Page 16

We’ve been in this meeting room for the past thirty minutes, most of which I’ve spent trying to pry details out of Mrs. Williams about the event. I thought she would have a very vivid vision in mind, but so far, she’s been vague.

“The more the merrier! I was thinking open-invite. Let’s have the whole town in attendance.”

I smile at her and jot it down in my notebook, but I feel slightly sick to my stomach. I assumed it would be a family affair, but it’s shaping up to be a massive festival.

“Any specific place you want to hold this event? And what’s the budget?”

I pray she’s realistic about it all. The grandiosity that she expects will most likely cost tens of thousands of dollars.

“You can pick,” she says, and my stomach sinks. I hate making decisions. “And there is no budget.”

“No budget?” I stare at her.

Does she really plan to use all her life savings for this? But then I remember that Hayden is from a supposedly super wealthy family, so it would make sense that Darlene is loaded too. For the first time since I met her, I feel a pang of negativity toward her.

“You can get estimates for everything, and Hayden will look at it and approve. Another reason why he’s part of this funeral team.” She beams at her nephew.

I allow myself a quick peek in his direction.

He sits on the opposite end of the table, looking bored, but I detect a hint of annoyance behind his eyes. Now I know why Kora said he’s grumpy. This is a different Hayden than the one I met a few days ago. He hasn’t said a single word, but his presence feels loud and suffocating. Even when he’s quiet, I can’t seem to ignore that he’s here. I hate the pull I feel toward him, like an invisible string tying me to him, which makes it impossible to think clearly. He also looks incredibly good today, but I scold myself for thinking that.

I take a deep breath to focus. “Great. Those are all the questions for today. I’ll give you a call if anything comes up.”

Those were not all of my questions for today, but I want to get out of this room.

“What a success. I believe you two will do an amazing job!” Mrs. Williams exclaims.

“Thank you, Mrs. Williams.” I rise and gather my notes.

“Call me Darlene, honey. You’re in charge of my death. We can bury the formalities.”

Tom barks out a laugh, and I have a feeling the next few months will be full of death puns. But right now, all I can think about is that I have to spend the next few weeks working alongside Hayden. A guy who I’m unfortunately extremely attracted to against my better judgment. A guy who seems moody and disinterested in the whole process.

I take a deep breath and smile at the ongoing conversation between Tom and Darlene without taking in a single word. All I have to do is remember that Hayden is a privileged rich guy who probably thinks the world revolves around him. I’m moving slowly toward the exit when I hear his voice next to me.

“Give me your number.” He sounds miserable.

“What?”

“Your number. I assume we’ll need to contact each other if we’re working together?” He lifts an eyebrow.

Since the other two are still in a deep conversation a few feet away, I quietly say, “No, I got it.”

“You have my number already?”

“No, I mean I got it. As in I don’t need your help. This is my job, and I can do it alone.” I keep my tone firm and professional, and I assume he will be thrilled at my proposal. No work for him, and he gets to shoo off to wherever he came from.

But I’m wrong. He looks annoyed. “Darlene asked me to help her, and I agreed, so I will.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll tell her you helped, and you’ll get credit. But really, I can do it alone. I’m sure you’d rather let me do it anyway. No work for you.” I resist the urge to throw my hands up in the air. Of course he wants the credit to feel important.

His nostrils flare. “I don’t give a shit about that, but I would like to grant my great-aunt her dying wish.” He smiles sweetly, but there is nothing sweet about his tone. I hit a nerve.

“Look, I’ll email you both along the way. I’ll send you the full proposal and cost estimates and any updates as I go. You can then both sign off on it.”

I’m slightly panicked that he hasn’t accepted my offer. My emotions are already all over the place. I do not need spend more time with this man. There are too many confusing feelings involved, and I want to stay away from him. From men in general.

And, realistically, when has a man ever been decent at planning anything?