5
Sebbie
Corbin’s arm was a warm weight on my shoulders, and I was thankful for him. I was exhausted, and not only because we’d stayed up all night. Maggie herself had been exhausting at breakfast.
She had seemed like such a nice old lady.
When we walked into the room, I turned on the ghost. “First of all, do you actually say that stuff to your family?”
Maggie looked surprised. “Well, of course. I’m old. I’ve earned the right to speak my mind.”
“That’s bullshit,“
I said. “I don’t care if you’re a hundred years old. You don’t have the right to make people feel like shit. Especially not your own family members. You criticized everything from their appearance to their job choices—basically their entire lives. But the thing is, it’s their choice. It’s Rob’s choice if he wants to go to trade school instead of college, and it’s Meredith’s choice to wear whatever the hell she wants.”
“But I’m the matriarch of the family—“
Maggie started, but I cut her off.
“Exactly! So you should be encouraging and helping your family, not dragging them down. You seemed like such a lovely lady at first, and then around your family you became this hypercritical meany.”
“Well, I won’t be around forever. I want to see them all happy and settled before I go. I love them all, and I only want what’s best for them. I’m only trying to guide them,“
Maggie defended.
“Yeah, guide them right into murdering you,“
Corbin murmured.
I ignored him, although he wasn’t wrong. “Newsflash, Maggie—you’re dead. There’s no more guiding. There’s no more reason to be a hypercritical asshole. We’re going to bed, and you have homework to do. I want you to spend time with every family member and think of at least three positive things that you like about them. Got it?”
“What, are you an afterlife therapist now?“
she griped.
Suddenly my staff was in my hand and my pink robes were on. I banged the staff against the ground. “Go and do what I’ve asked of you!”
Maggie disappeared before she could utter a word.
Well, that was kind of neat. I turned to Corbin, suddenly back in my normal clothes. “Hey, did you see that? I can apparently tell ghosts what to do as a ferryman! Isn’t that nifty?”
Corbin hugged me tightly, and we both just breathed each other in for a moment. He was always so darn hot, and he was so comfy cozy, and I found my eyes drifting shut as I leaned against him.
He chuckled lightly against me, his chest rising and falling against my head. “Come on, Little Reaper—time to get you to bed.”
I flushed at his nickname for me, because I loved when he called me that, and it also made me think of our more intimate moments. I opened my eyes to lean up and kiss him, but I found myself going topsy-turvy as Corbin picked me up, gently turning us to put me on the bed. He stripped all but my boxer briefs off, then did the same for himself, and I knew he was thinking sleep before sexy times. Since I could barely keep my eyes open to admire him undressing, he was probably right.
My last thought before I went to sleep was the tarot card that had been knocked over. The four of cups—self absorption and missed opportunities. I didn’t know if that described Maggie’s killer, but it seemed to describe Maggie, that was for sure. Maybe she’d learn something on her exploration into her family. A ghost was a great person to investigate a crime.
With that thought, my eyes drifted shut, and I let sleep wash over me.
“Are you two ever going to wake up? You’re missing bingo by the pool and a towel folding class in the theater. I really wanted to learn how to make a towel elephant.”
I groaned sleepily, and Corbin muttered, “Well, why don’t you go to those, and let us sleep a bit more.”
Maggie huffed. “Because I can apparently only go where my family is, or where you guys are, and no one has taken an interest in either bingo or towel folding.”
I sat up, remembering my order last night—or this morning, I guess—to Maggie. “What time is it, anyway? And did you do what I asked?”
“It’s almost dinner time. And I didn’t get through everyone, but I did about half my family.”
“And?“
I prompted.
She rattled off names and positive qualities, and she actually seemed to be sincere in her comments. When she was done, she said, “This whole thing probably isn’t a good idea, though. Making me go and actually remember why I like my family, I mean.”
“Whyever not?“
Corbin grumbled. He pulled me back down onto the bed, wrapping one arm and one leg around me. I snuggled into his chest, my back to his front.
“It’s going to be even more devastating to find out that someone I like killed me. It’s easier to be critical, you know.”
I made a sound of agreement. I suppose she was right, but still… “You’ve missed opportunities to get to know them. You’ve been self-absorbed,“
I commented, thinking about the tarot card. “This will give you an opportunity to break free of that and appreciate what you have.”
“Well, I’m dead, so I’m not sure I have much.”
I groaned in response, mainly because Corbin was currently rubbing his hand higher and higher on my thigh.
Maggie sighed dramatically, rolled her eyes, and disappeared in a huff. Finally, some alone time. I flipped over so I was facing Corbin, leaning up to kiss him. Our mouths pressed gently, then more urgently against each other, and Corbin licked into my mouth and coaxed my tongue out to gently suck on it. I groaned again.
Forget about bingo and towel animals. Corbin was distraction enough for me.