For a moment she stared at it silently, as if she planned to refuse. Then she grabbed it, took a sip, wrinkled her nose and then tossed the whole thing back.
She shuddered, from her toes to her head, then held out the glass.
Clearly, she wanted more. Clearly, that would be a dumb idea. Still, her hand had stopped shaking and the drink seemed to have dried up the tears.
Besides, who was he, in this age of equality, to tell an adult woman she should not have another drink?
He poured her a second shot, hoping she wouldn’t notice it was not quite as generous as the first one. She downed it, handed him back the empty glass and then leaned deeply back into the seat, tilted her chin up, sighed and solved the problem of distracting her by closing her eyes.
Jessica did not open her eyes for the rest of the ride, even when the driver slammed on the brakes to avoid colliding with a cab that was darting in and out of traffic and blasting his horn.
Apparently, if she’d had interest and curiosity about the sights and sounds of New York, she had totally lost that interest now. Jamie suspected any slight interest she’d had in the job was also gone, and he felt too sorry for her to even be gleeful that pushing her toward getting back on that plane was going to be so easy.
Now what? It occurred to Jamie, even to get through a few days until they got the passport sorted out, she was going to need absolutely everything, from toothpaste to a temporary phone.
He could sense the most curious feeling rising up in him. Panic?
Or maybe it was something else. That old feeling, near the surface anyway, because of the tears, coming now with a vengeance. The weight of the almost unbearable responsibility of becoming the provider for the family way too young, feeling he was totally in charge of the well-being of his mother and sister.
Once his sister was safely through college and then married, and his mother in the apartment that had been his first big purchase to celebrate his business successes, he had sworn he would never feel that way again.
Still, he was glad he had thought of it. Because little sister, Sarah, owed him a favor or two.
He had actually never thought his sister owed him anything, but desperate times called for desperate measures, as the old adage went.
He didn’t realize he’d said it out loud until Jessica, without opening her eyes, said, her voice just a tiny bit slurred, “Hippocrates.”
He was not sure he’d ever met a woman who could pin a quote to Hippocrates before. A woman, who by the way, was going to need everything...including underwear.
Hey, Hippocrates, can it get much more desperate than that?
Casting a glance at her, it seemed like, despite the reference to Hippocrates, she might be sleeping—or at least trying to shut out the world, not that he blamed her—he fished his phone out of his pocket and hit the message icon.
He tapped in the first letters of Sarah, and the box came up. He realized he hadn’t talked to his sister since his nephew, Jared’s, second birthday. A month ago. Now was not the time for guilt, however. He’d already felt guilty once today, and that was his quota for the month. Maybe the year. He didn’t see any point beating around the bush, either.
Hey, I need your help.
There seemed to be quite a long pause, and then:
Who are you and what have you done with my brother?
Don’t be smart. I’m serious.
What’s wrong?
Just leaving JFK. I picked up a...
Jamie glanced at Jessica. Her eyes were clamped tightly shut, like a child pretending to be asleep. Some of her hair, light brown and wispy as an angel’s feather, had fallen out of the clip and was lying across her cheek. But if he was not mistaken, a little purr, almost like a snore, was coming from her.
Maybe he should have given her champagne instead of cognac? This was why he needed his sister. He had a feeling, with an unknown entity like Jessica Winton, he could do everything wrong.
A business acquaintance. Her luggage was stolen. And her purse.
What? Oh, no!
She has nothing. No computer, no phone, no cash, no credit cards, no clothes.
He decided not to put the no underwear part. His sister was clever. She would figure it out.
What do you need from me?
He’d ignored her for a month, and yet, there she was, no questions asked, ready to do what family did. He had thought he was going to have to play his you owe me card but she was volunteering willingly. Really, he wasn’t worthy of her, not that he planned to let that stop him from asking for her help.
But suddenly, he wasn’t sure what he was asking her. He suspected it was to not let him be alone with the burden of Jessica’s distress. He suspected it was to get rid of the terrible sense of failure he felt for not catching on that he was being skillfully distracted and then for not catching the thief. Now, he felt a terrible responsibility for making it all better for the small-town bookstore owner who had just experienced the very worst that New York had to offer.
That was a responsibility he could not trust himself with. At all. His sister he could trust with it.
Maybe you could take her shopping? If we could get her set up with a few basics until we figure out what to do about...
Getting rid of her seemed a touch harsh so he put:
...everything. I’ll pay.
You’re paying? For a shopping trip? I’m in. Is she young or old?
