“Wait, are you at the funeral home?” Tom frowned.
“Oh, yes!” Mr. Crosby exclaimed. “There’s certainly a lot of people here. Very exciting. Edith has truly outdone herself. Both of you. I cannot say how much I appreciate it.”
“No problem, Mr. Crosby,” Tom replied. “It’s my pleasure.”
“You’re a good boy, Tom. Thank you again. You enjoy all your time off, and I’ll see you next week.”
“What are you talking about, sir? I’m supposed to come back the day after tomorrow.”
“You still have another week off,” Mr. Crosby scolded. “Come on. You need to rest up or that ankle of yours is never going to heal.”
“But Mr. Crosby—”
“Don’t worry about us here. Gerald and I can handle it.” Mr. Crosby sounded like he was smiling now. “Take care of yourself, Tom. Bye bye now.”
“Bye, Mr. Crosby.”
“You okay?” Cypress asked, glancing over at him when he stopped at a light. “You have the funniest look on your face.”
“Well, I have another week off from work,” Tom replied. “I don’t think he understands what’s happened.”
“Maybe it’s better if he doesn’t,” Cypress said. “It’s nice you have some more time off. And what do you know? I’m off, too. Imagine that.”
“Yeah.” Tom bit at his lip. “You, uh, still wanna stay with me?”
“I’d love to.” Cypress’s hand lingered on Tom’s knee, rising to brush his thigh.
“Huh.” Tom pretended to think. “But what are we gonna do to pass all that time?”
“Oh, I’m sure I can think of a few things,” Cypress replied with a smug little smile. “After all, you still have a lot to learn, don’t you?”
“Oh, yes,sir.”
It took almost three weeks for the media frenzy around the funeral home to die down. Both Junior and Aaron were in jail awaiting trial, and Gerald announced he was retiring as soon as they hired more help. He hadn’t said anything about what happened, and his temper had been even nastier than usual.
If someone asked him directly about Junior’s situation, he would coldly say, “I don’t have a son.”
Mr. Crosby remained upbeat as always, and his reply to any questions about what had happened was simply, “I’m so happy the chicken wasn’t hurt.”
Following his latest recovery courtesy of Mr. Crosby’s addled mind, Tom returned to work, and the newfound infamy hadn’t hurt their call volume. If anything, it actually seemed busier. Since they were now down two funeral directors, he had more late nights working visitations and services, but he didn’t mind.
Well, he did, but it was hard being grumpy about it when he had Cypress waiting up for him now.
He and Cypress had continued to be nearly inseparable. Before his time off from the flower shop was over, Cypress whisked Tom away to the beach for the first real vacation either of them had had in years. Mister Doodles chased seagulls, Tom got sunburned, and they all had a wonderful time.
Though they still made it over to Tom’s a few nights a week, it was easier to spend the night at Cypress’s place. Mister Doodles had a set of food and water dishes there now, and she seemed as happy as her owner, who could also boast about his very own drawer in Cypress’s dresser.
She did seem confused why they borrowed her leash sometimes but, otherwise, was perfectly content.
The sex remained incredibly intense, and Tom lived for every sizzling moment of it. He felt so much more confident now, and he would never tire of the unique thrill he found doing what Cypress told him to.
He still had moments when he could hear Mrs. Dresser’s screams or feel the shock of terror from when Aaron had stuck that gun in his face, but they were easier to deal with. He knew how to breathe now, how to push the fears away, and it was all thanks to Cypress.
Tom felt like a new person. Some of his awkward quirks lingered, probably always would, but he never hesitated to smile anymore. Maybe he was not quite the fierce tiger Cypress thought him to be, but he was at least a very large house cat.
Maybe a lynx.
He’d learned to turn Mr. Crosby and Gerald down when he needed a break, kept his overtime to a minimum, and he was sleeping on a semi-regular schedule. He didn’t know how long it would all last, but he was determined to hold onto it for as long as he could.
