by Nan Higgins
We’d found out a lot about Nick during those weeks. He’d been responsible for keeping Clara and many other priors earthbound in an attempt to frame my dad. He’d been the one who’d released me, and later, Sloane, making us vulnerable to the demon’s attacks. My dad and Edgar held a small ceremony, putting us back under protection so we wouldn’t have to communicate with priors unless we were under the watchful eyes of someone experienced enough to handle them.
I filled my time doing as much singing as possible. I was becoming acclimated to the death singer biz and was also taking the occasional gigs around town. Weddings, mostly, and the irony of that wasn’t lost on me, but I was making enough money to have my own place, and after months of feeling suffocated by the traps and responsibilities of my new life, it was what I really needed.
“You okay?” Sloane came over to see what I was doing, and I heard her breath catch when she saw what I was looking at. She sat beside me and rested her hand on my knee. “Still hard to believe, isn’t it?”
I nodded. We’d had several weeks’ break before they found an interim instructor to continue classes for Sloane and me until the board could reach a decision on who the permanent replacement should be. It had been difficult to even step back into our training room, but we’d done it. Our first day back, we walked into the room, hand in hand, ready to face whatever came next together.
“You know, I think I’m ready for that walk now,” I said. “You wanna go see if that Chinese place is as good as you’ve heard?”
“Sure.”
We stood, dusted our backsides off, and headed out the door. In the hallway outside my apartment, there was a garbage chute door, and I stuffed the paper with Nick’s handwriting into it before stepping outside into the bright September sun.
About the Author
Nan Higgins wrote her first book—a seven-page ghost story about the rickety old Victorian farmhouse she grew up in—when she was ten, and she has been writing ever since. She majored in music theater and puts her schooling to use by singing and dancing much more often than her friends and family think necessary. She is the cohost of Stalled, a podcast about the victories and struggles of two writers who got a late start trying to turn their passions into their profession. She is also the creator and host of the new podcast A Gay with Words, in which she explores the labels and language used in the queer community.
Books Available From Bold Strokes Books
Face the Music by Ali Vali. Sweet music is the last thing that happens when Nashville music producer Mason Liner and daughter of country royalty Victoria Roddy are thrown together in an effort to save country star Sophie Roddy’s career. (978-1-63555-532-5)
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Mending Fences by Angie Williams. Rancher Bobbie Del Rey and veterinarian Grace Hammond are about to discover if heartbreaks of the past can ever truly be mended. (978-1-63555-708-4)
Silk and Leather: Lesbian Erotica with an Edge, edited by Victoria Villaseñor. This collection of stories by award-winning authors offers fantasies as soft as silk and tough as leather. The only question is: How far will you go to make your deepest desires come true? (978-1-63555-587-5)
The Last Place You Look by Aurora Rey. Dumped by her wife and looking for anything but love, Julia Pierce retreats to her hometown only to rediscover high school friend Taylor Winslow, who’s secretly crushed on her for years. (978-1-63555-574-5)
The Mortician’s Daughter by Nan Higgins. A singer on the verge of stardom discovers she must give up her dreams to live a life in service to ghosts. (978-1-63555-594-3)
The Real Thing by Laney Webber. When passion flares between actress Virginia Green and masseuse Allison McDonald, can they be sure it’s the real thing? (978-1-63555-478-6)
What the Heart Remembers Most by M. Ullrich. For college sweethearts Jax Levine and Gretchen Mills, could an accident be the second chance neither knew they wanted? (978-1-63555-401-4)
White Horse Point by Andrews & Austin. Mystery writer Taylor James finds herself falling for the mysterious woman on White Horse Point who lives alone, protecting a secret she can’t share about a murderer who walks among them. (978-1-63555-695-7)
Femme Tales by Anne Shade. Six women find themselves in their own real-life fairy tales when true love finds them in the most unexpected ways. (978-1-63555-657-5)
Jellicle Girl by Stevie Mikayne. One dark summer night, Beth and Jackie go out to the canoe dock. Two years later, Beth is still carrying the weight of what happened to Jackie. (978-1-63555-691-9)
My Date with a Wendigo by Genevieve McCluer. Elizabeth Rosseau finds her long-lost love and the secret community of fiends she’s now a part of. (978-1-63555-679-7)
On the Run by Charlotte Greene. Even when they’re cute blondes, it’s stupid to pick up hitchhikers, especially when they’ve just broken out of prison, but doing so is about to change Gwen’s life forever. (978-1-63555-682-7)
Perfect Timing by Dena Blake. The choice between love and family has never been so difficult, and Lynn’s and Maggie’s different visions of the future may end their romance before it’s begun. (978-1-63555-466-3)
The Mail Order Bride by R. Kent. When a mail order bride is thrust on Austin, he must choose between the bride he never wanted or the dream he lives for. (978-1-63555-678-0)
Through Love’s Eyes by C.A. Popovich. When fate reunites Brittany Yardin and Amy Jansons, can they move beyond the pain of their past to find love? (978-1-63555-629-2)
To the Moon and Back by Melissa Brayden. Film actress Carly Daniel thinks that stage work is boring and unexciting, but when she accepts a lead role in a new play, stage manager Lauren Prescott tests both her heart and her ability to share the limelight. (978-1-63555-618-6)
Tokyo Love by Diana Jean. When Kathleen Schmitt is given the opportunity to be on the cutting edge of AI technology, she never thought a failed robotic love companion would bring her closer to her neighbor, Yuriko Velucci, and finding love in unexpected places. (978-1-63555-681-0)
Brooklyn Summer by Maggie Cummings. When opposites attract, can a summer of passion and adventure lead to a lifetime of love? (978-1-63555-578-3)
City Kitty and Country Mouse by Alyssa Linn Palmer. Pulled in two different directions, can a city kitty and a country mouse fall in love and make it work? (978-1-63555-553-0)
Elimination by Jackie D. When a dangerous homegrown terrorist seeks refuge with the Russian mafia, the team will be put to the ultimate test. (978-1-63555-570-7)
In the Shadow of Darkness by Nicole Stiling. Angeline Vallencourt is a reluctant vampire who must decide what she wants more—obscurity, revenge, or the woman who makes her feel alive. (978-1-63555-624-7)
On Second Thought by C. Spencer. Madisen is falling hard for Rae. Even single life and co-parenting are beginning to click. At least, that is, until her ex-wife begins to have second thoughts. (978-1-63555-415-1)
Out of Practice by Carsen Taite. When attorney Abby Keane discovers the wedding blogger tormenting her client is the woman she had a passionate, anonymous vacation fling with, sparks and subpoenas fly. Legal Affairs: one law firm, three best friends, three chances to fall in love. (978-1-63555-359-8)
Providence by Leigh Hays. With every click of the shutter, photographer Rebekiah Kearns finds it harder and harder to keep Lindsey Blackwell in focus without getting too close. (978-1-63555-620-9)
Taking a Shot at Love by KC Richardson. When academic and athletic worlds collide, will English professor Celeste Bouchard and basketball coach Lisa Tobias ignore their attraction to achieve their professional goals? (978-1-63555-549-3)
Flight to the Horizon by Julie Tizard. Airline captain Kerri Sullivan and flight attendant Janine Case struggle to survive an emergency water landing and overcome dark secrets to give love a chance to fly. (978-1-63555-331-4)
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