Page 81 of Grim

I laugh humorlessly. “That figures. Wondered why I wasn’t chained to the refrigerator or something.”

“He said I’m your responsibility until he gets back from seeing his boss. Wait, no, said that backward. You’remyresponsibility until he gets back.”

“You probably weren’t supposed to say anything at all, Seek. But I appreciate your honesty.”

“Oh, well, I hope I’m not in trouble then.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell the Big Bad Reaper you told me. And I won’t get into any ‘mischief,’” I say with air quotes, “while he’s gone.”

“Great. What do you want to do until he returns then?”

I smile softly at his excitement.

“I was writing before I dozed off, but I’m not feeling particularly inspired right now. How about we do some reading?” I suggest while gesturing to my bookshelves.

His brows pinch together as his head falls to one side. “I don’t know how to read.”

“What?” I ask with more incredulity in my voice than I intended.

I hope I didn’t sound hurtful. By the look on Seek’s young face, I might have.

“Never learned,” he says simply. “Not much use for an orphaned chimney sweep to learn how to read. Who would have taught me anyway?”

Pursing my lips, I shake my head. “I don’t care for that one bit. Would you like it if I read to you?”

Seek’s face lights up as if I gave him a gift. “I would love that!”

“Can you pick the book? Esther has me rooted to the spot here, I’m afraid.” I motion to the still-slumbering cat on my lap.

“Of course.” Seek bounds over to the bookcase behind me. “But which one? I can’t read the words on the sides of any of these.”

I close my eyes and visualize the shelves I’ve spent countless hours perusing, combing, and simply gazing at. I hum to Seek, “On the right side of the third shelf from the bottom, about a third of the way from the right, there should be a blue book with swirly gold letters on it. It’s a bit thinner than the books on either side of it. Do you see it?”

“Yes!” Seek exclaims, then returns to the couch with the book in question.

I smile as he hands me the thin volume, then inches closer to me on the couch. I open to the prologue and begin reading aloud.

“Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do.”

Seek slides even closer to me, resting his small head on the outside of my arm. With the young boy nestled in the crook of my arm and my oversize cat sound asleep, I continue blissfully down the rabbit hole.

The back door creaks open, followed by the soft, familiar sound of Kane’s shoes on the hardwood.

I glance up from where I sit cross-legged on the floor with Seek, who’s currently draping a crocheted blanket over Esther. Kane doesn’t speak; he watches.

He looks at me as though his gaze alone could break me. It’s both comforting and patronizing at the same time. His hands twitch at his sides before he clenches them into fists and swallows whatever words threaten to escape.

“How was Big D?” I ask too casually.

His jaw shifts as he glares at Seek, knowing the child told me where he went. “Much the same.”

He doesn’t offer anything else, and I don’t push. Whatever Big D said has his hackles raised and the shadows under his eyes deeper than usual.

Clearing my throat, I gesture toward the window. “What do you want to do tonight?”

There’s a pause. He knits his brows, considering me like I’m a question he hasn’t yet figured out how to answer.

Seeing as he’s choosing not to answer, I do it for him. “I was hoping,” I murmur, “we could take a boat ride through the harbor.”