Free To Catch Her Death (The Grim Reality Series Book 1) by Boone Brux Page A

got so tired of trying to make them feel better. I ceased being the griever and became the comforter. It was very draining.
    “Thank you,” she said.
    I pulled my hand back and fumbled for a way to get back on topic. “I think meeting GRS’s caregivers is a good idea.”
    “Great, I will set that up for us in a few weeks, after you get settled.” Her smile returned. “Now, onto bonuses.”
    “I like the sound of that.” I glanced at Nate. For whatever reason, he didn’t seem happy. Maybe he and Willow had dated and she’d dumped his grumpy butt. I added that to my list of questions for him.
    “After every twenty reaps you will receive a thousand dollar bonus. On your hundredth reap you will receive an incentive bonus of five thousand dollars.” She slid another sheet to me. “This is the breakdown beyond that.”
    “Wow.” I glanced at the figures. “Twenty five thousand for a thousand reaps?”
    “We’ve only had one person in Alaska receive that bonus.” Her eyes cut to Nate and back to me. “But all the reaps were not harvested in Alaska.”
    He crossed his arms and continued to glare at Willow. I refrained from asking him how he reaped a thousand souls. Mainly because I didn’t want to know, figuring it was a horrific natural disaster or something even more gruesome. At this point ignorance was bliss.
    “All righty then,” I said, trying to talk past the uncomfortable tension zinging between them. “How often do we get paid?”
    Willow relaxed against her chair. “Every two weeks. We do direct deposit. We’re a paperless office whenever possible.”
    “Recycle, reuse, and reap?” I asked.
    She smiled again. “I like that motto. We might have to adopt it for our conservation program.”
    Nate stood. “Is that all?”
    Willow didn’t look at him, but stood and held out her hand again. “It was great meeting you, Lisa. Let me know if you have any questions.”
    “Thank you, I will.” I shook her hand.
    “I hope you like it here. I’m sure you’ll be a great asset to GRS.”
    “Finally, somebody with vision.”
    Nate harrumphed and left without waiting for me. “Is he always like this?”
    “Oh no, just around me.” She sighed. “I’m sure he’ll be somewhat human with you.”
    “One can only hope.” I gave her a consoling smile and left. Something had definitely happened between him and Willow. Call me an office gossip, but I was already devising a plan to squeeze that info out of him. I skipped a few steps to catch up with him. “What’s next?”
    “Time to find out if you’re pregnant.”

CHAPTER SIX

    I skidded to a stop. “Excuse me?”
    Nate turned to face me. “Your medical exam is next.”
    “Oh.” I started walking again. The only way I’d be pregnant was through an immaculate conception, which I was beginning to believe could actually happen. Who knew which of the things I once considered fantasy could possibly be true. “You’re not going to be in my exam with me, are you?”
    He stopped at a glass door. A metal sign engraved with medical office hung beside it. “Thankfully, no.”
    Thankfully indeed. “Are we finished after this?”
    Nate checked his watch. “I’ll come back and check on you in about an hour. We can catch some lunch after that.” His eyes did a quick track up and down my body. “You must be getting hungry.”
    Wow, he’d so effortlessly insulted me with his judgmental scan. I had questions for him about the job, so I bit my retort and plastered on a smile. “Sounds great.”
    Without any more discussion, because seriously, my self-esteem had already taken a beating today, I entered the office and shut the door in his face. Cherry wood and rich plum walls decorated the outer lobby. The warm mood directly contradicted the utilitarian world that existed beyond the door. I prayed the doctor was a woman. Of all the employees I’d met so far, women seemed to be the only ones with an ounce of compassion.
    I walked to the counter and