The Promise He Made

by Linda Style

She got up and went to pour him a cup of coffee. “That’s a bad attitude.”

  “I agree. I’m sorry.” He liked bantering with his mom, whose teasing always held a note of truth.

  “Did you see Serena?”

  He pulled up a chair. “What about?”

  “About nothing. I just asked if you saw her.” She handed him the cup and then gave him a quick hug. “You two were so close years ago, I thought maybe—”

  “There you go, thinking again,” he joked, hoping she’d take the hint.

  “Would you like some breakfast? I can make some eggs.”

  “No, thanks, but I appreciate the offer. I’ve got a lot to do. I’ll grab something later. But…” he said, hating to even broach the subject, since he knew how she felt about it. “I want you to think about what you’re going to do when I leave.”

  She pursed her lips.

  He quickly added, “I appreciate how you feel about living here, but it’s going to get harder and harder to maintain the place.”

  She tipped her chin up in the same way she used to do when he was a kid and she wanted to get him to do something he didn’t want to. “I’ll find a roommate. Someone who knows how to fix things.”

  “Well, that’s creative.” He smiled. Actually, it wasn’t a bad idea, but he doubted she was serious. “Well, think about it. I also feel you and Ryan should talk about selling the business as soon as it’s back in the black.”

  She frowned then. “I don’t think he’ll want to do that. And it’s not really mine. I only cosigned on the loan. It’s up to him what to do with the company.”

  “That’s not true. Your name is on the loan, and whether you consider the company yours or not, the bank does and you’re still responsible. You don’t want that on your shoulders if things go south again.”

  “But the company is recovering, isn’t it?”

  “It is, but Ryan isn’t doing his part, and if he continues the way he is, I’m afraid that the same thing will happen all over when I leave.”

  Her eyes got soft when she looked at him. “You could stay.”

  Knowing how much she wanted that, he took her hand to soften his words. “Not an option, Mom. I don’t want to spend my life taking people out on tours. I have a job in Chicago that I like.” A job he hoped was still there when he went back.

  “Then what is?”

  “I don’t know. I’m still trying to figure that out.” He finished his coffee and got up. “Right now, I’m concerned about what you need to do. You’ll have to make a decision pretty soon. I’ll be happy to approach Ryan about selling if you want me to. Just let me know. Okay?”

  “Okay. Let’s talk to him together. As soon as possible.”

  “Great. I’ll make an effort to find him and set up a meeting.”

  “Find him?”

  “Yeah. He missed another tour yesterday, and I haven’t been able to get in touch by phone.”

  “I’m sure his sister knows where he is.”

  He thought of his conversation with Serena the previous night. Wondered if she considered what he’d said. If Ryan did get help, then maybe the outcome of the business would be different, but at this point, Cole had no other choice. “Right. I’ll phone her if Ryan doesn’t show up today.”

  “She’s done very well for herself, don’t you think?”

  He smiled and headed out the door. “Nice try, Mom. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Getting into the Jeep, he had to laugh.

  Every time he was around Serena, he got mixed messages. Desire, anger and bitterness all vied for his attention when he and Serena were together. The only thing he could be sure of was that whatever the emotion was between them, it was intense.

  And that was far better than no emotion at all.

  So maybe it was time that he called her on it.

  “THANK YOU, DR. BLEDFORD. I’ll let you know when I make a decision.” Serena let the phone slide from her fingertips, then put it in the cradle. She couldn’t believe she was actually considering an intervention. But after talking to two separate drug-abuse centers in Prescott, she acknowledged it was probably the only way.

  She hadn’t talked to Ryan in two days, and he wasn’t answering his phone. She couldn’t possibly do an intervention if she couldn’t find him. As she picked up her purse and sunglasses, the decision seemed to make itself. She’d find Ryan, ask him to go in for treatment, and if he wouldn’t, she’d proceed with the intervention. All she had to do was get the people he most cared about to do it with her. Dr. Bledford had said either he or another trained professional would prepare everyone beforehand, as well as be there to facilitate the meeting. In that case, all she had to do was get Ryan to show up.

  Driving through the parking area at Ryan’s condo, she scanned the spaces for Ryan’s vehicle. She spotted one of the purple Jeeps and his car, and knew he had to be at home. She parked, got out and went up the stairs to the second level, her heart pounding a death march in her chest with each step she took.

  God. Why was this so difficult? The moment she thought this, she knew. She and Ryan had been so close for so many years that doing this to him was a betrayal of everything they’d been to each other. She’d been his protector, his confidante, the person he could trust to be there when everyone else had jumped ship. And now she felt she was his Judas.

  Ryan would thank her later, the doctor had said. But whether he did or not, she knew she could no longer do nothing.

  When she reached his door, she heard music. Loud music. She knocked. Hard. A moment later, the door opened. Lucy Xantos stood there, one arm against the door, the other against the door frame—literally blocking the entry. The woman’s dark brown hair was pulled back and Serena realized that under the makeup, she was probably a pretty woman.

  “Hi, Lucy,” Serena said. “I’m here to see Ryan.”

  Lucy moved to the side with an extravagant sweep of her hand, gesturing for Serena to enter. “Well, c’mon in,” Lucy drawled in a purposefully husky voice.

  One step inside and Serena knew it was a mistake to have come. The mess was still the same—maybe a little worse. Ryan was sprawled on the couch, half dressed, eyes closed. Two other guys were slumped in the chairs opposite the couch, and she was sure they were the same two who’d been at the jazz festival.

  “Well, hello, pretty lady,” one of them said. He had a Mohawk haircut, an earring in his nose, lip and eyebrow. Plus tattoos everywhere. Out of the blue, he shouted, “Ryan! Get your ass off the couch. You’ve got company.”

  The other guy, who had no hair at all, giggled like a kid. “Yeah, you better wake up, because I might not be responsible for my actions if you don’t.”

  “Shut the hell up,” Lucy said, then she sashayed over to Ryan and nudged him with her knee. “He’s had a long night,” she said to Serena. “Give him an hour or so. He’ll come around.”

  Serena went over and knelt beside Ryan. “Ry? Are you okay?” She didn’t give a damn about the other people there or their threats. Ryan looked out of it, as if he needed help.

  “What’s he on?” she asked quickly. “He’s not responding.”

  Lucy flopped down next to Ryan. “‘What isn’t he on?’ is a better question.”

  Serena stood and pulled out her cell phone. No sooner had she opened it than Lucy batted it from her hand. It flew across the room. “You can’t call anyone. We’ll all be arrested if you do.”

  Adrenaline shot through Serena. She went to retrieve the phone, but the Mohawk-hair guy got there first.

  “Ryan needs help. A doctor, maybe,” she said, her heart banging against her ribs.

  “Wh-what’s goin’ on,” Ryan suddenly said, struggling to sit up.

  Serena went to his side again. “Ry, tell these people to go. You need help and I’m going to get it for you.”

  Lucy stepped between Serena and Ryan. “Man, you’re a piece of work. Who appointed you God over everyone?”

  Serena was surprised at the tone in Lucy’s voice, and
her lower lip curled. “What did you say?”

  Lucy inched even closer. Keeping her voice low, her face just a fraction from Serena’s, she said, “I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear. What I should’ve said was that Ryan doesn’t want or need you to direct his life. He’s a big boy. He’s perfectly capable of doing it on his own.”

  Serena scoffed, narrowed her eyes. “Yeah. It looks like it.” She turned to Ryan again. “Ryan, tell these people to leave.”

  He said nothing.

  Lucy said, “Tell your sister to leave, Ryan.”

  They both stood there.

  Finally, Ryan managed to say, “Go away, sis.”

  The hell she would. “Sorry. I’m not going anywhere.” She crossed her arms.

  Lucy went over to get her purse from a table and Serena used the opportunity to grab Ryan’s hand and yank him up. “C’mon, Ryan. If they won’t leave, then we will.” She reached to put her arm around him and assist him up. And then Ryan said to Lucy, “You guys better leave. When my little sister makes up her mind, that’s it.” His words were slurred.

  Serena felt Ryan move away, and then he flopped back down on the couch. “Leave,” he said.

  The guy with her phone went to the door and said, “Let’s go. He’s useless anyway.”

  As the others joined him, Serena held out her hand for the phone and after a moment, the guy handed it over. As she took it, he said, “You got cojones, lady. I like that.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  SERENA SWALLOWED, bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. She fought to hold back the tears as she hurried to her car. After getting Ryan settled, he’d kept babbling about his friends and how much they cared about him. It hadn’t been Ryan talking. He didn’t know what he was saying. Those freaks who didn’t give a crap about anyone or anything had corrupted him. But as she piled into her van and tore out of the parking lot, she couldn’t contain herself anymore and let the tears stream freely down her cheeks.

  Oh, God. Serena had to separate Ryan from those people before he got worse. Before he ended up dead from a drug overdose. It happened all the time. Heath Ledger, people you’d never imagine. Accidentally dead, but still dead.

  She had to do it. Now an intervention was inevitable. She’d call Dr. Bledford and do whatever he said. Contact people was what he’d told her to do. Involve those Ryan cared about most. Because they were all to blame, the doctor had said. She’d resisted the notion. But in her heart she knew it was probably true.

  She wiped her face with her shirtsleeve, and realizing that Natalia’s was just a couple of blocks away, she took a right and headed there. She had no time to waste. Pulling into Natalia’s driveway, she extracted her cell phone from her purse and hit the speed button for Natalia’s number. “I’m right outside,” she said as soon as Natalia picked up.

  When Natalia opened her condo door, her eyes widened. “What the hell happened?”

  Serena rushed inside. Told Natalia the whole story. Told her what they had to do. They began to figure out who most needed to be at the intervention. Serena, Ryan and their mom, for sure.

  “What about Cole’s mom?” Natalia asked. “Isn’t Ryan closer to her than to your mom?”

  “He was. I’m not sure about now. But he respects her opinion more than almost anyone’s. Hers and Cole’s.”

  “So, that’s you, your mom, Cole’s mom and Cole. Four people if everyone comes. What about Tori? Ryan’s known her since he was a kid.”

  “But they haven’t been close in a while. Ryan’s closer to you now.”

  “Okay, me. That’s five. I think we can all make significant points. And we’ve all contributed to his problem.”

  “You haven’t. All you’ve ever done is try to get me to do something.”

  “Yeah. I didn’t try hard enough. I didn’t go to Ryan and tell him what he was doing to you. How he was not only screwing up his life but yours. And that affects me, too. Don’t forget, I know a thing or two about people needing help.”

  Serena frowned.

  “I spent four years in Iraq, remember. People do a lot of things under extreme duress. They need help when they get into trouble. It’s not just when they come home that the problems start.”

  “You never said anything.” Serena couldn’t tell if her friend was talking about herself or other soldiers, but this wasn’t the time to go into it.

  Natalia shrugged. “I didn’t. Maybe I should have.”

  “Okay,” Serena said on a sigh, feeling a little better now that she had a plan. “The next thing to do is call Dr. Bledford and find out when someone can come out, then talk to everyone else to set the time and place.”

  “Will your mom come?”

  “She better.”

  “And then you’ll have to get Ryan to show up.”

  “Yeah. Maybe Cole will have an idea on how to do that.”

  AFTER GOING HOME AND contacting the doctor and everyone but Cole and his mom, she decided to first ask Cole if his mom should even be there. God knew, she didn’t want to involve anyone who didn’t have to be present.

  She’d phoned the Purple Jeep Touring Company, and Sam had told her Cole was out, but that he’d have him call her. She’d stressed the urgency, and then, of course, Sam wanted to know if everything was okay. Once she got off the phone with him, she glanced at the clock. Only five in the afternoon. Lord, she felt as if the day had been a week long. She went to her wine rack and pulled out a bottle of Merlot. Natalia had said she’d call or stop by when she finished a couple of things she had to do to get ready for her next flight, so Serena decided she might as well relax until then. Going at the bottle, she wondered if this was how it started…a little at a time to relax and then you’re hooked. But then, she wasn’t Ryan.

  Dr. Bledford had told her someone could be there the next afternoon, or the day after—Thursday or Friday, whichever worked best for the group. Her mom had said she’d have to drive all night to make the next afternoon, but surprisingly, she’d agreed to do it.

  Serena took out a corkscrew and opened the wine, sniffed the cork as she’d learned to do in the wine-tasting class she’d taken the previous year, then poured a small amount in the glass, swirled, and sniffed again. Then, realizing how stupid and silly the ritual was, she laughed and downed the glass in one long drink. She poured another glass and went to sit on the couch. That was all she wanted to do. Just sit. And drink wine.

  A knock on the door downstairs alerted her that Natalia had arrived. “The door’s open,” she called out. “I’m upstairs. C’mon up.”

  She quickly got out another glass and poured wine for Natalia.

  Then she looked up and saw Cole. She jerked back. “Oh!”

  “Is that for me?” he said.

  She waved a hand. “You scared the bejeebies out of me.”

  “I guess. Seems to be my thing.”

  “I thought you were Natalia.”

  “Well, the message from Sam said you urgently needed to see me, so here I am.”

  Sam. What a devious little devil he was. “A little different from the message I gave him, but it’s fine. I did want to talk to you and it is urgent.” She handed him the wine. “I don’t need another on an empty stomach.”

  He accepted the glass, then glanced around. “This is nice. I like it. Very…Serena.”

  She smiled. “Nice way to put it.”

  “It’s true. You have a unique style.”

  “Unique? Usually people say it’s eclectic. Or funky.” She grinned. “It is what it is. For better or worse.” As she said the words, she realized that in the space of a few seconds, all the tension had left her body. The wine had worked fast. She gestured to the couch. “Let’s sit and I’ll tell you why I wanted to talk to you.”

  He nodded and walked to the couch. “Okay.”

  “I wanted to tell you I was sorry I didn’t listen to you about the intervention. You were right. It is necessary.” And once she started telling him why, she kept on going, not just relaying the info
rmation about the intervention but recounting everything else that had happened earlier. When she finished, he held out the glass. She took it and drank the last sip of wine.

  She realized then that as he’d listened, his expression had grown more and more serious, and now he looked almost angry.

  “Bastards.” He stood. “You’re lucky to have gotten out of there. Ryan probably knew that, and that’s why he told you to leave.”

  She gave a wry smile. “Don’t try to candy-coat the truth for me, Cole. I was there.”

  “Okay. But he wasn’t himself.”

  “See, that’s how it happens. Everyone is afraid someone’s feelings are going to get hurt, and we can’t seem to see that everything we’re doing is aiding and abetting the person’s bad behavior.”

  “And you learned all this since visiting him today?”

  “No. Of course not. I’ve been doing research since we talked. And I’ve spoken with some professionals. I have a lot to learn. All of us who care about Ryan have to learn what we’re doing that enables him to get away with his actions. That’s not going to happen overnight. But Dr. Bledford said he’d give us all some instructions before the meeting, and then he’ll facilitate the meeting. After that, if we can get Ryan to agree to treatment, it’ll be a continual learning process.”

  “Okay. You can count me in. Is there anything I can to do before the meeting?”

  “That’s the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. I need someone who can make sure Ryan will be at the meeting once we decide where it should be.”

  “Sure. How about having it someplace he’d go without thinking it might be a trap?”

  “Makes sense.”

  “Can’t do the Purple Jeep because there may be clients coming in. How about my mother’s house? He has to talk to her, anyway.”

  “Really? What about?”

  He sighed. “I didn’t want to say anything about this. I figured you should hear it from Ryan, but it was obvious to me the other night that he hadn’t told you.”

  “Tell me what?”

  “Ryan borrowed some money from my mother to buy the Purple Jeep Touring Company and had her cosign on the loan for him with her house as collateral.”