“Is there any news on Fiona?” Not only was Julia out of touch, she was barely holding it together.
“No, no updates… it’s all so crazy, but… what’s going on with you?” Erika’s tone and expression shifted to one of concern. “Is everything all right? You look an absolute wreck. Are you still feeling sick?” She took Julia by the arm and guided her to a cushioned chair at the breakfast nook.
Julia noticed Erika’s laptop open on the counter and caught a flash of a legal brief she was editing. So much for her pledge to turn it off on vacation. But Christian was a stark reminder that old habits die hard.
Julia’s jealousy over her friend’s renovation work now seemed trivial to her. All she wanted was a sober and honest husband, and to keep the run-down lake house that felt like a beloved family member.
“Do you want coffee?” Erika was already pouring Julia a cup, as well as another for herself. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”
There was no graceful way for Julia to bridge the gap between small talk and the deeper stuff. “Christian is drinking again,” she said morosely.
Erika set her mug down hard enough to splash coffee onto the countertop. Her eyes widened. “He’s what?”
“Yeah, I came back to the house yesterday after walking Nutmeg and found him totally sloshed at the kitchen table, pounding Maker’s Mark like it was Gatorade.”
“Jesus, I’m so sorry,” Erika breathed. “Where is he now?”
Julia pushed through the profound tightness in her throat. “Gone. I told him to sleep it off in the guest room and leave when he sobered up. He was driving away when I woke up.”
Julia needed a hug, which Erika provided intuitively. They might have kept a few secrets from each other, but this was what true friendship was all about. You could stain their favorite sweatshirt, breeze in and out of each other’s lives, but when the shit hit the fan, they’d be right there with you.
Erika asked, “Do you know why he started up again?”
Julia’s tears threaten to fall. She willed herself to stay composed. She wasn’t ready to come unglued just yet.
“You know we’ve been having financial problems,” she began. “But even I didn’t know how bad it was. Christian applied for a loan that didn’t come through. He was counting on it. I guess the stress put him over the edge.”
For a moment, Julia feared being judged for letting things get out of control, but instead she read true compassion in Erika’s eyes. Yet Julia couldn’t bring herself to reveal the biggest news of all: that she was in danger of losing the lake house. She didn’t know how she’d tell her parents, either. Even in her forties, she wanted to call her mother, cry on the phone, and lean on her for support. But some shame was too much to put into words, and saying it aloud would make it all too real.
Erika took hold of Julia’s hand.
“I should have seen this coming. We’ve been under so much strain with the business.”
Julia caught herself. This was Christian’s fault, not hers. She understood that life was full of risks. Terrible things happened all the time: tree limbs fell on unsuspecting motorists, ocean currents dragged swimmers out to sea, and a bad oyster could ruin a vacation. But when she said, “I do,” she didn’t expect her husband to turn into a walking tsunami.
Who did this man think he was?Fine if he wants to drive himself over the cliff, but he should at least stop the car and let his family out first.
“Do you need money?” asked Erika. “We’ve put a lot aside for college. We’re still hoping Lucas will use it, but Rick and I can help out a little.”
Julia squeezed her friend’s hand. “Oh my god, no. Thank you for offering, but this mess isn’t yours.” She fell quiet for a time. “I wonder where he got the Maker’s Mark. Do you think he keeps a secret stash?”
“The Liquor Outlet, probably.”
“Maybe, but I only left for a dog walk and that store is a good distance away. I don’t think he could have left and come back without my noticing,” said Julia.
Erika blanched. “I hope he didn’t snag it from us,” she said. “We’ve been keeping the liquor upstairs in the old playroom until Rick finishes the bar. I know we have one bottle of it. I remember seeing it when I was making the Lake Escape drinks. Do you want me to go look?”
Julia was up on her feet. “Do you mind if I do?” she asked. “If it turns out my husband was also sneaking booze out of your house, I want to be the first to know.”
Chapter 24
Izzy
Brody and Becca hover over me as I lie on the couch. They assess my injured ankle, which I’ve propped up with a stack of pillows. Their grave expressions suggest amputation might be in order.
“I think you need medicine,” Brody says.
He puts an empty Dixie cup to my lips and forces me to drink. I grimace, pretending it tastes as bitter as Grace’s herbal concoction that (surprise, surprise) continues to help with the swelling and pain. Even the bruise is far less purplish than yesterday, and my mobility has improved, though I limp when I walk without Grace’s crutch. I’m surprised how good it feels to be back with the twins. My time in the woods made me keenly aware how much I’d miss the people in my life, these two included.
