She sat in the dining suite of the luxury houseboat while Caitlin mixed a large jug of Jack Daniel’s and Coke. Sam accepted the offered glass and stared out the window as she slowly sipped. “Do you remember me telling you about Charli’s sixteenth birthday party years ago? You know, when that guy from school laced my drink?” “Yeah, sure.” Caitlin popped a mixed CD into the stereo. “Do you remember the talk I had with Nan the morning after?” “Um, something to do with Charli, wasn’t it?” She settled into the chair across the table. The morning Sam had woken in her grandparents’ house when she was fifteen was a day she’d never forget. Nan made their favorite breakfast after Pop left early for work and Sam had been particularly quiet at the table. “Are you okay, Sammie? Not coming down with something, are you?” Nan pressed her palm to Sam’s forehead. “No, Nan. Just a little tired, I guess.” Her grandmother wrinkled her nose, and then frowned. “You know you can talk to me about anything, even things that might seem a little…strange.”
