Alexa, play: The Sound of Silence - Disturbed
We met Theo and Naomi in the parking lot. They had already packed the hearse full of furniture and were working on filling up the G-Wagon by the time we arrived.
Naomi had purchased a massive stuffed gnome that was nearly as big as she was, and she was buckling him into the back seat of my car.
“Do you mind if I ride with you, Cal? There’s no room for Mr. Grumble in the hearse.”
“Mr. Grumble?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.
What a dope name for a gnome.
“Yeah. He reminds me of Vox. Look at his white hair poking out under his hat. He needed a grumpy name.”
I couldn’t help it, Icackled.Vox wouldhatethat. Which made it even better.
I fist-bumped Naomi while Ryan slid our new cum soaked mirror into the hearse. The tips of his ears turned red, despite the fact the mirror was in a box, and there was no way Theo or Naomi could know it was covered in his cum.
“That’s fine, gnomes. You go with Cal. Theo and I can take the hearse.” Ryan said, clearly trying to deflect everyone’s attention from our mirror of shame. Lolz.
I grabbed a fistful of Ryan’s T-shirt before he slipped into the driver’s seat and planted a kiss on his lips.
He let out a surprisedmmphhh!But the way his lips curled into a smile made my toes tingle.
Fuck I loved this man so much.
“See you at home, angel,” he whispered, giving me one more quick kiss before smiling up at me.
See you at home.
Fuck why did that make me so giddy!
I grinned back, ruffling his hair affectionately.
“Make sure you put that mirror somewhere…strategic,”I purred, and he gave me a mock scowl as I made my way back to the G-Wagon.
I slammed the door shut and put on a Taylor Swift playlist while Naomi finished fussing with Mr. Grumble. Ryan and Theo pulled out of the parking lot and were already out of sight by the time she finally crawled into the passenger seat.
“Buckle up, Gnomes,” I ordered before putting the car in gear. She did as she was told, then we were off.
We listened to Taylor sing about heartache in amicable silence for a few moments before she spoke.
“I’m really happy for you, Cal,” she said, and I glanced at her, grinning.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. Ryan’s the best. I’m so glad you found him and that you work with him at Fairview now. It’s a way better fit for you.”
My heart swelled with emotion. At first, I was worried about inserting myself into Ryan’s business. What did I know about the death industry?
However, I had always been a quick study. You had to learn fast if you were a mercenary because if you didn’t, you died.
So, I picked up on the ins and outs quickly. Also, anticipating Ryan’s needs came naturally to me. I had always been programmed to take care of the people that I loved, and Ryan was no exception. Making him happy mademehappy, so I personally felt like I was doing a good job, but it was really nice to have Naomi validate that.
“You really think so?” I asked, and she nodded, shooting me a gentle smile as we pulled up to a red light.
“Yeah, Cal. I do. You’re really good at connecting with people and helping them manage their grief. It’s kind of incredible.”
I was about to reply when a black Escalade pulled up annoyingly close behind me. I frowned in the rearview.
