Page 7 of The Love of My Afterlife
“Blows.”
“At least we’ll always be hot, I guess? Preserved.”
He said it. He thinks I’m hot. With my hair one day past acceptably unwashed and my weird nightdress. My cheeks flame. What is happening right now?
“Preserved,” I murmur. “Like lemon curd.”
He laughs out loud. “Lemon curd?” He takes a step closer to me, his voice suddenly low and intimate. “Tell me your name.”
I notice that his pupils are almost fully dilated. I…I think this is chemistry! This must be what it feels like to have instant chemistry with someone. Wow.
“My name is Delphie. Delphie Bookham.”
“It’s good to meet you, Delphie Bookham.” He holds out his hand and I take it. But we don’t shake. We just hold hands. If this were a film, there’d be sweeping orchestral music playing, a camera circling us as we stare at each other, maybe a cacophony of fireworks popping off overhead.
“What’syourname?” I return.
“I’m Jonah. Jonah T—”
I don’t get to hear the rest of his name because the door to Merritt’s office slams open and she runs in, goggling at Jonah and me. We jump apart, and Merritt, who appears to be holding a piece of fax paper, strides over, blond curls bouncing with each step.
“Hi!” she says through a gritted sort of smile, wide eyes blinking rapidly. “Jonah, right?”
“Um, yeah?” His voice breaks a little with shock at the interruption. He clears his throat and tries again. “Yes. That’s me.”
“Hello, Jonah! Sooooo, I’m afraid there’s been a tiny little mix-up—it sometimes happens, but nothing to worry about.”
“What is it?” Jonah asks. He is no longer relaxed. His face has turned a ghostly white.
“Yeah.” Merritt blows the air out from her cheeks. “So good news, as it turns out! You are not actually dead, Jonah. Thing is, you’re just what we term an ‘unconscious visitor.’ Our systems can get a bit screwy and deliver us people who are not ready to be here.” Her eyes snag on the fax in her hand. “Not for a very long time, as it happens. So…”
And then, before Jonah or I can say or do anything, Merritt steps forward and presses her thumb right into the middle of his forehead. I scream as his whole body starts to shimmer before sort of bursting like a wet blowing bubble that’s just been popped.
I look down at my hand, the one that was just holding his.
It’s empty.
No, no, no!
I think…I think I might have just met the only person I was ever truly supposed to meet.
And now he’s gone.
4
I stare at the space where Jonah just was, blinking dumbly, my brain trying and failing to process what the hell just happened.
“Well, well, well!” Merritt drawls, brushing off her hands. She wiggles her eyebrows, a know-it-all smile on her face. “Even the mighty Nora Roberts herself would sell a kidney to get that kind of chemistry on the page.”
“That…that was…Who was that? He was…And now he’s…”
“He’s gone, sweet girl. Back in the land of the living once more. Admin glitch—it happens. Such a shame. You would have had a much nicer time at Evermore if he’d been hanging around. From what I saw on his file, he’s a genuinely great guy. I’m so sorry, Delphie. Hate to see it.”
I gasp and look directly into Merritt’s big green eyes. “Wait a minute…you just sent him back. Send me back too! You have the power to do it. I just saw it!”
Frantically, I grab her thumb and press it against my head. “Come on, just do it! Do that thumb thing! I really don’t wantto be here. I can’t stay here! Mr. Yoon needs me. I…I have a job! You just sent Jonah back. Send me!”
Merritt snatches her thumb away from my head, holding it protectively to her chest.
