Champagne Kisses: A Timeless Love Story (15 page)

I raised my eyebrows at her. She had always been too smart for her own good as a kid, but at least now it was paying off. I pushed my glasses up on my nose and nodded. "Yes. The Saunders family feels that they should make sure this accident does not end up changing your life. If you still feel the need to press charges and change Robbie's life, then that is purely your decision."

The corner of her mouth twitched upward. "I never intended to press charges against him. Call me sentimental, but I still consider him a friend. I know that he must be going through something crazy hard if he broke his own rule. Besides, he saved me from drowning, so I would like to be able to thank him for that, even if he was the one who put me in the water."

My shoulders dropped, the weight sliding off of them. I knew I had always liked Samantha. "Thank you. I really mean it too, not just as the Saunders' family representative, but as Robbie's friend. Thank you."

"He's my friend. Or at least he was a long time ago. And friends help each other with mistakes. He got me out of trouble a couple of times too." Samantha gave me a grin, almost daring me to ask what kind of trouble. I didn't ask because I didn't want to know; Robbie and Sam were always getting into trouble. "Out of curiosity, how much
is
the payment?"

"Our standard is twenty-five thousand dollars. If you don't think that is going to be enough, I can always speak with the Saunders' lawyer and come up with a more equitable figure." I really didn't want to do that though. The lawyer was good, but he was kind of a jerk.

Samantha went pale and then flushed. "Twenty-five thousand dollars? No, that's fine. That amount is just fine. It's good."

I straightened the paperwork on the table, hiding my smile from her. The amount was obviously more than she had expected. She was still nodding to herself and murmuring that it was fine. A slow look of relief was flooding her features. I wanted so badly to ask what had happened to her since I saw her last, but now was not the appropriate time. This was when I needed to put on my game face and have her sign the papers.

"Excellent. I'm glad that's agreeable. If you'll just sign here... and here... and then fill out this section here, then I can have the medical bills taken care of and the sum wired to your account," I said, handing her a pen. She took it from me, carefully reading the document before she signed. I didn't hide my smile this time. The only other person I knew who read legal documents completely before signing them was Emma, and I was always impressed that she did.

After perusing the document, Samantha signed her name with a flourish in the required areas. Her handwriting was small and neat, and she made sure everything was perfect before handing it back to me. I carefully put the document back in the folder, sliding it into my purse before standing.

"Thank you, Samantha. Can I get you anything before I go?" I asked.

"No thanks," she said, but then her brows tightened and she looked up and made eye contact. "Are you going to go see Robbie?"

I nodded before carefully pocketed my glasses, stowing them in the hard case and slipping them into my purse.

"When you see him, will you tell him I'm all right? And that I'm not angry? I'd really like it if he came and visited me. For old time's sake." She bit her lip. I had always suspected that the two of them had been on the verge of being more than just friends, but this confirmed my suspicions. I wondered for a second what Robbie's life would have been like if she hadn't moved.

"You got it. I'm sure he'll want to see you." I gave her a warm smile, which she quickly returned. "Thank you again, Samantha. I hope I get to see you again soon, though preferably not in the hospital next time."

Samantha laughed, and she settled back into her pillows and book as I left the room. I waved to the nurse at the front desk, humming softly as I walked across the damp asphalt of the parking lot. At least this part of my day was going better than expected.

P
resent Day

I parked carefully in front of the police station, making sure I was evenly between the two lines. Just because Dean said he knew the sheriff, I didn't want to push my luck. I just wanted to get Robbie out with as little fanfare as possible and get him home to see his father.

The door chimed softly as I walked in. It was a small building, barely more than a room and an office, with two barred cells along the back wall. Sitting in one of them was a very dejected-looking Robbie. He glanced up as I came in, and then put his head back in his hands to stare at the floor. Dean was leaning up against the chest-high wooden monstrosity of a desk, talking with a man in a crisp tan uniform.

"How were things at the hospital?" Dean asked, and all three men looked up to hear my answer.

"Samantha's doing fine. She's agreed not to press charges," I stated. I heard a low sigh of relief come from the cell. "May I talk with Robbie?"

"Yes, ma'am, you may. Dean and I here just have a few more things to fill out before you three can get on your way." The sheriff gave me a friendly smile. He stood up carefully from the stool behind the desk, limping as he walked to the back cage. As he fit the key into the lock, I glanced at his name tape. Grinswald. I wondered if it was the same Matt Grinswald that was on the beach with Dean and me. I almost asked, but I could wait until after talking to Robbie.

"Hey, Robbie. You sober?" I sat down next to him on the hard wooden bench. He looked miserable. He was wearing a pair of sweatpants that were too big with an oversized SWAT sweatshirt. His light brown hair was messy, and his green eyes were rimmed with red; I couldn't tell if it was from being hung over or from crying.

"Sober. Unfortunately." He sounded absolutely wretched.

"I saw Samantha. She's doing fine, and she wants me to tell you she isn't mad at you." I put my hand on his shoulder. He looked up briefly at my mention of Samantha's name, but his eyes went quickly back to the floor. "Robbie, what's going on? What are you doing?"

"I'm sitting here listening to the rain," he said. I frowned.

"That's not what I meant and you know it. You're better than this," I said, gesturing to the jail cell.

"It doesn't matter. I'm always going to be the fuck-up. That's my lot in life." His back bristled under my fingers, but I kept my hand on him.

"It's
only your lot in life if you make it that. I've seen you sail, Robbie. I've seen drive and determination in you that would make Jack look like an indecisive toddler. You're better than this," I told him. I meant every word. If he could only see how he shone when he was sailing; if the world were a boat, he would be president, prime minister, and king. I wished he could see what I saw in him.

"Unfortunately, you're the only one who thinks that." Robbie looked up at me, his eyes angry and hurt. "My dying father thinks I'll never amount to anything, my brother's a billionaire CEO, and my mother's a harpy. What the hell am I supposed to do?"

I sighed. My heart was breaking for him. All I could see as I kept my hand on his back was the scared little boy I took home from his first sailing lesson. Maybe it was because I had just seen Samantha, or maybe it was the smell of the water in the air, but to my eyes, he was just a little boy. I rubbed his back, trying to think of how to convince him that he was better than he thought. I had tried to keep my eye on him when he was a boy, but Jack had been my real responsibility. I tried my best, but there wasn't a way for me to be in two places at once.

Dean rapped gently on the bars, catching both our attention. "The sheriff has agreed to drop all charges."

The sheriff's keys jangled as he opened the door, releasing the two of us into the office. As I walked by Dean, I whispered, "That must be some favor he owed you."

"Nothing much," Dean said with a shrug. He put a strong hand on Robbie's shoulder, guiding him toward the exit. "All right, Robbie, let's get you home before anyone notices we were gone."

Robbie stopped cold. "Dad doesn't know I'm here?"

"No. No one but Dean and I know you're here. Well, and Emma, but that's just because she's covering for us. And you know she'd never tell."

Robbie blushed. The anger seemed to wash out of him, his back going straighter and with more power and confidence in his stride. He wasn't going home to meet the firing squad anymore.

"Robert Saunders. I just need you to sign here and you'll be free to go," the sheriff said, catching Robbie's attention. Robbie quickly picked up a pen and started signing the papers laid out on the desk as Dean pointed to the various places that needed a signature.

I looked over at the sheriff, seeing his name tape again. The hair was the right shade of blonde, and the eyes seemed familiar. It was when he smiled at me that I knew it was Matt. The smile was exactly the same.

"Yes, Rachel, I'm that Matt Grinswald," he said with a laugh. I felt my cheeks redden at being caught.

"I didn't think you recognized me. It's been a long time." I leaned up against the desk, feeling very young with Dean and Matt both standing there.

"I wouldn't have if Dean hadn't said your name. You look the same—I just never thought I'd see any of you girls again. How is Jenny?" he asked. His pitch raised on Jenny's name and I wondered if he missed her as much as Dean and I had missed one another.

"She's doing well. She ended up marrying her high school sweetheart, but it didn't work out. They got divorced about two years ago, but she's got three amazing kids that I get to play "aunt" too. I'll tell her you said hi next time I see her," I said with a smile. Matt beamed.

"Please do. I'd love to buy her a drink sometime." The big sheriff picked up Robbie's finished paperwork and flipped through it. "Everything looks in order. Out you go, Robbie. I don't want to see you in here again, understand?"

"Yes, sir. I'll only be in here to be the bail-er, not the bail-ee," Robbie said with a small grin. The sheriff cracked a smile and nodded.

"Thanks, Grinswald. Beers on Thursday?" Dean asked as Robbie opened the main door.

A loud, "Of course!" followed us out of the station as Grinswald clapped Dean on the back. Robbie and I settled into the car, Robbie taking the backseat, and it was only a moment before Dean joined us.

"I didn't know Matt was so close nearby," I said as I started the car. The engine purred as we headed back down the highway.

"Yeah, he was transferred up here last fall. It's nice to have one of the guys close by." Dean looked out the window and I knew he was thinking about Frontera. I wished he could have made it too. "What ever happened to Jenny and Kimberly? You said Jenny got a divorce?"

I nodded, smiling at him. This wasn't something we had ever talked about since we started working together, and it felt nice. "Jenny lives in Jersey with her kids now. Kimberly is in LA. She works in the movies and does some of her own painting on the side."

"Are they happy?" Dean asked quietly. I could feel his eyes on me, their blue drawing me to them.

"Relatively." It was a complicated answer. They all were happy for the most part, though.

Dean nodded and crossed his legs again, staring out the window at the oncoming evening. The sun was just beginning to creep into the horizon, hints of starlight starting to peek through the silver clouds. I watched the road, the black asphalt flying beneath our wheels as we sped back to our real lives, but all I wanted was to find that rainstorm world so I could be alone with Dean again.

P
resent Day

Robbie passed me as I walked down the hallway toward Daniel's room. His eyes were still rimmed with red, and his lips were pursed together as he walked the ornate carpet, his mind lost in thought. I don't think he even saw me as he paced back and forth down the long hallway. I wasn't sure he had even been in to see his father since we had brought him home, but at least he was in the house.

I knocked softly before entering the large room that had become Daniel's infirmary. A large hospital bed took up the center of the room, an oxygen tank and an IV pole tucked carefully beside them. Bianca sat in a large easy chair in the corner, her feet tucked up under her as she typed on her laptop. I could hear soft classical music, playing softly in the background. Know Daniel, it was probably Mozart.

Daniel sat propped up in the bed, pillows and blankets tucked tightly around him. His pale face was so gaunt that his eyes seemed to sink into his paper thin skin. I remembered the healthy father whom had welcomed me into the Saunders' household. Where thick brown hair had once fallen into his eyes with a roguish flare, white wisps hung flat against his head. He smiled as I entered, his lips thin and pale.

"How you doing, old man?" I asked, sitting next to the large bed. Daniel looked perturbed, but his eyes were twinkling.

"I
was
going to go dancing, but Bianca says her feet hurt," he answered. Bianca snorted from her chair, a smile crossing her face. They had loved to dance.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to get her new shoes for tomorrow night." I reached for his hand, squeezing it gently. I could feel the bones through his parchment-like skin.

"Robert came to see me today. I mean, Robbie. He hates it when I call him Robert," Daniel said, a smile forming on his lips. He had a fascination with the Kennedys, and had always thought his children would grow up to do great things like their namesakes. "I had him tell me all about his last race. I'm sad I didn't get to see it. It sounded like a marvelous race. He said won, but it was close the whole time. He says he has another one coming up in two weeks."

But Daniel won't get to see it.
The words hung unspoken in the air like acrid smoke. It was an offhand comment, but we all knew he would never see his son race again. The silence was thick and uncomfortable. Daniel cleared his throat and adjusted the oxygen tube to his nose, trying to break the sudden tension.

"So, Rachel, what are you doing this evening? Going dancing, I hope?" Daniel changed the topic. I knew he wanted everyone to be happy. He had accepted his death, and was going gracefully. It was the rest of us that were having a hard time.