Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Danny was smiling to himself as he walked into Sleighed that evening. In fact, he’d been smiling all day. When he’d gotten up the day before, he hadn’t had an inkling that there’d be such a major turn of events in his life. He’d regretted how he’d handled things with Marissa, had dreamed about once again being with her for years, and now just like that, she was his again. He’d be damned if he messed it up this time.

A small cheer went up from the end of the bar, where he spotted Clara and Felicity nursing a couple of beers.

“Stop it,” Marissa said to her friends as she slipped out from behind the bar and came to wrap her arms around him.

He smiled down at her. “It’s like this now? You’re ready for the entire town to know that we’re together?”

She nodded and pressed up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss .

He claimed her lips and made a show of dipping her backward, playing up the interaction so that there was no confusion. Marissa Cane was his, and he wanted everyone to know it.

When the applause started, he put her back on her feet and they grinned at each other.

“How was your day?” Marissa asked him as she led him to the bar.

“Good. Though I need to go back and spend some time on the wheel before I go home for the night. Most of the day was spent in the gallery. I think half the town showed up today.”

“Everyone wants a piece of Mr. Garland,” she teased.

“Too bad all my pieces are reserved for you and only you,” he said.

“Awww,” Clara said.

“Gross,” Felicity added.

Everyone laughed, including Marissa and Danny.

Marissa retreated back behind the bar and leaned over to ask him, “Are you hungry?”

He let his gaze roam over her, making it clear he was hungry for something other than food.

“Get a room!” Felicity called out.

“Gladly,” Danny whispered to Marissa. “When can you ditch this joint?”

“Not until closing time, unfortunately. But at least it’s a weekday. I should be able to get out of here by ten thirty or eleven.”

He groaned. That was later than he hoped, but at least he’d be able to get some work done in the studio. “Okay, food it is then.” He placed an order for a burger and fries and sat back to enjoy his beer while he watched Marissa interact with her customers.

Sleighed was both a local favorite and a place where transients came for the evening to enjoy a bit of the local flavor. It was nice to see the locals embracing them, giving suggestions on what to do in Christmas Grove over the holidays and generally making them feel welcome. It was all part of the magical fabric of the town, and one of the reasons he’d decided to move to Christmas Grove.

He couldn’t remember when he’d ever been as content as he was in that very moment.

“It looks like things are going well,” a familiar voice said from beside him.

He startled as he glanced at the ethereal sugar plum fairy that was sitting next to him. Had she just popped in out of nowhere? Danny wasn’t sure, but he wasn’t ruling it out. Today she was wearing a shimmering cream dress with elaborate lace-up, knee-high boots.

Danny took a sip of his beer. “Things are going well. And the incidents seem to have calmed down significantly since I’ve moved in with Marissa.”

“Excellent.” She snapped her fingers, making her own beer appear in front of her. She picked it up and clinked her glass to his. “Hopefully this means I’ll have my wings by Christmas.”

He eyed the woman. “I just have to ask, what more do we need to do to make sure this curse is broken for good?”

“Once you trust one another again, the curse will be broken,” she said .

“Yeah, I heard you the first time you said that. When will we know we’re there?”

“You’ll know.” She gave him a wan smile and downed her beer. Then she glanced around the bar, spotted a couple at a table, and said, “Excuse me. I see a young couple who needs a little help.” As she slid off her stool, she patted him on the arm and added, “Good work, Danny. If you keep it up, she’ll let go of her resentment in no time.”

Her resentment? Did Marissa resent him? Was she still upset about him leaving? He knew he couldn’t expect her to forgive and forget overnight, but she certainly seemed to be moving past it all.

She glanced up from where she was mixing a drink and flashed that radiant smile at him.

His insides lit with warmth every time she looked at him like that. He saw both the young woman he’d fallen in love with all those years ago as well as the confident force of nature he was still getting to know. He knew deep down that he loved everything about her, and if she let him, he’d love her for the rest of their days. He wouldn’t be scared away this time. This time he’d fight, no matter what came their way.

“Hey, man,” Jackson said as he placed the burger and fries in front of Danny. “I hear congratulations are in order.” He glanced at Marissa and then back at Danny. “The boss lady certainly seems happy about this new development.”

“She’s not the only one,” Danny said.

“Glad to hear it.” Jackson patted him on the shoulder and then headed back to the kitchen, but he paused at the other end of the bar as he leaned in to say something to Felicity.

She gave him a flirty smile before grabbing him by his chef’s whites and pulling him in closer so she could whisper in his ear.

Marissa appeared in front of him. “Something wrong with the burger?”

He glanced at his untouched plate and chuckled. “No idea. I haven’t even tasted it yet. Is there something going on with Felicity and Jackson?”

She followed his gaze to the end of the bar before shaking her head. “Nah. Felicity just likes to flirt with him. She always has ever since he started working here. I guess she’s wearing him down because he used to just be polite, but now he’s leaning into it. Can’t blame him, really. Felicity is a lot of fun to be around.”

Danny nodded. Though he wasn’t quite as convinced as Marissa that the two didn’t have a thing for each other. He could see Jackson with someone like Felicity. Even though he was a stoic friend, he was also a thrill seeker. Felicity was the perfect woman to keep someone on their toes. “I think they’d be good together.”

“You think so?” Marissa frowned at them. “But Jackson is just so… steady. And Felicity, she’s kind of like a bull in a China shop some days with those opinions of hers. I love her to death, but easygoing isn’t in her vocabulary.”

He chuckled. “You’re right. Jackson is steady. He’s also got a strong center. It kind of sounds like they might be the perfect match. ”

Marissa paused to think about that for a moment. Then she nodded and said, “You know what? I think you might be right about that. The only problem is that I don’t think Felicity has ever been interested in a long-term relationship, and I’d hate to have drama between them. Hopefully they just stick to flirting.”

As Danny watched the pair in question, their heads tilted together as they talked, he thought, yeah, good luck with that one.

By the time Danny was done eating, the bar was hopping and it was time for him to get back to work. He left money with a generous tip on the bar and stood to leave, but just as he got to his feet, his world shifted and he had a vision of a person driving while talking on their phone, then they lost control of their car and ran right into the front of Sleighed.

The vision cleared just as quickly as it appeared, and when he was oriented again, he ran outside of the bar, his hands high in the air as he waved at the car that was still a few blocks down the street.

“Stop!” he shouted, knowing they couldn’t hear him. He ran to his 4Runner that was parked a few doors down and laid on the horn. Then he started the vehicle and slammed it into Reverse. As quickly as he could, he turned the car so that the headlights were aimed right at the offending car.

The SUV swerved, just like Danny had hoped, and instead of hitting the bar and hurting all the people he cared about inside, the SUV slammed into the right side of his 4Runner, spinning his truck around until he crashed right into a utility pole.

Danny’s head swam as a woman appeared. One he hadn’t seen in sixteen years.

Patience peered at him from the passenger’s seat. Her dark hair was pulled into a severe bun, and her bright red lips were pursed in a pucker as she looked him over.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, breathing through the pain that was radiating up from his left ankle.

“I told you once before that if you didn’t stay away from Marissa you were going to end up hurting her. This is your warning. Leave Christmas Grove now, or next time, this will be her.”

As the sound of sirens filled the air, the woman vanished and coldness set in.