she’d pulled back. When he walked her to the door, she explained that she couldn’t stand the thought of touching a hand that had touched dead people all day.
He hadn’t bothered to explain the thousand things about his job that didn’t involve touching dead people.
Tyler smiled suddenly. Tonight, when he visited with Kate, he’d ask her what she thought of blind dates. Everything they talked about was interesting. They’d discussed a dozen topics, and she’d never hesitated to tell him her opinion. She loved Mexican food, hated lines at the grocery store, loved her country, hated subways in every town in the world, fought against gun control, and had campaigned for women’s rights since she could walk.
He had a feeling Kate was a woman no one would ever talk into anything, but no discussion would ever be dull. He even liked the little codes she had for her favorite swear words.
A little after ten, Tyler picked up Beverly Truman’s body, then drove three blocks and pulled around the drive-through at Sonic for a foot-long chili-cheese dog and tater tots, and headed back to Harmony. He’d be home in time to send his e-mail.
Chapter 12
“ARE YOU SURE YOUR UNCLE TOLD YOU TO SPEND ALL THIS money?” Noah asked for the third time.
“All I need, he said.” They’d already stopped by the flower shop and were now searching through racks at the Lady Bug for a dress for Miss Beverly. Reagan took her mission as seriously as if it were life or death. Jeremiah trusted her, and she’d decided she would not let him down.
Noah pulled out T-shirts that said things like BORN TO BE WILD and TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER. “How about buying something like this, Rea?” he asked, holding it up to her as if trying to guess her size.
Reagan closed her eyes and repeated her orders from her new uncle. “Flowers for the casket, a dress for her, and clothes for me.” She shoved the T-shirt away. “Nothing else. I can’t waste money.”
Noah scratched his head. “I don’t see anything in this place that looks like dead old lady clothes.” He picked up a sundress with tiny pink flamingos on it.
The sales clerk hovering around them must have heard him. “You’re looking for a dress for someone who’s passed on?”
He nodded and explained everything to this woman Reagan had never seen before. Then to Reagan’s surprise, the lady told them to go to the funeral home. The woman was missing a sale, but was still trying to help them out.
So they drove over to the funeral home, where they found boxed clothes for the dead.
Reagan dug through the boxes while Noah wandered around. “This is great,” she said. “I never dreamed they had this kind of thing. Every one of these looks like Miss Beverly. She’s probably been buying her clothes here for years.”
Noah leaned out from behind an open coffin. “You mean your grandmother?”
“Yes,” she said without meeting his eyes. “I didn’t really know her.” She tried to think of something that wasn’t a lie. “The people where she lived just called her Miss Beverly, so I guess that’s the way I think of her.”
Reagan picked out a pretty blue dress with a white lace collar. She handed it to the woman, who’d followed them from the front desk, who smiled and promised Miss Beverly would be ready for viewing in a few hours. She was so nice Reagan almost wanted to stay around and visit. Almost.
Noah stopped at the Burger Barrel and bought Reagan lunch. She saved half for Jeremiah’s old dog. It was time they made friends.
Then Noah drove her to the mall. The center of the mall had two cookie places, a deserted hot dog stand, and a McDonald’s with a huge sign that read: LIMITED MENU. The only mall rats were a dozen walkers over eighty.
“How does this place stay in business?” Reagan whispered.
Noah grinned. “You should see it on a slow day.”
They went shopping for her clothes. Noah took the work seriously, making fun of half the things she tried on, wiggling
He hadn’t bothered to explain the thousand things about his job that didn’t involve touching dead people.
Tyler smiled suddenly. Tonight, when he visited with Kate, he’d ask her what she thought of blind dates. Everything they talked about was interesting. They’d discussed a dozen topics, and she’d never hesitated to tell him her opinion. She loved Mexican food, hated lines at the grocery store, loved her country, hated subways in every town in the world, fought against gun control, and had campaigned for women’s rights since she could walk.
He had a feeling Kate was a woman no one would ever talk into anything, but no discussion would ever be dull. He even liked the little codes she had for her favorite swear words.
A little after ten, Tyler picked up Beverly Truman’s body, then drove three blocks and pulled around the drive-through at Sonic for a foot-long chili-cheese dog and tater tots, and headed back to Harmony. He’d be home in time to send his e-mail.
Chapter 12
“ARE YOU SURE YOUR UNCLE TOLD YOU TO SPEND ALL THIS money?” Noah asked for the third time.
“All I need, he said.” They’d already stopped by the flower shop and were now searching through racks at the Lady Bug for a dress for Miss Beverly. Reagan took her mission as seriously as if it were life or death. Jeremiah trusted her, and she’d decided she would not let him down.
Noah pulled out T-shirts that said things like BORN TO BE WILD and TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER. “How about buying something like this, Rea?” he asked, holding it up to her as if trying to guess her size.
Reagan closed her eyes and repeated her orders from her new uncle. “Flowers for the casket, a dress for her, and clothes for me.” She shoved the T-shirt away. “Nothing else. I can’t waste money.”
Noah scratched his head. “I don’t see anything in this place that looks like dead old lady clothes.” He picked up a sundress with tiny pink flamingos on it.
The sales clerk hovering around them must have heard him. “You’re looking for a dress for someone who’s passed on?”
He nodded and explained everything to this woman Reagan had never seen before. Then to Reagan’s surprise, the lady told them to go to the funeral home. The woman was missing a sale, but was still trying to help them out.
So they drove over to the funeral home, where they found boxed clothes for the dead.
Reagan dug through the boxes while Noah wandered around. “This is great,” she said. “I never dreamed they had this kind of thing. Every one of these looks like Miss Beverly. She’s probably been buying her clothes here for years.”
Noah leaned out from behind an open coffin. “You mean your grandmother?”
“Yes,” she said without meeting his eyes. “I didn’t really know her.” She tried to think of something that wasn’t a lie. “The people where she lived just called her Miss Beverly, so I guess that’s the way I think of her.”
Reagan picked out a pretty blue dress with a white lace collar. She handed it to the woman, who’d followed them from the front desk, who smiled and promised Miss Beverly would be ready for viewing in a few hours. She was so nice Reagan almost wanted to stay around and visit. Almost.
Noah stopped at the Burger Barrel and bought Reagan lunch. She saved half for Jeremiah’s old dog. It was time they made friends.
Then Noah drove her to the mall. The center of the mall had two cookie places, a deserted hot dog stand, and a McDonald’s with a huge sign that read: LIMITED MENU. The only mall rats were a dozen walkers over eighty.
“How does this place stay in business?” Reagan whispered.
Noah grinned. “You should see it on a slow day.”
They went shopping for her clothes. Noah took the work seriously, making fun of half the things she tried on, wiggling
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