Keeper vs. Reaper (Graveyard Guardians Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

“I don’t understand why we have to do this shit ,” she muttered as Olivia shoved the tray into her hands.
    Olivia sighed. “Because we are it. There isn’t anyone else.” She pointed at the door leading to the family room. “Now get your ass in there.”
    Lucy clutched the tray and stalked out of the room, hearing her sister giving orders to everyone else. About thirty seconds after she set the tray on one of the folding tables they had set up in the room, the kitchen door swung open and the rest of her family marched out, each holding an item for the folding table. Ethan trailed behind them with a giant silver coffee pot.
    “Open the door, Lucy ,” Olivia demanded. “Ethan, put that on the buffet and plug it in.”
    Lucy shook her head. Olivia had always been this way, it wasn’t just the stress of the funeral. She was a complete control freak. Lucy could only be grateful that she didn’t have to share a room with her growing up. She had to share with Stephanie, which was entirely on the other side of the spectrum since Steph was carefree and extremely messy.
    A quick peek out the curtain before she opened the front door for the guests had her looking back at her family. “Man, we made all these snacks and every single person out there has a freaking casserole or something.”
    “Lucy! Just let them in, for crying out loud.”
    “All right, bossy.” She swung the front door open and then propped oven the screen door so that everyone could wander in and out freely.
    “Hi, Mrs. Bradley.” She waved as the elderly woman navigated the steps with a casserole dish covered in aluminum foil.
    “Hello Dear.” Mrs. Bradley smiled as she stepped up onto the porch. The smile added a few more creases to her age wrinkled face. “I brought you my special recipe, homemade mac n cheese.”
    Lucy reached out to take the dish from her. “Oh, this is wonderful. I can’t wait to dig in to it. Thank you, Mrs. Bradley.”
    In truth, she could wait. Mrs. Bradley brought her homemade mac n cheese to every public event involving food, and it tasted like what Lucy imagined a burnt piece of rubber might taste like. Whatever the special ingredient was, it did not help the recipe at all. But, somehow, every place she took that darn mac n cheese, she took the dish back home empty.
    Lucy stood there while Mrs. Bradley nodded, apparently approving of Lucy’s comment about the mac n cheese and then she reached out, placing her liver spotted hand on Lucy’s shoulder, “I’m so sorry for your loss, honey.”
    Here it comes.
    “Your daddy was a darn fine man.”
    “Thank you again, Mrs. Bradley.”
    Mrs. Bradley withdrew her hand and left Lucy standing on the porch as she wandered into the house muttering “Yes, darn fine man.”
    While the rest of the crowd began their ascent up the steps onto the porch, Lucy hurried into the house after her. Depositing the mac n cheese on the folding table without even bothering to uncover it, she caught Ethan’s eye across the room and made a face. Ethan was just as familiar with Mrs. Bradley’s special mac n cheese as she was, so he gave her a smile and rolled his eyes.
    The chatter of voices escalated as more people poured into the house. Lucy tried her best to be cordial as each person appeared in front of her, expressing their condolences for her loss. Each time she glanced up, one of her siblings was also engaged in conversation with someone. Even Ethan was being sought out by the mourners.
    The walls of the house began to feel confining, too small and crowded.  Lucy grabbed a mug, filled it with black coffee and stepped out onto the porch. Her hopes for a few minutes of alone time were crushed when she found several people out on the porch chatting with each other.
    With no other option, she glanced out at the graveyard and quietly slipped off the porch. Once she had crossed the lawn and passed the fence, she found herself in the peaceful silence of the dead. Just what she