Whiskey Girl by Maggie Casper Page A

again, having more energy for work.” Almost as a
side note he added with a sad smile curving his mouth, “She was an event
planner. Planned half the weddings in the county, I’m sure.”
    Ausha felt dread wash over her when he
covered his face with both hands briefly before standing up and pulling on his
pants.
    “Their anniversary was going to be a hard
day. I knew it and was worried. I called off that day, offered to take her to
the cemetery. She seemed distracted, but I thought she was just feeling down in
the dumps. When I went to her house to pick her up that night, it was to find
she’d taken a whole bottle of sleeping pills along with enough alcohol for a
frat party. She was already gone.”
    Anger burned through Ausha. Anger that this
woman who she had never met, a woman who had lost her husband, was willing to
hurt someone like Doug. She felt very uncharitable about the whole thing.
Climbing from the bed, she wrapped her arms around his back, squeezing tight,
anchoring him to her, hoping he knew she understood what he was feeling even
though she couldn’t seem to utter the words.
    Doug turned in her arms until they were
face-to-face. He placed a hand on each side of her head, using his thumbs to
rub away the tears he found there. “Afterward, I was in a bad place. It took
those closest to me to make sure I got out in one piece.” He kissed her lips
then, tenderly, slowly. “It was their willingness to hound me and kick my ass
all the way where I needed to be that saved me, Ausha. I’m here to be your
ass-kicker and make sure you get out in one piece as well.”

Chapter Eight
     
    The next day, while working behind the bar,
Ausha wondered how long it had taken Doug to come to a point where he could so
freely share his feelings. She’d cried for him, been angry for him, hurt in
every ounce of her being for him, and yet she couldn’t seem to accept the thing
for herself.
    She knew there were many avenues for
dealing with her grief. A grief counselor had contacted her on behalf of the
hospital after Lauren’s death. The kind woman probably would have been able to
help had Ausha been willing to listen. That hadn’t been the case though. Still
wasn’t most days.
    So how did she go about finding help now
after so long? Most people assumed after a certain amount of time had passed
those left behind were supposed to get over it.
    It had taken Doug to open her eyes, to show
her life was worth living and that ignoring it and getting over it were not
viable options. If she was going to really work on things, she was going to
have to work through them. Head-on.
    Ausha was saved from worrying about it
anymore right that second by the chiming of her phone, announcing a text
message. She smiled before even picking it up, knowing it was Doug as no one
else sent her text messages.
    Staring over the bar and into the crowded
room, she was a bit surprised he didn’t occupy his normal corner table. Ausha
figured he’d been kept late at work and tried not to worry why.
    She opened the text and read, her smile
growing wider. Doug wasn’t going to be able to make it, but he would meet her
at her place as soon as she was able to get away. He asked if she had any
objection to his use of her spare key, stating he had a surprise for her.
    Ausha was thrilled. She couldn’t remember
the last time she’d been surprised, at least not pleasantly so.
    An hour passed before she was able to get
away. It took everything in her not to speed all the way home, chancing a
ticket and Doug’s wrath in the process.
    When she pulled up, it was to find she was
a little apprehensive. About what, she had no idea, but something warned that
after tonight life as she knew it would never be the same. Things were about to
change, and if the hair standing on the back of her neck was any indication, it
was going to change drastically.
    The thought, in and of itself, was not bad.
After all, she had almost come to the decision to ask Doug for help, a