Attitude and Afterlives: A Midlife Grimoire and Ghost Mystery (Midlife Grimoire and Ghost Mysteries Book 2) by Kat McGee

Author:Kat McGee [McGee, Kat]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Paranormal Women's Fiction Mysteries
Publisher: Towering Pines Publishing
Published: 2023-07-24T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Crickets and owls greeted her in a disjointed chorus during the middle of the night as Sloan approached the small family cemetery nestled among a grove of ancient oaks. Oddly, the tombstones looked different at night. The storm left the air chilly and damp, and the lights from the poles around the edges of the property were as stingy as the glow of the moon cloaked by thick clouds.

Thankful the storm had abated, she hiked to the rear of the sloping, fenced-in area. The beam of her flashlight swayed across gravesites and monuments.

Nathanial would have enjoyed being on a hilltop overlooking the town he loved.

As Sloan strode towards the sizable headstone at the back of the cemetery, a sudden rustle stirred in bushes along the wrought-iron fence. She spun around.

Nothing but darkness loomed nearby.

A gentle breeze stirred, carrying the faint scent of damp grass and earth. Sloan’s heart felt heavy beneath her ribcage as she walked along the narrow path, her eyes fixed on the tombstone that marked her husband’s final resting place.

She paused at the cemetery’s edge, taking a deep breath and steeling herself by standing straight and squaring her shoulders. With each step closer to Nathanial’s grave, her grief grew heavier, weighing down her soul like an invisible anchor. By the time she reached the gravesite, faint moonbeams peeked through the clouds to play upon the smooth, raindrop-covered surface of the polished stone, illuminating the engraved words that spoke of a love that had been cut tragically short.

“Hey, sweetheart,” she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. “I brought flowers from the greenhouse.” Her fingers trembled slightly as she held out the two bouquets—one filled with her husband’s favorite flowers, pure white daisies with their bright yellow middle, and the other a mixture of bright, cheerful sunflowers and delicate baby’s breath, meant to represent the happiness they had shared.

Despite the dampness, Sloan knelt on the soft grass, carefully placing the bouquets at the base of the tombstone. The vibrant colors stood out starkly against the somber gray backdrop, serving as a poignant reminder of the beauty and joy their life together had once held. With a heavy sigh, she leaned back on her heels, studying the inscription etched into the stone.

“I miss you so much.” Her statement carrying on her breath, she blinked as tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. “Not a day goes by that I don’t think about you and everything we never got to do together. All the dreams we had, all the plans we made…” Her voice caught in her throat as she blinked back the tears.

Sloan wiped her eyes, forcing herself to take a few slow, steadying breaths. “I just wish I could’ve done more for you,” she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. “Maybe if I’d been stronger or smarter or… I don’t know. Maybe things would’ve turned out differently.”

“I couldn’t do it.” She shivered and scrubbed at her arms through the thickness of her light jacket. “I wanted to.

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