by Dale Mayer
Greg looked at him in shock. “I would never do that,” he said. “I was planning on asking her to marry me.”
“Are you still planning on it?” Keane asked.
“Yes. If she’ll have me. I know she is quite perturbed with me at the moment. At least she was angry on the sailboat.”
“And why is that?”
Greg hesitated, and then his shoulders deflated. “These last few days have been the worst days of my life,” he said. “Trying to find out if she was alive or dead, and knowing that she had fallen from my sailboat. It was even worse because the last few hours we had together were so bad.”
“How bad?” Keane asked.
“She was mad at me,” he said simply, “and I guess I deserved it.”
“Mad at you why?” Keane leaned against his door, studying the tall scholarly looking man in front of him.
He did look distraught. “She had gone along with me, trying to get Sandrine and Scott back together again.”
“Even though they’d been broken up for two whole months?”
“Scott wanted another chance,” Greg said simply. “He’s been my buddy for a long time, and I didn’t think there was anything wrong with giving them the opportunity to try to work things out.”
“If he only needed an opportunity, he could have stopped by her place or called her.”
“He tried calling her, but she wouldn’t answer. She never seemed to be home whenever he went there, but he figured she wasn’t answering the door because she knew it was him.”
Keane shook his head, incredulous. “So, even though you knew she’d been avoiding contact with him, you thought it was a better idea to put them both on a boat out in the middle of the ocean where she’d have no choice?”
“I figured at least they’d talk and get it over with,” Greg burst out. “I was just trying to help out a buddy.”
“And Brenda didn’t appreciate that?”
“No. I guess she hadn’t known the full story behind why they broke up, so, when Sandrine told her, Brenda got pretty upset with me.”
“But you knew?”
Greg shrugged.
“You knew the guy was a cheater and a loser, but you were totally okay trying to hook him back up with your girl’s best friend?”
Greg looked at him strangely. “Well, when you say it like that, it’s not very nice.”
“What other way is there?” Keane asked. “None of this is nice. She finds her boyfriend in bed with another woman and breaks it off, and, instead of supporting her, you support him, even though he’s a cheater.”
“He’s a guy,” Greg said.
At that, Keane just stared at him and then laughed. “Really? Yeah, I’m a guy too, but that doesn’t mean I cheat on women.”
“Okay. Whatever. He made a mistake,” Greg said, trying to backtrack. “He’s been a friend for a long time, and we all make mistakes. He wanted another chance, and I was okay with trying to help him get it. That’s the end of the story.”
“Except that, when Brenda found out, she was angry, upset and pissed off.”
“Yeah, she was. She didn’t like what I’d done and thought less of me for it. But I got angry too because I didn’t like being judged about it. I don’t like it now either,” he said, clearly angry with Keane.
Keane said. “And did you see how she ended up in the water?”
“Brenda was trying to move closer toward me, and she was hanging on to one of the lines,” he said, his face twisting with the memories. “Next thing I knew, a wave came up, and she was gone.”
“Life jacket?”
“Oh, yeah,” he said. “Everybody on my boat wears a life jacket.”
“But you couldn’t get back to her?”
“We threw her a life preserver, and I was trying to get the sailboat turned around so I could come back and pick her up,” he said.
“And then what happened?”
“And, before I knew it, Sandrine’s in the water, heading toward Brenda. And that was pretty damn stupid.”
“Stupid?”
“Well, it’s tough enough to rescue one, but now I’ve got two to rescue.”
“Any idea how she ended up in the water?”
“Well, she jumped, I’m sure,” he said. “That’s Sandrine. She jumps into trouble without thinking.”
“You’ve known her for a long time?”
“A few years, yeah,” he said. “Not as long as I’ve known Brenda though.”
“Did it look like she could save Brenda?”
“At that point she might have been doing a better job than I was because I couldn’t get back to them. The wind was trashing my sails, and the waves were washing over us, completely hampering our progress. I was tied in, and so was Scott, but we just couldn’t seem to get back to them. Next thing I knew, they were gone. We stayed out for a long time while I searched, looking all over for them, but found no sign of either of them. As soon as the storm calmed down, I circled around that area, while we called for help. Then I came back to shore and found the coast guard, and we told them what happened.”
“So you must have thought they were dead.”
“Of course I did,” he said. “What else was I to think?”
Keane shrugged. “They were picked up by two guys,” he said, “then carried to shore and left on land.”
“Thank God for that,” he said. “I don’t know how far they must have traveled, because no land was close to us.”
“Sandrine hooked their life vests together, and those plus the one preserver was enough to keep them up.”
“She would do that,” he said, “but apparently Brenda hurt her head?”
“Yes. Which is one of the reasons you’re not allowed in their room now,” he said.
“She probably hit some rocks. I told you that storm was something else.”
“Maybe she hit her head on the boat on the way over?” Keane asked.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “She was there, and, the next thing I know, she wasn’t.”
“Brenda or Sandrine?”
“Same thing. Sandrine was standing there, yelling at Brenda, and she’s the one who threw the life preserver to get her up. The next thing I know, Sandrine was jumping off in Brenda’s direction.”
“What kind of a jump was it?”
Greg leaned back slightly and looked at Keane. “What do you mean, what kind of a jump?”
“Well, you saw her go in, right?”
“Yeah. I was yelling at her not to do it, yet she looked like she was getting ready. Then I turned to look at Brenda and to see her hand reaching for the life preserver, but she looked pretty weak. The next thing I know, Sandrine’s in the water.”
“Did she dive in? Did she cannonball? What did she do?”
He frowned and said, “I guess a wave must have hit her sideways or something. Hell, I don’t know. Maybe she fell because she didn’t go in gracefully. She went a little sideways, with her arms out.”
“Almost like she was pushed, huh?”
Greg stared at him for a long moment, and then all his friendliness was withdrawn, and his anger rose up. “You better not be saying what I think you’re saying.”
“Oh, I’m not saying anything,” Keane said, “but I know what these two women said.”
Greg looked from Keane to the door hiding the two women and back again. “What the hell are they saying?”
“Where was Scott when Sandrine went in?”
“They were standing together,” Greg said, but he shook his head. “No way he would have hurt her.”
“No, of course not,” Keane said, “because she was completely receptive to his attempts at making up, wasn’t she?”
Greg frowned. “No. He was trying hard, and she wasn’t having anything to do with it. I got quite angry at her.”
“Angry at her?” Keane shut his eyes and scratched his head. “So you tricked her into going sailing with an ex she has been very clear about not wanting to be with. She doesn’t accept
his advances on the boat, for very legit reasons since he’s an undisputed cheating, lying sack of shit, and you’re mad at her? That’s messed up.”
Greg raised both hands in frustration. “I don’t know about that. It just made for a very uncomfortable sailing trip.”
“Ya think? And you couldn’t see that coming? How is any of that her fault?”
Greg ran his hands over his face. “Look. I don’t know what the hell happened. I don’t know anything at the moment. I feel like you’re putting me on the spot. I didn’t do anything, okay? I was trying to help a friend, and maybe that wasn’t the best way to do it. And, yes, I was getting angry because I wanted Sandrine to relax and to tell Scott that it was all okay.”
“All okay?” Keane said, studying this very strange male in front of him. Greg was the opposite of the kind of guys who Keane hung out with. “So, if it’s okay for him to cheat, does that mean it’s okay for you to cheat too?”
“No, it’s not okay for anybody to cheat,” Greg said, “but it happens.”
“It happens, and everybody’s just supposed to forget about it?”
“Well, she could have been friendly, at least. No reason she couldn’t have made an effort to be friendly.”
Keane nodded as if it made sense, but, to him, it made no sense at all. “So what did Scott do when Sandrine went into the water?”
“Nothing,” Greg said. “What was he supposed to do? No point in a third person going into the water after them.”
“Well, why would he go? If she had jumped, surely she would have said something to him.”
“Yeah, of course she did. She had a life jacket on, and she did head straight for Brenda,” Greg said. “You should talk to Scott about it,” he said eagerly.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea. Where is he?”
“He’s upstairs. You should go up and see him.”
Keane crossed his arms, leaned against the doorway and said, “I’m not leaving these women.”
Greg started to get angry once more. “It’s almost like you think I’ll hurt Brenda,” he said. “I love her.”
“Yeah? But it’s okay for your friend to be a cheating, lying sack of shit. You think it’s okay to cheat too on the woman you supposedly love, but you’re here to make sure that you get a chance to see her.”
“Just because he cheated doesn’t mean I cheated,” Greg said. “And I do happen to love Brenda.”
“Ah, okay. So you didn’t cheat because you love her, but the other guy cheated so, therefore, he didn’t love her?”
Greg looked very confused. “Look. Somehow we got off into a very strange conversation, and we need to get back on track. As long as Brenda’s okay and she’s healthy, I’ll wait until I can see her.”
“Good,” Keane said. “Maybe you should send Scott down, so I can have a talk with him.”
“Sure,” Greg said. He took a few steps away, then turned back. “I just don’t understand what capacity you are here in,” he said. “You’re acting like you’re security or something.”
“Or something,” Keane said softly, very softly. His gaze narrowed as he looked at the tall man, Greg was suddenly looking for a way to retreat.
“And, if I find out that you haven’t been faithful to Brenda in these last few years, I’ll be having another talk with you too.”
“What the fuck, man?” Greg said. “There’s no law against having an affair.”
“No,” Keane said. “But there are morals and ethics, and, you know, honor. Reasons not to do such a thing. But I gather those don’t really matter to you.”
“It happened way early in our relationship. It’s not an issue,” he said. “She probably even knows about it.”
“Then no reason to hide it, is there?” Keane asked.
“No. No, there isn’t. I can talk to her about it later, if it’s a big deal,” he said, backing down the hallway.
“I guess it depends on if she knows about it or not, right? I mean, you’re the one who said she knows.”
“I’m sure she does,” he said. “Like I said, it was a while ago.”
“And what’s the lady’s name?”
The guy gave him a haunted look and said, “I don’t have to tell you that.”
“If it was a long time ago, and she already knows about it, what difference does it make?”
“Lily,” he murmured as he bolted backward. “Her sister, Lily.”
That’s when Keane heard a voice behind him.
“What a lying sack of shit,” Brenda roared at the open door. “My own sister?”
Keane turned and looked at her with interest and said, “Oh. I guess you didn’t know about it, huh?”
Chapter 12
Sandrine woke up to the sound of Greg’s voice. For some reason their door was slightly open letting them hear all that nastiness in clear audio. She lay here, listening to the conversation, almost giggling at Keane twisting Greg’s words around and making Greg tell the truth. When she heard that he’d had an affair, it made her sick. But when he admitted it was with Brenda’s sister, her heart broke for her friend.
No way in hell Brenda knew about that. She never would have accepted it. Her sister was one who would have never let it be known either. Lily was always the jealous type, always one to be taking toys away from Brenda when they were younger. And it continued when it came to boys. But Sandrine had thought Greg was different and had hoped they had something solid together. Then she heard Brenda below her. First yelling and screaming, then bursting into tears. Sandrine rolled over slowly, and, moving carefully, she hopped down to the bottom bunk, wrapping Brenda in her arms.
Sandrine looked at Keane, who winced at her and quietly mouthed, “I’m sorry.”
She shook her head. “We’re better off knowing,” she said. And that started Brenda bawling her eyes out again.
Sandrine said, “Now that we’re awake, you don’t have to stay on your post though.”
He nodded and disappeared, closing the door behind him. She hugged Brenda, who was draped in her arms, hot tears rolling down her cheeks.
“How could he do that?” Brenda mumbled.
“It was early, he said,” Sandrine muttered. “And you know what your sister can be like.”
“And I warned him about that too,” she said. “He just laughed and promised me that he didn’t like her at all.”
“Yeah, but men can be men,” Sandrine said sadly. The two women just held each other close.
Finally Brenda sat up. Looking at Sandrine, she took a deep breath. “I don’t even know what to do.”
“You’ll do nothing for a while,” Sandrine said simply. “We’ve both been through a lot. It’s been a stressful and traumatic couple of days. We need to go home and let things calm down for a little bit.” Stroking Brenda’s hair, she continued, “After that, you’ll be in a better position to think about how you feel about Greg and what you want going forward. Then you can process all that and find out anything else you need to know.”
Brenda nodded and sniffled. “No matter what, he’s still a lying sack of shit. And I really do like that phrase.”
Sandrine chuckled. “Yeah, it’s definitely colorful and obviously hits the spot in some cases.” Stretching, she said, “I think we’ll be home soon.”
“Good,” Brenda said. “I’m exhausted.”
“Exactly. So let’s get you home, then into bed, and maybe, when we’re both up for it, we’ll do some shopping. Get us a little retail therapy,” she said with a laugh. “It’s good that you aren’t living with him yet. I think you need a few days to yourself.”
Brenda sat up, wiped her eyes and whispered, “God, what a shit trip this turned out to be. What a nightmare.”
“Yep,” Sandrine said. “But at least it’s almost over.”
In fact, the next couple hours passed quickly, as the two women talked quietly. Before they knew it, Keane was at the door, telling them they were coming into the docks. By the time they disembarked and headed to the parking
lot, Keane was already waiting for them up ahead with Lennox. Sandrine looked at Keane and said, “I suppose I say goodbye now, huh?”
He shook his head. “We’ll see you both home. Neither of you drove down here, did you?”
“No,” Sandrine replied. “I caught a ride with them, and we came in Greg’s truck,” she said.
“I’m not going anywhere with him,” Brenda said. She had steadfastly refused to even talk to Greg. Although he had tried several times, she had just held up a hand and said, “I have some things to think about, and I’m not talking to you until I’ve done that and until I’m ready.”
He had such a crestfallen look on his face that Sandrine almost felt sorry for him. Almost. She looked at him and said, “You really shouldn’t have had an affair with Lily.”
He raised both hands, palms up. “I knew I should have told Brenda,” he said, “but I didn’t know how.”
“You shouldn’t have done it in the first place,” Sandrine said. “A woman can forgive a lot of things, but something like that—I don’t know how they can.” With that, she turned and walked away.
Nico was there with a large SUV. He held open the rear passenger door and said, “Ladies, we’ll be taking you home.”
Sandrine smiled and waited for Brenda to get in, then crawled in behind her. “Have you made contact with Brenda’s father yet?”
“Yes. He’s waiting for her at home.”
Brenda cried out, “What? He’s there?”
Lennox nodded as he got into the driver’s side. “Yep. We’ll drop you off first,” he said. They drove through the traffic, everyone fairly quiet until they got to Brenda’s apartment. When they made the turn, they could see her father standing outside her apartment, waiting to meet them. Brenda let out a broken cry as Lennox pulled up. Barely waiting for the vehicle to come to a stop, she opened the door and jumped into her father’s arms before anybody could say anything.
Sandrine sat in the back of the vehicle, tears in her eyes. “Will you guys get out and say anything?”
Keane looked back at her and asked, “Are you getting out?”
Sandrine frowned, then shook her head. “No. Look at them.” The two had their arms wrapped around each other as Brenda’s father led her to the front door.
