Enough of the crazy dreaming! She silently scolded herself before quickly going about untying, and removing his socks and sneakers.
Now came the most trying part of the process. Well, not exactly, more like the first part of the trying process. How to ask this tactfully?
“Ah...Reed. Do you think you can finish getting undressed?”
He grabbed at the waistline of his jeans and tugged. All of the well-worn buttons popped one after another.
Sara-Kate felt her face heat. Over one hundred years old, and no practical experience with a man. She rolled her eyes. It was ridiculous to be coy and scared. She had a job to do.
Reaching for a pink bath towel, she placed it demurely over his lap to protect his modesty. If he cared at all about modesty, he didn’t show it. Instead he shimmied out of his jeans, the blue denim pooling on the floor, and got to his feet.
Before the towel could slip away, Sara-Kate immediately made a grab for it and wound it around his waist. If the night hadn’t been so tragic, it would have been like a scene in a bad comedy movie.
Holding him firmly by the arm, she used her hip against his thigh to hold the towel somewhat, albeit it haphazardly, around his waist, and guided him toward the bath tub. She let out a slight groan when she realized the towel was going to drop—one way or another.
Alright, eyes north of the waistline.
She focused on his upper body as he stepped into the water. She held on to his arm with all her might, while he lowered himself into the water.
“Good job,” she praised, not sure if she was talking to Reed, or herself.
The bath water had clouded over from the now dissolved bath crystals, and a fragrant fog of steam rose from the surface. She knelt on the bathmat beside the tub, reached for a wash cloth, and went about soaping his arms, back, and chest.
The water ran down her wrist and soaked her robe. She paused to shed it, revealing a red silk chemise beneath.
As she glanced over the exposed half of his body, she saw no effects of the accident. No bruises, not even a drop of blood. A far cry from the bloody, battered man who perished in his car only an hour or two earlier.
It was like the accident never happened.
The Fates definitely had a plan in mind when they woke him from death, and pulled him from the wreckage.
“How are you doing, Reed? Any warmer now?” she asked, squeezing water from the wash cloth over his shoulders.
He closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. “Warmer? No, not really. I feel like my brain is in a fog. Nothing makes sense.”
“It will, Reed. Just give it some time. You need a cup of tea, and a good sleep.”
His head turned to her, and his eyes opened. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” She turned the question back at him.
“I don’t know...you don’t even know me,” he paused. “Or maybe you do know me?”
His gaze was penetrating. Was he remembering those final moments with her in the car before he drew his final breath? Or was he simply dazed and confused?
“You came here tonight because you need my help. I would never turn anyone away who needed me.”
“You really are an angel. Most people won’t even open the door to a stranger, let alone bathe one.”
“I’m not most people, Reed.”
“No, you’re not,” he agreed. He leaned back against the tub, and closed his eyes.
She allowed him to rest quietly. After a few minutes, Sara-Kate tested the bath water with her elbow. It was starting to cool. It was time for the next part of this trying process.
“Okay, Reed. It’s time to get out of this bath now.”
His eyes opened and he stared momentarily at the ceiling, before pulling himself into a sitting position. Sara-Kate got to her feet, grabbed for a towel, and held it outstretched before her. She bent toward him. “Grab my wrist and I’ll do my best to help you up.”
Averting her eyes so all she could see was what was in her peripheral vision, Reed took a hold of her wrist with two hands, and she moved her legs apart to brace herself to take his weight. But she was petite, only a fraction over five feet tall, and barely one hundred pounds. Reed in comparison was over six feet and at least one-eighty. She sent a swift, silent prayer to the Fates to keep them both safe from falling.
To Sara-Kate, it was nothing short of a miracle when he was on his feet. She quickly wrapped the towel around his waist, and helped him step from the tub. Reaching for a second towel, she went about drying his back, shoulders and chest.
Holding firmly to his arm, she prepared to help him from the bathroom when he stopped suddenly before the vanity mirror, and stared at himself. He pushed a few errant strands of dark, damp hair from his face and remarked, “This must be what I’d look like if I were dead.”
There was such a seriousness to his tone that Sara-Kate quivered a bit. Now was not the time to tell him the truth—that he really was dead. He would find out soon enough. Instead, she groped for the first excuse that came to mind.
“You just had a serious accident, and quite a scare.”
He seemed to accept the feeble explanation, and allowed her to guide him from the bathroom, and down the hall toward the second bedroom. To call it a bedroom was redundant, as it was just a room with a bed in it. Since she never had guests, it sat empty and alone. Until now.
She pulled back the blanket and sheet, and patted the pillow into shape. “Come on, Reed. Get off your feet and into bed.”
He slipped under the bed clothes and discarded the towel he wore around his waist, and she arranged the blanket and sheet around him trying to get off her mind that he was naked under the sheets.
This was unlike her. She hadn’t felt an attraction to a man in so many, many years. Then again, this man wasn’t human any longer. He was like her. Still, that didn’t mean he was with her for anything romantic or even just companionship. Somehow that thought was enough to sober her emotions.
“I’m going to go downstairs, and make you a cup of tea. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Do not try to get up on your own, please.”
As she turned away from him, he took her hand into his. Startled, she turned back to him.
“Listen, Sara-Kate, I don’t know what the hell is going on tonight. Do know that I am very grateful for your help.”
There was an intensity now in his dark eyes that wasn’t there earlier. His shock was wearing off.
“I’m glad that I could help.” She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before letting go. “Now, let me get that tea.”
As she stood in her quiet kitchen, Sara-Kate set the kettle to boil. Inside the microwave, two lavender infused wheat bags were heating. She used the time to further consider her predicament. Upstairs was a man who didn’t know he was dead. Once again, she felt a certain anger for the Fates putting her in this predicament. What had she done to upset them? What hadn’t she done? And just how would she tell Reed he died and was a living spirit, as she was? Or would he soon figure it out on his own, and if so, how would he react?
So many questions, and no answers.
She removed a china cup and saucer from a cupboard and popped in a blackberry and lemon tea sachet.
Spirit life was a certain kind of duality. Sure, you stayed young and beautiful, and humans were attracted to you like a bee to the intoxicating nectar of a flower in bloom, and they never noticed you didn’t age. You experienced the usual bumps and bruises, the occasional headache, but never any serious physical illness.
On the downside, you couldn’t allow yourself to become too deeply involved with any human. Not only because they would age and die in time, but there were rules in the spirit world against spirits and humans sharing any type of physical or romantic relationships. The lack of a physical connection to another person, even though they were human, often brought about bouts of intense sadness, sometimes bridging on anger. Spirits weren’t immune to emotional heartache or loneliness.
Sad
ly, someday Reed would understand this as well as she did.
With a deep sigh, Sara-Kate poured boiling water into the cup, and gently swirled the fragrant sachet with the back of a spoon. A feeling a calmness swept away the confusion in her mind. Scent had such an incredible way of soothing her. It was how she first got the idea to start a botanical candle, soap and sachet business. Others obviously thought the same, because she couldn’t keep her creations in stock.
She did have a bit of secret. Each of her lovely creations was bestowed with a dash of love and healing. With that thought, she placed her open palm above the steaming tea, and let her love and healing gifts flow from her fingertips into the cup. Afterwards, with a smile of satisfaction, she dropped an ice cube into the cup to cool the liquid within.
She removed the piping hot wheat bags from the microwave. She placed them alongside the tea cup and saucer onto a pretty tray with a linen napkin, and carefully carried it up the stairs to the guest room where Reed was now sitting up in bed.
Once again, she tried, and failed, to avert her eyes from the dark hair that covered his bare chest, and pushed down the yearning to run her fingers through his silky hair.
She forced herself to look away, and placed the tray on the bedside table. “Here you go, Reed.” She lifted a wheat bag into each hand. “These will warm you up.” She slid one bag under the covers near his feet, and the other near the side of his body. “I’ve got a nice cup of tea for you to drink, and then you can try to get some sleep.”
When she turned back to him, a perplexed look covered his pale features. Was he already figuring out that all was not the same with him any longer? She thought she would have time to prepare for this moment, and the possible onslaught of emotions from Reed that might follow.
“What is it, Reed?” she asked, as she sat on the edge of the bed.
“I’m still trying to figure out what happened to me tonight, and how I ended up here.”
A small sense of relief filled her. He didn’t know...not yet. She had a bit of reprieve.
“Well, why don’t you tell me what you do know, and what you remember?”
After a moment of silence, he spoke. “I was on my way to Breezetown. I booked a room at a bed and breakfast...to get it away from everything for a few weeks. No phone, no television, no internet access. I wanted to focus on my writing in total solitude. I planned to write everything long handed as well.”
“You’re a writer?” She lifted the tea cup into her hand, and held it to his lips.
He paused to take a sip of the dark liquid. “Yes, mysteries and such. Lately, I’ve felt so...disconnected, disillusioned even, with everything and everyone.”
Little did he realize that the Fates were already preparing him for some time for a new life, she thought silently.
“Well, this is Fallen Oak. I don’t know where Breezetown is located.”
He shook his head. “I think I fell asleep behind the wheel, which is so unlike me. I’m usually so careful. I never take even a sip of alcohol before getting behind the wheel. I would never even consider taking a call, let alone texting while I’m driving, like I see so many other people doing. Yet it’s me who falls asleep, and crashes my rental car.”
No, the Fates took the wheel.
This thought she did not share.
“It happens, Reed. Accidents happen. You’re here now, and you are fine.”
He squinted at the bedside clock.
“Wow, it’s so late. I guess I’ve lost my deposit now at the bed and breakfast. Oh, and the rental car.” He paused and shook his head. “They’re certainly not going to be pleased with how it’s going to be returned.”
“Probably not, but isn’t that what insurance is for?” she asked.
His eyes connected with hers. “You’re so lovely...so kind...so beautiful.” He pressed his lips together momentarily. “I’m sorry, I just can’t stop myself from saying that. Please forgive me if I’ve offended you.”
She let out a soft chuckle. “Why should I be offended by your complimenting me? I shall say, thank you, Reed.”
His eyes continued to hold hers, and a delightful bolt of energy zinged through her. Did Reed feel it as well? There was definitely something special, and undefinable happening between them. Was it just the coming together of two of a kind? Or was it something more? What she did know was that it needed to cease. Right now. She was already way more involved than she ever wanted to be.
“So, is there anything else I can get you, Reed? Do for you?”
His gaze on her face remained unchanged.
“Can you make a few phone calls in the morning? I don’t know if I’ll be up to doing it myself.”
“Sure, but what about your family?” She held her breath and wait for his response. What if had a wife and children he loved? It would add an extra dimension to his grief when he discovered his fate, and the fact he would never see them again. She understood that grief too well.
“No, I’ve been flying solo for most of my life. I don’t have any living relatives. Maybe an aunt and uncle, a cousin here or there, but we don’t keep in touch.”
So they were alike in that way.
“If you could get my wallet out, and call the rental company about the car, and the bed and breakfast? Maybe I can still make it there later on. After all, I can’t expect you to continue your hospitality. I’m sure you want this stranger out of your hair as soon as possible.”
In that moment, she knew she needed to try to keep him there...for his own good. But she couldn’t hold him captive if he wanted to go, and find his own way. Still, she knew what he would find outside the confines of her home would not be what he expected. No one would know him, it would be as if he never existed. His life, what he knew, was done now. Nothing would ever be the same for either one of them.
With that somber thought, Sara-Kate stood up and calmed the light. “I will take care of everything, Reed.” She said the words, but she knew that no one would be looking for him. He was on a different plane of existence, another dimension. Her dimension. In the morning, she would try to do some investigating of her own. “You sleep now, and don’t worry about anything.”
With that, she left the room without another word, and closed the door behind her.
Retreating to her bedroom, she closed the door and climbed into her bed. She was so tired now, but as she lay staring into the darkness above her, sleep would not come. Her troubled mind tormented her with thoughts of what might happen to Reed. What would become of him when he found out the truth?
As dawn began to break, and sunlight crept under the window blinds, Sara-Kate still found herself awake, and very aware of Reed. She could swear he was drawing her to him. She sat up, and got out of bed. She needed to check on him, just to make sure he was okay, and not because she wanted to be near him. But she knew that was a lie.
She tiptoed from her bedroom, and down the hallway. She gently eased the door to the guest bedroom open, and peeked inside. The dawn cast a dim light over the room, and she could see Reed’s dark eyes open.
“Reed, are you still awake?” she asked in a whisper.
“I just had the nightmare of my life.”
She quickly went to his bedside. “What happened?”
“I was in the car, and it was smoking. I could smell the burning oil, and a copper smell in the air...” He stopped and looked directly at her. “And you floated in the car, and put your hand on my forehead. I told you that I didn’t want to die, and you told me it was better if I let go.”
Her heart panged inside her chest, and she placed her hand over her heart. He was reliving his own death, just a few hours earlier. What was she supposed to say now?
She sat on the edge of the bed, and took his hand. “It’s over now, Reed. Just relax and sleep. Things will be better,” she assured.
“I don’t think anything will ever be the same for me, Sara. Something happened last night, something indefinable.” He then admitted, “I’m afraid.”
She pressed a kiss into his palm, and held his hand against her cheek. “There’s nothing to fear, Reed. You are here with me, and nothing bad will happen, I know that.”
“How can you be sure of that?”
Even in the dim light, she could see the uncertainty in his expression.
“Because I know these things. And right now is not the time to question. It is time to rest.”
“I can’t sleep. I don’t think I’ll ever sleep again,” he stated.
“You’ll sleep, Reed. Just close your eyes, and think a wonderful thought.”
She turned on a smile, and started to stand, but he held firm to her hand.
“Sara, please. Say you’ll stay with me, even if it’s just for a little while. I don’t want to be alone. I know I’ll go out of my mind.”
There was such a need in his voice. How could she refuse? If she got under the covers and held him for just a little while, it would comfort him. But the thought of his naked body against hers. It was asking a lot. He was still a stranger to her, and he was like her! Getting too close to him could break her heart, and she already had experienced too much heartbreak.
Still, she found herself agreeing. “Okay, Reed, just for a little while.”
She walked around to the opposite side of the bed, and slipped under the covers feeling all the jitters of a nervous virgin bride. This wasn’t sexual, she reminded herself, and she held out her arms to him. This was healing.
He slipped into her warm, open embrace. Her lips found his forehead, and lingered there while her finger tips stroked his chin, and imparted all the healing power she had within her to him.
“I don’t understand how it is possible, Sara-Kate?”
“What is that?”
“That we only met a short time ago, but I feel like I know you. That we’re somehow connected.”
This wasn’t some put on, she knew. He wasn’t trying to win her over for a quick romp under the blankets. He truly was puzzled.
Sara-Kate's Spirit Page 2