“Nobody. The asshole’s in the hospital. He got stabbed.”“They must not’ve done it right or he’d be on a slab.”She took a slug of whiskey...and laughed softly. “Maybe you can show me how to do it better next time.”I didn’t ask why, I never asked why. Not my fuckin’ problem.In my tent, she was a storm of heat and need, tasting of whiskey and weed.When I finally decided to leave Sturgis, she was there, bag and bottle in hand. “Got room for a couple bottles of whiskey and a shitload of Acapulco. Bailey appreciated that, she really did. But she needed Gabriel first.The sun was going down when the door burst open.Gabriel stood there, a wild look in his eyes. Time seemed to stand still. She smiled feebly through her tears."Bailey ... oh, my god!" he rushed over to her bed.His fingers wrapped around hers. Bailey began to cry. Relief. Fear. Sadness. She was overcome with emotion.He kissed her forehead. His lips felt cool against her skin."I'm here, sweetheart," he whispered over and over in. He seems happy! He seems happier than he had been when wewere first married.We had, I realized, achieved a degree of happiness in our marriage thatI had far too often seen absent on so many of our friends' andfamilies' marriages. Ours could be the long-term keeper. It would be adifferent marriage, for sure, but it would be a successful one."Jeremy, come to Mistress!" I gently shouted through the house. Hescampered up to me quickly. I gave him a peck on the cheek. He waspathetic as a man, but he. She turned and said simply to her best friend, "Thanks, Ev."I nodded, for I too was coming around to the realization that Evie had our best interests at heart. "Yeah, Ev. That may not have been a lot of fun to listen to, but thanks for telling us what we needed to hear."A faint smile crossed Evie's face. "Before I let you off the hook entirely, there's something I want to address with both of you. Inez, you're a big-picture person who sometimes ignores details. Pat, you're a details person who.