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She yanked open the door just in time for Annabel to retch outside. She wiped her mouth and groaned. Scarlett helped her to her feet, and another groan slipped from her lips. Her eyes seemed to dart around without seeing much of anything, and that was when Elijah was able to put all the pieces together.
He charged toward them, stopping them from moving anywhere. He glowered at his sister. “Are youdrunk?”
She scowled back, but not after wincing first. “You’re a jerk, you know that?”
“Youaredrunk. I can’t believe this. What happened to you getting your chip the other day?”
Annabel’s dirty look was all it took for him to lose what little patience he had left. “Get in my truck. We’re going home.”
“No,” she bit out. “I’m not going anywhere with you. I’m staying here. You’re a traitor.”
He shot a surprised look at Scarlett, who looked completely lost. “You can’t stay here. You have to come home. What am I going to tell Wade?”
“Jack squat. You’re not going to tell him a single thing because this is your fault.”
His head reared back as Annabel stumbled forward and Scarlett attempted to help her stay on her feet. He watched them enter the house, the door slamming shut behind them. He couldn’t go inside, not with the rage that was building within him. All that work that Annabel had put into her recovery—wasted.
He raked his hands through his hair, tugging on it until his scalp stung. Back and forth, he charged until the door opened and Scarlett came out again. He stopped suddenly, not sure of what to say or what to ask.
“She’s sleeping now.”
That was fast.
Scarlett didn’t say anything else. She just heaved a sigh and moved over to a chair on the porch.
For reasons he wasn’t entirely sure of, his anger intensified. He marched up those steps and glowered at her. “I can’t believe you let her get drunk like that.”
Surprise pooled in her eyes. “I didn’t let her do anything, Elijah. She chose to drink all those mimosas on her own.”
“Yeah, but youtookher there.”
She shot to her feet and scowled right back. “And I had no idea that she’d been in recovery.”
“Well, you didn’t bother to ask, now did you?” His words were sharp and unyielding. Some small part of his brain tried to remind him to be gentler, that Scarlett didn’t have all the information, but the bigger, angrier side refused to deny that she’d been so stupid. Scarlett was one of the smartest people he knew. She had to have at least some clue.
Scarlett crossed her arms and lifted her chin. “We all have the agency to do what we want. Annabel chose to get drunk today, just like she’d chosen to do it before. None of this is my fault. But you know what? Ifanyof you had offered even a tiny amount of insight into this struggle, I would have never taken her there in the first place.”
They continued to glare at each other for what felt like an eternity.
She heaved a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. “You know what? I’ve got some more paperwork to do regarding the farm, and now I have to help your sister through whatever she’s dealing with. Maybe it would be best for you if you left.”
Finally, he threw his hands into the air and stormed off. If she couldn’t see where she’d gone wrong, she never would. He couldn’t force her to acknowledge that there were things addicts did that people should recognize, behaviors that were obvious.
He headed for the barn to finish off what he needed to do for the day and then he’d leave. Of course he’d have to let Wade know. Their brother was the one in charge of the family and he would want to make sure Annabel got back on track with her recovery. If this became a setback like the one that had triggered her last bender before she began her six years of sobriety, they were all going to be in trouble.
Wade had been a drinker, but he’d pulled himself out of it. Annabel hadn’t been so lucky. And she’d need all the support she could get. Unfortunately, that might mean that she needed to remove herself from Scarlett’s life.
* * *
Elijah hadn’t steppedfoot inside Scarlett’s house for a full week, not even for supper. He hadn’t spoken to her besides a few short sentences regarding Annabel’s welfare. Apparently, his sister didn’t want to come home due to some very personal text messages between herself and Wade.
He couldn’t blame her. Wade had been through the program, and he knew how to handle this particular situation, but he also knew his sister needed a firm hand at times, and right now, Annabel was incredibly vulnerable.
If there was one thing he was grateful for, it was that Scarlett had really stepped up to take care of her, again proving that Scarlett wasn’t the same woman she’d been when she’d first left for Germany.
Elijah was slowly realizing that he needed to do something to clear the air between them. While he knew he had every right to be upset about Scarlett leading Annabel into the lion’s den, he had to admit even to himself that he had maybe taken things a little too far.
He just couldn’t bring himself to call her, text her, or even knock on the door to have that conversation. For now, it was easier to just let Scarlett come to him when she wanted to give him an update.
