Gina Grant: Esprit de Corpse

I still hadn’t a clue, but I wanted to understand. I stomped down all my insecurities and their cascade of emotions and just squeezed his hand. I thought I might cry.

He raked his bangs back with his free hand. “Okay, cara. Let me try again. You know how everyone admired Theresa Mudders. We instantly felt she was worthy of love and respect, sì ?”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

“I suspected that she was in her final incarnation because I had experienced it before. She radiated goodness.”

Something that must have departed with her soul, because I’d just been plain old Kirsty once I’d donned her empty body like a size seven onesie.

“It was like that with Beatrice. I first met her when we were both children. She made a wonderful impression on me. When I began to write, I held that memory in my heart and it inspired me. But I didn’t know her at all. In fact, because I didn’t know her, I was able to project everything I wanted the ideal woman to be onto her image in my mind. I met her again years later when we were both married to other people.” He blinked at me. No, I wasn’t going to ask about his wife. I might be working at getting past my jealousy, but don’t expect miracles. Not from me, anyway. Now Ira, perhaps . . .

“So it’s the idea of Beatrice that you found appealing, more than the actual, living human, right?”

“That’s it exactly, Kirsty. She was my muse back then, and when I slip up and call you by her name, it’s only because you are my muse and inspiration, now.”

“Oh, Dante. That’s so romantic.” Shoving the dinner dishes aside, I leapt on him, laughing, crying, hugging and really, really sorry I’d been such a dick.

He laughed, too, and it looked like we’d be okay. Maybe even live happily ever after. Er, be dead happily ever after.

Whatever.

Then we made really, really sure we’d need that shower, showered and crawled into bed.

We had paperwork to fill out tomorrow on both Conrad and Maddy but we had tonight to ourselves.

If we needed another shower by morning, nobody knew but us.

ONCE AGAIN I’Dlike to thank the people who helped me with this book. Great big thanks to Kate Freiman, Joan Leacott and Lauren Stephenson for their editorial assistance. It’s because of you this book dares go out in public.

Thanks to the members of the QuinceApple brainstorming group for their input on bits and pieces and marketing materials along the way. Special thanks to creative stimulators Bonnie Staring and Tina Christopher.

Grazie to Elisa Rolle for superspeedy help with the Italian translations.

Thanks to my awesome agent, Rosemary Stimola, and her equally awesome assistant, Allison Remchek. The amount of time and effort they put into this series speaks of their faith in my potential. And thanks to my fabulous editor at Simon & Schuster, Adam Wilson, for liking my book enough to publish it. And to Adam and Julia Fincher along with their proofreaders for working with me to make it the best book it can be.

Special thanks to cover artist Richard Woo for the terrific cover artwork.

Thank you all, from Dante, Kirsty and me!

GINA X. GRANT

Gina loves the absurd, the funny, and the fantastical. Sometimes it’s hard to find books that combine these elements, so she decided to write what she wanted to read. Despite a degree in business management, Gina has kept her quirky sense of humor, which bleeds through onto everything she writes.

She lives in Toronto, Canada, just blocks from the house she grew up in. She’s married to a friendly curmudgeon from a mining town in northern Ontario.

Together, they live with a miscellany of rescued pets all named for famous jazz musicians.

Visit her online—www.ginaxgrant.com/

Follow her @GinaXGrant—www.Twitter.com/GinaXGrant

Visit her Facebook fan page—www.facebook.com/ginaXgrantAuthor