“I don’t know if you remember me.” He stuck his hand out to Eileen again, this time to shake it. “I’m Samuel Cramer.”

Eileen took his hand in hers, shook it twice, and thought about how convenient it would be to drop dead, right then and there in the middle of the San Francisco airport baggage claim. “Eileen,” she mumbled, still too afraid that any speech that required more than one or two syllables would completely expose her for the disorderly public drunk she was.

“Yes, I remember.” He smiled at her. “I used to stand on the sidelines with your husband, Eric, and—” He stopped cold. “Well.” He glanced at her tote bag and then up to the ceiling. “I shouldn’t keep you, but are you… Do you need me to get you a cab or a car?”

She realized two things all at once. One, he had clearly seen the photos of Eric and Lauren. And two, he absolutely knew Eileen was completely wasted. She sighed, not wanting to accept help from Samuel, who just might end up telling other people, who would then tell more people.

“Did you hear about Eileen and Eric. Oh God…and what her sister did? And, this guy I know, he was on Eileen’s flight, he said she was completely three sheets to the wind—hammered. Almost killed people when she fell off the escalator.”

“Thank you,” Eileen said, still deciding if it was better to risk the suburban public shaming or try to navigate a major city she didn’t know while possibly needing her stomach pumped. She should probably accept his help, and was about to, when she looked up and noticed her name written across a folded white piece of paper being held by a wide-stanced driver.

Simon, of course he would send someone for her.

“But I have a ride.” She pointed to the evidence waiting patiently for her.

Samuel’s gaze followed her finger and then turned back to her with a smile. “Good,” he said, seemingly genuinely relieved. “Sometimes the cab line can go on forever here.”

Eileen nodded. “Thank you, again. It was…nice…seeing you.” It wasn’t, not at all, but this was the way to try to exit a horrifically embarrassing situation when there was a very high likelihood of seeing the witness of your bad behavior again. She raised her hand in a lame goodbye gesture and started toward her name on the paper.

“Eileen,” Samuel said.

Jesus, please, please, please, she thought. When she turned, she could see that he was holding a business card out to her. He walked toward her, and she took the card from him. What the hell?