Sheila Connolly - Relatively Dead 02 - Seeing the Dead Read Online Free PDF

is more accepting of women who profess this kind of ability. Maybe that’s a put-down—oh, she’s just being a silly woman—or maybe it’s an acknowledgment that women are more sensitive to this kind of thing. But I’ve never met another man who would admit to anything like this.”
    “So what do we do now?”
    He looked at her then. “Abby, I don’t know.”

4
     
    “I’m sorry. I know that doesn’t help you much,” Ned said. “Maybe we should go get something to eat? Maybe food will help.”
    “Someplace where we know none of our ancestors might have stopped in? I’ve already got my suspicions about the Concord Inn.”
    “How about McDonald’s? Unless your great-grandfather was Roy Kroc.”
    Abby summoned up a weak smile. “I think that would be safe enough.”
    They walked back to the car in silence. They got in and drove in silence, away from Concord, away from history. They found an anonymous fast-food place in a strip mall and parked in front of it, went in and ordered, then sought out a quiet table in a corner. On a beautiful early spring Saturday, most people apparently didn’t want to be cooped up inside, so the place was half empty.
    After a few minutes, Abby broke the silence, surprising herself. “Ned, do we have a problem?”
    “You mean, us? Between us?”
    “Yes, that’s what I mean. Do you want to take a break? Stop seeing me?”
    Ned looked up from his pile of french fries, startled. “Why would I want that? You’re the closest thing to a soul mate I’ve ever found. Maybe that’s not the right term, but you know what I mean. I want to spend more time with you, not less.”
    Abby nodded. After all, he had invited her to move in with him, sort of, but she still had questions. “But for the right reasons?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I mean, I walked into your life and the first thing I did was spark all your romantic, chivalrous instincts. I made you want to help me.”
    “But that’s not all it was,” he protested.
    “Maybe not, but that’s what happened first. And then I told you this ridiculous story about seeing dead people, and you told me to go do my homework. Did you ever consider teaching?”
    “What?” Ned said, confused by Abby’s abrupt change of subject.
    “You’re good at telling me what to look for and how to interpret it when I find it. You know your local history. You’re smart. You could have taught. Maybe high school or college age?”
    Ned looked uncomfortable. “I thought about it briefly, but to me it was too much work handling people. You know—all the stuff not related to the teaching. Maintaining control in a classroom, grading papers, dealing with the administration. You must know that. How the heck did you manage to control a classroom full of kids, particularly in a city?”
    “To tell the truth, sometimes I don’t know. But I did it. And I enjoyed it. It was really satisfying when I finally captured their attention and they learned something, even if it didn’t last. I was sorry to leave.”
    “Brad didn’t like it, right?”
    “Yes, but for the wrong reasons. He thought my job wasn’t important enough, and it didn’t pay enough. He maneuvered me into something that met his standards, but I didn’t like it nearly as well. Obviously in hindsight, we didn’t want the same things.”
    “He wanted money and power, or at least control, and you wanted to help people,” Ned stated bluntly.
    Abby cocked her head at him. “That’s oversimplified but more or less true. You could argue that writing grant proposals for worthy projects was helping people, but I missed the one-on-one contact. I missed people.”
    “Maybe you’ve always had an ability to ‘read’ people but didn’t realize it.”
    Abby considered that idea, and what he meant. “And you’re saying you don’t?”
    He shook his head. “Not really. I’m better with things than with people. That’s why I’m a scientist. I can be analytical and I can solve problems. I