I Quit Being a Stepmother (Cypress Gem) novel Chapter 536

When Sawyer didn't respond, Jackson started rambling. "I've had such a hard life, you know. I grew up poor, and no one would marry me, so I joined the army. Then, I got injured in service. Who would want a crippled bachelor like me? I tried my luck in business, got betrayed, and almost went bankrupt in my old age. I have no family and no one to depend on. I—"

Sawyer cut him off. "Alright, I get it. I'll take care of it."

Jackson instantly dropped the self-pity and became serious. "Good. Then make sure you find me a small villa type. I'd like a small garden around it, filled with flowers and greenery. And plant a big tree nearby, something that gives shade, so I don't roast in the sun. But absolutely no willow trees! They give me the creeps."

Everyone in Sawyer's car went speechless.

The car was so quiet that Jackson's voice came through the speaker crystal clear.

Sawyer shot Winston a look. The latter immediately opened his notes app and typed down every last detail of Jackson's wishlist for his grave.

It all sounded a bit like something out of an ancient king's playbook—wanting the same standards in death as in life.

"By the way, I heard someone mention that there was a problem with your family's grave."

Jackson had grown up in a superstitious era, and he had heard plenty of stories about things like that.

Although he wasn't one for blind belief, he did think that there was truth to some of it. Sometimes, things like geomancy really did defy explanation.

"Why don't you move it? Be my neighbor. When your time comes, you can rest right next to me. That way, your descendants can visit both of us. Technically, that will mean that I've got a big family, won't it?"

The more Jackson talked, the more he came to believe that his idea was pure genius. Even after all these years, that sharp old mind of his was still something to admire.

Sawyer, however, was speechless.

He wasn't afraid of death, nor of people talking about it. However, that didn't mean that he enjoyed discussing where he would be buried, as if it were a casual topic over lunch.

Still, Sawyer figured that he must have gone a little crazy himself because he actually responded, "But I'm not a fan of seaside cemeteries. It's too damp. If there's a landslide or an earthquake, my home will end up underwater. I'd rather rest somewhere quiet, maybe in the countryside."

"Quiet, my ass! Have you seen the countryside these days? Kids trample over graves, and animals dig up plots. Next thing you know, it rains, your grave floods, and you're freezing down there!"

Winston stared wide-eyed. What kind of morbid conversation was this?

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