Saving Grace

Chapter 49

Joe sat in the cabin lacing the rope through the bed frame. He took a swig of the beer, grimacing at the yeasty smell. He braced his feet on the board as he pulled the ropes tight before tying them off. He stood and bounced his hands on the woven surface. He grabbed the bottle and drained it. "That should work."

He threw the bottle into a bucket by the door as he stepped outside. His parents' car was missing from the driveway. "Wonder if I have time to haul a mattress out or if I should just do blankets."

A maroon flash from the highway made up his mind. "Blankets."

He spread the thick stack of blankets over the mesh and lay down when the door burst open. Joe rolled his head to the side to look at his father.

"Thought the place was on fire."

"I built the chimney better than that," Joe said.

His father rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You stayin' out here then?"

"That's the plan."

His father walked to the table and turned several bottles to look at the labels. He raised his eyebrows as he looked at Joe.

"You havin' a party?"

Joe chuckled. "Depends on the definition of a party."

"Can't you answer one question with a straight answer?"

"Yes. I can."

"Well?"

Joe sat up and looked at his father. "I just did."

"Did what?"

"Answered your question with a straight answer. To answer your other question, no. I'm not having a party."

"We don't drink, Joe."

"You don't drink. You know nothing about me."

"When did you start drinking?"

Joe bit his lip. "When I turned sixteen and the pain pills weren't enough anymore."

His father's eyes widened and his nose flared. "Are you on pain pills now?"

Joe shook his head. "No. I've been off them for at least six months. Gave them up when Grace needed them more than me."

His father's jaw worked up and down for several minutes. "How can I believe that?"

"There's a bottle in the medicine cabinet. I almost took one this morning." He shook his head. "All I could think about was Levi's voice telling me how much different I was from when we first met. I couldn't let him down and go back to being that person."

"But you can drink?"

Joe sighed. "I've barely had a sip."

"You've got enough for a whole army."

"I'd barely call a six pack and two bottles of whiskey enough for an army." Joe rose to his feet, wondering where the rest of his liquor was. "I've got chores to do."

"Don't you drive drunk. I'm not gonna bail you out."