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Chapter 1

Bryn’s first eht up, that two kinds of people entered the death business: freaks and true believers Bryn Davis didn’t think she was either one of those For her, it was a prienuine profession

Oh, she’d picked up odd paychecks during college as an office te walker, and one memorable afternoon at a chicken factory, but none of those had ever felt real to her Joining the arood idea at the ties), but four years in Iraq hadn’t iven her a bedrock understanding of the fragility of huust her

One good thing she could say for her time in the military: it had led her to where she was now, to this job … a good, stable one, and even better, an important one

Bryn sht Maybe she was a true believer, after all

She smoothed the white lab coat—with her nae of accomplishment Bryn Davis, Funeral Director, Fairview Mortuary Her business cards rested in a neat little cardboard box on her shiny new desk, all sober black ink in raised type, with the Fairview logo e; Fairview had furnished her with nice wooden desk accents, including a business card holder, and just as soon as possible, she intended to make that desk her own She’d never had an office before

The cards and desk were elegant, like everything here The room was neat and clean, filled with sober antique furniture and soft, dark cloth Deep carpets Subtle fragrances Not a lot of flowers to overwhel

She was a little nervous, but she also felt proud and happy In fact, she felt ready She tried not to feel too happy, though; it didn’t see a job that was all about someone else’s loss The mirror on the wall confir in the corners of her et rid of, and for a moment, she worried about the shade of her lipstick She’d chosen a light pink, but was it too light? A little too festive? She’d spent too many years in khaki, far away from the fairy-tale world of Maybelline

There was a knock on her office door, and before she could say co open to admit the head man … Lincoln Fairview Mr Fairvieas the fourth Fairview to operate the funeral home, and he looked the part, froray hair and soft, kindly face

She felt her whole body jolt with adrenaline when she saw him This was the man she had to iain, about the lipstick

He crossed the room with a confident stride and shook her hand “Hello, Bryn Goodin?”

She unbuttoned the lab coat and put it on the hanger in the sers were solid wood, and nicer than anything in her apartlanced down at herself to be sure she still looked okay Her business suit was new, and a little stiff, but it was a solid dove gray color, and the soft pink shirt seeray pu to have to endure the blisters they were bound to raise, but overall … she thought she was presentable Except for the lipstick, maybe “Am I properly dressed?”

He gave her an X-ray stare, up and down, and then nodded “Perfect,” Mr Fairview said “Soothing, professional, everything I could ask Perhaps a touch less on the lipstick next tiirl like you really doesn’t need to emphasize her youth and beauty Go on, have a seat, Bryn ”

Oh, she knew it: the lipstick sucked Bryn tried not to seem nervous as she settled into her leather chair on the other side of the desk Mr Fairview stayed on his feet He studied her for a few seconds, and then said, “I assume that in your course work, you did live role-play on handling difficult clients ”

“Uh—yes, sir ” What an odd way to start… She’d at least expected to get a tour of the building, ht he’d show her the coffeeofficer, she told herself, and that steadied her She’d gone through plenty of those s, and she knew the drill Iain Bryn felt her spine straighten to military correctness “Shall I be—”