Jack and Ginger (Sacred Heart Coven Book 3) (2 page)

"It was hot, which actually I think helped with sales. Normally in the summer we are not that busy during the day, but with the unbearable heat more people were happy to be indoors." Jasinda obliged and engaged in the small talk. She wanted to help make Ginger feel at ease. Hopefully so she felt comfortable enough to open up.

Jasinda didn't want to be rude by asking her too many questions or rushing her into revealing what was going on in her life. She did however glance over at her watch to check the time. She didn't like the feeling of being caught between needing to be in two different places at once.

"That makes sense. You know I normally only come here to meet my dad to watch the Bears games." Ginger lifted the soda and put her lips on the edge of the straw and took a sip of her drink. Jasinda saw her eyes fill with tears. She managed to hold them back so not to allow any to fall down her creamy white cheeks.
 

Jasinda grabbed a few bar napkins and slid them across the bar without saying a word. She knew when the time was right, Ginger would share what was bothering her, which she was hoping was any minute.
 

"The pre-season games have started. Have you had the games on?" Ginger asked.
 

"Here and there. It depends on who is at the bar. Not a lot of people come in to watch the pre-season. Give it another week or two and this place will be packed again for football season. Baseball doesn't draw much of a crowd. How is your dad? I haven't seen him in here lately now that I think of it."

Ginger stared into her glass. Her fingers held on to the straw so tightly that her hand started to shake. She inhaled. Jasinda was worried that if she didn't exhale soon she might pass out. Gingers pressed her lips together between her teeth. Jasinda could see the tension in the constricted muscles of her jaw.
 

Jasinda walked around to the front of the bar and took the seat next to her. She put her hand on Ginger's back. She cleared her own mind and tried to focus her energy into a ball of white light. She envisioned the white light streaming from her heart through her arm and out of the palm of her hand. She mentally instructed the light to go straight to Ginger's heart and wrap it with the purest healing light she could muster.
 

Ginger grabbed a napkin and turned to Jasinda. Her eyes fixed on Jasinda's lap. Jasinda saw her finally let her breath go before she looked up to meet Jasinda's gaze.
 

"He's gone." Her words barely a whisper. "He passed at the beginning of the summer." The floodgates opened and the water works began. Ginger tipped her head as she patted her wet face with the rough cocktail napkins.

"Oh, I am so sorry, Ginger, I know how close you were with him." Jasinda was at a loss for words. What really could she say, other than she was sorry?

"I am sorry. It wasn't my intention to come in here and start crying at your bar. I just... I just wanted to see if I could do it. I wasn't sure I could come here without him. I have to, I need to; it feels right to be here." Ginger took a short breath and pinched her eyes shut.

"I'm sure wherever you go he is with you. Please don't feel like you have to come here if it hurts you." Jasinda's heart was aching for her. "You can call me, we can grab coffee or a giant ice-cream sundae."

"That's just it, we always had happy times when we were here. It has just been a really rough summer." Again she held her breath.

Jasinda could sense the immensity of what she was feeling, and not saying. She looked down at her watch and was getting anxious about how late it was getting. She felt like she was being pulled in several directions. She was supposed to be helping Steve with their staffing issue, and she had expected to already be on the road. Now her friend was sitting there spilling her heart out to her about the loss of her beloved father.
 

"Are you sure you don't want something stiffer than a Coke?" Jasinda offered as Steve walked back through the kitchen doors. "Not that I am suggesting you ease your sorrows with booze. I can make you a cup of tea too, if you like."

"Yeah, I just stopped in to say hi and make sure I would be ready to come in when the regular season starts. I don't think it's a great idea for me to be drinking right now. That's how bad habits start. I prefer to drink when I am happy, not as a crutch to deal with my problems," Ginger said resting her hand over Jasinda's. "I really appreciate it though. I feel better already."

"Hey babe, did you- oh... Ginger hi, nice to see you. How was your summer?" Steve blurted out not realizing what he had walked in on.
 

"Long." Ginger forced a smile.

Jasinda gave Steve a hard look trying to tell him not to push the conversation any further. They had been together long enough that they were often able to communicate with the right look when needed.

"Did you find anyone to work tonight?" Steve asked as he wiped down the bottles on the speed rack in front of him. Jasinda knew he was keeping busy with nervous energy. He always got fidgety when he didn't know how to handle walking in on an overly female moment.
 

"Sorry, I didn't. Ginger walked in just as I was about to call one of the girls. Do you think you could do it? I have the book open next to the register." Jasinda still had her hand on Ginger's back.
 

"Are you short staffed for tonight?" Ginger asked.

"Yes, the gal that is supposed to be here right now called in sick, five minutes after her shift started. One of the joys of being a small business owner," Steve joked as he turned to retrieve the book.

"I bartended my way through college. If you are really stuck I can give you guys a hand," Ginger offered.

"Really? What about your husband, Roger? Won't he be expecting you?" Jasinda asked her.

"Well," the pitch in her voice peeked, "that is just another part of my long summer. After seven years of marriage, he actually moved out. The same week my father passed. We were divorced by the end of June."

"Wow. We have a lot of catching up to do. Do you think maybe you are too upset to work here?" Jasinda wasn't sure it would be a great idea since she just had a tiny emotional break down.

"It would actually be a lot of fun and a great distraction. If you need me I am here." Her eyes seemed to brighten with the prospect of it.

"Hey, Steve, what do you think about training Ginger for the night?" she asked her husband.

"You mean I don't have to call and beg our staff to come in tonight?" Steve jabbed his pointer finger in the air. "Sold!"

Jasinda gave Ginger a quick hug. Her wavy red hair tickled at Jasinda's nose. She envied the amazing head of hair that Ginger had and it smelled fresh like honeysuckles.
 

Jasinda was glad that the laws had gone into effect banning smoking in restaurants and bars. It didn't hurt business nearly as much as people protested it would. There was still a lingering smell of smoke that was imbedded in the walls of the bar, she looked forward to when they would be able to afford a remodel. At least she didn't worry about her hair and clothes stinking of burnt tobacco any longer.

"Listen, I have somewhere I have to be tonight, but let's set up a time to get together. We can talk about what has been going on, and maybe you can fill in here on a more regular basis." Jasinda got up and walked around the service entrance of the bar.
 

"That sounds like a plan. I'm excited.
 
Am I dressed ok? I don't even remember if you have a dress code or uniform for your staff," Ginger asked.

"You're perfect. The only real restriction we have is; no open toe shoes. Sneakers with a slip resistant bottoms are best, but whatever is most comfortable for you," Steve explained as he slid the staff book back in its slot next to the register. Jasinda noticed how relieved he looked.
 

Jasinda snuck up behind him so that when he turned around he practically knocked her over. They both laughed. He grabbed the sides of her head squishing her hair against her ears. He pulled her head in toward his lips and kissed her forehead and then her lips.
 

"You have fun tonight. If you decide to throw back more than a glass of that mead, you make sure that you get a ride or call me, I will come get you." Steve didn't mind having to pick her up, he did it on several occasions. He always told his wife to have whatever fun she wanted to just be smart and safe.
 

"You know I will." Jasinda kissed him back. "Ginger, I can give you a quick tour of where everything is in the back and then you will be in the hands of this wonderful man for the evening. I will be back before last call so we can make our arrangements later."

Jasinda walked Ginger around the bar explaining where to find the walk in cooler, stock room and where to change the soda boxes. When Jasinda walked her into the dry stock room, she noticed all the leftover football paraphernalia and a light bulb went off. She finished the quick tour leaving her with Steve.

The employee parking was in the rear of the building. There was an exit through the back of the kitchen. Jasinda's car was parked just outside the back door. Not that it would have killed her to bring her stuff out to the car by herself, she just loved that she was able to use her husband's muscles whenever she had the opportunity. She also knew that he liked to feel useful. She told herself it was part of her selflessness to ask him for help.
 

She giggled to herself and did a sweep of the kitchen to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything. It crossed her mind that she may not have packed cups with the mead and the other odds and ends she was bringing.
 

Before heading out the back door, she snuck into the dry storage to grab a sleeve of disposable cups. She saw the leftover football paraphernalia from last year and grabbed a Bears' coffee mug to bring with her to the ceremony. She thought it would make a great item to enchant, if only it were her month.
 

Jasinda considered texting Seraphina, her coven's high priestess, but she wasn't as attached to her mobile phone as the rest of the younger girls in the coven. It may have been a waste of time, and time was not something she had a lot of. When she contributed to the pot luck meals she preferred to be there early to help set up.

Jasinda hoped that maybe she and her sisters could do something for her friend Ginger. She didn't have time to put together a spell, but the coven had extra supplies in the box with their ceremonial items they used at all of their gatherings.
 

Jasinda had to monitor her speed driving over to the property where the sisters gathered every month. She also needed to be careful about how fast she was driving when she turned the corners so as not to spill the Pumpkin Mead. She was anxious to tell her sisters about Ginger's situation, both excited to get their help and nervous that it wasn't her turn to ask that of the group.
 

She spent the time in the car thinking about a spell that she could use to bring some joy to Ginger's life. Jasinda didn't really know all the details of Ginger's situation. One thing was sure, that she could use a little magic in her life. Although the sisters usually cast a spell every month to help bring love and romance into the hearts of those who need it most, she wasn't completely sure that was what Ginger needed.
 

Jasinda's heart ached at the thought of all that Ginger lost over the past few months. Jasinda's parents had both long since moved on to the afterlife, but thinking about her, how close Ginger and her father were, opened the emotional gates associated with missing her own parents. She was very close with her mother, whom she still spoke with or prayed to on a regular basis.

She suspected that Ginger's divorce was probably for the best, based on things that Ginger had mentioned. It was still a huge change and a lot of loss to deal with all at the same time. She couldn't imagine a life without Steve in it. He was more than just her husband; he was her lover, business partner, and best friend. She couldn't remember what life was like before she had him to back her up.
 

Anything Jasinda wanted or needed, Steve tried to find a way to make it happen. He put thought and consideration into everything he did, and worked hard to make a better life for them both. There really wasn't anything he wouldn't give up for his wife. Jasinda knew it, and tried to make sure that she gave back to him and the universe the same kind of devotion.
 

Her blessings were plentiful. She tried to show the spirits her gratitude by offering back and doing selfless things for others whenever the opportunity arose. She was lucky that she found a mate that followed her lead. A part of Jasinda was thinking twice on her decision to volunteer someone who had just been crying to work in her establishment for the night. Most husbands and business partners would not have been so quick to take on that kind of liability.

Then again Steve didn't know that Ginger had been quite that upset, which was probably for the best. He wouldn't have to worry about how to act. The bar would be busy enough that they would both be plenty occupied helping customers that they wouldn't have time to think about the woes of life.
 

Chances are they wouldn't have found anyone willing to come in to work at the last minute anyway. At least Steve could use the time he would have spent calling people training Ginger and she would be there to help him. He most likely would have been able to handle the bar by himself, but two sets of hands are almost always better than one. Jasinda thanked the goddesses that they didn't have food service to worry about at this time.

Some of her sisters tried to encourage her to get the kitchen up and running on several occasions. Jasinda didn't doubt that adding food into the mix would increase revenue. She just wasn't sure that they were ready for the added stress and responsibility. They considered subletting the kitchen, but were concerned that if the tenant decided they didn't feel like showing up for work and there was no food as promised it would hurt their overall business and their reputation.