Jeremy answered.
“Hey, is Gabby asleep yet?”
“No, your mother took her out this evening and just dropped her off. I think Gabby OD’d on sweet tea.”
“She knows I don’t let her have sugar this late.”
“Hey, Mom!” Gabby’s voice was vibrant and high-strung.
Riley sat down on the teak bench. “How is my angel girl?”
“I’m great, Mom! Me and Amanda went and had shrimp and grits at Poogan’s Porch, and then Mimi picked me up and we went over to see Granddaddy at the men’s club, where they were smoking cigars and all those things old men like Granddaddy do, and then Mimi brought me back here to Daddy.”
“You had a lot of sweet tea, huh?”
“Mimi said it was the Southern lady’s drink. And you know I want to be a Southern lady, Mommy.”
Riley laughed. “Yes, I’m sure you do.”
“She said she was going to send me to finishing school, but I told her I didn’t need finishing. That you said I was fine just the way I was.”
Riley chuckled again. “And what did she say to that?”
“She said, every Southern girl has a few rough edges. I have no idea what she was talking about, so I said, ‘Okay’ ’cause you’ve always told me to be polite.”
Riley laughed, but she could tell Gabby was squirming. “Well, that was a good girl. Are you enjoying your time with Daddy?”
“Yeah, we’ve had a great time.” She paused. “But I sure wish you were here too, Mommy.”
Riley felt the lump rise. “I know. Me too. But if all goes well with this storm, Daddy can bring you home Saturday and we’ll have Sunday all to ourselves.”
“That sounds great! But, Mommy . . .”
Riley steadied herself for more of her old-soul six-year-old.
“I’ve really got to go pee.”
Riley laughed. “Well, go, go. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Love you, Mommy!” The line went dead.
Riley leaned against the small back of the teak bench and stuck her phone in her pocket. A warm breeze swept through the open spaces and fluttered over her. She pulled her arms around her chest and leaned her head back. “Thank You,” she whispered to heaven. “Whatever You did to Laine or for Laine, thank You.”
She was certain heaven responded. Yes, she was absolutely certain.
14
Wednesday morning . . .
“Looks like a storm is headed our way, Miss Riley,” Bart said as he greeted Riley on her arrival.
“So it’s certain?”
“It got upgraded to a hurricane overnight. Weatherman says if it keeps its projected path, it should be here by Saturday afternoon.”
“Well, we will just get everyone here, have a great concert Thursday night, and fly them out as soon as we can.” Riley patted him as she headed to her office.
Mia stood behind the counter, a Starbucks cup next to her as she rapidly thumbed through papers. She looked up, slightly startled. “Good morning, Riley.”
“Good morning. What you got there?”
“Oh, well . . .” She looked down oddly at the papers in her hand. “Just confirmations for our VIPs coming in tomorrow for the concert tomorrow evening.”
“Oh, good. Put them on my desk so I can go over them. That isn’t something we can allow anything to go wrong with.” Riley turned and started toward her office, Laine’s words reverberating in her head.
“So everything went okay with your conversation with Max?” Mia asked as she followed her to the door.
Riley set her briefcase and purse down beside her desk and looked at Mia. She studied her to see if there was any reflection of Laine’s concern. She saw nothing. And why would she? This woman had done her job perfectly since she had arrived. “It went well. Laine called him and sang my praises. He has no idea, so it looks like we will get to work together a little longer.” A smile spread across her face as she considered the absurdity of it all.
“Well . . . that’s wonderful!” Mia said, clapping her hands together animatedly. “I knew you’d be okay. You’re great at this. Absolutely great.”
Riley sat down in her chair, scooted up to her desk, and looked at Mia again. “Thank you. And thank you for yesterday. You know, just for listening. I needed that. A place where I could share what was going on inside of me.”
“We all do, Riley. Glad I could be there.”
“Oh, and our tropical storm has become a hurricane. Not sure yet whether we’ll be in its path, but we’ll need to make sure that we have all our procedures in order to take care of our guests.”
“Oh, I know. Do you think many of them will be flying out?”
“Yes. We’ll probably be bombarded today and tomorrow. But a few will wait to see what category they are qualifying it as.”
“I heard this morning it could be a three or greater.”
Riley shook her head. She obviously needed to watch the news more. “That big?”
“Yes, it sounds pretty daunting.”
“Then, yeah, we may see some leave today, but the majority will probably head out tomorrow.” This was an entirely different beast. The concierge and her office would be swamped with flight changes, questions about refunds, and panicked guests. Sadly, Charleston and its turbulent waters had prepared her for times like these.
“Well, I’ll keep you updated on who is staying, and we’ll make sure all goes well. Let me know if there is anything else.”
“Thank you again.”
Mia closed the door, and Riley leaned her head back against the leather headrest of her chair. Laine wasn’t as good at reading people as she thought. Mia was a really sweet young woman, a great asset to the team, and might end up being a really good friend to Riley long after Laine was gone.
* * *
Riley walked into Mosaic. A stone and glass water wall stood behind the hostess stand like an ocean wave, lit by a blue agate pool below it. Water was everywhere at The Cove, but here it was mixed with modern touches of polished chrome, wenge wood, and limestone, and its light followed the same pattern of storytelling as the rest of The Cove.
Riley took a booth and waited. Just like she had yesterday.
“I told you not to be here,” Laine spouted as she climbed into the other side of the booth and laid her Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses on the edge of the table.
“You don’t like to eat alone, remember?”
Laine smiled. “No, I don’t. So thanks. I haven’t heard from those other two this morning and I was starving. Last night about did me in.”
“Not used to crying on women’s shoulders?” Riley chuckled.
“Not used to crying.”
They walked over to the buffet, and each took a plate from the silver, tiered plate holder. “Did you talk to Mitchell?”
Laine took a slice of watermelon and ignored her.
“Laine,” Riley persisted.
She shook her head. “He’s never home on Tuesday nights. It’s his standing night out with the boys. I’m going to call him tonight. I promise. I’m going to talk to him tonight.”
“You promise.”
“Okay, just because I cried on your shoulder doesn’t mean you can turn into my mother. Plus, I’m still the boss of you for the next three days.” She waited for a crepe to be placed on her plate.
Riley put some mango on the side of her plate. “First of all, I’m too young to be your mother. Little sister, maybe.”
“Little sister, my—”
Riley laughed. “Secondly, you are not, nor have you ever been, the boss of me.”
Laine simply turned and gave her one of those up-and-down looks and puffs of air. Maybe the devil used to wear Prada, but he had officially switched to Dolce & Gabbana.
Their water glasses were filled and orange juice was waiting at their table when they sat down. Their plates were stacked with the best food the Bahamas had to offer. As soon as she picked up her fork, Riley’s phone vibrated on her side. It was a hotel number. �
��Hello.”
“Riley, it’s Christian.”
Riley felt her heart sputter slightly. “Oh, hey. Everything okay?”
“Just wanted you to know that we are definitely in the path of this storm.”
“It’s him, isn’t it?” Laine mouthed.
Riley raised her right eyebrow as she talked. “Didn’t know it was certain.”
“Yeah, so corporate has scheduled a meeting early evening for us to go over procedures.”
“What time?”
Before she knew it, Laine had reached out and jerked the phone from her hand. “Yes, she will have dinner with you tonight. I will not be needing her services. So I will make sure she is there. What time would you like her to be there?”
Riley grabbed for the phone.
Laine wouldn’t let go. “Oh, there’s a meeting tonight. Okay, well, take her out after that.”
Riley reached for the phone and snatched it back. “Excuse me for that, Christian.” She bugged her eyes out at Laine, who stuck a big bite of pineapple in her mouth and grinned from ear to ear.
Christian laughed. “Not a replay of the other night?”
“No, no. So what time is the meeting?”
“It’s at 5:30 in the Poseidon Room at the conference center. And then I’ll take you to a great little place off the island that I know you’ll love.”
“Oh, Christian, I . . .”
Laine scooted to the edge of the booth as if she were coming over to snatch the phone away again.
Riley changed her tune suddenly. “I’d love to. That sounds wonderful.”
“Great! I’ll see you tonight. Looking forward to it.”
“Me too. Yes, it will be nice.” She closed her phone and put it back on her hip. “I can’t believe you.”
“I can’t believe you. What in the world is wrong with you? This amazing man is apparently crazy for you and you keep brushing him off like dander on a suit coat.”
“Horrible metaphor for a writer.”
“Don’t be snide.”
Riley leaned back in the booth. “I don’t know why I keep brushing him off. Honestly, I really like him. He is so ridiculously nice and charming . . .” She smiled involuntarily.
“And gorgeous.”
Riley laughed. “Yes, he’s gorgeous.”
“So what is it?” Laine leaned against the leather seat and crossed her arms. “What is it really, Riley?”
Riley took in a deep breath. “I just don’t think I’m ready.”
“Ready, schmeady.” Laine’s words stopped abruptly. Riley watched as a flash of recognition of some kind swept over her face. “Oh, my word.” Laine leaned into the table and placed her elbows on top of the dark wood. “Here you are preaching to me, and you are just like me. You haven’t forgiven yourself either. Everything I was telling you last night, you are. Living in perpetual regret. Refusing yourself happiness. Like you don’t deserve it or something. Oh, my word! You are me!” she announced with laughter as if it were the best discovery she’d made in years.
“I’ve completely forgiven myself.”
“Hogwash.” Laine slapped her hand over her mouth. “Oh, my word, now I’m Winnie.” Her words were muffled through her fingers. She dropped her hand. “We’ve spent so much time together, we’re becoming each other.”
Riley shook her head. “I’ll believe it when you give up your mourning.”
“This isn’t about my attire. This is about you. And you have not ever forgiven yourself.” Laine leaned back again, her body softening. “Tell me what happened, Riley. I know Winnie’s story. I’m pretty certain I know Tamyra’s even though she won’t give up any of it. And I know your brief outbursts. But I want to know your story. Your whole story. What happened?”
Riley felt a surge of emotion start somewhere near her gut. The fork shook in her hand. She set it down quickly on the edge of her plate. The memories were fast and fluid. Her chest began to rise and fall more rapidly. Laine reached across the table and grabbed her hands. “It’s okay. I promise. I will not make you a character in my next book.”
A laugh bubbled up and broke through her lips; tears followed right behind. Riley removed her hands from under Laine’s and swiped at them. “You’re crazy.” She leaned against the smooth padded leather booth and took in a deep breath. She had recounted this story to Mia yesterday through her torrent of tears that were laced with anger at Laine. But these tears were different. Laine had pegged her and she knew it.
“It was a beautiful summer afternoon. Gabby and I were coming home from the grocery store to get dinner ready. I had just pulled into our neighborhood. The speed limit was only twenty miles an hour because of all the children. Gabby was two, and since having her, I did everything differently. Drove slower. Ate better. Far more cautious about everything in life. But I never saw him. He apparently darted out from behind the front of a car that was parked on the side of the street. He was chasing a ball. I thought I had just run over something in the road until I looked and saw the horror on his mother’s face. She had watched me run over her son.
“She was screaming wildly by the time I could get out of the car. I ran over to where she was.” The stinging from hot tears burned at the top of her nose. “He was still breathing in her arms, though the tire had gone right over his little body. The rest is a blur. We called 911. Neighbors came out from everywhere. The ambulance got there and rushed him to the hospital, and that was when I fell completely apart.”
She dabbed at her face with her napkin.
“My neighbors got me home and Jeremy was there in just a few moments. I don’t even know who called him. Then one of my neighbors took Gabby until my mother could get her. I pulled myself together enough for Jeremy and I to get to the hospital. But the baby was pronounced dead two hours later.” She twirled her napkin mindlessly in her fingers. “It was all downhill from there. I couldn’t get it out of my mind. The feeling of his little body underneath the car, the look on Janet’s face.”
“Did you and she ever talk?”
“Yes, she and her husband were precious. I couldn’t get out of bed for days. Didn’t go to the funeral. Couldn’t take care of Gabby. About a week after the accident, both Janet and her husband, Craig, came over to see me. They told me that they forgave me. That they knew it was an accident and that I had in no way been careless. And the four of us just sat in our family room and wept. It was the most horrible—and most precious—moment of the entire journey.”
“Why wasn’t that enough?”
Riley looked at Laine, her head moving slowly from side to side. “I just couldn’t make it quit playing in my mind. Then it became all the what-ifs. ‘What if it had been Gabby?’ ‘What if I was that mother?’ ‘What if I really was speeding?’ Every night it plagued me. I couldn’t sleep. I had no appetite. And the only way I could shut down my mind was to drink. Crazy, because I had never been a real drinker. Would rather have calories in a glass of sweet tea than in a glass of wine.”
“Were you drinking wine?”
“At first. But Jeremy put an end to that really quick. So I went to vodka. I would hide it in the house. That’s when you know you’re in bad shape, when you begin to hide it.”
“Did he find it?”
Riley smiled softly at Laine’s compassion. It was on her face. It was in her voice. “Oh yeah, he found it. One day he came home and I was so drunk. And it was just Gabby and I there. Here I was trying to drink away the torment of thinking that it could have been my baby that died, and I’m putting her in danger anyway. It was crazy. And that was his final straw. He told me I couldn’t live there anymore if I was going to drink. That he would take me anywhere. Get me any help I needed.”
“Did you go?”
“Yes, I went. For two weeks. And then got kicked out for getting drunk. I just couldn’t stop the scene in my head. It tormented me.”
Laine leaned across the table. “I’m so sorry, Riley.”
“Me too. Jeremy wouldn’t let me come back
home, so I moved in with my parents.”
“How long were you there?”
“Two months. My parents tried everything. My mother had the ladies from her church come over and do an intervention. My dad tried to talk me through it. But they kicked me out when my mom came home one day and found me stealing from her. Here my parents are, some of Charleston’s premier citizens, and I, their once-respected daughter, was now crashing on friends’ sofas.”
“Did you ever try AA?”
“Yes. My dad took me to AA himself. Sat right there in the meetings with me for a month. But I didn’t want any part of it. The lowest point came one night when I was in this run-down hotel off of King Street in Charleston, and I walked out into the street with nothing on but a T-shirt and my underwear. It’s pouring down rain and I beg God for someone to hit me. Run me over. I wanted to end the pain the way it had all begun.”
Laine wiped at the tears that were falling down her cheeks.
Riley laughed softly. “The manager of the hotel ran out into the street and told me I could get back inside, that there wasn’t any of that happening while he was on duty.”
“What got you sober?”
“Reality. One day my dad came and picked me up at the hotel. He had someone keeping tabs on me most of the time. He took me out to a restaurant to feed me and told me that Jeremy had filed for divorce. That it wasn’t because he didn’t love me, but he needed to protect Gabby, and that he and my mother had encouraged it.”
“That must have devastated you.”
“It was the best thing that happened to me, honestly. When he dropped me back off, all I wanted was a drink. I walked down the street and heard this loud music. I thought there must be a bar nearby, so I kept following the sound. But when I got closer, it was a black church with the doors swung wide open and music pouring out. I was drawn inside like a praying mantis draws its prey. I sneaked into the back row and started crying. At the end of the service everyone had left, but I couldn’t move. That was when my old nanny Josalyn found me. It was her church. Of all the churches in Charleston, I had walked right into hers. She had been our nanny for years and years. She had retired just a few years earlier and had been kept up by my family about what was going on with me. I was curled up on the pew like a baby when she got to me. She said two words: ‘You ready?’ I knew exactly what she meant.”
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