Page 136 of Down Knot Out
I stand alone on the salty planks, hands shoved into my coat pockets. The spring air off the bay bites at my cheeks, but my palms are sweating. Behind me, the cart waits halfway up the hill, but my bondmates wait with Quinn at the Homestead.
We had agreed I’d meet my sister alone, but it feels like walking into a riptide without a tether.
Sadie steps off the ramp with the careful grace of a skittish deer. She’s thinner than the last time I saw her, the coat she wears hanging off her frame, but she appears healthier. The puffy flush ofalcohol is gone from her cheeks, replaced by a hollowness that sharpens every line of her face.
A gray beanie covers the top of her head, with the brittle, bleach-blond strands braided to hang over one shoulder. When my sister stops in front of me, her brown eyes meet mine with a clarity I haven’t seen in a lifetime.
Shivering, she draws her jacket closer. “You gonna stand there and gawk, Blake? Or can I get a hello?”
A pulse of guilt spikes through me. I force a step forward, then another, until we’re face to face. My arms hang at my sides. I want to hug her, but I don’t know if she’s fragile enough to break, or if the gesture would spark a fuse.
Behind her, Mrs. Reynolds stands sentinel. The old housekeeper wears a navy windbreaker zipped to her chin and keeps her hands folded over a battered tote bag. She dips her chin in greeting.
Sadie notices my hesitation and huffs out a laugh. “You look good.” She studies my beard, the tattoos peeking out from under my sleeves, and her lips twitch. “Are you wearing a rainbow bracelet?”
My hands clench at the tone of her voice. “Quinn made it for me two years ago. She made you one, too, but it seems you don’t remember.”
She flinches at the jab. “Yeah, I guess not.There’s a lot I don’t remember.” Her eyes dart past me. “Is she here?”
“She’s waiting up at the Homestead.” I jerk my chin toward the waiting golf cart. “Holden made a late lunch, if you’re hungry.”
Sadie’s throat works. “She’s okay?”
“She’s more than okay. She’s happy.” Awkward silence fills the space between us before I clear my throat. “We should get going if you want to be back on the mainland before dusk.”
“Right.” Sadie squares her shoulders and strides forward.
I offer Mrs. Reynolds my arm for balance on the gravel path. “How have you been?”
“Still not fired, so I can’t complain,” she huffs.
“How’s she really doing?” I ask, my attention on Sadie’s back.
The old housekeeper purses her lips, wrinkles forming on her cheeks. “Haven’t caught her sucking on the alcohol swabs in the first aid kit, so I’ll call it a win, so far.”
The news makes me both happy and afraid to let optimism take root. It’s only been two weeks since she left rehab. She’s been sober for two weeks before.
We catch up to Sadie, who surveys the cabins,the piles of lumber and stone, and the work equipment. “Didn’t think you’d stick with this.”
“Why not?”
She shrugs, not looking at me. “Just something Dad said. Should have known better than to listen to him. Sorry.”
My jaw tightens. Dad hadn’t been thrilled when I separated to form a pack with Nathaniel, but he hadn’t criticized our plans for the resort. No, that had all come from Nathaniel’s father. I’m not even sure my dad is aware of the stipulation put into the contract for our loan if we fail.
She picks up a stick and throws it at a clump of wild grass. “He’s not coming, by the way.”
“I figured.” If he were, he would have ambushed Kyle at the docks and arrived with Sadie.
She turns to me. “You heard from him recently?”
I shake my head. “Not since the last visit at the rehab.”
Sadie nods as if she expected as much.
I gesture up the slope. “You want to walk or take the cart?”
She shoves her hands into her coat pockets. “Let’s walk. This is my first time here. Show mewhat you’ve been doing with your life, little brother.”
