“Gosh, I hope you’re right. I love him, and I don’t want to give him up.”
“No. Of course not.” I hesitated. “Have you talked to Archie about how you feel?”
She bugged her eyes. “Oh, God no!”
“But you’re marrying him. You should be able to tell him how you feel.” I was no expert on relationships. But it did seem as if you should be able to talk to the person you were pledging to love for all eternity.
“I don’t want to seem needy.” She looked panicked. “You won’t tell him, right?”
“Certainly not. Anything you tell me is just between us.”
She slumped with relief. “Okay. Good.”
I stood, crossing my arms. “Maybe you should postpone the wedding.”
If I’d thought she looked panicked before, that was nothing compared to how she looked at that suggestion. She practically bolted off the examination table. “I can’t! No. That’s out of the question.”
“But if you’re unsure—”
“I’m not. I love Archie.”
Feeling a bit confused, I laughed gruffly. “Then why do you seem so stressed-out?”
“I can’t tell you. I can’t tell anyone.”
“Oh, come now. What could be so horrible that you couldn’t tell anyone?”
She winced. “You’ll think I’m losing my mind. I mean, I… I think I’m losing my mind too.”
“Why?” I frowned.
“Promise you won’t judge me?”
I held up one hand. “Scout’s honor.”
“Okay, well… I, uh… well.”
“Come on, tell me, Janelle,” I coaxed.
She blurted, “I keepseeingKimora.”
I did my best to keep a straight face. “You’re seeing Kimora?”
She nodded.
“Do you mean like… in your dreams?”
“No.”
“Oh.”
“Three times now.” She shivered, and all the blood seemed to drain from her face. “She just appears sometimes.”
Squinting, I said, “She justappears?”
“Yes. She’s always wearing her wedding dress, and she looks at me like she… she hates me.”
I rubbed my temple, holding her gaze. “So, to be clear, you’re seeing your fiancé’s dead wife on a regular basis?”
