and he never gave anyone a solid reason why. His friends probably assumed it was just because of his father. They didn’t need to know that Jack had struggled with the same issues.
Maybe next week, Jack texted back.
It had been a long day, and he wanted to make sure Sam was okay. His nephew had spent the day at the café. Jack collected his things and walked out his office door at five p.m. As he headed home, he answered a call from Amanda.
“Hey, Jack,” she said. Her voice sounded rough and tired.
“You doing okay?” he asked.
“Oh yeah. Getting my head on straight is exhausting, that’s all. How are you and Sam?”
“No problems here.” She didn’t need to know that Sam was suddenly asking questions about where she was. Amanda had already told Jack how she felt about telling her son the truth. But Sam was smart, and he was starting to see cracks in the story he’d been given. “He loves skateboarding.”
“That he does,” Amanda agreed on a laugh.
“It’s better than some things he could be doing. Like those video games that kids are obsessed with.”
“I’ve never bought him those games,” Amanda said. “He’s complained about that for years.”
“You’ve given him everything he’s ever needed.”
Amanda scoffed. “He needed a dad. He needs his mom this summer.”
“But he also needs you to be healthy. You’re making sure he has that, and that’s important,” Jack told her.
“How are you and Emma?” Amanda asked.
Jack hedged, remembering their kiss on Friday night. They hadn’t been out together since then, only texting a few times. He’d been in to the café with Sam to get drinks and a snack, but he and Emma hadn’t been alone. “We’re good,” he finally said.
“And how are you?” she asked.
By the tone of her question, he knew she was asking if he’d taken a drink. Almost a decade sober and it still felt like the people who knew about his alcoholism were waiting for him to fall off the wagon. “Amanda, you don’t have to worry about that with me,” Jack said, feeling a little defensive. “I struggled with alcohol, got drunk too much and too often, but I got help. I’m done with that. It won’t happen again.”
“Jack, you’ve always thought you were invincible.” Amanda sighed. “But you’re human just like the rest of us. And it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone has their weaknesses. Everyone has something that they’re afraid to face. No one is exempt, not even you.”
Jack’s jaw tightened. He wasn’t sure why he was so irritated by her words. Why couldn’t she just believe him when he said he was fine? “That therapist in there must be filling your head,” he muttered, immediately regretting his words.
Amanda went quiet.
“I’m sorry,” Jack finally said. “But I’m fine, okay? You’ll be fine. Everyone’s fine.”
“Famous last words,” Amanda said.
“Maybe for those who aren’t in the Hershey family. But we’ve got each other,” Jack said. “If you’re in a bind, you can call me. And if I ever need a hand up, then I know I have you to call on.”
“It’s nice to have a brother like you. Thanks for helping me. I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
They chatted just a minute longer and then said goodbye. Jack released a pent-up breath. That phone conversation was an example of why he didn’t tell his friends about his own struggles with alcohol. People expected alcoholics to fall off the wagon. He knew better than most what was at stake, and he intended to hold on tight and never let go.
Chapter Twelve
Going out with the Ladies’ Day Out group tonight was the best idea Emma had agreed to in a long while. She was having a fantastic time in the bed and breakfast’s ballroom, which was set up with a large-screen TV for guests to watch old movies.
Brenna McConnell had brought enough food to feed the LDO for several days, and between all the women, they’d eaten it until there were hardly any leftovers. Now the women were on the last leg of a Julia Roberts classic, Steel Magnolias, and all the women were hugging boxes of Kleenex to their midsection, sniffling and, if they were anything like Emma, hoping just this one time the movie would end differently.
It didn’t.
As the movie credits rolled, all the women fell back into easy chatter among themselves.
Kaitlyn flipped on the lights and started collecting everyone’s trash in a large plastic bag.
“This was so much fun,” Kaitlyn’s best friend, Josie, said, seated