“Rennie does too. She said he had helped her with your arraignment.”
“Jeff said I wouldn’t serve any jail time. He worked out a deal with the state or whatever. One-year probation, license suspended for a year, and two years community service, plus three years of court-mandated treatment.”
“Wait, you have to stay here for three years?”
Grady laughed. “No, like AA or whatever. The state will assign me a counselor and all that.”
Graham understood now. “Maybe it can be in Skagit Valley or somewhere close.”
“Yeah, I’ll ask.”
“Grady.” Graham spoke his brother’s name softly. “I’m really proud of you. I thought you would’ve fought us on this last push to get you into rehab, made things hard, but you’re doing really well.”
Grady stayed silent and focused on his breakfast. When he finally spoke, he said, “I’m going to need a job.”
“Already on it,” Graham said instantly. “I’ve spoken to Bowie. He has a spot on his crew if you want it. Dad has spoken to the guys on the docks. There’s a job there as well. And there’s an opening at the fish market. So, you have options.”
“Fishing would be good.”
“It would, but, Grady, I’m concerned about you being on a boat. You haven’t been on one since the accident.”
“I think I’ll be okay.”
“Thinking and knowing are two different things. Maybe if we talk about what happened that night—”
Grady’s eyes shot up, angry and intense. “I will not talk about it. I live it every day.”
Graham held his hands up. The accident was a topic the therapist had trouble scratching the surface of. Each time he asked, Grady shut down. He refused to discuss it or tell anyone what truly happened that night.
“I just worry about you being out there and all.” Graham sighed and changed the subject. “So, you have a couple prospects, which is a good start.”
“Do you still live on the houseboat?”
“Yeah. There’s a recovery house in Skagit Valley that you qualify for, or Mom and Dad’s is always an option.” There was no way Grady could come live with Graham. The house was too small, and they both needed their own space.
“Guess I have a few weeks to figure it out.”
“And I’ll help. You have a strong team supporting you. We won’t let you fail.”
When visiting hours ended, Graham and Grady hugged. “I’ll see you in a couple days,” Graham told his brother. As well as Grady was doing, Graham feared a setback, especially when Grady returned to Cape Harbor. With his refusal to talk about the night of the accident, Grady still battled a lot of demons, and it was those demons that led him to drink. Something had to be done, but he wasn’t sure what, if anything. There wasn’t a law saying Grady had to tell his therapist everything, and if he couldn’t get Grady to open up, who could?
Graham made it back to Cape Harbor in record time. He’d become a pro at making it to the ferry when it was time to board. Instead of getting out of his car, he used the time it took to get across the bay to take a nap. Exhaustion was Graham’s new friend.
Once the ferry docked, he drove home. He had to work later but wanted to take a shower and relax. When he got to his door, he saw a note taped there.
Meet me at the pit
Ren
Graham wasn’t sure what to think about the note. Part of him found it cute, but the other half of him wanted to know why she hadn’t called and told him she was in town. Graham got back in his car and drove over to the Driftwood Inn, which was the easiest place to access the firepit. Throughout his life, he had spent so many spring and summer nights in this spot. Many of his memories included Rennie.
He parked along the side of the road to not only avoid the valet at the inn but to also cut through the shrubs. He didn’t want to run into Brooklyn—and Bowie, if he was home. Graham went down the stairs and trudged through the sand until he came upon the driftwood-log formation. There were a blanket and a pair of shoes, but no Rennie. Graham looked out over the horizon and saw someone standing near the water. He went toward the person, hoping it was her. When he got closer, he could see her multicolored hair, which he loved picking the colors out from, blowing in the wind. She was dressed in shorts and a long-sleeved shirt and stood barefoot in the wet sand.
“You’re going to catch a cold out here.” It wasn’t the first time he’d had to warn her about getting sick.
Rennie turned and smiled. When Graham was close, she wrapped her arms around his waist and held him tightly. He hugged her back. Neither of them spoke; they just stood there in each other’s arms and absorbed the moment.