Her Best Men

“Okay. Well, I gotta go relieve Katie from the desk. She’s got three hours of trainin’ ahead of her, and we got snoopin’ to do.”

“Sounds good to me. I’ll be in my office in case ya need me. Maybe Wyatt would like a free dinner tonight or somethin’,” he said.

“And Dylan’s always relaxed over beers. Maybe I’ll take him out,” I said.

“Talk to ya soon.”

“And godspeed with—whatever the fuck this mess is,” I said.

CHAPTER 17

KATIE

“Thanks for helpin’ us out durin’ the meetin’, doll,” Dylan said.

“It’s really not a problem. I had to come in for training at two anyway with the lawyer, so what's a couple of extra hours?” I asked.

“You’re incredible, you know that?”

“Hardly. But the sentiment is kind, thank you.”

“Got any plans for your evening?” he asked.

“Just hanging out with Lizzie. Whitney will probably video in. She usually does when we all ‘get together.’”

“You gonna miss her in the city?”

“I will. She’s a good friend. Helped me through a lot of stuff in college. Like getting my drinking under control.”

“What do ya mean?” he asked.

“It got bad there for a while. Drinkin’ every night and wakin’ up to a beer instead of coffee. A lot of people thought it was Michael that changed that about me, but Whitney was the one that steered me out of that storm.”

“Your drinkin’ didn’t seem bad before you left.”

“It wasn’t. But I got into the city, and it was a new place. I saw happy families in the parks and fathers holding their children and walking dogs. There was just so much joy, and it shone a very bright light onto the sadness I kept hidden away, I guess.”

“Oh, Katie.”

Dylan pulled me into his arms, and I sighed into his chest. He was so warm and comforting, and it felt good to finally admit it out loud. I didn’t talk to anyone about my drinking problem from college. It was something that embarrassed me. The journey to cut all that beer out of my life was incredibly trying, especially when I was trying to keep up with my degree.

“Why didn’t you call me?” Dylan asked.

“What would you have done? It wasn’t your issue to fix,” I said as I stepped away.

“Does anyone else know about it?” he asked.

“Just Michael. And Lizzie. I met Michael around the time I was getting sober, and he helped with the last leg of it. I mean, I don’t really like calling it ‘sober.’ I had a problem, but I don’t crave the stuff. I learned how to limit my intake and forced myself to draw a line where I only indulged if there were other people around. No drinking by myself, no alcohol until at least six at night, and no more than three drinks at a time. Lizzie helps keep me on track now, but Whitney was the one that did all the heavy lifting.”

“Fuck, Katie. You know you can come to us with this kinda stuff, right?”

“I know. I do. It was just so—personal. It hurt. More than I’d ever let myself hurt in my life. And I guess I didn’t want to bother you guys.”

“Doll, look at me.”

I sighed as my eyes fluttered up to Dylan’s.

“You ain’t ever a bother. To me, or any of my brothers. Ever,” he said.