Page 3 of Dead Serious Halloween Special
“But?”
He shrugs. “Now I just feel small and insignificant, and that nothing I do matters.”
I push up out of my chair and edge round the table. Climbing into his lap, I make myself comfortable and cup his face in my hands. “Daniel Lionel Everett-Hayes, you listen to me. Itdoesmatter. Everything you do makes a difference, and if those tosspots at Scotland Yard can’t see that, then that’s their loss. Tell them where to stick their job.”
“Believe me, I want to.” Danny huffs, but the sound is devoid of humour and filled with frustration.
“So what’s stopping you?”
“I can’t just quit my job, Tris. I don’t even know what I’d do instead, or how I’d pay my share of the bills.”
“Look,” I say gently as I stroke his jaw with my thumbs. “I’ll tell you what my dad used to say to me when I was younger, before he got sick.”
“What’s that?”
“Break it down into smaller pieces. You’ve got so much going on in your head you can’t see the wood for the trees. Start with something you can change. If you truly feel like you’re done at Scotland Yard, then walk away. Your mental health and emotional well-being are more important.”
“Tris, we can’t afford for me to not work.”
“Not long-term, no.” I shake my head. “But for now, you need some breathing space to adjust to everything that’s happened. You need time to figure out what you want. Life plans change all the time, and there’s nothing wrong with choosing a new path. As for the financial side of it, between us, we’ve got enough saved to carry us for a while.”
“Those savings are for a deposit to buy a house,” he protests.
“So we’ll rent for a little longer.” I lean forward and brush my lips against his in a soft kiss. “You’re more important than a semi-detached with off-road parking.”
“That’s what I love about you, Tris.” He chuckles. “Your optimism. Our budget would barely stretch to a mid-terrace with a parking permit if we’re lucky.”
“That’s it, love, stay positive.”
He snorts and buries his face in my neck. “Ahhh,” he moans in frustration. “I really want to tell them to go fuck themselves.”
“And I would pay money to see that.” I card my fingers through his hair. “But no matter what you choose, I’ve got your back. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, I do.” He turns his head so he’s leaning against my shoulder and looking up at me. “Love you.”
“Love you too.” I dip my head and kiss him again. “Quit or don’t quit, the choice is entirely yours, but at the very least, I think you need to use up some of your leave and take some time off. You need the headspace to work out what you really want.”
“What I really want is to be back in bed with you, preferably naked.”
“Me too.” I grin. “But I need to get ready soon. It may be my day off, but I’m in the mortuary for a few hours this morning as a favour to Hen since she has a doctor’s appointment, then I have to be at the shop by lunchtime to help Harrison. He’s got a shipment of books coming in, and I said I’d keep him company while he sorts through them.”
“I’d have thought he’d want peace and quiet. He doesn’t like anyone messing up his system.”
“Honestly, I think he’s just planning on using me as a human shield,” I reply in amusement.
“I’m almost afraid to ask. Just tell me it’s not demon related.”
“Nope.” I laugh. “At least, I hope not. Chan talked Harrison into letting him host his yearly Halloween party in the store—for the ‘ambience’—so Chan’s going to be there most of the day, decorating and getting everything set up.”
“I’d forgotten that was today.” Danny frowns. “I can’t believe it’s Halloween already. Feels like only yesterday we were snowed in at the Ashton-Drake.”
“Oh, that reminds me.” I shift in Danny’s lap slightly. “Ellis called, and we’ve been invited back to the hotel for New Year’s. I thought we could take Nick, see if Chan, Aidan, and the others are free. It might do us all good to get out of London for a while. We might even be able to convince Harrison to come, and if we can’t, Sam will.”
“So you want to have a break from all the weird paranormal stuff going on in London by going to the most haunted hotel in the north of England to hang out with a bunch of badly behaved dead people.”
“To be fair, Ellis said they’ve been much better lately. I mean, there was the fiasco over the summer, but it’s probably best not to mention it.”
Danny barks out a laugh. “I honestly don’t know how Ellis manages to get himself into so much trouble with so little effort. Morgan certainly has his hands full with—what did he call him? His little blonde disaster.”