Covet by Tracey Garvis Graves Page A

equal to two normal-size bottles, is halfway gone. Maybe it was already open when we arrived. Because if it was a brand-new bottle and she polishes it off, she is going to be smashed. I shut the door, wash the apples, and slice them for the kids.
    It turns out I was wrong. At a little after three thirty, Julia bypasses smashed and goes straight to passed out. Her five-year-old daughter, Hillary, tries to rouse her. “Mommy. Mommy, I’m thirsty.”
    I look over at Julia’s chair and I’m alarmed to see that she isn’t moving.
    Julia’s three-year-old daughter, Beth, walks toward her sister and says, “Is Mommy sleeping?”
    Elisa and I jump out of our chairs, and Bridget tells the girls to come inside. “I’ll get you a drink,” she says.
    Elisa gently shakes Julia, but she’s out. My heart pounds when I think about Julia passing out when she’s home alone with the girls. Maybe while they’re in the pool.
    “Do you think she’s just normal passed out, or the kind of passed out where we should be worried?” I whisper.
    “Why are you whispering?” Elisa asks.
    “I have no idea,” I say. “Maybe we should call Justin. Ask him to come home.”
    “I agree,” she says.
    “Mom?” Travis says. “What’s wrong?”
    “Nothing. Why don’t you all go inside and tell Bridget you need a snack,” Elisa says.
    After they go in I ask Elisa if she knows Justin’s number.
    “No,” she says. “But Skip does. He calls him sometimes to play golf.” Elisa calls Skip, explains the situation, and I program the number into my phone when Elisa repeats it out loud. I hit the button to call Justin and get his voice mail.
    “Justin, it’s Claire. Um, Julia’s had a lot to drink. I think you better come home.” I disconnect and look down at Julia, shaking my head. I’d like to think that she was just excited about the beautiful day and the pool being done and all of us being here. But who knows what’s going on inside her head.
    Justin arrives twenty minutes later, red-faced and clenching his teeth so hard I instinctively move out of his way. I’ve never seen him so angry before. “Julia,” he says. He shakes her shoulder, and he isn’t all that gentle about it. “Julia!” He runs his fingers through his hair and exhales loudly. She remains as still as a statue, albeit one who is in a reclining position.
    “I can take the girls home with me,” I say.
    “That’s okay,” he says. “I’ll take them inside and give them a bath. They can watch some TV after. They’ve probably had enough sun today.” He glances down at Julia. “She can sleep it off out here for a while.”
    Elisa and I gather up our things and collect the kids’ towels and pool toys.
    “Did you see her eat anything today?” Justin asks before we go.
    Actually, now that I think about it, she didn’t. We made turkey sandwiches for ourselves but Julia said she wasn’t hungry. “No,” I say. “I don’t think she did.” She drank instead.
    “I’ll go inside and get the kids,” Elisa says. “We’ll go out the front door and take the sidewalk home.”
    “I’m right behind you,” I say. I turn back toward Justin.
    “Thanks for calling me,” he says.
    “Sure.” I hesitate but then I say, “Have you talked to her about it? The drinking?”
    “Yes. She knows how I feel.”
    I think Julia knowing how Justin feels and him doing something to help her are two totally different things, but maybe now is not the time to push. He looks spent, miserable. “Take care,” I say.
    He musters a weak smile. “I will.”
    The last thing I see when I look back on my way out is Justin rolling Julia onto her side so she won’t choke in case she vomits.
    At home, I tell the kids to take a shower. My cell phone rings, but I don’t recognize the number. I punch the button to answer it. “Hello?”
    “Hi, Claire? It’s Daniel Rush.” His voice sounds warm and friendly on the phone.
    “Hi. How are you?”
    “Fine, thanks. I just wanted to