Reese never left the apartment the entire time. Each time he woke, she was there. If he needed something, she was there. If he was sick, she was there. Although the days were blurred and he couldn’t tell one moment to the next, he knew that she stuck to her word and stayed with him, no matter how rough it got or how long it took.
Those few days were not days that he ever wanted to repeat. But, finally, blessedly, he woke one morning and the clamminess was gone. All throughout that day he felt better. That night, he slept better than he had since getting sick, and then he woke and all the symptoms were gone.
Carefully, he sat up on the couch, waiting for pain to shoot through his head or abdomen. Nothing. The tremors and sweating had ceased the day before, but he’d still been in pretty rough shape.
To his left, Reese was asleep in the recliner with a book in her lap. Her head was tilted to the side and her chocolate colored waves were loose around her shoulders.
He decided to let her sleep. He was sure she needed it after everything he’d put her through the last few days. He checked his phone and found that there were a few texts from his brothers and sisters telling him that they loved him and to let them know if he needed anything. He glanced at Reese. She’d probably let the family know or they would have been blowing up his phone with ‘where are you’ messages.
Carefully, he rose from the couch and felt like a baby deer as he wobbled his way to the bathroom on weak legs. He managed to take a shower, dress in some clean clothes and then collapse back onto the couch. He smiled to himself. He was still weak, but the worst had definitely passed.
“Hey.”
He glanced over and discovered that Reese was awake. She still seemed tired, but he could see the smile that tugged at her lips and the glimmer in her dark irises. “Hey,” he said back. “Thank you for helping me.”
She uncurled her legs and set her feet on the floor. “You said that a million times the last few days.”
He nodded, remembering. “Well, I mean it. There is absolutely no way I could have done that by myself.”
She nodded, a forlorn expression taking over her features. “That is just the first battle, though. The fight will never truly be over. This is for life.”
He knew that. The first day he got sick he needed to make that decision. It had to be one way or the other, either drink or don’t. If it was don’t, then it would be forever. He knew recovering alcoholics and was aware of how often they were tempted to drink, so he was not ignorant to what that meant for the rest of his life.
“Did you leave the bar closed the entire time you were here with me?”
She shook her head. “I did the unthinkable.”
He arched an eyebrow. “You hired someone?”
“No, I let your brothers and sisters take over.”
His jaw fell, his mouth hanging. “Oh, good lord, is the place still standing? How … why?”
Reese let out a little chuckle. “I was hesitant at first, but they insisted since I was staying with you. They wanted to help, but I refused to let anyone in here except Liv, who bought and delivered groceries for us. Oh, she kept me in coffee too, so that was nice. Anyway, the family did a good job. I’m as surprised as you are, honestly.”
He could not believe what he was hearing. How in the world had they convinced Reese to let them take over the bar? She never let anyone sub for her. She always closed the place rather than let anyone fill in for her. “I feel like I’m in the twilight zone.”
Reese stood and stretched. “You and me both.” She leaned over and kissed him. “Things will go back to normal now.” She paused. “Well, different, but normal.”
He agreed with her, but he had a lot of cleaning up to do with his life before he could call everything good. Right now, this was merely another step, though unlike the previous smaller ones, this had been a really big one.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
REESE
It had been a couple of days since Dan had fully recovered and she was finally going back to work. She was trying to decide if Dan should join her or if she should tell him to stay away from the bar.
On one hand, being around all the alcohol might trigger him. On the other hand, if he was alone that might be worse. She had no idea which way to go. She could ask one of his brothers or sisters to keep an eye on him, but she doubted that he would be very happy about that.
“Good morning.” Dan strode into the kitchen and circled his arms around her waist. “What are you doing?”
She smiled. “Pouring us some coffee.”
He dropped a kiss on her cheek and strode over to the refrigerator to get the creamer. He brought it to her and after setting it down on the counter beside the mugs he asked, “Okay, what’s up?”
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
Was she really that readable? She always thought she had a better mask than that.
“It’s not nothing, I can see the contemplative expression on your face.”
“I’m having some issues,” was all that she could manage to tell him.
“Well, tell me what the issues are. Maybe I can help.”
Reese inhaled deeply and then let out a long breath. “Okay, let’s talk. Come sit down with me.”
His hand went to his heart. “Oh no, this isn’t the talk is it? The ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ talk. We just got started.” He tried to sound like he was joking, but she could clearly see the seriousness in the words.
“No, no.” She waved her hand. “It’s nothing like that.”
“Whew! You had me worried.”
“Don’t get too excited, it’s still a rough topic.” She pulled out a chair and sat down. Dan set his coffee on the table and then sat down across from her.
“Okay, what’s going on?”
She hadn’t mentally prepared herself at all for this conversation. She had no idea if it was even going to make sense as she explained her worries. She could only hope that he would understand that she wasn’t trying to break up with him … even though there hadn’t been a ‘we’re officially together’ talk.
“Dan, I’m worried about the fact that I own a bar and you are now a recovering alcoholic. You are an alcoholic.” He started to say something, but she cut him off by holding up her hand. “Let me get this out. The bar, you know how much it means to me, it … it’s my life. Now, suddenly, you are a part of my life, too. I might be overestimating what you think our relationship is, but I want to be with you and I’m just not sure that you being around the bar is a good idea.”
Unexpected tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. “I want both, but I’m not sure that I can have both.”
Dan roughly shoved his chair out and hurried over to her side of the table. He dropped to his knees in front of her, grasping her hands in his and staring up into her eyes. “I would never, ever ask you to give up the bar. I hate that you feel like you have to make this decision. But, Reese … it isn’t a decision, you aren’t giving it up. And I’m not giving you up, so you will always have both.”
Her tears streamed faster and her throat felt tight. “I just don’t want to hinder any progress you make. I don’t want you to be alone either. That might be worse than being in the bar. I don’t know what to do.”
“Shit.” He buried his face in her lap. “This is all my fault. It isn’t your problem, though. You aren’t responsible for me. Don’t get me wrong, I love that you care so much, but you do not have to accept responsibility for my fuck ups.”
“I don’t know what to do.”
“You don’t have to do anything,” he told her. “This is my problem.”
She shook her head. “No, it’s our problem.” A sob wracked at her chest and she sniffed. “Maybe … maybe this is a sign that I need to move on in life. A sign that the bar isn’t what is meant for me.”
“Shush! Don’t you dare,” he told her. “Listen, I am a Keeper of souls. I protect those who cannot protect themselves. You are a bartender. Do you know what another name for bartender is?�
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“Yeah, there are several,” Reese whispered, not sure where he was going with this.
“Bar keep,” he told her. “Bar keep is another name for bartender. They call you this because you keep the bar. You protect those within your walls, you provide a place for those who have nowhere else to go, you provide an ear, and you gather people and bring them together. The bar … your bar, is a constant in Summer Hollow and as far as I’m concerned, what you do … that is just as important as what I do.”
The tears came harder and faster. He couldn’t have chosen better words in that moment. She tried to speak but nothing came out so she just let the tears fall.
He gripped her hands tightly in his and when she stared down into the dark pools of his eyes, she saw that he meant every word.
“Reese. It’s going to be okay, I promise. I am strong enough to get through this. I just needed to see through the fog and see that there is something out there worth fighting for.”
“Dan …”
“I have always fought for my family, but somewhere along the way I lost belief in myself. With Anna, I wasn’t given the chance to fight that final battle. So, I gave up … what good am I if I can’t even keep my fiancé alive. Everything worth fighting for was gone.” He offered a small smile. “And then there was you.”
“You showed me that I am worth fighting for. How can I fight for others when I can’t do that for myself? You made me see through the booze and the pain. You made me dig deeper so that I could finally see who I really am.”
He buried his face in her lap and then looked up at her again, even more intensity flashing in his eyes than before. “And I saw something in you, Reese Knight, something I’d never seen before, because the pain of loss wouldn’t let me see. I saw the tough woman who cares more about everyone else than herself. I saw the woman who is stubborn and driven. I saw you as I’d never seen you before and I fell for you.”
She shook her head, unable to speak.
“Stop shaking your head like you don’t believe me. I love you, Reese. I fell for you before you helped me with all of this and before you found out what I am. As a matter of fact, I think I began to fall for you the first time you hit me with your bat.”
Finally, a laugh burst from between her lips and a smile spread across her face. Dan stood, pulling her up with him, and circled her waist with his arms. She tilted her head and stared up at him. “I love you, too. Sorry I don’t have a big speech.”
He laughed and hugged her tighter. All the worries seemed to fade away while she was wrapped in his arms, though she knew that as long as she was involved with Daniel Estmond, the worry would never be completely gone.
“We are going to get through this,” he whispered against her ear. “Somehow, we will get through it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
GREG
Thanksgiving Day
Greg pushed open the door of the farmhouse and stepped inside. It was fuller than usual with the entire crew having shown up for Thanksgiving dinner.
The scent of turkey filled his nostrils and made him smile. Thanksgiving was his favorite holiday. He loved the food, the family and the relaxed atmosphere of the entire day. Christmas had too much pressure attached to it for it to be on the same level as turkey day. Fourth of July came in second on the favorite holiday list.
This Thanksgiving, though, everyone had made it.
Lucy was in the kitchen helping with the food. She had an apron fit over her bump that was only now beginning to show. Jack had been banned from the kitchen for picking at the food, otherwise he probably would have been by her side the entire day.
Hannah and Liv both manned the kitchen, bossing everyone around and yelling directions. Steph sat on the floor at the coffee table playing a game of rummy with James, Ethan, Aiden and Reese, while Dan and Jack tried to put together an additional table for the food.
He had an arm full of groceries that had been forgotten on the original shopping trip for dinner supplies. “Here you go.” He set the bags on the counter.
“Hey. Don’t set those there. I need the space.” Hannah pointed a wooden spoon at him.
He turned in a circle, scanning the kitchen for anywhere that he might be able to set the bag. There was literally zero space available. Every inch of counter and table was covered in either food, dishes or garbage from food prep. “Well, is there a particular place that he would like me to put this?”
“Oh my goodness,” Liv sighed, rushing toward him. “Just give it to me.” She grabbed the bags away from him and hauled them to the other side of the kitchen. “Now get out of here!” She shooed him away.
“Fine, but I’m grabbing a beer first.” He managed make it across the room to the fridge and open it. It took some digging but he finally found a beer in one of the drawers. He twisted the cap off and tossed it in the garbage and then headed into the other room where it was calmer.
Dan and Jack had successfully set up the additional table and were sitting at it, chatting with their heads close together so they could hear each other. He grabbed a chair from the dining room and hauled it over so that he could sit next to them.
“Hey Greg.” Dan nodded at him as he sat down. Greg thought Dan looked a million times better, but that may have been all in his head because Dan always took pretty good care of himself. The things he did notice for sure, though, was that he looked less weathered and his face had previously had a pink tinge to it that he didn’t have now.
All in all, he looked happier than he had ever seen him, and that included when Anna was around. He caught Reese glancing over at them and exchanging a smile with Dan. That relationship was definitely one that he never saw coming.
He was happy for Dan and Reese, but the greatest thing that came out of that relationship was that she had somehow inspired his brother to quit drinking. No one had been able to get through to him about how drinking was ruining him, and then along came Reese and he just stopped.
“Hey.” Greg nodded at his brother and then to Jack. “I managed to get through the grocery store before they closed. It was crazy in there.”
“I bet,” Dan agreed. “I’m just glad I didn’t have to go.”
Greg leaned back and looked at his beer. “Are you sure this doesn’t bother you?”
Dan shook his head. “No way. I’m totally fine.”
“Really?”
“Yeah,” Dan nodded. I work in the bar with Reese and it doesn’t get to me at all.”
Greg tilted his head. “Seriously now, not at all?”
Dan held up his hands. “I’m as surprised as you are. I really enjoy bartending and being around the people. I almost never get a craving and if I do, it’s not while I’m working.”
Jack narrowed his eyes and leaned back, sipping his own beer. “Man, that is crazy. Alcohol is one of the hardest addictions to beat.”
Dan’s eyes drifted off across the room. “I’ve found myself another addiction.”
Greg followed his brother’s line of vision to Reese, who had her head thrown back, laughing at something. “Well, that is definitely a good choice of something you can’t get enough of.” He eyed his brother. “But, please make sure to let us know if you have any issues with the booze. You can’t go back to that, man.”
“I don’t intend to go back. I have some coping tools.” He opened his trench coat and put two items on the table. A bag of hard candies and his flask. “I still have the flask to satisfy the habit. It has cranberry juice in it.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Greg narrowed his eyes. The whole thought of using the flask seemed pretty counterproductive.
His brother shrugged. “I’m not drinking, that’s what matters right?”
“I guess,” he agreed, even though he didn’t like the flask idea.
“Look man, I know people think it’s crazy that I work in the bar around all the alcohol and people drinking. Well, that bar is Reese’s life and, therefore, part of my life. You guys think that every time you d
rink around me that you have to walk on eggshells. Well, I’m not doing that, I’m not going to make you change your lives because I am a fuck up. I just won’t do it.”
Greg nodded. “I get that. I am proud of you for that. It just makes it clear that you are one of the strongest people I know.”
“Thanks man. I’m not saying it’s not hard sometimes, because it’s really fucking hard.”
“I know. And you can come to Florida when we go.”
Dan smiled. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
Hannah slammed open the door to the kitchen and hollered. “Dinner in five! Set the table!” His sister had her hair tied back, but somehow it had frizzed out in the front and made her look completely frazzled. She had stains on her apron and a glass of wine in her left hand. “I mean it, you guys, set the damn table okay.” Then she disappeared back into the kitchen while tipping her head back and taking a drink of her wine.
Everyone helped set the table, some getting plates and silverware, some setting out glasses, some helping bring the food in from the kitchen. Meal time in the Estmond house was always a team effort, no excuses.
Finally, they were all seated and Greg stood at the head of the table. He usually didn’t sit there, but this year was different. It was the first year his father was not there and the job of giving thanks and carving the turkey now fell to him.
It was not something he was happy about, he would much rather his father be around to do it.
He held up his beer and tapped his fork against it. “Okay, quiet everyone.”
The voices at the table calmed and everyone looked to him. “I just want to thank the ladies for cooking this amazing turkey.” He gestured to the golden brown turkey resting in the pan on the table before him. “It’s been a hard year. As a family we have been through more than most people can ever imagine having to face in our lives. We’ve faced the enemy and survived. We have gained new family members and friends. We have discovered the prophecy, which means that someday, the warring between the Keepers and Reapers will end. I can’t say that I’d like to have another year like this one, but hopefully it won’t get worse with the next one.”
Keeper of Spirits Page 17
