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“I’m sorry.” She let the words hang in the air between them. She didn’t want to overstep the boundaries here and have Joe clam up.
He lifted and dropped his shoulders. “Nothing to be sorry about—she chose drugs and alcohol, following in our father’s unsteady footsteps.”
“I know what that’s like. My brother was the same—never met an altered state he didn’t want to try.”
“He cleaned himself up?”
“Who knows? He must’ve cut back being around my father, because my father wouldn’t tolerate that behavior, but I find it hard to believe Win doesn’t indulge when he parties with the beautiful people in Manhattan.”
“Win?”
“Winslow Chandler Duvall.”
Joe snorted. “I’m sure Win and Jenny are going to very different parties to get their drink on.”
“Different parties, same outcome.”
He clinked the neck of his bottle with hers. “You seem to feel guilty about everything and everyone else—why not Win?”
“Why would I feel guilty about him? My brother has had every opportunity in the world and chose to squander those privileges.” She put her elbows on the counter and cupped her chin in one hand. “Do you feel guilty about Jenny?”
“Oh, yeah, and not just her.”
“Not the rest of your family? If they’re all helping out your mom, it sounds like they’re doing okay.”
“They’re doing great. One of my brothers is a software engineer, the other’s in law school, and my sister is a buyer for a big department store.”
As he listed the accomplishments of his siblings, Joe’s face almost glowed.
“You did that for them, didn’t you?”
“Me? Hell, no. They’re successful because they worked hard and stayed out of trouble.”
“And because they had a big brother setting an example for them. Keeping three out of four on the right path is something to be proud of. What happened to Jenny?”
Joe’s jaw tightened, and his eyes took on a dangerous glitter. “Fell in with the wrong crowd. People determined to see her fail.”
“Boyfriend?” Hailey swirled the liquid in her bottle and took another swig.
“My ex-wife.”
Hailey choked and the beer fizzed up her nose. She covered her mouth with her hand. “What?”
“My ex, Deirdre.”
“I—I didn’t know—didn’t realize you’d been married.”
“It was a long time ago. We dated in high school, and then before my first deployment, she got pregnant, so we got married.”
As Hailey’s world tilted sideways, she blinked. “You have a child?”
“Deirdre miscarried—and I wasn’t even there.”
“I’m sorry.” She stroked the back of his hand with her fingers.
“When I got home, she blamed me for not being there, but I heard from other people, including my sister, that she’d been drinking and partying.”
“Oh.” Hailey pressed a hand to her heart. “Is that what led to the divorce?”
“It didn’t help. It also didn’t help that she’d tricked me into the marriage by getting pregnant on purpose. Told me she was on the pill, but that was a lie.”
Hailey rubbed the back of her hand across her nose. Despite Deirdre’s misdeeds, Hailey couldn’t help but have a little pity for her. Once you had Joe McVie, how could you ever let him go?
“Wait—so is that why she targeted your sister? To get back at you?”
“I think so, not that Jenny needed much encouragement.” Joe finished off his beer and clicked the bottle onto the counter decisively. “I failed both of them.”
“You can’t seriously blame yourself for Jenny’s behavior.”
“I ended the marriage, and it led to a downward spiral for Deirdre.”
“Who wouldn’t end it? Her reckless actions probably caused the miscarriage, and it sounds like that spiral started before the marriage ended.”
“You take vows, you should make it work. I could’ve given it a try. She would’ve changed.”
“Ha!” Hailey tipped her head back and laughed at the ceiling. “That never happens. Ever.”
