Page 47 of The Art of Loving Lacy
Before they walked out the door, the officer said, “Lemme ask you a question. You’re the Brave Foundation guys, right?” He didn’t wait for a response. “Don’t you worry, going in the water with those sharks?”
Dane spoke to the officer, but his attention was still focused on Rob. “It’s less risky than driving down the street. You know, you could choke on a chicken bone.”
IN ROB’S MOTEL room, Rob stretched out on the bed with a groan. Lacy watched Dane pacing the small, tidy room. He ran his hand through his hair, glanced at Rob, and shook his head.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Dane finally asked.
“I’m sorry, Dane. It’s all this stuff with Sheila.”
“I could have helped you, taken you to AA meetings, stayed with you, given you time off, whatever it took, Rob. How could you let it go this far?” Dane’s deep voice softened, and his worried eyes washed over Rob.
“It sent me off the deep end, I guess. Those guys were talking about how they were going to go…” He glanced at Lacy, then back at Dane. “They were gonna go hook up with a few unsuspecting women, only not in a consensual sense. I lost it. I kept thinking of Katie and how I’m not there to protect her.”
“Katie? She’s four,” Dane said. “You can’t go around busting on guys. You’ve never done something like that before.”
“No, I haven’t, but I’ve never been separated before either,” Rob said.
“You know, I didn’t want to believe it when Hugh said you were hungover.” Dane crossed his arms over his chest.
Lacy watched Dane’s jaw clench as he stared down the man she knew he loved like a brother. The tension between the two multiplied in seconds; then Dane let out a sigh, and the tension deflated like a popped balloon. He sat beside Rob on the bed and reached for Rob’s arm, meeting his friend’s eyes with a softer gaze.
“Buddy, let’s get you to a meeting. Is this why Sheila left?” Dane asked. He squeezed Rob’s arm.
The harshness in his tone fell away, revealing the empathetic and genuinely caring man that Lacy had come to know. She felt a fissure in her resolve.
Rob shook his head and sat up. “I didn’t start drinking until after she left. We were arguing a lot. I guess I hadn’t realized how much. You know she’s been all over me to stop tagging. I can’t give it up. I can’t do it, but…” His eyes welled with tears. “I can’t lose her, man. She’s everything. My kids…I can’t lose them.”
Dane wrapped Rob’s burly body in his arms and placed one hand on the back of his head as he held him. “It’s going to be okay. She loves you, Rob. This’ll work out. You said you had all that stuff worked out about work. I never gave it another thought. Listen, take the week off, go to Connecticut and see her. Talk it out. She knows how much you love what you do.”
You’re holding him like you held me.She loved the way Dane and his family weren’t shy about their emotions, and as she watched him with Rob, she sensed that Rob really was family to him, which endeared Dane to her even more.
Rob pulled back. “I can’t. She said she needed space, but I’ll call her.”
“And a meeting?” Dane pulled out his phone and typed something in. “I’ll find a local meeting we can attend.”
“I went last night. I just messed up afterward,” Rob said. “I can do this. I did it fifteen years ago, and I’ll do it again.”
“I’ll go with you. You need support,” Dane offered.
So available, willing to be there no matter what.Lacy felt her heart opening like a flower in bloom.
“Nah. This is something I have to do alone. It’s all out in the open now, Dane.” He looked away as a flush crept up his cheeks. “I’ll call you if I feel like I’m falling off the wagon. I promise. I’ve only been back on the bottle for two days. I’m sorry, man. You don’t deserve this,” Rob said. He turned to Lacy. “I’m sorry, hon.”
“Please don’t apologize. I’m sorry you’re having such a difficult time,” Lacy said.
Dane pulled Rob close again and whispered, “I have faith in you. Just promise me this will be a good run, because I can’t walk out that door knowing I could lose my best friend.”
A good run.She’d come to know that expression from Dane, and she knew it meant he trusted Rob to make it through this. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and suppressed the urge to open her arms and join the closeness that was coming together before her.
“I promise you, Dane.” Rob held his stare.
“And if you need me, I’m a phone call away. I can be here in minutes.”
Dane closed his eyes and Lacy opened hers.
Chapter Sixteen
DANE’S EYES WERE still damp as they pulled away from the motel. Lacy looked away, not wanting to embarrass him and not really knowing if it was her place to say anything at all.
