Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
As Alana Catherine, Gram and I followed Gideon into the house, Tim invited everyone inside for a delicious lunch.
Delicious was pushing it. Lunch was a scary proposition when Tim was the chef in charge.
Last week, his turkey-noodle-hoohoo-surprise had multiple unappetizing surprises in it—like sardines, black olives, chocolate chips and marshmallows—but it was made with love…
and very little skill. Shitty Ritchie and Candy Vargo were the only enthusiastic fans of his cooking that I knew of.
I had to wonder if all three of them had defective taste buds.
Mostly, I was happy to be a vegetarian and able to legit pass on most of Tim’s culinary disasters.
He’d promised me he was going to make a veggie-dooda-surprise soon.
I was not looking forward to it. Would I eat some?
Absolutely, because it was from Tim. Would I enjoy it? Probably not.
The Demons had wisely declined lunch and went to their posts.
Five followed Jennifer into the house. Five followed Shitty Ritchie.
Fifteen spread out to the perimeter and five trailed behind us to watch over Alana Catherine.
I wasn’t too keen on Demons horning in on our family time, but at least the gals who’d been eating Gideon up with their eyes weren’t part of the contingency guarding my daughter.
“None of them,” Gideon said casually as he squeezed my hand and continued walking.
Gram and Alana Catherine were busy introducing themselves to my daughter’s guards.
I squinted at him. “None of them, what?” I asked.
He raised a brow and gave me a lopsided grin. “I’ve not had a relationship with any of the Demons on our property.”
“Oh my God!” I hissed, punching him in the arm and glancing around to see if anyone heard. “Are you reading my freaking mind?”
“Your face,” he said with a laugh. “It’s flattering that you’re jealous. You have no need to be. Hell knows, I would gouge the eyeballs out of any man who so much as looked at you sideways.”
“Ouch,” I said with a wince. “That’s kind of harsh.”
He shrugged. “Are you telling me you didn’t want a go at the Demons who were giving me the once over?”
“I hadn’t gotten that far in my brain,” I told him, secretly knowing I probably would have gotten there with time. “But gouging eyes out for looking? Not sure I’d do it.”
He chuckled. “You’re a far better person than me.”
“Wrong.”
“Nope,” he insisted. “I’m right.” He stopped walking and cupped my face in his hands. “The very first time I saw you, that was it for me. Period. Done. You are my person. Without you, I have no reason to exist.”
I shook my head. “Our daughter,” I reminded him. A large part of my heart would wither away and die if Gideon was gone. I knew it and he knew it, but I would go on for Alana Catherine. I didn’t know how… but I would and I expected the same from him.
He paused, then nodded solemnly. “You’re correct. But I don’t want to entertain either scenario. It’s family time. We’re going to enjoy it.”
“Deal,” I said as he led us to the backyard. I knew exactly where he was taking us, and it was perfect.
“OH MY GOSH!” Alana Catherine shouted with delight as we rounded the corner of the house and arrived at the destination. “Seriously?”
“Totally,” I said with a laugh. “Compliments of your dad.”
Gideon took a bow and grinned like a fool.
In front of us was what I could only describe as a massive, hot pink jungle gym.
It was way over the top, but also kind of amazing.
There were three slides, swings for adults, swings for babies and toddlers, a sandbox, a fort and bright purple climbing ropes.
The gorgeously garish playset was surrounded by sunflowers and daisies.
Enormous orange and green stuffed teddy bears sat on the swings and at the top of the slides.
And of course, two were in the sandbox holding bright yellow plastic shovels and pails.
Surrounding the entire epic play area was a baby pink and powder blue picket fence that had been child-proofed… of course.
Alana Catherine ran around the playground, touching everything. Gone was the serene Higher Power. She was now just a little girl enjoying her parents’ love. Gram flew behind her, laughing like a kid on Christmas morning.
“Your dad built it,” I announced.
“Shut the front door!” she shot back, checking out the sand box. “With magic?”
“By hand,” he said with pride. “Used a little magic for the color scheme, but the rest was all sweat equity.”
She paused and looked around in surprise. “I’ve been here.”
“You have,” I told her. “Last week when you were a baby.” The sentence was bizarre. The fact that it was true was nuts.
Gram continued to zoom around the playground, hooting and hollering.
I spotted Mr. Jackson watching her from a slight distance with a wide grin on his macabre face.
He was politely giving Gram her space for family time.
Her beau was very much the gentleman. I squinted as I tried to gauge if he was fading.
That would devastate Gram if he went into the Light.
Heck, I’d be devastated if he went into the Light.
He’d become part of the family. I’d never seen Gram so happy with a man-friend.
Growing up, she didn’t date at all. It was just me and her against the world.
When I was a child, I never really noticed.
As an adult, it broke my heart that she hadn’t found a companion to live life with… until now.
In death, she had found her soul mate. The irony wasn’t lost on me.
It sucked that they couldn’t physically touch each other, but it didn’t stop them from hugging, kissing and holding hands.
Granted, their bodies went right through each other’s since they were dead, but it didn’t seem to bother them.
They spent all of their time together. Gram had even confessed that she found Mr. Jackson far better looking and sexier than Bob Barker.
That was about the highest praise Gram could give.
She had it bad for the sweet ghost, and the adoration was returned.
Maybe Mr. Jackson just needed a little tune-up. I had boxes upon boxes of superglue in the pantry, and I knew how to use it. I’d have a sit-down with my buddy later this evening and check him over.
Right now, Gram, Mr. Jackson and Alana Catherine’s skunks were the only ghostly beings in our home.
A gaggle of dead were squatting at my old farmhouse for the time being.
I felt guilty that I wasn’t hosting them here, but it was too dangerous right now.
It was unclear if the zombies could harm my deceased guests, and I wasn’t about to risk it and find out.
Soon. Soon they could come home, and I would help them.
Gideon clapped his hands, and a picnic table appeared.
Unfortunately, he stuck with the pink and purple color scheme.
I didn’t have the heart to tell him it was gaudy.
He was too dang proud of himself. I sat down, plopped my elbows on the table, and rested my chin in my hands.
Gideon sat down next to me, his leg touching mine.
We watched our grown-up daughter go down the slide with Gram and build a sand castle.
All was right with the farked up world at the moment.
It didn’t even bother me that five Demons had placed themselves at a discrete distance to watch over the little girl who wasn’t so little anymore.
“Does it get better than this?” I whispered as Gram directed the design of the castle made from sand.
“No,” Gideon answered thoughtfully. “But… I hate even voicing this… but I miss not getting to watch her grow up.”
I glanced over at him.
He quickly continued, “I mean, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that she’s here with us. I shouldn’t complain.”
I cupped his cheek with my hand and leaned in for a kiss. “I’ve had the very same thoughts,” I said against his lips. “Nothing about our lives is normal. I’m trying really hard to embrace the abnormal.”
Gideon pressed his forehead to mine. “So, I’m not being a selfish ass by saying that I wish I’d been able to take her to her first day of kindergarten?”
“Nope,” I assured him, glancing back over at the sandbox and smiling. “I wish I could have taken her shopping for a prom dress and been the room mom for elementary school.”
“I would have killed it on the PTA,” Gideon said with a grin.
I laughed. “All the soccer moms would have shown up in droves if you were on the PTA.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Honestly, I’m glad it’s not just me,” he confessed. “I was thinking I was being an idiot.”
“If you’re being an idiot, then I’m in the same club,” I told him. “I say we secretly set aside one night a month to bitch and moan about all the stuff we didn’t get to do with her.”
He threw his head back and laughed. The sound was music to me, and I craved it. The man was stupidly gorgeous, but he was even more beautiful on the inside. “Deal, Daisy. Once a month.” He stared at Alana Catherine for a long moment. “You know…”
“What?” I asked, watching his wheels turn.
“It’s dumb,” he admitted sheepishly.
“I like dumb,” I replied, lightly elbowing him.
He nodded slowly, then went for it. “There’s really no reason that you can’t go prom dress shopping with our girl. We could have our own prom. Here. I would bet good money that Candy Vargo, Tim, Heather and Charlie have never been to a prom. I know I haven’t been to a prom.”
“Oh no! You’ve never been to prom?” I asked. That was so sad.
“Never,” he told me. Snapping his fingers, he produced a stunning bouquet of multicolored daisies. He got up from the picnic table, then got down on one knee. His grin was so sexy, I felt dizzy. “Daisy, will you accept these daisies and go to prom with me?”