thought I’d give him a break and get out of his hair for the night.”
“Okay. Well, I’m heading home now. So, come on over anytime.”
“Thanks, Mia. I’ll see you in about an hour.”
Mia stopped at Bradford’s Liquors on the way home to pick up a bottle of Izzy’s favorite wine. She had a feeling that they were going to need it.
An hour later, Izzy arrived with her overnight bag and a bottle of wine as well. She gave Mia a hug, set her bag down, and handed her sister the wine. It was Josh Cabernet, Mia’s favorite red.
“Oh, this is so nice!” Izzy looked around the room, walked over to a window and took in the view. It was a sunny day, and the tide was coming in. Mia had the window open a few inches to let in the crisp air. The sea was calm, and the sound of the waves was soothing.
“Thanks. We are liking it here.” Penny ran over to Izzy, wagging her tail and barking to get her attention. Izzy laughed as she bent over, scooped the small dog up and gave her a hug.
“I’ve missed you, Penny!” Izzy put her down after a moment, then sat on the edge of Mia’s bed and Penny jumped up next to her.
“So, what do you feel like doing?” Mia asked. “We could grab a bite somewhere or we could stay in, but all I have is potato chips, ice cream and wine.”
Izzy laughed nervously. “I wouldn’t mind going out somewhere casual. Millie’s, maybe? It’s early enough that we shouldn’t have to wait too long, and then we can come back here and relax.”
“I’m always up for Millie’s. That sounds great.” Mia sensed that Izzy wasn’t ready to talk yet but, after some guac and chips and a drink, she might be. They took Penny out for a quick walk and fed her before heading over to Millie’s.
The restaurant wasn’t crowded yet, as predicted, so they went upstairs to the bar area and sat at one of the high-top tables. They were tempted to get margaritas, but since they had wine for later, they both decided to stay with red wine. They also put in an order for shrimp, and scallop and bacon tacos and some guacamole and chips to share.
They chatted about unimportant things while they ate and sipped their wine.
“We had a good day at the store today. It was really busy. I’m not sure why.”
“I thought it seemed busier downtown when I was out and about earlier,” Mia said.
“Right. Memorial Day weekend isn’t far off. Seems like it gets busy earlier every year.”
After a while, Mia grew tired of talking about nothing. She finally asked the uncomfortable question that had to be asked. “So, what’s going on with Rick?”
Izzy sighed, then fiddled with a tortilla chip, taking her time getting the perfect amount of guacamole onto it. Finally, she spoke. “It’s been kind of hard lately.” She reached for another chip and Mia waited for her to continue. “So, his new job wasn’t working out, kind of like the last one. They laid him off at the end of the day yesterday. And he’s—he’s not taking it well.”
“What did he do?” Mia wasn’t liking the sound of this at all.
“I never really saw this side of him until we moved in together. He gets frustrated and angry so fast. Lately, I’ve felt like I’ve had to walk on eggshells around him because I never know what’s going to set him off. His moods change so quickly. But last night was the worst I’ve seen yet. He actually threw a chair through the kitchen window. I think it freaked both of us out.”
“Did he touch you?” Mia asked.
Izzy shook her head. “No. He just lost his temper, really lost it. But the window was the only thing that was damaged.”
This time. “Why didn’t you call me last night? You could’ve come here then.”
“I didn’t feel like I was in any danger. I know that Rick would never actually hurt me. He was just upset. He apologized immediately and was as sweet as could be afterwards. He felt terrible. He went to the hardware store first thing this morning and fixed the window. So, it’s as good as new.”
“So…if everything’s fine, why are you here tonight?”
Izzy took a big sip of wine before answering. “Rick went to lunch with some friends and they had a few beers. He had more than a few. When he came home, I