Chapter 12

Chapter

Twelve

DASH

“It has to be kid-friendly,”I said to the young woman standing in front of me. She was writing notes, and I wanted to clarify before we moved forward.

After I returned to Dearly & Son from my impromptu trip to the Celestial Realm, I got into my SUV, which had somehow shown up at the funeral home from Clegg Cycles. I needed to run an errand.

“How many children do you have?” The look on the woman’s face was unreadable.

“None yet, but we’re planning on two.” That didn’t sound odd, did it?

“Oh, is your wife pregnant with twins?”

I noticed the woman’s gaze wandering to my left hand where the silicone band on my ring finger was visible. I’d been working at the garage, so I’d left my fancy wedding ring at home.

The vision I’d had while I was with Michael the Arch had been perfect, and now, I was focused on the details so everything was perfect when the time was right. In the vision, I’d been riding a rebuilt 1947 Harley Knucklehead, and right now, I had the chassis for one that Keir had given me for Christmas. It was at Clegg Cycles, and when finished, it would be a replica of my old man’s Knucklehead that I had given to Fish. I wouldn’t vary the details of that vision one inch, so I had to get the bike finished for my own sanity. What I’d seen in that glimpse into the future had been incredible.

“Sir?”

I was brought from my memories by the woman in front of me who seemed a little hasty to get me out of the rescue shelter. I was told the process took time, and the only thing that had been missing from that vision—dream? premonition?—was a dog.

“Uh, sorry. We’re not actually pregnant yet. I want the dog to be settled and used to our home before we have kids, so I need a dog that would be good with kids. You got any of those?”

Now she was staring at me as though I planned to skin the damn thing. “Maybe I’m not explaining this right.”

As I was about to describe my ideal dog to her again, my phone vibrated. “Excuse me.”

I retrieved it from my back pocket to see a text message from an unknown number.

Enjoy this life while you can. Your next one will be without Keir. He’ll be mine.

What the fuck? I checked the caller information again, but there was no sign of who it was from. That was something I’d need to check into immediately.

My main goal in life was to protect Keir Dearly. The Gatekeeper. He was my heart and soul, and for someone to threaten to take him away from me? That wasn’t going to happen.

Keir was greetingguests for Shirlene Nelson’s viewing, and I was standing behind him in a suit because I was the husband of a funeral director, and I was there to do whatever Keir needed.

I hadn’t mentioned anything about the threatening message from the unknown person because I was confident I could handle it. I watched everyone who came through the funeral home and hadn’t seen a dark aura yet.

Vale walked to where I was standing by the door to the chapel. “Since I’m not going to be a fashion model like I’ve always dreamed, I need to change my career goals. Do you think Keir would pop for me to get an associate’s degree in funeral services and get licensed as a funeral director?”

That caught my attention, but I had a better idea. “Would you consider learning how to embalm the guests? As a backup for Keir?”

If we could get Amelie to take the funeral directors’ courses and if Vale got certified in embalming, we’d be able to remain open when we had a guest, whether Keir was there or not. That would be a lifesaver for us.

Vale stared at the carpet for a moment before he turned to me. “Let me work through it with Keir before I commit and see if it will make me barf. We’ll need someone who can move the bodies around because I can’t lift some of these people by myself.”

I nodded. “We’ll make sure someone is around, I promise. Mr. Josephson came in this morning. Keir is going to embalm him today after this, so if you stick around, then you can watch.”

I probably shouldn’t be making plans without my husband’s approval, but when we had those two beautiful children, we would need backup for the business. I was sure if I presented it to Keir that way, he’d be on board.

The Nelson family entered the chapel, and Shirlene’s spirit stepped next to her adult daughter, draping an arm around the young woman’s shoulders. Of course it wouldn’t be felt by the family members who Shirlene hugged or kissed on the cheek, but I thought her way of saying goodbye was sweet.

“How’s it going?” I turned to see Keir standing next to me.

“Good. How about Mr. Josephson?” Alfred Josephson had died from pneumonia brought on by respiratory issues. He was in his seventies, so not that old, but his son had told Keir that their father’s health had been failing for the last few years, and he’d rather be dead than live the life he was living with constant trips to the emergency room.

I could understand that line of thinking from Alfred’s point of view. If one was constantly sick, it could tire a body out to the point where death would be a welcome relief. I prayed it never happened to anyone in my life.

“He’s in the mortuary smoking a cigarette. Apparently, his family browbeat him into quitting a few years ago by telling him it would kill him. He said, ‘And here I am. Dead anyway.’ He was probably quite a pistol when he was alive.”

I chuckled and pulled him closer. “What would you say if we paid for Vale to get a degree in funeral director services and embalming? We could also ask Amelie to get her certificate in funeral director services. That way, we’d have backup so we didn’t have to ask others to cover the funerals when we want to take time off or when the kids are born.”

Keir turned his head and stared at me. “What? You don’t think I can handle having children and running Dearly & Son? Do you think something’s going to happen to me?”

I was stunned. Had Keir found out about the threatening text?

“Of course I⁠—”

“Keir, the minister is here.” Amelie whisper-shouted at the two of us. As I glanced around, I saw we’d drawn a bit of a crowd, and we were supposed to be the professionals—well, Keir was, anyway.

Without another word to me, he slowly strolled to the side of the room where a man in a black suit with a white collar stood with Shirlene’s husband, Hugh. Andrea, her daughter, held her father’s hand while they quietly spoke to the minister.

I stepped over to Amelie, who handed me a stack of programs to give out as people made their way into the chapel. The accompanist had arrived earlier, and I’d helped her set up her keyboard to the right of the casket. A choir was expected because Shirlene had been a member, and it would be the first time that music—other than the piped in kind—would be performed in the chapel since Keir and I had started dating. I was looking forward to hearing it.

“What was that little dust-up about?” Amelie nodded to some of the ladies who came in wearing white robes. I assumed they were part of the choir.

I handed out a few more programs before turning to Amelie when there was a lull in the folks entering the chapel. “I suggested something to my husband and he took offense. He thinks I don’t have faith in him.”

Amelie giggled. “That’s ridiculous. What did you suggest?”

I was on thin ice, but before Keir and I fought about it, it was better if I knew whether she was even interested in becoming a funeral director. If she didn’t want to consider it, then there was no need for Keir and me to fight.

“I suggested that you get your funeral director’s certificate so you could fill in when Dearly needs to be away. Vale suggested he’d like to do it, and I asked if he’d also like to learn to embalm. He’s thinking about it.”

Amelie’s face morphed into a pissed-off expression faster than I could snap. “Why can’t I learn to do the embalming? Don’t be a misogynistic prick, Dash.”

She smacked the rest of the programs into my chest and stormed off. Great. I’ve pissed them both off.

I continued to greet guests and give them the papers Amelie had handed me, not quite sure why I felt so at home helping with these events. Maybe it was because I had a new insight into what happened after one died? I wasn’t sure why, but I didn’t hate the new attitude I’d developed since I’d been with Keir. Knowing that the end wasn’t the end gave me a lot of comfort.

Once the service was underway, I went in search of my husband. He was in the hospitality room making coffee and checking on the few snacks Vale had set out earlier.

“What the hell was that?” I couldn’t hold my temper. I loved that man more than anything, and I wanted our life. I’d never make a contingency plan that didn’t include him.

“I-I’m sorry. I just... There’s something I need to tell you, love. Can it wait until after this?”

It was unusual for my husband to stutter, so I stared at him. “What’s going on, Dearly?”

“Someone is threatening us. Let’s get through this, please?”

His beautiful blue eyes showed how worried he was, so I nodded, and the two of us went inside the chapel for the rest of the service. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one receiving threats.

We took our places by the door as had become routine with us. When the choir assembled on the raised platform behind the casket, I was amped to see what they would sing. We weren’t religious in my family, but I’d heard some hymns when I was in prison and the chaplain would play music before our group therapy sessions.

When the music started, I was shocked. “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin was performed with perfect harmonies, mostly without the keyboard.

My mind wandered back to my dad, a big fan of Zeppelin. “Fool in the Rain” was my favorite song back when the music blared in the shop at Clegg Cycles. It was a nice trip down memory lane. I missed my parents more in that moment than I had in quite a while.

When the choir finished, they filed out in a single line, lining the back wall of the chapel as the accompanist played some lovely songs I wasn’t familiar with as folks made a last pass by the casket, saying their goodbyes to Shirlene. It was cool.

“That’s Shirlene behind the casket,” Keir whispered as he stood behind me.

The pallbearers were made up of Shirlene and Hugh’s nieces and nephews. Adonis had the hearse in front of Dearly & Son. He was dressed in a nice black suit with his hair pulled back in a low ponytail that he’d tucked beneath his jacket. He was still smoking hot... and a vampire.

Keir accompanied Adon while I helped return the chapel to normal. We’d loaded the flowers into the hearse with the casket, so after we had the chairs in the storage room, I got the vacuum out to clean up the errant petals.

Amelie was cleaning up the hospitality suite, and Vale was checking the restrooms and common areas, emptying the trash and tidying up. My phone buzzed in the pocket of my dress slacks, so I fished it out, seeing another text from an unknown number.

You think Keir will miss you when you’re gone? That’s a laugh. Look over your shoulder, Key. I’m coming for you.

Stupid motherfucker. Who the hell had my number? Was someone trying to be funny? If I found out it was one of my friends, I’d beat their ass.