Page 106 of Finding Wonderland

Purchasing the beach house in Cape Cod years ago had been one of the best decisions Isla and Vera had made. They loved the Cove with all their hearts, but being able to take their family to the Cape whenever they wanted allowed them all to disconnect from the world and focus on what was most important: their family. With Ellie and Brayden being only two years away from their teenage years and Everleigh starting kindergarten in the fall, Isla was thankful for the two weeks alone with them and Vera before school started.

Or, well, she had been looking forward to it.

Things changed when Walker showed up with her girlfriend, Maddie. Normally, Isla would have loved to have them both at the Cape with them. But recently, Walker’s drinking had gotten so out of hand that Isla didn’t want her around the kids. She’d told Vera as much, and she had reluctantly agreed not to invite Walker to the Cape.

Walker apparently had other plans.

Now Isla was borderline boring holes into Walker as she stared at her across the backyard. She was clearly drunk, and Isla grit her teeth as she watched her argue with Maddie. It was clear that Maddie was on the verge of tears; not even the dark sunglasses could keep Isla from noticing that.

She was just about to get up from the lounge chair and say something to them when Vera placed a hand on her arm.

“Not in front of the kids,” she gently scolded.

Ellie, Brayden, and Everleigh were splashing around in the pool, oblivious to anything else. Mason had left to go back to the Cove for work, and Isla wished Walker had just gone with her.

“She’s clearly drunk.”

“I know.”

“We have to say something, Vera,” Isla tried to keep her voice low but stern. “I don’t like her around the kids like this.”

“Me, either.” Vera shifted in her seat. Her eyes were still on Walker as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ll talk to her tonight.”

“A lot of good that will do,” Isla mumbled under her breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

Standing, Isla grabbed her empty cup of lemonade and headed inside the house. She hated being short with Vera, but she knew talking to Walker wouldn’t do any good. They had tried several times to have interventions for Walker but they never worked. Walker was the queen of talking herself out of any situation.

And she knew how to manipulate Vera’s emotions better than anyone.

That was part of what Isla hated the most. Yes, the drinking was more than concerning for her, but it was the way Walker manipulated Vera that sent her over the edge. Walker would claim she was fine, that she had her drinking under control. And because Vera desperately wanted it to be true, she believed her. Even though Isla knew deep down, she didn’t.

It crushed Isla to see her wife hurt like that, especially by the sister she had helped raise. Vera was the most kindhearted person Isla knew. She would do anything for anyone without asking questions. That was just who she was.

And Walker knew that.

The sliding glass door opened as Vera stepped inside. She was wearing a sleeveless yellow cover-up over her swimsuit that hit her mid-thigh. Isla could tell by the way she pushed her sunglasses up into her dark blonde hair and crossed her arms that their conversation from outside was far from done.

Grabbing the pitcher of lemonade from the refrigerator, Isla poured herself another glass.

“We should get back out there. I don’t want the kids alone with her.”

“She won’t hurt them, Isla. You know that.”

“How do I know that, Vera?” Arguing wasn’t a frequent occurrence between them. In fact, other than about Walker, Isla couldn’t remember the last time they had fought. “You know how she gets when she drinks too much. She hasn’t hurt them yet but I refuse to give her the chance.”

“She’s my sister,” Vera's voice broke as her shoulders dropped. “I don’t know what to do, Isla. I see it. I see the problem but I can’t help her until she wants help.”

Isla felt her heart breaking for her wife. She resisted the urge to go to her, knowing Vera wasn’t done talking.

“I’ve talked with Maddie. I’ve talked with Mom. I’ve talked to Lena. I’ve talked to doctors at work and people I know who’ve overcome addiction. And they all agree that forcing Walker into rehab or a program without her consent won’t work. And deep down, I know you know that, too.”

And Isla did.

“I also know that you know I would never put our kids in any sort of harm. If I had any inkling of an idea that Walker would hurt them, I can guarantee you she wouldn’t be allowed within a hundred miles of them.”

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