BooksBarbecue
Back Afterlove
Chapters (86)
  1. Title Page
  2. CONTENTS
  3. Love
  4. Before
  5. One
  6. ONE
  7. Two
  8. TWO
  9. Three
  10. THREE
  11. Four
  12. FOUR
  13. Five
  14. FIVE
  15. Six
  16. SIX
  17. Seven
  18. SEVEN
  19. Eight
  20. EIGHT
  21. Nine
  22. NINE
  23. Ten
  24. TEN
  25. Eleven
  26. ELEVEN
  27. After
  28. One
  29. ONE
  30. Two
  31. TWO
  32. Three
  33. THREE
  34. Four
  35. FOUR
  36. Five
  37. FIVE
  38. Six
  39. SIX
  40. Seven
  41. SEVEN
  42. Eight
  43. EIGHT
  44. Nine
  45. NINE
  46. Ten
  47. TEN
  48. Eleven
  49. ELEVEN
  50. Twelve
  51. TWELVE
  52. Thirteen
  53. THIRTEEN
  54. Fourteen
  55. FOURTEEN
  56. Fifteen
  57. FIFTEEN
  58. Sixteen
  59. SIXTEEN
  60. Seventeen
  61. SEVENTEEN
  62. Eighteen
  63. EIGHTEEN
  64. Nineteen
  65. NINETEEN
  66. Twenty
  67. TWENTY
  68. Twenty-One
  69. TWENTY-ONE
  70. Twenty-Two
  71. TWENTY-TWO
  72. Twenty-Three
  73. TWENTY-THREE
  74. Twenty-Four
  75. TWENTY-FOUR
  76. Twenty-Five
  77. TWENTY-FIVE
  78. Twenty-Six
  79. TWENTY-SIX
  80. Twenty-Seven
  81. TWENTY-SEVEN
  82. Twenty-Eight
  83. TWENTY-EIGHT
  84. Eleven Months Later
  85. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  86. Copyright

When we get to the bookshop I linger on the pavement, looking at the scene through the window. Deborah behind the counter, stooped over whatever she’s writing. Dev is in the middle of the shop, pacing back and forth like an expectant father in a maternity ward. She’s talking to Esen, who is slouched in the armchair with a sharp smirk, her long legs slung over the arm as she twirls one of her curls around her finger, clearly taking the piss out of her.

My family.

It’s enough to make me hesitate, but then I think of Poppy, leaving on Charon’s boat, her hair ablaze in the moonlight, and I get that sudden, maddening itch I feel every time I think about seeing her again.

So I push the door, the bell over it heralding my return. They each look up. First at me, then at Veronica, who follows me in, there but not there, her steps heavy – almost tender – as I lead her by the elbow to the sofa. She doesn’t fight me on it, just lies down, and by the time I’ve covered her with the tartan blanket, she’s gone.

Where, I don’t know, but she’ll be back soon.

‘So this is Veronica Price,’ Esen says, head tilted as she looks down at her, curled up on the sofa.

I nod, crossing my arms with a sigh. ‘This is Veronica Price.’

‘I’m going to call her Ronnie.’

‘What if she doesn’t like Ronnie?’

‘I’m going to call her Ronnie.’

‘What’s she like?’ Dev asks, at my other side.

‘She didn’t say much.’ I shrug. ‘She didn’t say anything, actually. Just asked if I was an angel.’

Esen scoffs at that and I elbow her.

‘Come on,’ Deborah says from behind the counter and when I look over at her, she’s gesturing at us to join her. ‘Leave Veronica to rest for a minute. I need to speak with you ladies.’

This is it, I think, looking between Dev and Esen who nod at me in turn.

We do as we’re told for once, heading over to the counter and waiting as Deborah takes her glasses off.

‘OK,’ she says with a light sigh, curling her fingers around them. ‘So now we have our new reaper, ladies, we have an important decision to make.’

I pretend to look confused. ‘What sort of decision?’

‘Dev and Esen are familiar with this, but I know you aren’t, Ash,’ she concedes with a nod. ‘You must forgive me for not telling you about this earlier, but I hope that you understand when I do.’

‘Tell me about what?’ I ask, making a show of frowning.

‘When we get a new reaper, an existing one can leave.’

‘Leave? Leave and go where?’

She tugs on her earlobe with her fingers, avoiding my gaze. ‘On the boat with Charon.’