Her Sister's Shoes (22 page)

“You and Bitsy could stay with me. I have an alarm system designed to protect Fort Knox.”

Faith smiled at her sister. “Thanks, Jackie. I appreciate it, really I do, but Bitsy feels safe here with Sam and Jamie. That’s not to say I won’t take you up on it at some point in the future.”

“Well, if you change your mind …” Jackie was secretly relieved her sister had declined her invitation. She couldn’t very well have Faith as a houseguest without explaining Bill’s absence. Considering the confusion their mother had experienced earlier, and now Faith’s confession, Jackie thought Lovie had faced enough drama for one night. She’d wait for another time to tell her family about her own plans for divorce.

“Eli promised to contact us when they release Curtis,” Sam said.

“We’ll know anyway when his bike disappears,” Faith said.

“But when that happens, the two of you need to be on the lookout for him”—Sam looked at her mother, then her older sister—“in case he decides to come after one of you.”

“I seriously doubt he’s that desperate,” Jackie said.

“He’s unemployed and broke, and that makes him desperate,” Sam said. “Throw in gambling and alcohol addictions, add an anger management problem, and he becomes dangerous. Maybe I’m being a little overdramatic, but I think it’s important for all of us to be on alert.”

Jackie had her own problems to worry about without having to concern herself with her delinquent brother-in-law. She’d offered for Faith to stay out at the farm. What more could she do?

She got up and began clearing the table. She was placing the last dessert plate in the dishwasher when Sam sought her out in the kitchen.

“I didn’t get a chance to ask you how Mom was when you picked her up.”

Jackie, glancing around to make certain they were alone, leaned back against the counter. “When I got to her townhouse, I found Mom sitting in her car with the car running. She had no clue where she was supposed to be going.”

Sam poured the last of the Pinot Grigio into her glass. “Tell me everything.”

Jackie described her mother’s latest episode of confusion in detail, including the mystery behind the rusty key. “I’ve never seen that key before in my life, but Mom seems convinced the key fits something at my house.”

“That’s strange. Why would she think that?”

“Who knows? Maybe the key does fit something at the farm. She lived next door in the cottage for all those years. I’ll take a look around the property tomorrow, and see what I can find.”

“I guess it can’t hurt. I must say I’m curious.” Sam paused, thinking. “I know you are dealing with your own issues right now, but …”

Irritation crawled across Jackie’s skin at Sam’s subtle yet undeniable proclamation. She knew about Bill’s affair and was providing Jackie with the opportunity to come clean about their problems. But Jackie refused to be bullied into a confession. She would tell them on her own terms.

“But what, Sam?” Jackie said, her jaw set firmly.

“Can you at least help out with Mom on her days off? With Faith staying here and Jamie in a wheelchair, my hands are full.”

“I can’t this week. I have an important meeting in Charleston on Wednesday, and I’m picking the boys up from camp on Saturday.”

“That’s perfect. I’m sure the boys will love spending some time with their grandmother on Sunday.”

Jackie imagined the dreaded drive home from the mountains with the twins. After learning of their parents’ divorce, she doubted that Cooper and Sean would be in the mood for entertaining their grandmother.

“I’ll try, Sam. But I can’t promise anything. As you mentioned earlier, I have my own problems just now.”

Twenty-Seven

Samantha

S
am heard from
Eli late Monday afternoon when he called to tell her Curtis had been released, but she didn’t see him again until he showed up at Sweeney’s late Wednesday morning with a woman in tow who needed no introduction—Janie Jasper, known throughout coastal South Carolina as the authority on all things Lowcountry. As reporter for the weekly magazine
Lowcountry Living
, Janie received invitations to the best parties and offered the best tables in the trendiest restaurants in and around the Charleston area. In a drop-dead-gorgeous Angelina Jolie kind of way, she appeared even more glamorous in perso
n, with sh
iny mahogany shoulder-length hair, amber-colored eyes, and a toned body that made her simple white sheath look elegant.

What are they even doing here?
Sam wondered, once the shock of having a celebrity on the premises wore off.

Unsure of how to approach them, she opted to keep things professional. “Let me know if I can help you with anything.”

“Thanks.” Eli gave Sam a perfunctory nod. “We’re just looking around.”

She experienced a pang of jealousy when Janie grabbed Eli’s arm and pulled him close, whispering in his ear the way lovers do.

Sam sorted through an order of fish she’d received that morning, while eavesdropping on their conversation as much as possible. She felt five sets of eyes spying on them from the kitchen—Roberto’s as well as her mother’s, sister’s, niece’s, and son’s.

Eli and Janie ambled through the market, reading ingredients on labels, deciding which of the prepared products they’d like to try, and discussing all the different methods for cooking shrimp.

Finally they wandered over to where she was working. “Sam, I’d like you to meet—”

“Janie Jasper. Welcome to Sweeney’s.” Sam offered her hand and the most sincere smile she could manage. Regardless of Eli’s relationship with this woman, Janie had the power to dictate Sweeney’s future.

Janie shook Sam’s hand. “Eli has told me so much about your family’s history at Sweeney’s and your recent renovations.”

“What little I know, of course,” Eli said.

“I must say I’m intrigued,” Janie continued. “Enough to feature you in next week’s
Lowcountry Living
if you will let us.”

Sam wanted to victory dance on top of the counter, but she managed to maintain her composure. “We’d be honored. You just tell me how we can help.”

Janie pointed to the collection of black–and-white photographs on the back wall, taken over the course of nearly six decades—Lovie under her umbrella stand in the parking lot at the Inlet View Marina in 1958; the first grand opening of Sweeney’s in 1959; after the storm surge from Hurricane Hugo, which flooded the building in 1989; and the most recent, the grand reopening only two weeks ago. “Do you have any copies of these photos?” she asked. “I’d love to use them for my article.”

Faith appeared, with an envelope full of photos, followed by Lovie bearing a tray of coffee and all the fixings.

“Janie, this is my sister Faith, and my mother Lovie.” Sam gestured toward the pass-through window along the back wall. “And while we’re making introductions, those three sets of spying eyes in the kitchen belong to my son Jamie, my niece and Faith’s daughter Bitsy, and our cook Roberto.”

“I can see the headline now.” Janie spread her hands out wide in front of her. “A Family Affair. Captain Sweeney’s Seafood. The Next Generation.”

Janie had done her homework. Few remembered that Sweeney’s Seafood started out as Captain Sweeney’s Seafood Market.

“Beats the heck out of ‘Too Uptown for Small Town,’” Jamie called out from the back.

Janie cupped her hands around her mouth as she responded. “I believe in unbiased reporting, Jamie. When I’m finished, every seafood lover from Beaufort to Georgetown will be standing in line for lunch.”

Sam beamed. She couldn’t blame Eli if he was in fact romantically involved with the journalist. She was developing her own minicrush on her.

“Let me just call in my photographer.” Janie opened the front door and waved to a man sitting in a minivan parked on the street.

“This is Mano, my trusted photographer and friend.” Janie introduced each of them individually.

“She’s good, isn’t she?” Mano pointed his thumb at his boss. “Never forgets a name or a face.” Mano had the unmistakable accent of a Hawaiian with the leathery dark skin to match.

“Enough with the flattery, Mano. Let’s get busy. You know the drill.” Janie set her bag on the counter and removed her iPad. She turned to Sam, poised to take notes. “Why the renovations, Sam? Why now?”

“Out of necessity,” Sam said. “The floor joists were infested with termites, causing the whole building to sag.”

“It was time,” Lovie added. “Nothing had changed since my husband and I opened the place back in 1959.”

“Tell me about that.” Janie balanced the iPad in the palm of her left hand while typing with the fingers on her right. “How did you go from selling fish out of a cooler on the docks to all this?” She spread her free hand wide.

While Janie conducted her interview, Mano snapped several photographs—pictures of Bitsy arranging produce, Sam and Faith standing in front of the interlocking
S
s logo, Robert and Jamie huddling together around the stove in the kitchen, and Lovie posing behind the fish counter. Janie asked every question imaginable, not only about the business but about their lives. She wanted to know what set their market apart from others like it, the biggest challenges in running a family business, the latest trends in seafood, and the most popular new products.

“It doesn’t get any fresher than that,” Janie said when Sam explained that Sweeney’s purchased most of their fish from the boat captains who docked at the marina across the street.

“Those boat captains are part of the Sweeney’s family.” Lovie beamed. “As you know, my husband was one of them. His original partner and best friend, Captain Mack Bowman, is still our biggest supplier.”

After an hour of picture taking and question answering, Janie declared she had enough information for her feature. As a courtesy, she promised to send Sam a proof before the article went to print.

Sam turned to Eli once Janie was gone. “I’m grateful—don’t get me wrong—but I hope you didn’t have to twist her arm too hard to convince her to do the article.”

“You’ve got it all wrong, Sam. Yes, I asked a favor of Janie. But she has her reputation to think of. She would never have done the article if she didn’t think Sweeney’s worthy.”

Tingles of excitement tickled her belly. “Really?”

“Janie and I made an agreement. I left it up to her. If she decided not to do the feature, the plan was to load up on shrimp salad and leave.”

“An article in
Lowcountry Living
might be the only thing that can save Sweeney’s, so thank you.” Sam glanced at her watch. “Good Lord. Where did the morning go? Jamie and I have to get on the road.”

“On the road to …”

“To Charleston. To pick up some wine from the distributor. We are running low on one of our more popular brands. With business this slow, we are not in danger of selling out or anything. I just used it as an excuse to get Mom to come into work on her day off. I don’t like her being home alone, now that Curtis is on the loose.”

“That’s smart thinking. None of you can be too careful right now. Have you seen or heard from him?” Eli asked.

Sam crossed her fingers. “Hopefully, he learned his lesson.” She checked her watch again. “I’m not sure we have time to go now. Jamie has to be back by four for physical therapy.”

“We’ll make it back in time, if I drive.”

Sam cocked an eyebrow. “Are you saying you want to come with us?”

“If that’s okay with you. There’s someone I’d really like for Jamie to meet.”

“I don’t think we’ll have time for socializing, Eli.”

He chucked her chin. “You’ve gotta eat lunch, don’t you?”

“Yes, but—”

“Trust me on this.”

Sam saw compassion in his soulful gray eyes, and she realized she did trust him. Not only had he taken a special interest in her son but also was doing his best to protect her family from her deranged brother-in-law. And the interview he’d orchestrated with Janie Jasper could end up saving Sweeney’s from bankruptcy. Having a confidant was a new experience for Sam, and she valued Eli’s friendship, even if their relationship never developed into anything romantic. She didn’t have time for romance, anyway, not with all the chaos controlling her life.

“My trust does not come cheap, but you’ve earned it, Eli. And I thank you for that.”

He leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. “You are welcome,” he whispered. “You said you were dying to try sushi, right?”

Eli, Sam, and Jamie talked about Janie’s article all the way to Charleston. They speculated on when the next issue of
Lowcountry Living
would hit the stands and how soon before they might see an increase in business. Sam warned Jamie not to be overly optimistic, even though she couldn’t suppress her own feelings of hope.

Su-shay was located on East Bay Street just down from Magnolias. While small, the restaurant was appropriately uptown for big town. The walls were painted a high-gloss orange and the tables were dark modern wood. A nature-inspired water fountain dripped streams of water down the banquette wall on one side of the restaurant while workers prepared food in an open area, the sushi bar, on the other.

“I’m not sure we have time to wait,” Sam said when she saw the mob of hung
ry-looking customers gathered around the hostess stand.

“We have a reservation.” Sam looked surprised, and Eli said, “I know the owner. I texted him we were coming.”

A shorter version of Eli made his way through the crowd toward them. “Hey, bro.” He engulfed Eli in a bear hug. “Next time give me a little notice.”

“You know me. I operate by the seat of my pants. Sam, Jamie, this is my brother Kyle.”

Kyle’s dazzling smile and bright blue eyes mesmerized Sam. She offered her hand to him, but pulled it back in shock when she felt metal fingers grip hers. She stared down at his forearms, which were fitted with state-of-the-art prosthetic devices. “Oh, sorry.” Sam blushed. “I didn’t realize.”

“No worries.” He balled his metal fingers up tight, offering Jamie a fist bump. “Nice to meet you, dude.”

“Can you believe Sam and Jamie have never eaten sushi?” Eli said.

Kyle slapped his metal palm to his forehead. “Never eaten sushi? That’s a crime. We’ll have to remedy that right away.” He started toward the back, motioning for them to follow.

Eli helped Jamie maneuver his chair through the crowded restaurant to the last table along the banquette. Eli and Sam slid onto the upholstered bench against the wall and Jamie wheeled up opposite them.

When Kyle pulled up a chair next to Jamie, Eli said, “Glad you can join us, man.”

“It’s not every day my brother blesses me with his presence.”

An Asian woman with flawless skin and shiny black hair approached the table. “Since when do we take lunch breaks?” the woman said to Kyle, her arms crossed.

“Blame it on me for showing up unannounced during the middle of your lunch crowd.” Eli stood, and leaned across the table to kiss her cheek. “Shay, I’d like you to meet my friends, Sam and Jamie Sweeney. Shay is a candidate for sainthood for marrying my brother.”

Sam snapped her fingers. “I get it now. Shay, as in Su-shay.”

Eli patted Sam on the head. “She’s a fast learner.”

Kyle winked at his wife. “Sweetheart, can you believe Sam and Jamie have never eaten sushi?”

“You’ve come to the right place. One sampler coming up.” She executed a dainty bow.

When Shay left the table, Jamie turned to Kyle. “What happened to your arms?”

“Jamie!” Sam said. “Don’t be rude.”

“I’ll make a deal with you,” Kyle said. “I’ll tell my story if you tell me yours.”

“Deal,” Jamie said, and they shook on it. “But you go first.”

“Okay, fine.” Kyle settled back in his chair. “I was on my last week of duty in Afghanistan when a defective explosive device detonated in my hands.”

“You mean one of our own weapons?” Jamie asked, his eyes wide.