Page 56 of Notes About Vodka (Happily Ever After Hangover #1)

“Dream on, pal,” Jacob retorts, chuckling, “but keep the charm coming. We’re cashing in on it.”

I laugh, and Skipper joins in, clinking his glass against mine. “Well, if he does get a cut, I better get a free drink out of it every time I’m here. I’ll consider it an investment in his charm business.”

“Done,” Val says, winking at Skipper. “You’ll get all the...slightly expired mixers you can handle.”

“Careful what you offer, Val,” Jacob interjects.

“This one might just hold you to it.” He turns to me, lowering his voice like he’s about to tell me a secret.

“Laura, you wouldn’t believe the fan club this guy has.

He’s got regulars who bring him cookies.

Had a lady try to get him to sign her arm last week.

The man’s got charisma, and we’re all just lucky to bask in it. ”

“Oh, I know,” I say, my cheeks warming. “He’s a charmer, alright. But it’s the blini he makes for breakfast that’s really sealed the deal for me.”

Skipper laughs, nudging me. “I thought it was the vodka, should have known you were in it for the blini.”

Val throws his hands up in defeat, grinning. “And here I thought it was my dazzling personality. ”

“Definitely the blini.” Jacob nods, laughing along.

“Laura, you’re welcome to come by any time and keep this guy in line.

He’s even harder to wrangle than our crab dip orders on half-price night.

But hey,” Jacob adds, looking at me with a sincere smile, “it’s good to see Val with someone who appreciates him. This guy deserves it.”

Warmth spreads through me, and I squeeze Val’s hand that he placed on my shoulder. “Trust me, I’m the lucky one here.”

“Alright, lovebirds,” Jacob says, standing up with a grin. “I’ll let you get back to your night before we turn this into a rom-com and start losing customers. Great to meet you both.”

As Jacob heads back to the bar, I watch Val with a new sense of pride.

After a while, I excuse myself to the restroom.

On my way, Val pulls me aside and out the back door, where he wraps his arms around me, kissing me like it’s been years, and my heart just melts.

Everything feels perfect, and for those few seconds, I forget the months apart and the weight of all that’s waiting.

“I’ll be done in ten,” he promises, pulling back with that familiar, mischievous grin. “Wait for me so we can ride home together.”

I nod, returning to our table with a smile I can’t hide. But ten minutes come and go, then twenty, then thirty and Val’s nowhere to be seen. I ask Dot if he’s seen him, but he hasn’t, and a slight worry starts to build.

When Val finally does reappear, he’s back behind the bar, fully engrossed in his work, barely glancing in our direction. I feel a twinge of disappointment, but I tell myself it’s just a busy night, that I can catch up with him at home.

Then, Amelia comes by and lets us know that the bill’s covered—Val insisted on treating us. It’s a sweet gesture, but it catches me off guard. Part of me is grateful, and yet, I can’t help wondering why it feels like we’re just...avoiding each other .

Just as I’m gathering my things to thank him, my phone vibrates, and I see the name:

*New Haven Psychiatric Ward.*

“Hello?” I answer, my voice unsteady, sensing that something’s wrong.

“Ms. Solyn? I’m calling about your mother,” the nurse says, her tone urgent.

“You need to come to New Have Medical. This is going to be hard to hear, but listen because this is urgent. She’s had a suicide attempt.

She locked herself in the bathroom, and it appears she’s been there for days.

We reached out to your step-father but she says he moved out.

A neighbor noticed a smell and called for help since she hadn’t seen your mom outside for a few days.

She’s stable now, but...you should come. ”

Her words hit me like a tidal wave. The floor seems to drop out from beneath me as I process them. My stepdad, Nick, left her? He actually just…abandoned her?

But James was just telling me that Nick was insisting they move into a bigger house with a fenced in back yard.

Ever since James started visiting my mother more often, I’ve stepped back. Mainly for my own mental health.

And it didn’t help that you tried to only focus on the happiness Val was bringing. You didn’t want to tell your mother you divorced Sam to just bring a new guy into her life. Nor do you want Val to ever meet her…

“Oh, my God,” I whisper, the realization washing over me in a sickening wave. I barely feel Skipper’s hand on my arm as he notices the look on my face.

What is wrong with me? I should have been there, I need to get there.

“Laura, what’s wrong?” Skip asks, his tone as gentle as his grip, but I can barely get the words out.

“We have to go,” I manage to say, my voice shaking, my entire body trembling. “Right now. My mom, she’s in the hospital.”

Skipper doesn’t hesitate. He nods, getting up immediately, understanding everything from the fear in my voice.

As we rush out, a pang of guilt hits me for leaving without saying a word to Val, but I push it aside.

Right now, all I can think of is getting to my mother and the guilt for not being a better daughter.

A few minutes later Val calls, "Laura, where are you? Did you just leave? And on my birthday? Like for real? I didn’t ask for a party, I didn’t ask for anything but your presence. I thought we were all going to go home, together. Where are you Laura?”

His words are sharp with hurt, his confusion palpable as I try to hold back tears.

When I finally gather the strength to answer, the conversation erupts into a storm of accusations and misunderstandings.

“My mom, Val,” I start, “she’s…. She’s in the hospital. And I’m so sorry.”

Val's voice crackles with anger as he loudly demands an explanation for my abrupt departure.

"You just left, Laura! And without a word!

After finally coming home for what, a day before you have to leave again…

Do you know how embarrassing this is? And then you didn't even leave a tip! What the hell?"

I hold the phone away from my ear as he continues his diatribe. I look over at Skip who is sitting next to me in the back of a taxi.

“What, what do you want me to do Val?” I ask him when he finally stops yelling.

“I want my tip, bitch. ”

What did Val just call me? I’m going to be sick.

My heart literally shatters, the pieces cutting through my emotional security.

I’m stunned. Silence hangs between us on the phone, heavy with unspoken words and unresolved tension.

“Fuck you,” I whisper. Skipper grabs my hand.

I make a decision.

Asking the taxi driver to stop and wait a moment. I grab my purse, rush out to the ATM I spot and grab some money. Then, I ask the taxi driver to return us to the restaurant.

Val is outside, smoking a cigarette.

I can see his anger on his face as Skipper asks, “Do you want me to come with you?”

“No, you stay here with the driver. This will only take a moment.”

Tears sting my eyes, a mixture of guilt and frustration boiling over. Moreover, I’m angry at myself for not seeing this side of Val.

Like seriously, what the fuck .

Walking up to Val, I tell him, "I didn't have cash on me, Val. Honestly, I didn't expect you to pay. I was going to leave the tip on my card. But then you handled the bill, kinda disappeared on us, and then… Fuck Val.”

My voice falters, the weight of the night crashing down again, “and I... I have to leave. My mom... She… She... Fuck it, it doesn’t matter anyways.

" I shove a crumpled twenty-dollar bill into his hand, my voice trembling.

"I'm sorry for leaving like that," I manage to say, my eyes pleading for understanding as tears cascade down my cheeks.

I can feel Skipper come up behind me, his hand resting on my lower back.

Val’s response is sharp, cutting through to my heart. "You could have said something. You could have told me. And now you come back here, shoving money in my face like some kind of insult?"

"I'm sorry," I choke out, my voice barely audible. "I panicked. I didn't know what else to do."

He looks at me, hurt and frustration etched in his expression. "Laura, what's going on? Why won't you talk to me?"

"I can't right now," I murmur, unable to meet his gaze. "I need time. I'll... I'll explain later.”

I walk back toward the taxi, hearing Skipper tell Val, “Dude, that was beyond fucked up. Laura is supposed to be your girl. But you want to get angry when the hospital just called to tell her that her mother tried to kill herself. I thought you were better than that, man, we have to go. I’ll make sure Laura is safe. "

Skipper closes the door to the taxi and asks the driver to take us back to the apartment. I glance back through the window, Val is standing there, the money clutched in his hand.

When we get to the apartment, Skip and I change, then head to New Haven.

The ride is a blur of anxiety and dread. I can't lose my mom, not like this. Skipper, always intuitive, doesn’t question what I just did as he drives up the highway.

When we finally arrive, the nurse is waiting at the entrance, his expression grim.

We rush inside, my heart pounding in my chest as we navigate the sterile halls to find my mom's room.

She's sedated, but stable, the doctors assure us.

The nurse introduces me to a doctor who fills me in on the details, his voice steady despite the turmoil we're all feeling.

Hours pass in a blur of waiting rooms, hushed conversations with doctors, and the distant hum of medical equipment. The ordeal is exhausting, emotionally draining. I get updates on what led to this, the tumultuous state my mom has been in.

It's then I realize, with a pang of resolve, that I can't keep subjecting myself to this cycle of pain.

My resolve is solidified when I am finally allowed to go see her.