Excerpt of My Sister's Boyfriend by Sylvia McDaniel

"Never again," Jennifer Riley, vowed as she stepped into the black–paneled, wooden coffin outside the entrance to the Hilton Hotel in downtown Tyler, Texas. Lying down inside the macabre structure, she could hear traffic whiz by on Main Street.

She tugged at the filmy black, chiffon dress, trying to cover as much of her exposed cleavage as possible. "No matter how busy Julia gets, or how much she pleads, I refuse to do this again. I didn't come back to Tyler to portray the over–the–hill sex queen."

Paul, her sister's employee, stood quietly by, holding the lid open. "Ready?"

Jennifer took a deep breath, dreading the darkness that would engulf her. "Yes, make it quick. I hate lying inside this creepy box."

Jennifer watched the coffin lid come down, shutting out the noise and headlights from the traffic.

"You all right?" Paul called.

"Hurry!" Her breath sounded harsh in the darkness. She felt the pallbearers lift the coffin onto the cart and roll it along the sidewalk into the hotel.

After tonight, Julia, her twin sister, would have to find someone else to jump out of coffins and sing seductively when she needed help with her business. No ifs, ands, or buts!

As the new Development Director at County General Hospital, Jennifer would be way too busy to fill in as backup for her sister's fledgling singing telegram business. Not to mention that popping out of coffins could be damaging to her new career.

The cart jostled along the hallway of the hotel, until she heard wolf whistles and loud, boisterous, voices cheering and she knew they'd arrived at the party.

Paul rapped on the coffin lid. "Are you ready?"

Jennifer cleared her throat and searched for the button that would pop open the door. Whatever happened to women jumping out of cakes? What nut case thought coffins were funny?

The coffin lifted. She gripped the sides, trying to find her balance as they slid the casket off the cart until the box stood upright. She landed with a thunk on the floor, jarring her. You just couldn't get good pallbearers anymore.

Paul tapped on the side of the coffin three times to let her know it was time.

"In honor of your birthday, your friends and family have given you a gift from the other side. The other side of the hill, that is," Paul announced, as the noise from the crowd swelled.

Music started to play and Jennifer hit the button on the inside of the wooden box. The door sprang open and she slinked out, the chiffon dress clinging like a second skin that left little to the imagination.

"Happy Birthday..." she sang in her alto voice, her eyes blinded by the lights. She blinked rapidly, hoping her eyesight would adjust to the brightness of the room. When her vision finally cleared, she found herself staring into the face of the one man she'd hoped never to see again.

There before her, wearing a stunned expression on his face and a Marvin The Martian, child's birthday hat, sat Brent Moulton.