Just explain things, get some stuff, and come back—it is easy.
My father was a lot better than he was when I left. I put my grandmother’s ashes on the table and gave him the deed for the house. He seemed to be in good spirits and I wasn’t quite ready to tell him about Granite Falls quite yet, so I went upstairs to make a phone call to Jennifer Payne. She wasn’t sure if her father would be able to offer any help on the American Motors plant, but she agreed to check into it. I wanted to get back in my car and drive back that instant, but I was tired after driving nearly eight hours to get home. I went downstairs and had dinner with my father, returning as soon as it was over to start figuring out what I needed to take when I went back to Granite Falls. I knew I needed my clothes, some essentials from the bathroom, but everything else could stay behind. As much as I cherished my memorabilia from high school and college, it didn’t seem necessary. I finally curled up in bed and pulled my pillow close, imagining it was one of my men holding me tight.
I miss you guys—I have no idea how I’m going to tell my father. I want to be brave, but this is going to be really hard.
I woke up early with Granite Falls on my mind. I had to tell him early so I could start packing. If there was a fight, I would have to let him settle down before I could leave. My feet were heavy when I got to the bottom of the stairs. My father was in the kitchen making breakfast and coffee was already filling the house with a delicious aroma. I poured a cup after saying good morning and helped him finish preparing breakfast. I wasn’t sure all of the greasy fats were good for a man who had just recently recovered from surgery to open up some clogged arteries, but I didn’t want to say anything. Just when I thought I was going to be brave enough to open my mouth, there was a knock at the door. My father’s nurse was there to check on him. I went back up to my room and found that I had a missed call from Jennifer. I immediately closed my door and called her back.
“Jennifer!” I was nervous and excited at the same time.
“Hey Samantha!” Her voice was cheerful—I hoped that was a good sign. “I talked to my dad this morning and he said he’s familiar with the deal, but everything is tied up in red tape. He didn’t go into a lot of details, but it sounds like there are some lobbyists pushing for them to accept the proposal from Granite Falls. He said the deal is better than the one that the state is offering, but the state doesn’t want to let it go through because they would lose out on their only opportunity to sell the land. Apparently, they’ve been sitting on it for a long time just waiting on something like this to come through.”
“Seriously? Does he know when a decision will be made?” I felt my heart racing in my chest.
“No, but he said he would check on it tomorrow. I’ll give you a call if I find out anything new. I told him it was for you and you know he adores you like a second daughter, so I think he’ll do some more digging.” She paused for a moment. “Are you back home? We should get together tonight and catch up.”
“Yeah, I’m home...” I didn’t want to tell Jennifer the truth. I felt obligated, which meant Granite Falls would have to wait another day. “Yeah, I’ll come over tonight.”
I had never really considered Charles Payne to be a second father to me, but he was always nice when I visited with Jennifer. If he was willing to try and make something happen, I was all for it. I chickened out again when I got downstairs with my father and wasted the day not putting anything in a suitcase. I checked in with Axe and let him know it would probably be another day before I could get on the road. When night came, I headed over to Jennifer’s house. Her father wasn’t home so we decided to raid his liquor cabinet and do a few shots like we were in college again. Jennifer was so much more successful than me. We both had a business degree but the only job I had ever held was retail while she was already working for a local marketing firm. I just wasn’t very motivated and when my father’s health declined, I used it as an excuse to avoid finding a job.
We did more shots than we should have and I was vaguely aware that I shouldn’t drive, but I wanted to be home so I could figure out how to tell my father the version of the truth we came up with—it wasn’t a complete lie—it just wasn’t everything. In my drunken state, I imagined it going over well and him agreeing to come live in Granite Falls where we would both be taken care of. I smiled at the thought of my fantasy and then my heart sank into my stomach. Blue and red lights started to flash behind me and then a police siren echoed in my ears.
“Oh no!” I pulled over to the side of the road and tried to figure out what the hell I was going to do.
Chapter 17: Axe
“She should be here. She’s not even answering her damn phone.” I stomped out onto the porch. “Give me a cigarette.”
“I thought you quit.” Steve handed me his pack and I lit one up.
“I’m nervous and I don’t want to start drinking until I know she’s okay.” I took a long drag and my lungs instantly rejected the smoke. I hadn’t smoked since I was a teenager.
“I’m sure everything is fine.” Jesse stood up and let out a sigh. “Try her phone again.”
“We shouldn’t have let her go.” I dialed her number and listened to her voicemail pick up.
Fuck
“We didn’t have a choice.” Luther shrugged. “She’s not our hostage.”
“It’s our job to make sure she’s okay though.” Major tapped his foot and I could see nervousness on his face.
“I’m going into town.” Jesse started down the steps. “I’ll try to find some way to get in touch with her father. Joe, did she leave any information for him when she did the deed?”
“I’d have to check City Hall.” Mayor Danvers sighed. “Let me ride with you.”
I was going out of my mind. When Samantha left, I expected to see her beautiful face again the next day. When that didn’t work out, I was at peace because she did call and touch base with us. It had been almost twenty-four hours since her last call and I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach. A million things went through my head—she could have been in an accident, her father could have reacted badly—she could have even decided that the whole thing was crazy when she thought it through. I just needed an answer. If it was her decision, I would figure out a way to live with it, but I needed to know one way or the other. Jesse had barely been gone for an hour when Steve’s phone lit up with Jesse’s number. He tossed his cigarette over the side of the porch and put the phone to his ear. All of us gathered around him waiting on the news.
“You have to be shitting me.” He hung the phone up angrily. “She got arrested—for a fucking DUI.”
“What!?” I raised my eyebrows angrily. “How the fuck...”
“I don’t know. Jesse ran her license and got a hit. She’s still locked up. He’s going to make some calls.” Steve sat down and sighed.
“At least she’s okay.” I leaned against the porch. “I’m going to kick her ass when I see her.”
“Let me handle that.” Luther folded his arms and his eyebrows came together angrily. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t sit down for a week.”
Chapter 18: Samantha