Page 139 of A Dead Girl's Guide to Living
“Hey!” I answered quickly, surprise evident in my voice as I brought the phone to my ear. “Grandad!”
“Ellis!”His voice boomed so loudly down the line that Dove snorted in surprise. Liv continued to stare in silent dismay at her sugar packets.“How’s the road treating you, kid? How’s the car?”
“It’s, uh, good,” I said, cutting a glance across the table. Dove raised a brow, and my cheeks flushed as I cleared my throat. “Really good, actually.”
Dove’s face broke into a smirk, and Liv echoed it with an obnoxious snort.
“You sound happy, Ellis,”Grandad said, his voice softer now on the other end.“I like it. It suits you, kid. Now, listen here—can you check your emails while you’re on the phone with me?”
I frowned. “Wait, why?”
Dove perked up at my tone.
“Just do it, kid.”
I frowned again and put the phone on speaker before navigating to my emails. Dove leaned across the table with interest, and I could feel Liv’s eyes on us as she waited.
One unread message. No subject line. Just forwarded.
Live the air experience and see Albuquerque from the sky!
Two tickets for a ride on a hot air balloon… that departs in less than two hours.
I nearly dropped the phone.
“Grandad—what—”
His loud chuckle cut me off.“Listen here, Ellis. You don’t go to Albuquerque and not ride in a hot air balloon.”
Dove’s eyes widened, and Liv squeaked.
“But—but we have a schedule,” I stammered hastily. “We… we have to hit the road for Flagstaff… we—I—”
“Schedules are nonsense,”he said, cutting me off again.“Life sure as shit doesn’t wait for them, and neither should you. Now, no buts on this. Move your plans, take your friend into the sky, and call me afterward so I can assure your mother you didn’t fall out and die.”
“Grandad, I—”
“Love you, kid.”
The line went dead.
I stared down at my now black screen, gaping, then looked at Dove, who was watching me with wide-eyed interest.
“A hot air balloon?” she asked, excitement coloring her voice as she bounced in her seat. “He—he just got you some tickets? Just like that?”
“This is the best day of my afterlife,” Liv said, clapping her hands together. “This was so out of budget for me when I was alive.”
“It was out of budget forus,” I told her, still staring at the now-illuminated screen.
“We’re going in a hot air balloon,” Liv said, her voice sing-songy as she scooped up her sugar packets. “We’re going in a hot air balloon.”
“This is so cool,” Dove said with a grin, slapping her palms against the table. “Like, shit. This is crazy.”
My heart thumped against my ribs as I set down the phone and pushed my bowl away, trying to catch my breath around the rising tide of nerves and excitement building inside me—now tangled in my throat, making it hard to think.
To breathe.
“Have you scattered Margaret’s ashes yet?” Liv asked, eyes wide. “’Cause throwing them over the side of the balloon would be awesome.”
