“I will be,” she told me. “But right now… in this exact moment, I’m happy—real dang happy.”
“I love you,” I told her.
“Right back at you, Daisy.”
We sat together and watched the joyful chaos. Shitty Ritchie was now standing on Gideon’s head. I didn’t think that would end well, but the Grim Reaper was laughing. June and Charlie were slow dancing to a fast song and the Demons were grooving to the beat.
“I think I see something,” Jennifer said cautiously.
I leaned forward. Seeing for Jennifer was very different than it was for the rest of us.
“Talk to me,” I said, feeling trepidation.
Her brow creased in thought. It looked like the Botox had finally worn off. “It’s not clear like Heather’s G-string, or Candy Vargo wanting a ferret farm. It’s vague. Kinda fuzzy.”
“Okay,” I said, reaching for her hand. “Tell me what you can make out.”
She nodded slowly then spoke. “It’s a person. Can’t rightly tell if it’s a male or a female. It’s strong and angry. It wants revenge.”
“It sounds like the Higher Power,” I pointed out.
“I thought so too, but it’s not,” she said with conviction. “It might be worse.”
“Worse than the Higher Power? What in the hell could be worse than the present Higher Power?”
She shook her head. “That’s what I don’t know. I mean, it could be my imagination running away with me.”
“Could be or might not be,” I told her. “We need to tell Gideon, Charlie, Tim, Candy and Heather.”
“After the reception. Not now,” she said. “Let’s have a good time.” She stood up and extended her hand. The opening notes of the Chicken Dance blasted from the speakers and everyone cheered. “May I have this dance, my friend?”
I took her hand. “Absolutely. I thought you’d never ask!”
Never countyour chickens before they hatch. It’s bad luck.
The Chicken Dance was over. We’d made it through Uptown Funk, Dancing Queen—featuring Gram, Marry You and Sweet Caroline before we took a break for cookies and champagne.The mood was cheerful and the alcohol was flowing freely. Gideon had insisted he be present for Alana Catherine’s first champagne. We’d missed all the firsts. I supposed her getting a little tipsy was one we could treasure.
The Universe was blessing us on this fine day… until it decided it was done.
The blast of magic was unexpected. The walls and the roof of the house fell and the wedding decorations were singed to ash. The furniture went up in smoke—all of it. We were now standing on the cement foundation of the house.
It was bad. However, the arrival of the uninvited fake Tom Hanks was horrifying.
With a flick of his hand, most of our guests vanished. I spotted them hanging in the trees about a football field away. Shit was hitting the fan fast.
The only people left were the Trinity, Gideon, Candy Vargo and me. Our odds of taking Tom Hanks down had just gotten slimmer.
“My invitation must have gotten lost in the mail,” Tom Hanks said silkily. “Tsk, tsk, I didn’t realize how rude you people were.”
It looked like Tom Hanks. It sounded like Tom Hanks. It definitely wasn’t Tom Hanks. It was the Higher Power, and It wasn’t happy.
“Why are you here, fucker?” Candy Vargo demanded. She was glowing so bright I had to look away.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” It snarled. “You know exactly why I’m here. I’ve come to murder the competition… with an emphasis on the murder part.”
Tom Hanks threw Its head back and laughed. No one joined him.
Alana Catherine stepped forward. I almost wet myself. Gideon moved to step in front of her, but she held up her hand.He stopped and watched warily. He had gone full Demon. His downy black wings had burst from his back, and his eyes sparked blood-red. He was almost as scary as Tom Hanks… almost.
