Freshwater Kisses (The Kisses 3)

"No 'buts'! How come I am just hearing about this?"

"Like I said, it's a really prestigious thing... I'm not the top in my class, and while I have some recommendations, I'm not the pick of the litter. I didn't tell you be

cause I knew you'd push me to do it and I didn't want to get your hopes up." Grace paused and looked down at her hands. "You've been working so hard to keep us afloat, and I didn't want to let you down."

"I think you could do it, Mommy," Avery said quietly. The corners of Grace's mouth twitched upward at her daughter's comment.

"Me too. Go get that doctor's number. Or something," I told her.

Grace rolled her eyes at me and held out her hands to Avery. "We gotta get going, little girl. Your aunt needs some rest," she said.

"And we gotta catch a doctor," Avery responded. I gave her a hug before she jumped off my lap.

"That's my girl," I said as she landed on the floor and took her mother's hand.

"You two are awful," Grace said. I could practically hear her eyes roll in her head. "Don't you worry about the money right now, little sis. We'll make it work somehow. We always do. You just rest and we'll figure things out later."

I nodded.

"Bye, Aunt Sam! I'll see you tomorrow. Maybe we can go get ice cream then!" Avery called as they walked out the door.

I tried to settle down, but even so it was hard. Grace was right, though. There was no point in worrying at the moment since there wasn't anything I could do about it. But that didn't stop the trickle of panic from worming its way into my brain.

***

I stared at the book the nurse had given me, but I wasn't really reading the page. It was some sort of romance novel, but I wasn't looking for love. I was looking for something to keep myself from freaking out. Despite Grace's calm assertion that we would somehow make it work, I was panicking. My boss was pissed, if the two voice-mails and three texts complaining about my not being there were any indication. He was probably going to fire me. Or at least reduce my hours for being "unreliable." I wanted to scream.

My extra shift was supposed to make sure that rent and Avery's private school tuition were going to get paid without us having to skimp on groceries. It was going to be another lean month, especially since I knew my boss wouldn't schedule me for an extra shift ever again. Throw in the lack of health insurance, and this medical bill—I was going to be broke until I was a hundred and two.

A knock on the door caught my attention and made me look up. An attractive woman in her late forties entered the room, a shy smile playing across her face. Her dark hair was pulled up neatly into a bun, and stylish square glasses accented her big, brown eyes. She looked familiar; something about her smile and the confident way she carried herself.

"Hi, Samantha. I don't know if you remember me, but I would like to talk to you about Robbie," the woman said confidently. It was the voice coupled with the designer suit that made me remember her.

"You're Rachel. Of course I remember you. You would always let Robbie and me stop at the ice cream shop on our way home after sailing lessons. And you are one of the few people that always insisted on calling me Samantha instead of just Sam." I gave her a warm grin and sat up taller in the bed. Rachel sat down carefully in the chair that Grace had vacated only an hour before.

"I'm glad you remember me. I need to talk to you about Robbie, and I'll need you to sign some paperwork," she said, pulling a folder out of an oversized purse.

"I still can't believe he hit me. I mean, they told me he was drinking, but..." I shook my head slowly. "What happened to him, Rachel? I mean, why would he do that? It's just not like him."

Rachel sat very still for a moment, her brow furrowing slightly as she appraised me. I had always liked her when Robbie and I were kids. Rachel was one of the few people that Robbie always listened to, and as such, he always behaved for her. She had a fantastic sense of humor and could always send the two of us into hysterics.

"His dad is dying. He's having a hard time dealing with it. That's not an excuse or a justification, just the explanation," she added quickly. She pointed to the file now sitting on my hospital table. "I'd like to ask you not to press charges. The Saunders' family would like to reimburse you for all medical expenses, including any future care you may need with regard to this injury, as well as a payment to cover any work-related expenses this injury may have incurred."

Reimburse you for all medical expenses and payment to cover any work related expenses were the only words I heard. This could fix everything if I played my cards right.

"And if I said I still wanted to press charges, would I get all the shiny prizes?"

Rachel's eyebrows raised, and she cocked her head. "Yes. The Saunders family feels that they should make sure this accident does not end up changing your life. If you still feel the need to press charges and change Robbie's life, then that is purely your decision."

Her answer was obviously rehearsed, but it was what I wanted to hear. This wasn't supposed to be a bribe, but it was exactly what Grace, Avery, and I needed.

"I never intended to press charges against him. Call me sentimental, but I still consider him a friend." I shrugged. "I know that he must be going through something crazy hard if he broke his own rule. Besides, he saved me from drowning, so I would like to be able to thank him for that, even if he was the one who put me in the water."

Rachel's shoulders instantly relaxed. "Thank you. I really mean it too, not just as the Saunders' family representative, but as Robbie's friend. Thank you."

I remembered the skinny little boy with the bucket rolling around his feet. He was my best friend then, and I hadn't had another like him since. "He's my friend. Or at least he was a long time ago. And friends help each other with mistakes. He got me out of trouble a couple of times too."

Rachel looked for a moment as though she might ask what kind of trouble we had gotten into, but then she thought better of it. I grinned. There were things that would still get the two of us in trouble today if she found out about them.