all the answers now. Life... it’s the journey, right? Not the destination?”
“Urgh, now you sound all grown up and I sound like a stroppy child,” I tease. We start walking again, and I grab his hand. “You’re disgustingly well-adjusted.”
“Thank you.” He grins and lets go of my hand to wrap his arm around my shoulders.
“Dusty did say something else this morning though.” I look up at Danny as we wander along. “I’m not sure yet if it’s something we should be worried about.”
“Well, what did she say?”
“That Madame Viv wasn’t quite herself.” I frown in concern.
“Hmm,” Danny hums thoughtfully. “She has been through a lot lately. Who knows how much Chaos was affecting her before you got her out of the bookshop and to our place. It’ll most likely take a while for her to find her footing again. She’s probably badly shaken.”
“Well, that was my first thought too, but Dusty says there’s something in that bookshop and a shadow’s forming over Viv. I mean, if you think about it, during the eclipse while we were busy trying to keep Chaos from coming through, how many other things slipped out without us knowing?”
Danny scowls. “That’s a scary thought.”
“Right?” I say, relieved he seems to be on the same wavelength as me.
“When we get back home, we’ll look into it, promise.” He squeezes my shoulder comfortingly. “Unless you want to go back sooner? If you do, you’ll have to say because once the snow hits, the roads probably won’t be drivable for the next few days.”
I think about it and while it’s sweet of him to offer, I find, surprisingly, that I actually want to stay. This bonkers place seems to be growing on me.
“Actually, I think I’d like to stay,” I tell him. “Even if it does snow, we don’t have to be back to work until the eighth of January, and I like it here, with you.”
“Despite the ghosts and the first annual murder mystery weekend?” He chuckles.
“Even then.” I grin. “Okay, it wouldn’t have been my first choice, but it’s not a real murder, is it? It’s just like a life-sized game of Cluedo. Who knows, it could be fun? And as for the ghosts, I’m beginning to think there will be ghosts wherever I go. At least these ones seem to be quirky and harmless as opposed to scary and homicidal.”
“Always preferable.”
“Exactly.” I snort and we round the corner of the huge stone building. The rolling lawns and woodlands open up before us and I stop and gasp. “Wow!” My mouth falls open. “This is incredible. Coming from a built-up city, I sometimes forget places like this exist.”
I turn to Danny, momentarily confused to not find him standing next to me, then my gaze drops down and I find him on one knee.
“What are you doing?” I ask. “Oh! Did you drop something? Hang on, I’ll help.” I drop to my knees, wincing at the cold ground as I push my glasses up and glance around. “What are we looking for?”
When he doesn’t answer, I look up at him. His face has a tragic,why mekind of expression even as his shoulders shake with suppressed laughter.
“What?” I blink.