Page 62 of The Reluctant Reaper
“Mom. Don’t.”
“What will you do?” Hilly asked softly. “When the time comes?”
Amara was already shaking her head. “I can’t talk about that, this weekend of all weekends. I can’t even think about it.”
“Oh, darling...”
Amara burst into tears and hid her face in her hands again, this time for shame.
Her mother clucked and pulled her into a hug. Resistance was futile; Hilly could hoist a twenty-five-pound sack of flour on each shoulder and jog up a flight of stairs. “You kissed him, didn’t you? You gave in and kissed that doomed boy.”
Amara gritted her teeth in mid-snivel. “Graham Gray is a lot of things, but ‘boy’ doesn’t apply.” Then shereallyshowed her mother a thing or two by ugly-crying harder.
“Oh-oh-oh, my poor darling.” Her mother patted her back, and Amara was petty enough to want to burp in response. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not fair. I know that’s childish.”
“But true. It’snotfair.” Her mother pulled back and held Amara at arm’s length. “I’m proud of you.”
“What?” Amara dropped her hands. “Why? All I’ve done since we arrived is give you sh— Uh, be more hurtfully sarcastic than usual.”
“You Reaped. And you did a splendid job. Not a splendid job for your first time; splendid, period.”
The praise made her glow, but she was compelled to honesty. “It’s not like there was any choice. What with your other children being long dead.”
“Yes, that’s so.”
“We’ve never really talked about it.”
“No, we haven’t.”
“I’m very sorry you had to outlive most of your kids.”
“Thank you, darling.”
“And had to return to the drawing board to get me.”
Hilly frowned. “Is that what you think we did? I once was the goddess of fertility, did you forget? I wanted another baby because it’s my nature, not to bring forth a spare to fill a job opening.”
“Oh. I guess I owe you another apology.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Stop feeling my forehead, I’m not sick.”
“Just checking. It would be an utter catastrophe if you, too, fell ill.”
“Whatever Death has, I don’t think it’s contagious. But until he recovers, I’m on the spot.”
“You are, indeed. And I say this with all love and admiration?—”
“Oh, boy.”
“—but I fully expected you to spend at least three or four days resisting your duty.”
“I was tempted. So, so, so, so tempted. But I had Gray. He made it almost bearable.”
“Ah. Yes. It’s very brave to allow yourself to get close to someone knowing he’s...” She tilted her head to one side. “... ready for breakfast!”
