Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 88060 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88060 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
I put my hand on her arm. “I’m sorry, Mary. Did you say Hope asked you to move here to Moose Village?”
She nodded. “She told me and Liam she didn’t want anyone other than family to watch Winnie.”
My mouth fell open. “That has to be stressful for you, but Liam will be okay and so will Winnie.”
She chewed on her lower lip. “I hope so. I hate breaking my promise to her.”
“It was kind of a crazy request from her, Mary,” James stated. “I’m sure it was the disease talking at the end, and she wouldn’t really expect you to honor that promise.”
I nodded.
Mary simply shrugged.
“Well,” I said, unsure of where to take the conversation now. Luckily, James came to my rescue.
“I would love to hear more about what you do, with me being in law enforcement and all. Would you like to grab dinner tonight?” James asked.
Mary and I both looked at him. She wore an expression of utter shock, while I wore a smile. I almost answered for her, but she recovered quickly.
“I would love to.”
James nodded. “Great. I’ll get your number and we can discuss the details.”
I stood there, bouncing my gaze between the two, as if I were watching a tennis match. When they both looked at me, I laughed. “Right! I’ll just leave you two.”
It took everything I had not to sprint back to the counter where Granny was. “Oh my gosh! He asked her to go out to dinner tonight!”
She smiled. “I knew it! I knew he liked her. I could tell.”
Frowning, I asked, “How could you tell?”
“A woman my age just knows these things.”
“Granny,” I sighed. “You’re sixty, that’s not that old.”
“That’s right. And when you reach sixty, you’ll be able to say and do whatever you want as well.”
Laughing, I replied, “Touché.”
Liam
I sat on the back porch and stared ahead. The gardens were overflowing with flowers, and the smell of honeysuckle filled the air. I loved summertime in Moose Village and couldn’t wait for Winnie to experience it just as I had growing up.
Feeling someone tap my shoulder, I looked up to see my best friend, Nathan Banks. We had been best friends in high school, and even when I moved out of Moose Village and moved to New York, we had kept in touch. He had really been there for me over the last two years with Hope’s cancer fight and her death.
“You look like you need this.”
I reached up and took the glass of whiskey. “Thanks.”
“Where is Winnie?” he asked, slipping into the seat next to me.
Letting out a breath, I replied, “Jake, Mary, and Opal took her to The Book Nook for storytime.”
“I’m sure she’ll love that.”
I nodded. “She’ll love seeing Aurora.”
We remained silent for a few moments before I asked, “How are things at The Muddled Moose?”
“Things are great. Everyone is ready for you to come back on a more full-time level.”
After Hope died, I asked a huge favor of Nathan to manage the bar and restaurant that I owned on the rooftop of the historic Moose Village Hotel. It was only going to be until I got all the legal shit out of the way with Hope’s death. I had started to go back in but hardly lasted a whole night before I found myself heading back home and sitting on Winnie’s bed and watching her sleep. Mary of course had been here to watch Winnie for me while I attempted to slowly go back to work. It had become a habit I knew I needed to break. It was way past time for me to get back to work full time, but I just couldn’t seem to make myself do it. Everyone would give me that fucking smile of sympathy and tell me how sorry they were. I was sick of hearing it. No one ever invited us anywhere, and assumed I was buried in this house in a mountain of grief. It was more like a mountain of guilt. Having Hope’s father and sister here hadn’t helped. Every time I looked at them, it felt like another pound of guilt was added onto my shoulders.
“Liam, you’re going to have to go back sooner or later.”
I nodded. “I know. I know I do.” Turning to look at him, I said, “I’m sorry that I put you in this spot.”
“I have the freedom to do this for you and still manage my own job. But I’m not going to lie, I’m feeling a bit tired and I’m not sure I can do this much longer. I’ve been juggling my job and yours for almost four months.”
Closing my eyes, I internally cursed. I was asking so much of everyone around me while I sat here in my guilt. It was June, with beautiful summer weather, and I sat day after day either in my house or on the porch if I wasn’t at The Muddled Moose. The only thing I did make sure of was spending time with Winnie. That meant getting in the car and driving to a park not near our house, so I wouldn’t have to talk to anyone. We’d had campouts in the backyard and made s’mores. I played with dolls and horses with her. I made sure to give her as much time as I could. But I also relied on Mary to watch her when I did drag my ass to work, or when I went to my office to drink my sorrows away until all hours of the night. Something I had tried to stop doing, but there was an occasional time or two I got shit-faced and passed out on my office couch.