FELICIA IS TAKING A BREAKon the inn’s outdoor seating area—the place where we first met—when I find her the next morning. The breakfast crowd has cleared, and she’s having coffee and looking out at the water. The sea is rough today, and the waves make white caps as they roll across the surface. She glances up when I come onto the deck but turns back to her view.
Shit. She knows something is wrong.
“Hi.” I pull out a chair and sit at the table.
“You’re here to tell me that Sam isn’t coming in to work today.”
“Yes.”
“He’s already four hours late, so I figured. And he’s been a sloppy mess when he has been here.” Felicia takes a sip from her mug and carefully places it back on the saucer. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
I don’t want to lie to her, but I have to. “He’s not feeling well.”
For the first time, Felicia raises her voice at me. “Don’t bullshit me. Are you going to tell me he’s drinking?”
I run my hands through my hair. God, I hate what I’m about to do, but I do it anyway. “Yes.”
Sam drank to cover up his death tripping before, and then he drank after Toby died. But now? He hasn’t been drinking enough to make me worry. It is, however, the easiest excuse to use now.
Felicia focuses on the waves. “How bad is it?”
“He went on a bender.”
“Is it over?”
“Yes. Costa and I are cleaning him up. I swear to you that he’s going to be okay.”
She nods. “I don’t want him back here until then. He knows where I stand. His father and I went through hell with him last time, and we understood then. We were supportive and did everything we could. There was Toby and all…it was a nightmare. So, what’s going on now? Does this have to do with Costa?”
I don’t know how to answer this. “Maybe a little. It’s hard to say.”
“Does this have to do with you? Because I really like you, and I’d hate for that to change.”
I like that she’s so protective of Sam. My mother never was with me. “Sam and I are good. It’s not because of me.”
“Okay. How much time does he need?”
“At least a few weeks. He just needs to dry out and get his head back on straight.”
Felicia folds her napkin and sets it on the table. Then, she moves her chair back and faces me directly. “Sam hasn’t smelled of alcohol at all. Something else is going on here. However, I’m going to trust you and assume you have a very good reason for feeding me this story. Get a handle on whatever this is, and you tell me the second you’re in too deep. Fair enough?”
Apparently, I’m not the best liar. “Fair enough. Thank you.”
“Don’t fuck this up.” She stares at me, but then her face slowly softens to a hint of a smile. “Do you need anything, Stella?”
“I do have a favor.” I wait for her to nod. “I’d like to take Sam up to your family’s cabin. Get out of town for a bit with him and Costa. Would that be all right?”
“Sam and Costa agreed to this? They haven’t been there since…”
“I know. Since the accident. But they want to go.” This isn’t exactly true because I haven’t told them yet.
“You’d be taking my two best employees, not to mention my two favorite boys.” The wind blows her hair across her face, but she doesn’t move. “I’ll get you the keys and the address. I’m guessing that Sam is in no condition to direct you. Or to drive.”
I look down. “Something like that.”
“And we both know that Costa drives like a maniac and can’t be trusted to follow directions. So, here’s the deal. You’ll take our SUV, and only you are allowed behind the wheel. Sam’s truck has no backseat, and frankly, I don’t trust the cars you and Costa have.”
“Thank you. For everything.”
