Graham opened the car door to the back and set it on the seat and then opened his door. He slid into the driver’s side and waited for his father.
“Your mother does that.”
“Does what?”
“Makes things for people, like casseroles. She meddles.”
Graham reminded his father to buckle up, and then he started his car, intent on ignoring the jab against his mom. He drove slowly through the alley, keeping in mind the other vehicles parked back there. He pulled out onto Third Street and turned left.
“Where are we going?”
“I need to stop at the bank.” The lie fell easily. His father said nothing as Graham drove down the road. When he passed the bank, his father noticed instantly.
“You missed the bank.”
“I know.” Graham pressed the gas pedal and picked up speed. The signs changed from twenty-five to thirty-five and then fifty.
“Where the hell are you taking me?”
“Grady needs you today. He’s going to need his family when he wakes up.”
“Graham, if you know what’s good for you, you turn this car around right now and take me home.” His father spoke sternly, and if Graham had been younger, he might’ve listened. As it was, it was time for George to accept Grady’s issues.
“No can do, Dad. Mom and Grady need us, and we’re going to be there for them. You always talk to me about how I need to be a better brother; well, now’s the time for you to step up and be a better father.”
“Don’t you dare—”
“I did,” Graham cut his father off. “You need to accept that Grady is an alcoholic, that we’ve enabled him for years. If his overdose isn’t a wake-up call, I don’t know what is, but it’s time we stop pussyfooting around Grady and get him the help he needs before he does something we all have to pay for.”
“Your brother is fine.”
“Except he’s not, and deep down, you know he’s not. I get there’s some pride there—you don’t want people looking down on you—but let me tell you something; they already do.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” George angled himself away from his son and looked out the window at the passing scenery.
Graham nodded and ended the conversation for now. His father was thickskulled and prideful. It was going to take a lot to get through to him.
When they arrived at the ferry booth, Graham showed the attendant the pass he had purchased and took the ticket with his lane assignment on it and drove to the line. They were right on time and boarded instantly. He shut his car off, pulled the lever of his seat, and reclined.
“Who’s Roxy?” His father’s voice broke through the silence between them.
Graham knew exactly who she was. “She’s a local. Friends with Grady. Used to hang out with us when we were younger. How do you know her?”
“She’s called the house looking for Grady.”
Graham sat up and readjusted his seat. He hadn’t heard of his brother and Roxy dating, but it made sense. By most accounts, Roxy Jean Wilkins was trouble. She originally hailed from Anacortes, and when she was seventeen, her parents split. Her father moved to a small shack that straddled the town lines of Cape Harbor and Skagit Valley. When they were teens, they used to think it was funny. If you were on the left side of the house, you were in Skagit Valley, but go to the bathroom, and you were in Cape Harbor.
When Roxy would stay with her father, she would come into town and hang with the locals, which included the Chamberlain twins, Bowie, Austin, and a few others. She was never one to hang out with Brooklyn or the Whitfield sisters, and if you asked any one of them what they thought of Roxy—well, their thoughts wouldn’t be pleasant.
Rumors about Roxy swirled through the towns. Some said she dealt drugs, others said she had a hard life, some people stretched the truth about her, and a few said they understood her, while others pretended they didn’t know her at all. Most of all, Roxy was an opportunist, and Grady’s downfall was her opportunity to try and fit in with the tight-knit group from Cape Harbor. She’d hung around more in the last couple of years, always with Grady.
“What did you tell her?” Graham asked.
“Nothing—he isn’t home, and it’s none of her business.”
Graham laughed. His father was right; Grady’s whereabouts were none of Roxy’s business. They finally agreed on something.
“Does your brother like this lady?”
“Don’t know, Dad. Grady and I haven’t spoken much over the past few months.” His father mumbled something under his breath and went back to being quiet until they arrived at the hospital.
Because it was visiting hours, they didn’t need to check in with security. Graham made sure to walk side by side with his father to prevent him from running off. He felt like he was herding cattle trying to get his father to go where he needed him to. When they arrived at the doors to the intensive care unit, Graham pressed the button, like he had done many times over the past couple of weeks, and gave his name and waited for the doors to open. They walked in through the second set and followed the path toward Grady’s room.
“George,” Johanna breathlessly said when she saw her husband. She left her son’s bedside and wrapped her arms around George. “I’m so happy you’re here.” Graham let his parents have their moment while he went to visit Grady.
He sat down and held his hand. Whatever nutrients the doctors fed Grady had done the job of making him not look so sickly. His cheeks had filled out, and his skin looked natural and not like death. The last time he’d seen himself in Grady was back in California, months before the accident.
“I can’t believe this is your place.” Grady walked all over the house and finally into the backyard, where he spotted a couple of women lounging by the pool. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said to Graham.
“Benefits of having an in-ground pool.” Graham set his hand down on his brother’s shoulder and jostled him around. The twins laughed and high-fived each other.
“Damn, I can see why you love it down here.” Grady tilted his head toward the sun and smiled. “Sun, women, more women.”
Grady sat down between the women and introduced himself while Graham kept his distance. He wanted his brother to have a fun time while he visited.
“Holy shit.” Graham looked over his shoulder and smiled as his girlfriend approached. Monica had yet to meet his brother—or his parents, for that matter. When they had come for graduation, everyone had their plans, and it didn’t seem right to mix the two families at the time.
“Hey, how was work?” Graham asked as Monica sat down on his lap. Not in the chair beside him, like he would prefer.
“Good—glad to be out for the weekend.” Monica kept glancing at Grady, hinting that Graham needed to introduce them. He tapped her on the thigh, a signal to get up so he could as well.
“Grady, come meet Monica.”
Grady came over with his hand held out. “Nice to meet you. My brother talks about you nonstop.”
Monica beamed and placed her hand on Graham’s cheeks and squeezed them while making kissy faces at him. Monica was ready to take their relationship to the next level. She wanted marriage and babies and had a timeline of when it all had to happen. Graham wanted to wait, enjoy the single life, and chill with his roommates for a bit longer. Plus, he wasn’t exactly on the same page as Monica. He had lingering feelings for Rennie, which wouldn’t go away no matter how hard he tried.