“I’ve met him.”
They’d been introduced, all right. And if one of them hadn’t come to his senses last night, they would have been acquainted in the most complete way possible. She let the towel drop and yanked her robe from the hook on the back of the door. Then sliding her damp arms inside it, she cinched the belt.
“Seems like an all-right guy,” she said. “He’ll take care of your crew. Uh, for now.”
Rachel winced. If she didn’t get control of her words, pretty soon she would volunteer that she’d been making out with her brother’s replacement. Even as she stood there in front of the foggy mirror, several parts of her damp skin under the robe still warmed with the memory of the night she’d been trying to forget. That had to stop. Not only did she need to steer clear of any wayward thoughts about Mick Prentiss, but she also had to ensure that her brother would never know she’d had them. Or acted on them.
“Good to hear, I guess.”
His voice sounded strange. She pursed her lips as she pictured him, his light-brown brows drawn together, worry in his eyes.
“I thought you were supposed to be answeringmyquestions,” she said, and then coughed as she wrapped her hair in the towel. So much for acting as if everything was normal. That ship had sailed a few oceans ago, and the boat was taking on water.
“Right.” He paused for too long before finally continuing. “Let me see. I’m doing okay now, but sometimes I get antsy since the pace in this place is really slow. I miss the adrenaline rush at the station.”
A knot formed in her throat over all that had been taken from him. Because of her. “Your crew misses you. Us, too.”
“Yeah” was all he said to that. “Now, what else did you ask? Let me see. They’re treating me fine.”
“What about the food?” She was getting closer to the question he wouldn’t want to answer, but she couldn’t help herself.
“Could be worse.”
“And the…”
“Thedetox? Now, that could have been better.” He laughed at his own joke and then cleared his throat. “It really sucked. Worse this time than the last. My body really protested.”
Her nose burned at the reminder that he’d had a few years of steady sobriety prior to this relapse. “You don’t know how sorry I am.”
“Sis, can we not start that again? You didn’t pour the booze down my throat. I’m back following my program now. I’m attending meetings right here in the center in addition to individual and group counseling. And I’m getting back on track. That’s all that matters.”
It wasn’t, but she wouldn’t argue with him now.
“Oh. Your last question,” he said. “You asked about when I get out. I’m already on borrowed time. Most Michigan inpatient substance abuse programs are only fourteen days. My counselor went to bat with the insurance company for me. Said I wasn’t ready. But at twenty-eight days, they toss me. That’s it.”
She squinted, trying to count the days, so she and the twins could help celebrate his discharge.
“What about you?” he asked. “Are the girls okay? And are you really all right?”
“I already said—”
“Wait. You haven’t been asking around about Dad, have you? Or more questions about that stuff at the station?”
“Not really.”
“Rachel,” he said in a warning tone. “I told you to stay out of it. You don’t know how dangerous it is.”
She’d had a few clues lately, but she didn’t mention them. “I have to find answers. You would never do the stuff you’re accused of. I have to find proof.”
“Rachel, listen to me. Asking questions is what got me into this mess. Well, that and several gallons of tequila.”
“Don’t joke about it.” She couldn’t when she was the one who’d convinced him to dig for information.
“Please let me handle the situation at the station after I get out. As for the other stuff, I’ve learned that there are some things we just don’t need to know.”
“What ‘things’?” She took the phone off speaker and pressed it against her ear. Only a rustling sound, maybe his breathing, filled the line. “Riley? Are you still there?”
“Did Dad ever mention anything about—” He stopped and muffled a cough. “Forget it.”
