Lowcountry Stranger

by Ashley Farley

  “That sounds like the logical plan. In the meantime, I would keep a close eye on the situation. If anything comes up that you think I should know about, do not hesitate to email or text me.” Moses stood and Faith followed his lead.

  “A big part of me wants to approve of this kid, while a much smaller part is warning me to be wary of her. I can’t put my finger on it. I guess time will tell.”

  Moses was reaching for the doorknob, when Alice burst in. “I just received a message from Jamie,” she said, waving a pink slip of paper. “He needs you to call him right away. There’s been some kind of hostage situation down at the bank.”

  Moses took the slip from his receptionist. “Thank you, Alice.” He glanced at his watch. “I know it’s almost time for you to go home. We’ll be out in a minute, if you don’t mind keeping an eye on our little friend.”

  “Of course,” she said, and closed the door behind her on the way out.

  Faith rummaged in her bag for her phone, which she’d kept on silent during their meeting. She skimmed the stream of texts from Jamie, and with alarm mounting in her voice reported the crisis to Moses. “Gunmen are holding Eli hostage in the vault at the Bank of Prospect. He has a briefcase with a bomb in it handcuffed to his wrist. Jamie and Sam are on the scene, in Brad’s patrol car waiting for an update. The FBI agents have negotiated his release. The bomb squad determined the bomb to be a fake.”

  Moses went to his desk and removed his cell phone from the top drawer. “I’ve got a voice message here from Jamie,” he said, pressing the phone to his ear.

  “What did he say?” Faith asked when he hung up.

  “Jamie and Sam got into a terrible fight.” Placing his hand on the small of Faith’s back, he walked her to the door. “Jamie asked me to meet him at their house.” Moses flipped a switch and turned out the lights in his office.

  “I’m going with you.” Faith swooped her daughter up off the waiting room sofa where she’d been drinking her apple juice and reading a book to Dolly.

  They bypassed the elevator and raced down three flights of stairs to the lobby and out the front door to the parking lot. Moses followed Faith on the short drive through downtown, his supersize body crammed into his tiny sports car. When she turned right onto Dogwood Lane, she spotted Jamie walking down the street, his wet clothes plastered to his body. She pulled up beside him and rolled down the window. “You’re soaking wet. You’re gonna catch pneumonia. Get in.”

  He climbed in the front seat. “Mom has lost her mind,” he said, and slammed the heavy truck door shut.

  Eyeing her daughter through the rearview mirror, Faith was relieved to see Bitsy deep in conversation with her doll, oblivious to the drama taking place around her. She was usually beyond herself with excitement in Jamie’s presence, but she was exhausted after spending the morning with Annie and her session with Moses.

  Holding her finger to her lips, Faith whispered to Jamie, “How is Eli?”

  Jamie nodded and lowered his voice. “He’s alive—that’s the most important thing. He asked me about Mom, and I couldn’t lie to him. I told him she’d been there, but that she’d left when we found out he was safe. I could tell he was crushed that she didn’t stay around long enough to congratulate him on not getting killed. He had a briefcase containing what he thought was a live bomb attached to his wrist, for crying out loud. What the heck is wrong with her?”

  Sam’s Jeep was in the driveway, but she wasn’t in the back part of the house, at least not in the kitchen or sitting room. “She’s probably in her bedroom,” Jamie said, and went to the front of the house to check. He returned almost immediately. “Yep. She’s in there with the door locked. She told me to go away, which is fine by me because I have nothing to say to her anyway.”

  Moses shot Jamie a warning look. “I know this is hard on you, Jamie, but remember that she’s your mother. She’s hurting, and we all need to support her.”

  “I’m sorry, Mo. But I’m so angry with her, I can’t even be in the same room with her right now.”

  Moses squeezed Jamie’s shoulder. “She got pretty angry with you at times last summer, when you were going through your crisis, but she never gave up on you.”

  Jamie hung his head, and shuffled his feet. “I know. You’re right.”

  Bitsy tugged on Faith’s skirt. “I’m hungry, Mama. Can I have something to eat?”

  “Sure, baby.” She hoisted her daughter onto a bar stool. “Maybe Jamie will fix you a peanut butter sandwich while I go talk to Aunt Sam.” She winked at Jamie who was already reaching for the jar of peanut butter.

  Faith knocked lightly on her sister’s door. “Sam, honey. It’s Faith. Can I come in? I want to hear about what happened today at the bank.”

  “Go away, Faith. Jamie can tell you whatever you want to know.” Sam’s voice sounded muffled and hoarse, like she’d been crying.

  “I can’t imagine what you went through, waiting in the patrol car like you did. You must have been scared out of your mind.” Faith twisted the doorknob, but of course it was locked. “Please let me in so we can talk about it.”

  “In case you haven’t heard, Eli and I broke up.” Sam sounded clearer and closer, as though she’d moved from the bed across the room and was now standing on the other side of the door. “His safety is no longer my concern.”

  “Whether you and Eli are still together or not, you cared about him a great deal. The two of you were together for almost a year. You can’t just turn your feelings off with the flip of a switch.”

  “Go home, Faith!” Sam said, her voice now hostile. “To your perfect husband and beautiful new house.”

  Faith hesitated, unsure of whether she should push her sister or leave her be. “Fine, I’ll give you your space. But I hope you know you can call me anytime day or night if you need to talk.”

  When she returned to the kitchen, she saw Jamie and Moses rummaging through the trash can. “What are y’all looking for?”

  “This,” Jamie said, holding up a brown paper bag.

  Faith eyed the bag. “Looks to me like an ordinary brown paper bag like the ones we use at the market.”

  Jamie pulled a white slip of paper from the bag. “This particular bag contains a receipt from the ABC store.” He placed the receipt on the kitchen counter and pointed at the printing. “Says right here, one pint of Absolut Vodka.”

  Faith dropped to the bar stool beside her daughter. “So that’s why she won’t let anyone in her room.”

  Moses rubbed his temples. “However strange this may sound, I’m encouraged she only bought a pint.”

  “I don’t understand my mom at all.” Jamie crumpled up the bag and tossed it back into the trash can. “She and Eli are perfect for one another. She’s told me so herself more than once. If she knows he’s the right one, why won’t she just marry him? What purpose does breaking up with him serve?”

  Moses sat down at the island next to Bitsy. “My gut tells me there is something else going on here, aside from her fear of commitment. I’ll talk to her, but not until she calms down.”

  “She’ll be drunk by then,” Jamie said under his breath.

  “I’ve got to get this kiddo home,” Faith said when she noticed Bitsy fighting off sleep. She lifted the child off the bar stool, and Bitsy wrapped her arms and legs around her mother. “Mike should be home from the hospital soon. I can come back once I get this little one settled.”

  Moses waved her on. “Go home to your family. I’ll stay here as long as it takes.”

  Eleven

  Sam

  Sam blinked her eyes open, then quickly shut them again against the bright morning light streaming through her window. Her head ached and her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth. As the events of the previous day came flooding back, a wave of nausea overcame her and she ran to the bathroom, emptying her stomach of its meager contents. She lay down beside the toilet, relishing the feel of the cold tile against her face.

  If I’m so sure that breaking up
with Eli is the right thing to do, why does it hurt so much?

  She allowed herself a few minutes of remorse before forcing herself to get up. Not only did she need to be at work on time, she couldn’t let anyone in her family suspect her of having a hangover. Unable to look at herself, she avoided the mirror as she brushed her teeth and splashed water on her face. Removing her robe from the back of the door, she returned to her room where she slipped the evidence of last night’s pity party into her pocket to dispose of in the kitchen trash can.

  She was taking a shortcut through the sitting room on the way to the kitchen when she stumbled over Moses’s ginormous stockinged feet, hanging off the end of the sofa. He bolted upright and she stumbled backward.

  “Good grief, Moses, you scared me to death,” she said, her heart pounding her ribcage. “Did you sleep here all night?”

  Dazed, he looked around the room. “It appears so, yes. I must have drifted off to sleep.”

  “What on earth are you doing here? Did something happen to Jamie?”

  “Jamie’s fine. I’m here because of you.” He sat back against the sofa cushions, his giant paw rubbing his face. “You shut us all out. We were worried about you.”

  Dread settled over Sam like a dense fog. “Who is we?” She remembered Jamie and Faith coming to her door, begging to come in. But everything after that was blurry. Understandably so considering the amount of vodka she’d consumed. Jamie must have called Moses. Did he call Lovie and Jackie as well? The image of Eli pounding on her door made her stomach lurch, and she worried she might vomit again.

  “Jamie, Faith, and me.”

  Her body relaxed with relief. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “You can start by talking to me about what’s troubling you.”

  “Can I have some coffee first?” she asked, already moving toward the kitchen.

  “Of course. I could use some caffeine myself.” Moses heaved himself up off the sofa.

  He removed the cream from the refrigerator and located the sugar while Sam brewed the coffee. They sat down side by side at the kitchen island.

  “I believe we’ve done this a time or two before,” he said, referring to the early mornings they’d spent together last summer, sick with worry over Jamie’s depression.

  “And not so long ago.” She blew on her coffee. “You’re too good to us, Big Mo. And you don’t charge enough for house calls.”

  “I don’t charge anything for house calls.” He cocked his head to the side. “I reserve that VIP treatment for my special patients.”

  She cast him a sideways glance. “That’s not true, and you know it. You’re known for your dedication to each and every one of your patients.”

  “Regardless, today you have my undivided attention.”

  She removed the vodka bottle from her pocket and placed it on the island in front of him. “I’m sure you know by now that Eli and I broke up. Looks like I’m going to need a new sponsor.”

  Moses held the bottle up close to his face, inspecting the inch or so of vodka that remained. “You sure put a hurting on this pint.” He set the bottle back down. “Considering the circumstances, I agree with you. We need to find a sponsor for you right away. Like today. I have a couple of folks in mind. Would you prefer male or female?”

  “Female.”

  “Done. I’ll have someone call you by the end of the day. Do you want to talk about what’s going on between you and Eli?”

  Sam took a noisy slurp of her coffee, and then set her mug back down. “There’s not much to talk about. Eli was pressuring me into marrying him. I broke up with him, because I’m not ready to be joined at the hip with someone for the rest of my life. End of story.”

  “Just like that.” Moses snapped his fingers. “Did you even bother to negotiate?”

  “You make it sound like we were business partners instead of lovers.”

  “Which is sometimes a fine line. Every type of relationship requires give and take, hence negotiations.”

  “But there’s nothing to negotiate. I don’t want to get married. Not now, maybe never.”

  “You could try living together first.”

  “I’m surprised that you would suggest such a thing. What kind of message would that send my son?”

  “Come on, Sam. Jamie is nineteen years old. Next year he’ll be a sophomore in college. Believe me, he knows where babies come from. It has become the norm for people to live together for a few years before they get married. In fact, premarital cohabitation is having a positive impact on the divorce rate.

  “There are two different ways of looking at the situation, and in my book neither is wrong. You can continue to set a good example for your son by maintaining propriety in your relationship with Eli. Or, if you and Eli decide to try living together, you would send the message to Jamie that you’re a modern woman, making the most of your life in a not-so-perfect world.” Moses sat back on his bar stool and crossed his long legs. “You know as well as I do that Jamie would be thrilled if Eli moved in with you.”

  “Oh, so now Eli is moving in with me?” The coffee made her stomach churn, and she pushed her mug away. “This is my house, Moses. Mine and Jamie’s. It wouldn’t feel right for another man to live here.”

  Moses propped his elbows on the counter and planted his face in his hands. “You are one stubborn woman, Samantha Sweeney. I only suggested that Eli move in here because I’ve been to his apartment. He doesn’t have enough room for you to fit all your shoes.”

  “Humph. I think you have me confused with my sister. I have only four pairs of shoes, two of which are Top-Siders.”

  “And that’s exactly my point about the size of his apartment.” They sat in silence for a few minutes. “So maybe you look for somewhere new together. Would that be so bad? You’ve always wanted to live on the water.”

  “Look.” Sam placed her hands, palms down and fingers spread, on the counter. “This is not just about logistics. I’ve already talked about this with Eli. He can do better than me. I’m too old for him. He needs to find someone younger so he can start a family. Parenting your wife’s nineteen-year-old son is not the same as having your own child.”

  Moses’s intent gaze made Sam squirm. “Better, or younger? Sounds to me like you are saying two different things.”

  Sam shrugged.

  “Okay, first of all, let’s discuss the age difference. Eli is what, two years younger than you?”

  Sam looked away from him. “Something like that.”

  “Okay, so he’s forty-sevenish, which is not that much younger than you. Has he ever mentioned wanting to start a family?”

  Sam shook her head. “I just know he would make a good father.”

  Moses let out a sigh of frustration. “We’ve talked about this time and again. You can’t assume things are a certain way just because you believe them to be so. You are not in control of other peoples’ emotions. If Eli wanted to start a family, he would have gotten married and had a litter of kids by now.”

  “Maybe not, if he hasn’t found the right person.”

  “He found the right person, all right. He chose you, didn’t he?” Moses drained the last of his coffee. “As far as I’m concerned, there isn’t a better person for Eli. You are a good mother, provider, sister, friend. You are kind, caring, and loving. And you’re not too bad on the eyes either.”

  Sam’s cheeks burned.

  “I’ve counseled a lot of couples in my day, but I’ve rarely come across two people better suited for one another than you and Eli.” Moses got up and walked his empty mug to the sink. “Enough preaching for one day.” He went to Sam and pulled her to her feet. “You know I don’t normally talk so frank to my patients. But doggone it, Sam, someone needs to talk some sense into you before you make the biggest mistake of your life.”

  She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I appreciate your concern, Moses. I honestly do. And I promise I will think about everything you said.”

  Twelve


  Sam

  Sam dreaded facing her sister as much as she hated the awkward silence in the car on the way to work that morning. Jamie was so angry with her, he couldn’t bring himself to even look at her during the short drive. She resented the intrusion in her personal life, but they were her family and they loved her, just as she loved them. While she wanted to crawl under a boulder and block everything and everybody out, she knew her family wouldn’t leave her alone until they had some answers. She’d give them some answers. Just maybe not the ones they wanted.

  She walked into the market ready to face the firing squad. She’d prepared her defense, with supportive arguments ready for action. She only hoped Faith wouldn’t give her the one-eyebrow-cocked, I-know-you’re-not-telling-me-the-whole-story glare. Her sisters were one thing. Her mother another. Sam’s fish was fried if Lovie had somehow found out about her breakup with Eli and her subsequent relapse with the bottle.

  Sam went about her chores in the showroom—scrubbing and straightening and stocking—in preparation for the day ahead while Jamie retreated to the kitchen to help Roberto.

  Lovie arrived shortly before nine. “The story has been all over the news this morning—in the state paper and on national TV. Thank heavens the bomb was fake, but I can’t imagine what was going through that adorable man’s mind. You all must have been scared out of your wits. Lucky for you he came out of that bank in one piece. What kind of horrible people would do such a thing to such an innocent officer of the law? I hope they lock those men up and never let them out.”

  Faith came through the door a few minutes later. “We need to talk,” she said, and dragged Sam right back out into the parking lot.

  Sam leaned against the side of the building, the brick warm from the morning sun. “Look, Faith. Whatever you’re going to say, I’ve already heard it from Moses. And Jamie’s cold shoulder is almost more than I can bear. I get it. Y’all are not happy about my breakup with Eli. But this is not your decision to make. It’s mine.”