Carpet Diem by Misty Simon

Author:Misty Simon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2019-08-22T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Dressed in a black skirt and a jade-green top, I kissed Peanut good-bye and waved to Mr. Fleefers, who was sitting on top of the fridge. I didn’t know if he and the dog were having a fight or just taking some alone time, but as long as my apartment wasn’t destroyed, I wouldn’t worry about it.

Max was still out at the job, so I simply texted him that I’d see him later and went to do my duty. The funeral parlor was a hive of chaos if you looked close enough. But if you didn’t know what you were looking for, then it looked like smooth sailing on a glass-clear lake.

My father roamed the floor, fixing a tissue box and making one small adjustment to the arranged flowers in order to achieve perfection. My mother made sure all the chairs in the blue room were organized correctly and were aligned with the discreet marks on the floor that showed where they belonged, in order to provide enough leg room but still be intimate. Jeremy straightened his tie in the oval mirror in the foyer and then slicked his hair down.

“Looking good, brother of mine. Where do you want me, and how long do you need me for?”

I was completely not expecting him to grab my arm and drag me into the little alcove behind a big old urn of flowers that stood almost seven feet tall.

“You have to help me. I don’t know what’s going on with Mom and Dad, but it’s like they’ve lost their minds. Mom is the one who double-booked us, and Dad agreed to have the deceased delivered without making sure we even have room in the basement. I had to run down and check that the space was open. It was, but only because another person we were supposed to get has been delayed for toxicology reports. I’m losing my mind here, Tallie, keeping track of them.”

Uh-oh. This was where I resolutely did not get involved and instead encouraged everyone to hire a new helper.

“When did this start?” I asked and wanted to slap myself on the forehead. What had happened to not getting involved? But this was my family. No matter how many squabbles we had had, and would have, I was not going to walk away if there were some serious issues going on. “Do we need to bring in Dylan?” My other brother was a groundskeeper and a landscaper, but Jeremy and I could count on him to help us in a pinch.

“I don’t think so yet, but it’s not off the table. They both seem so scattered, and I don’t know what to do with them.” He blew out a breath and then straightened his already straight tie. “Thank you for coming in. I know you don’t want to be here, but I really appreciate it.” He walked away, and I watched his shoulders slump. Because he felt defeated or because he was sincerely relieved to have the help? I was going with the second one, for all our sakes.

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