“Great,” I say.
“Hey, how’s your mom doing?” Fred asks. “Last I saw her, she looked kind of down.”
I give him a look. “Is that anything new?”
“Well,” Fred says, and I’m relieved to see that somebody has waylaid Cam. “You know, Lawrence has his problems.” He raises his drink to me. “But who of us doesn’t, right? None of us are Jesus, after all.”
“That’s true,” I say. “But, you know, my father was on the other end of the extreme.”
“People are enigmas, darling,” Fred says. “And he’s taking some meds now.”
I narrow my eyes. “Are you serious? What kinds of meds?”
Fred shrugs. “Something for the downs. Maybe to even him out, you know? I think it’s helping a little, but I’m not sure anything will ever normalize my brother. That temper of his…” He lets out an awkward laugh. “He was the same way when he was a kid. We were all scared of him, you know.”
“You were?”
“Oh, sure. He never even had to lay a punch on any of us. His words were…”
Violent enough.Yes, I’m aware.
Cam is on the move again, and he’s got a clear path toward me.
“I’ll see you later, Uncle Fred. Ladies room,” I add as an excuse.
I motion to Cam to follow me as I head in the opposite direction of my uncle.
“Wait!” I hear Fred calling out. “Did you see the picture I sent your sister? I hear Lawrence’s wedding…”
Thank God.I’m finally out of earshot. But the pain lingers as Cam catches me and hands me my vodka. I give him a grateful look and take two large sips.
“Who was that guy?” he asks me.
I lean against the closest wall, and gesture to the raffle. “He had some questions about the former coach. We’d better start introducing ourselves to people in here, right?”
Before Cam can respond, a man approaches us with a smile and a handshake. He tells us the name of his business and asks what company we’re with. Cam talks about the team and invites the man to a game. His eyes brighten, and he asks about the history of the Cannons. Cam tries to answer his questions, but I know this is the part I’m here for.
“I can fill you in, sir,” I say.
The man turns to me with a smile. “Wonderful. Let me grab a few of my colleagues and you can tell all of us.”
I drink my vodka as fast as possible and tell Cam I’m going to get another one.
Tonight’s going to be a long night.
* * *
Cameron
Savannah’s drunk. I cut her off after three drinks, but she snuck a couple more in when I was in the middle of chatting with various people. I had promised her I’d handle the meet and greet part of tonight, but in order to hold up my end of the bargain, I’ve been having a hell of a time keeping tabs on her. She keeps disappearing to the bar.
When she stumbles and nearly wipes out, but somehow manages to keep the drink in her hand upright, I make the executive decision to call it a night.
Turns out she doesn’t need much convincing.
“Unexpected guests at this one,” she mumbles as I help her into her coat and we make our exit. “Exactly why I don’t go to parties.”
Something tells me she’s upset about more than a party, but I don’t want to pry. Savannah clearly keeps her secrets close to her chest, and despite us hanging out together often, I know very little about her private life.
