In Bloom by Jackson Kat

Author:Jackson, Kat [Jackson, Kat]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bella Books
Published: 2023-10-27T00:00:00+00:00

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Chapter Nineteen

It was oddly warm in the funeral home. Will had once told Nicole that he tended to keep the temperature a little lower than necessary, mostly because of the heat that crowds of mourners produced. The last thing anyone wanted was to be in a stifling room with a dead body.

Nicole pulled her dark-gray sweater away from her body, trying to usher air in to cool her rapidly overheating body. The snag, she assumed, was that it was unseasonably warm outside. Speaking of… Nicole turned and looked out the windows. It was gorgeous outside. She was a little annoyed that she’d agreed to come to this funeral. She’d much rather be out by the lake. It wasn’t quite warm enough to kayak—not yet, but soon—but the temperature and cloudless sky promised a relaxing and comfortable respite by the water.

She checked her watch. It was only eleven. Hopefully she could be at the lake by two at the latest.

“Shit.”

Nicole turned at the sound of the expletive to find Will hovering in the doorway. He looked panicked and annoyed and was tugging his tie away from his throat.

“It’s broken,” he added, gesturing to the air around them. “I was hoping it wasn’t warm down here, because it’s boiling upstairs.”

“It’s a little tropical,” Nicole said. “Is the heat running nonstop?”

“Yep.” Will crossed the room, straightening chairs on his way. He cast a look at the casket. “I hope Arlene liked warm climates.”

Nicole coughed out a laugh. From what she’d learned from the family, Arlene had indeed loved the warmth. She’d spent hours sunbathing when she was younger. Rumor was that she used to lather herself in baby oil and stretch out in the family’s large backyard, roasting and toasting until her skin was golden brown. She’d passed that love of the sun down to her daughter, then to her granddaughter. So, Nicole thought, the family would probably be just fine with the warmer-than-usual room.

“I have the HVAC people on the way,” Will said, moving toward the doorway. “Hopefully they get here before someone passes out from heat exhaustion.”

Nicole peered out the window again. The family was arriving and, judging by the smiles on their faces, seemed to be in good spirits. Arlene had lived a long ninety-six years of happy life. She’d suffered a bit of dementia in the last handful of years, but her family had never left her side. As a bonus, they were the type of family that found humor in everything. Truthfully, they hadn’t needed Nicole’s help with the eulogies. The grandkids had plenty of great ideas, they were just a bit noncommittal and needed guidance with structuring their thoughts and memories.

It was a weird thing to say, but even though she very much wanted to be out in that gorgeous weather, Nicole was looking forward to this funeral. She kind of wanted to hang out with the family afterwards. Judging from her interactions with them, their post-burial luncheon would be entertaining.

A blur of movement in the parking lot caught her eye and she squinted, half-excited, half-petrified.

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