Vigil by Morris Panych

Be careful what you wish for. Kemp, a selfish and mercenary bank clerk, quits his job to keep a deathwatch on his rich aunt whom he hasn't seen in 30 years. He announces that since he's taken the trouble to answer her dying summons, he'd like her to get it over with and collect his inheritance. But Grace, the object of his disaffection, doesn't appear to be cooperating any time soon. This oddly matched pair become trapped in a macabre bond that's comic on the surface, and deeply human at its core. "A confection of life, death and laughter." -- The New York Times