Page 75 of Fought and Freed

“Oh.” She dropped her hand back to her lap.

“He might be out with some friends, and he’ll meet you at the meeting,” Cody suggested.

She fiddled with the end of her shirt. “Maybe.”

Right now, she was really regretting going on vacation. What if Grant slipped, and she wasn’t there to help him?

The whole way to the meeting, she prayed Grant was staying safe.

Cody pulled into the parking lot and turned toward her. “Little one, I’m sure he’s fine.”

She nodded and hopped out of the truck. “I’ll be back in an hour.”

She walked to the entrance and took a breath before opening the door.

People milled around inside, talking, and she scanned the room for Grant. She spotted Amber and her mom, but she didn’t see Grant.

“Maddy, it’s good to see you back,” a warm voice said from behind her.

Maddy spun around. “Thanks, Brian, it's good to be back. You haven’t seen Grant around, have you?”

His eyebrows knitted together. “He hasn’t been with you?”

She shook her head in dismay. “No, I was in California.”

He rubbed his chin. “Well, I haven’t seen him since you left. I just thought you guys started going to different meetings."

Her whole body deflated.

Brian touched her shoulder. “Would you like to talk about this after the meeting?”

“No, I don’t want to keep you,” she said.

“You’re not.” He squeezed her shoulder. “We’ll talk after the meeting.”

She nodded and found a seat away from Amber, still hoping Grant would show up.

When Brian stood up behind the podium, his eyes settled on her. “I had a speech all lined up for today, but I’m going to talk about something else, instead…”

Maddy leaned forward in her chair, listening hard as Brian talked about how to deal with friends who falter.

At the end of the meeting, Brian came over and sat beside her. “I can see how worried you are about Grant. It shows all over your face.”

“He was upset that I was leaving.” Maddy hung her head. “In rehab, we promised each other that we’d help each other, but I failed him already. My brother was in the Rose Bowl and wanted me to be there, and I chose that over my friend’s request for help.”

Brian nodded somberly. “I heard the Huskies won the bowl.”

“They did.” Maddy smiled, remembering the good time she had. “It was a great game.”

He looked at her with concern. “How did you do while you were there?”

“I was fine.” Maddy shrugged. “I went to a couple meetings while there, but I didn’t have any urges. But Grant…”

“Does Grant have your number?” Brian asked.

“Yeah.” Maddy tilted her head. “Why?”

“Then, you upheld your part of your promise. If he needed you, he could have picked up the phone and called you.” Brian patted her shoulder. “You didn’t fail him.”

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