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If he were conscious and I had come here after a first date, I wouldout on the couch for a while based strictly on his good taste

Once my tasks were done, I reluctantly left this version of Mr Sterling to his comfortable, slow death He could last thirty years, if he didn’t catch an infection And I hadn’t seen a bedsore yet But I couldn’t help but suffer a little shiver, thinking about his body, just lying there in the quiet house, dying slowly as his cousin practiced scales down the hall

"Where are you, sugar?" Nana askedof Sang as I scrubbed her already squeaky-clean plate

"I’"

"Did you find yourself a beau?" she asked "I can spot the look of a pining woman, you know"

"Maybe," I said I could lie to estate-sale clerks, but I wasn’t about to try lying to Nana

"Well, if he’s good enough for you, you be sure to bring hiood boy always visits the kinfolk That’sto work out," I said thoughtfully "It’s long-distance"

And it was true Both of them were

"I’ll buy the boy a plane ticket, if he’s worth your tirandpa and me Hit me like a truck of watere, and ere still in love when I lost hihed wistfully and stared at the picture on the ar You go with your gut"

"Yes, ely She had no idea as going on in ut, and neither did I

All of est

11

That night, I went to bed early Just in case it mattered, I brushed out my hair, washed my face, and flossed my teeth Then I crawled into bed, curled my hand around the locket, and closed my eyes I was nervous and excited, and if I had been anyone else, I probably would have had trouble getting to sleep

But I’m me, so I was asleep iasped in fear Nothing was faht appeared, and a soft voice called, "Letitia, is that you, love?"

"Cri up

The door opened, and I was bathed in the war-like-electric lalare, and as my eyes adjusted, I saw concern and relief on his face He sat on the side of the bed and held out a gloved hand as if to touch ht?" he asked gently

"I think so," I said "But I’m so sleepy" My eyelids started to droop closed

"Stay with me, pet," he said "Stay in this world a while It’s my turn to have you" He smoothed the hair off avebreath and ducked my head

"It was … totally norrandet any sleep, but it was fine" Then it occurred to me that he looked exhausted, too "Wait Did you sleep at all?"

"Not much," he said wryly as he rubbed the back of his neck "I’ll ad, but the door was locked and Pe you through this big glass , and you were in a giant castle all surrounded by short green grass, like so And I was soaked to the bone, water pelting down ly blue dress on a plaid sofa, watching a glowing box I yelled and knocked on theagain and again, but you wouldn’t look at htmare," I said, but it struckmy old house, Jeff’s house, the carefully trimmed yard, and my favorite robe

"It was," he said Then, with a smile, as if it didn’tyou in the rain, let me in, eh?"

"Of course," I said

But I could tell so in him was unsettled from the dream, and I didn’t want to talk about it, either I e in his world, but he would be entirely out of place in mine

"Oh, and I went back to the estate sale where I found the locket I got the book it was in"

"Oh?" He said it lightly "And what sort of book was it?"