Page 22 of Perfectly Perplexing Zombie

Lizbeth hooked her thumb over her shoulder and said, “I hate to say it, but the dirty dishes are piling up. I think we’ve got enough clean stuff to finish off the night, but you might want to get busy sooner rather than later. Otherwise, you’re gonna be here until the sun comes up. I can always give you a hand once things clear out a little more.”

“Thanks, but I’ve got it.”

Lizbeth had helped me out before, but most of the time, I was fine on my own. In a lot of ways, I liked washing dishes. It was simple and productive. It was also private.

With a friendly pat on my shoulder, Lizbeth headed back to the bar while I quickly finished cleaning the four-top I’d been working on. I gave the booth the strange lady had been at a quick glance, but just like her, there was absolutely no evidence she’d been there to begin with.

With a full bin of dirty dishes in hand, I headed back to the storage area where the sink was. Lizbeth gave me a careful grin as I passed her. Johnny was busy with a customer and barely noticed my passing.

Lizbeth was right. The sink and surrounding area overflowed with tubs of dirty dishes and glasses. I could have sworn there wasn’t that much when I went out to clean up the tables on the floor. Exactly how long was I gone? It hadn’t seemed that long. The nearly dry washcloth in my hand and the piles of dirty dishes told a different story.

With a heavy sigh, I set down my current load and started a fresh sink of soapy water. The minutes ticked by, and with the door closed, the hum of the louder music on the main floor was at a far more pleasant auditory level. Recognizing the current song, I sang along with the chorus, swaying my hips in time with the beat.

Pushing thoughts of the odd lady from my mind was easier than it should have been. When alive and living with my aunt and uncle, I’d had to do something similar. Blocking out disturbing imagery was my own personal survival technique. That instinct hadn’t perished when I did.

I was in the process of draining the sink, ready to fill it with a new, cleaner batch of water to finish off the night, when a cleared throat grabbed my attention. Assuming an employee was there to drop off another dirty bin, I tilted my head to my left and said, “You can just leave it there with the rest of them.”

“I do not believe that would be wise.”

I jerked, swirling around, eyes wide. The red-headed fairy standing behind me certainly wasn’t one of Dusk’s employees.

“Fucking hell,” I lamented.

“I did attempt to indicate my presence this time,” Ray defended, an honest-looking downturn of his lips backing up his intention. “I am unaware what other method to employ.”

I could think of a few but settled on, “How about you leave me alone, and then we don’t have to worry about it?” Seriously, I had no idea why he was here. I thought I’d already said all that was needed. Evidently, Ray disagreed.

I tossed a couple of glasses into the sink and was relieved there was enough water to buoy their fall. Grabbing a clean washcloth, I vigorously scrubbed. Irritation bubbled below my skin. Why was Ray here? Our last conversation had left me feeling shitty. No one wanted to be a burden, and that’s exactly how I believed Ray saw me. I wasn’t a person. I was an order—an order that he was honor-bound to obey despite his desire to be anywhere else.

“It has come to my attention that perhaps I approached our previous conversation in the wrong way. I might have conveyed certain…impressions…that were not wholly accurate.”

I barked out a humorless laugh. “Somehow, I doubt there was much misunderstanding, and I think you conveyed your feelings accurately enough.”

A wall of silence fell behind my back as I still refused to turn and look at my current stalker. Ray’s stunning beauty was difficult to gaze at. Especially when I was what I was.

Seconds filtered into a minute, maybe longer. Finally, Ray blurted, “I brought you something.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want anything from you.”

“But you do not even know what it is.”

“I don’t need to know. Whatever it is, I don’t want it.” I imagined Ray brought me some type of bobble, most likely something high in monetary value. Maybe it was even something Queen Silvidia told him to give me—something to sway my opinion.

Butthingsmeant very little to me. I’d never had a lot growing up. My aunt and uncle squandered the money my parents left behind in their life insurance policy. They’d sold my body off to Muriel for a quick buck. Money didn’t make you happy, and it sure as hell didn’t solve your problems. The bottom line was that I couldn’t be bought.

“I do not believe I can return your gift.” Ray sounded adamant.

Shoulders rounding, I stared down at the fading suds, elbow-deep in soapy water. Resigned, I said, “Fine, just leave it over there, and I’ll look at it later.”

“As I said earlier, I do not believe that would be wise. I do not believe the scuttlebutt would be pleased, nor would she stay where I place her.”

Scuttlebutt? What in the hell is a scuttlebutt?

Ray finally had what he wanted—my attention. Rinsing and drying my arms, I turned around, leaning against the sink. Arms crossed, I asked, “Scuttlebutt? What on earth is that?” Ray had a medium box tucked under his left arm, something I’d failed to notice the first time I’d glanced his way. To be fair, it was hard to notice anything else when Ray was around. He was larger than life and sucked up all the attention.

Pulling the box forward, Ray said, “It is not of the Earth but belongs in the world of Fairy.”

Scratching sounded from inside the box, along with a kind of hissing or maybe spitting noise. I wasn’t certain. In a way, it kind of sounded like a squirrel on steroids.

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