Frankie, including the bar. It wasn’t much now since the fire had torched it to the ground, but Frankie
was determined to rebuild it.
“It’s what Rees would have wanted,” he stubbornly insisted, and Snod couldn’t have agreed more.
A brand-new bar was constructed, Frankie using the money from the insurance claim as well as some
of his own to make it even more grand than before.
The sound system was top of the line, sparing no expense to ensure they had the very best. He took
special care to make sure it was still a very casual and comfortable atmosphere, picking out elegant
wooden tables and plush chairs, but nothing too snooty.
Rees wouldn’t have liked that, Frankie would say, smiling sadly to himself.
Snod was the one who suggested they change the name and picked out the photograph to hang by the
front door. It was the man himself, Rees Everhart, and the bar was no longer Cheap Trills.
It was Everhart’s.
The grand opening was a fantastic affair, Frankie working the front and Snod taking his place back in
the kitchen. He used the menu that he and Rees had originally designed, surprised how easy it was to
cook by smell alone. He realized that he did miss food, missed tasting it, but he still enjoyed
preparing it all the same.
He and Frankie shared a bottle of the special reserve blood to properly join in the festive drinking,
everyone partying long into the night. As the alcohol flowed, there were many tears as everyone
began to share their favorite stories of Rees.
Mandy had several particularly hilarious ones, as did Frankie, and the tears were soon mixed in with
joyous laughter. The energy was warm and bittersweet, and that was when Snod finally understood
what he was missing.
He knew he missed Rees, and he knew that he should be moved by everyone’s sweet reminiscing. He
should feel inclined to shed a tear or two, especially when he could feel how much Frankie mourned
Rees’ loss through the bond.
But he felt nothing.
This group of people, friends, co-workers, and clients were all coming together for a singular
purpose. The love they all had for Rees was palpable and infectious, and yet Snod was entirely
immune. He could see it, sense it, but he couldn’t share in it.
He felt... cold.
