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“What?”Morgan said.

“How much?”

Morgan had no makeup on and couldn’t have looked less sexy in her navy sweats and gray dingy t-shirt.“If you were even half as attractive as a one-eyed toad, I might consider it,” she said.

“That’s not very nice.”The man frowned.

“But accurate.”

He ordered another whiskey, which the bartender poured into a clean glass.The man poured what was left of his first whiskey into the new one and then walked away.

“That’s our councilman you just insulted,” the bartender said, putting a glass of bourbon in front of her.

“You must be so proud,” she said.

Morgan picked up the glass and inhaled the spicy aroma of whiskey, feeling like an old friend had come to visit.She considered what she was about to do and put the glass back down.After a moment, she picked it back up, and as she brought it to her lips, her phone rang.She saw Charlie’s picture come up.She didn’t plan on answering but didn’t want her sisters to worry.

“Hey,” Charlie said.“Where are you?”

“I’m just driving around,” Morgan said.

A woman sauntered up next to her.“Hey, bartender,” the woman yelled.“My glass is empty.How did that happen?”

“Morgan, are you in a bar?”Charlie asked so loudly that the woman turned toward the phone.

“Yep, she is in a fine establishment,” the woman called out, although she slurred the word, so it came out as ‘estabullshit.’

“Abby!”Morgan heard Charlie yell out.“Come quick.”

Morgan could tell Charlie had put the phone on speaker.“You need to leave that bar right now,” Charlie said.

“Don’t drink!”Abby said.“Where are you?We’re coming!”

“I’m fine,” Morgan said.

“No, you’re not; you’re in a bar,” Charlie said.

“Give us the name,” Abby said.

Morgan looked at the glass of bourbon for a long moment.She could still drink it before they got there.

“It’s someplace in Van Nuys called ‘Always Open,’” she said.

“Sounds lovely,” Abby said.“Stay there, we’re on our way.”

They hung up, and Morgan pushed her glass toward the tipsy woman.“Here, it’s yours,” Morgan said.

The woman downed it in one swallow.“Thank you so much.You’re an angel from heaven,” the woman said.

“If I were, I would’ve dumped it out,” Morgan said.

Morgan went outside and stood next to her car.The air was scented with vomit and urine.Next time I decide to throw away four years of sobriety, I’m doing it at a high-class hotel.

Ten minutes later, Charlie’s car skidded into the parking lot.Charlie, still in her pajamas, rolled down the window.“Did you drink?”she asked.

“No, but I would have if I hadn’t answered the phone.”

Charlie and Abby jumped out of the car, leaving the engine running.They hugged Morgan, relief written all over them.