Gabriel's Inferno

Chapter 26

When the house was shrouded in darkness and it seemed that everyone else was fast asleep, Gabriel and Julia stood staring at one another in the kitchen.

“I’m not sure you’re dressed warmly enough. It’s chilly out there.” He gestured to her coat.

“Not as cold as Toronto,” she laughed.

“I won’t keep you outside for long. Look what I found.” Gabriel held up a long, wide scarf made of thick white and black stripes. He wrapped it around her neck, expertly looping it at the front. “This is from my old college at Oxford.”

Julia smiled. “I like it.”

“It suits you. I found something else too.” Gabriel held up an old blanket that looked oddly familiar.

Julia reached out her hand to trace the edge of it. “Is that the one?”

“I think so. But it won’t be warm enough, so I brought two more.” He took her hand and led her out to the porch.

It was colder now and dark, but somehow it seemed as if no time had passed since Julia took Gabriel’s hand and followed him into the woods. She inhaled sharply at the memory, and as they crossed the backyard in the inky darkness, she felt her heart beginning to pound in her chest.

Gabriel squeezed her hand. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re nervous, I can tell. Talk to me.”

He let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close.

She hugged his waist in return. “The last time I was in these woods I got lost. You have to promise that you won’t leave me.”

“Julianne, I am not going to leave you. You don’t understand how important you are to me. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to lose you.” The pitch of Gabriel’s voice changed; it was low, tense.

His declaration took her by surprise.

“If for some reason we get separated, I want you to wait for me. I’ll find you, I promise.” Gabriel pulled a flashlight out of his pocket, and it shone brightly, illuminating the well-worn path in front of them, which disappeared into the trees.

The woods were spooky at night — a mixture of lush pines and naked trees waiting for spring. Julia clutched at Gabriel’s waist more tightly, worried that she might trip over a root or something and go sprawling. When they arrived at the edge of the orchard, he stopped.

It seemed smaller than Julia remembered it. The grassy space looked the same, and the rock and the apple trees were the same, but not as large and significant as they were in her memory. And sadder, as if everything had been forgotten.

Gabriel led her to the spot that was theirs all those years ago and painstakingly spread the old blanket on the ground.

“Who bought Richard’s house?” she asked.

“What’s that?”

“I was just wondering who bought the house. Tell me it wasn’t Mrs.

Roberts. She always wanted it.”

Gabriel pulled her to sit next to him on the ground and draped them both in blankets. She curled into his side, and he wrapped his arms about her. “I bought it.”

“Really? Why?”

“I wasn’t going to allow Mrs. Roberts to live here and chop down all the trees.”

“So you bought the house because of the orchard?”

“I couldn’t stand the idea of someone else owning it and possibly destroying it. Of never being able to come back here.”

“So what will you do?”

He shrugged. “My real estate agent will rent it out. I’d like to keep it as a summer house. I don’t know. I just couldn’t let Richard sell it to a stranger.”

“It was very generous of you.”

“Money means nothing. I can never repay him.”

Julia pressed a kiss to his cheek.

He smiled at her. “Are you comfortable?”

“Yes.”

“Are you warm enough?”

She giggled. “You’re generating quite a bit of heat, so yes.”

“You’re too far away.”

Even in the moonlight, Julia could see his eyes grow dark. She scooted closer to him and trembled slightly as he placed her sideways on his lap.

“That’s better,” he whispered, pulling her peacoat up slightly so that he could touch the naked skin of her lower back.

“Can I ask you something?” Julia looked at him pensively.

“Of course.”

“Why isn’t your last name Clark?”

He sighed. “Emerson was my mother’s name. I thought if I changed it, I would be disowning her. And I’m not a Clark. Not really.”

They were quiet for a few minutes, each coming to terms with memories and reality. Gabriel continued to caress her back, and she nuzzled up against him. He didn’t seem to be in a hurry to start a conversation, so Julia decided to speak first.

“I had a crush on you from the moment I saw your picture. I was so surprised that you noticed me the night I met you — that you wanted me to come with you.”

He brushed his lips against hers, just for an instant, fanning the flames that flickered below the surface. “You appeared to me in my darkness. You asked me once why I didn’t sleep with you that night. It’s so clear to me now; I drank in your goodness, and it satisfied my longings.”

Julia would have looked away, embarrassed, but Gabriel’s vulnerable gaze kept her there, exploring the depths of two dark shadowy pools.

“I don’t remember everything, but I remember thinking that you were very beautiful. Your hair, your face, your mouth. Sonnets could be written about your mouth, Julianne. I ached to kiss it from the moment I saw you.”

Julia pressed their chests together and grasped his neck with both hands, urging his mouth forward. She kissed him slowly but with feeling, tugging on his lower lip with her teeth, exploring his mouth with her tongue.

He placed his large hands flush against her back, almost lifting her. She responded by shifting her legs and moving to straddle him. He groaned in her mouth at their sudden and intense connection and held her even more tightly. His hands began to rub against her flesh, gliding up to the edge of her lacy bra strap and then back down again to the waistband of her jeans, teasing and tracing the barriers to her skin. It was so smooth, so soft. He wished he could see it in the moonlight. He wished he could see all of her.

Gabriel pulled away from her mouth when he felt her shiver. “Are you all right, love?”

She started at the unfamiliar term but then a slow smile crept across her face. “More than all right. I…” She paused and shook her head.

“What is it?”

“You’re very…intense.”

Without thinking, Gabriel threw his head back and laughed. His chest vibrated with good humor, and Julia almost found herself laughing too. If she hadn’t thought he was laughing at her. He reached his thumb up to pull her lower lip from between her teeth.

“If you think my actions are intense, then it’s a good thing you don’t know what I’m thinking at this moment.”

He shifted underneath her, and if she hadn’t noticed before, she noticed now. Where their two bodies pressed up against one another there was solidity and heat, the promise of something mysterious and satisfying.

She flushed at the way his body responded to her but didn’t break eye contact. “Tell me.”

“I want to make love to you because I care about you. I want to worship your naked body with my own and learn all of your secrets. I want to please you, not for minutes, but for hours and even days. I want to see you arch your back in ecstasy and look into your eyes when I make you come.”

He sighed and shook his head, his gaze heated but resolute. “But not here.

It’s too cold and it’s your first time and there are some things we need to discuss first.” He tenderly kissed her forehead, worried that she would interpret his declaration as a rejection.

“I want you to feel safe and comfortable. I want to adore every part of you. And that’s going to take time. And — ah — it’s going to require more amenities than this field can afford.” He smiled at her seductively and cocked an eyebrow at her. “Of course, what I want is of very little consequence.

What is at issue is what you want.”

“I think my feelings are pretty clear.”

“Are they?” His voice sounded unsure.

She leaned up to kiss him but caught his chin instead of his lips. “I wouldn’t be here with you in cold weather if I didn’t want to be.”

“It’s still nice to hear.”

“Gabriel Emerson, I want you,” she breathed. “In fact, I — ” She bit down on her lip roughly to keep from saying the four letter word.

“You can say it,” he whispered. “It will be all right. Say what you feel.”

“I–I want you to be my first. I’m yours, Gabriel. If you want me.”

“I want nothing more.”

This time he captured her mouth. His kiss was filled with promise and resolve. The intensity set fire to Julia’s insides, stirring and swirling her desires.

Gabriel wanted her. It had always been there in his kiss, but the line between hunger and affection was so easily misread. She was no longer concerned with that line, there was just his body pressed up against hers and their two mouths connected while their hands gently explored one another.

In their orchard, which was Paradise, there were only two almost-lovers and no one and nothing else.

As their kisses grew more passionate, Gabriel slowly reclined backward onto the blanket, pulling her until he was flat and she was kneeling on either side of him. Her chest pressed against his, and a pleasant friction arose between their hips. She moved atop him, shamelessly pressing her softness and curves against him. It was like nothing she had ever felt before.

He allowed her to continue, but only for a moment or two. He freed her lips and traced her cheekbones with his thumbs, lightly back and forth, his gaze heated.

“I burn for you, Julianne, but it’s more than just a physical hunger. I crave you, all of you.” He sighed and shook his head. “I hate to do this, but there are a few things we need to discuss.”

Julia’s sigh matched his. “Such as?”

“Such as my trip to Italy. I should have told you first.”

She sat up slowly. “Professors travel for work. I know that.” She dropped her gaze to the blanket beneath them.

Gabriel sat up too. “Julianne.” He lifted her chin with a single finger.

“Don’t hide from me. Tell me what you are thinking.”

She twisted her hands together. “I know I don’t have any right to be — demanding, but it hurt to find out that Richard knew about your trip before I did.”

“You have every right to be demanding. I am your boyfriend. I should have told you first.”

“Are you my boyfriend?” she whispered.

“I’m more than that. I am your lover.”

Gabriel’s words and his voice, low and sensual, sent a shiver up her spine.

“Even though we aren’t having sex?”

“Lovers are intimate with one another in many different ways. But you need to know that I desire all intimacy with you and only you. So the term boyfriend is inadequate. And I’m very sorry I hurt your feelings. My trip to Italy came up when Richard and I discussed the house because it affected our arrangements.

“I received the invitation from the Uffizi months ago, long before you came to Toronto. I wanted to bring it up, but I was putting it off until we were more — comfortable with one another.”

She peered over at him with interest.

“I wanted your Christmas gift to be a trip to Florence. Of course I don’t want to go alone. The thought of leaving you behind, of being separated from you — ” His voice grew rough. “I was worried you’d refuse, that you would think it was a tool of seduction.”

She frowned at him. “Do you really want me to go with you?”

“I’d rather not go if you won’t accompany me.”

She smiled widely and kissed him. “Then thank you for the invitation. I accept.”

Gabriel smiled in relief and buried his face in her hair. “After what happened with the clothes, I was convinced you’d say no. I’ll book separate accommodations, if you wish. And I’ll book you an open ticket so you can leave if you decide — ”

“Gabriel, I said yes. With all my heart. I can think of no one I’d rather visit Florence with, and please let me stay with you.” She looked at him shyly.

“The semester will be over. We wouldn’t be breaking the rules if we were to…if you were to decide to take me to your bed and make me yours — ”

He cut her off with a searing kiss. “Are you sure? Are you sure you want me to be your first?”

She gazed at him earnestly. “It was always you, Gabriel. I never wanted anyone else. You are the man I’ve been waiting for.”

She initiated a soft kiss that quickly escalated. Within moments she was lying on top of him, their bodies flush together. She was so close to him, to it, to everything. And she’d never wanted to be closer, not even during their tango in the museum.

He pulled back, panting, dragging his lips down her neck. Carefully avoiding her love bite from earlier, he brushed a kiss against her hair. Julia moaned and wrapped his hair around her fingers.

“It’s too dangerous, love. I can’t kiss you the way I would like to and be able to stop.”

Despite his protestation, his hands ran tantalizing courses up and down the curves of her bottom and over the flare of her hips, teasing and pressing into her. Julia tried to kiss him again, but he caught her face with his hand, stroking her gently.

“Too much of that and I’ll have you right here,” he whispered. “You deserve better. You deserve everything, and that’s what I’m going to give to you.”

She leaned into his hand.

“Given your decision, there are a few other things we should discuss.”

Gabriel’s voice was no longer playful and sultry. He cleared his throat and took a couple of deliberate deep breaths. “If you choose to go on the pill or if you are on it already, that’s fine. But I need to tell you that contracep-tion is unnecessary.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I can’t have children, Julianne.”

She blinked at him.

“Are children something you always wanted? Maybe I should have brought this up sooner.” He shifted somewhat anxiously.

She paused as his revelation began to sink in. “I didn’t exactly come from a happy family. There have been times when I thought it might be nice to have a husband and a baby. But I never really thought something like that would work out for me.”

“Why not?”

She shrugged and averted her eyes. “I never thought I’d find someone who could love me. I’m not exactly sexy. I’m shy. And weak.”

“Oh, Julia.” He embraced her and kissed her on both cheeks. “You’re wrong. You are incredibly sexy. And you are far from weak.”

She fingered the lapel of his leather jacket for a moment. “I’m sorry to hear that you can’t have children. Lots of couples have trouble conceiving.”

Gabriel stiffened. “Their situations are completely different.”

“How so?”

“Their infertility is natural.”

Julia noticed Gabriel’s eyes narrow as he watched her with a very worried expression.

She raised a hand to his face and gently touched his cheek. “Were you very disappointed when you found out?”

He grasped her wrist and removed her hand from his face. “I was relieved, Julianne. And I didn’t find out.”

“Then how…”

“I made the decision to have myself sterilized when I came out of rehab.”

She swallowed hard.

“Oh Gabriel, why?”

“Because someone like me shouldn’t reproduce. I told you about my father. I told you what I was like when I was doing drugs. I thought it would be irresponsible to leave open any kind of paternity. So I had it taken care of, and I will not have it reversed. I decided that there would be no children for me. Ever.”

He turned his piercing gaze on her. “I didn’t account for you, though.

And now I almost regret my decision. But really, Julianne, it’s better this way. Trust me.” His body suddenly tensed, as if he were preparing himself for an onslaught. “You might decide it would be best not to get involved with me now.”

“Gabriel, please. I just — need a minute.” Julia moved to sit beside him as she tried to process the information he’d just given her.

Gabriel followed suit, tugging on one of the blankets so that it was wrapped around her entirely. She realized that he’d given her a half-admission, that the true secret was the event or events that led to his despair. Those events had to be more than just his upbringing and his drug use.

Does it matter? Is there a secret he could tel that would kil your love for him?

He was as stil as a statue in the cascading moonlight, awaiting her response. The minutes seemed like hours to him.

I love him. Nothing he could say could kill that. Nothing.

“I’m so sorry, Gabriel.” She flung her arms around his neck. “But I still want you. I realize there might come a time when we need to revisit this conversation, but I’ll accept what you’ve said for now.”

At first he was taken aback by her reaction. Then her gentle acceptance overwhelmed him. It made it difficult for him to find the right words.

“Julia, I need to tell you who I am. What I am.” He was suddenly insistent.

“I will listen to whatever you have to say, but I still want you. It was always you, Gabriel.”

He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her gently, as if his soul was begging to be joined to hers. “It was always you, Julianne. Only you.”

He held her and breathed in her comfort. All of a sudden, he could see the future. He had hope. He had faith that maybe, just maybe, when she knew everything, she would look at him with those big, brown eyes and say that she still wanted him.

You love her. Once again the voice came out of nowhere, only this time Gabriel recognized it. And he silently whispered his thanks.

“You seem so far away, love.” Julia smiled as she used his new term.

He kissed her softly. “I’m right where I want to be. Perhaps tonight isn’t the best night to share all our secrets. But I can’t take you to Italy without telling you everything. And I would like you to tell me everything too.” He looked into her eyes with a very serious expression. “I can’t ask you to bare your body to me without asking you to bare your soul. I want to do the same with you. I hope you understand.” With his eyes he tried to express his feelings, how he was thinking only of her in adding this prerequisite.

She nodded slowly in agreement. He pressed their lips together, and Julia sighed, resting her head against his chest and listening to the steady, contented rhythm of his heart. Time passed or stood still. Two almost-lovers entwined beneath a dark November sky, the stars and moonlight their only illumination.

The next morning, Julia awoke early and walked down the hallway to take a shower. She dressed and packed her suitcase, knocking on Gabriel’s door at eight o’clock. But there was no answer. She pressed the curve of her ear against the door and listened. There was no movement. No sound.

She dragged her rolling bag down the hallway and carried it down the stairs. As she turned the corner into the living room, she saw Richard and Rachel sitting on one of the sofas. Rachel was crying and her father was trying to comfort her.

Their eyes flew to Julia’s as she dropped her bag accidentally. She apologized profusely.

“It’s all right, Julia,” Richard greeted her. “How did you sleep?”

“Well, thank you. Rachel, are you okay?”

Her friend wiped her eyes. “I’m fine.”

“Why don’t you two talk while I make some breakfast? Rachel likes blueberry pancakes, Julia. How about you?” He stood up and gestured toward the kitchen.

“Thanks, but my dad asked me to meet him at Kinfolks for breakfast at nine.”

“I’ll drive you. Just let me whip up some pancakes first.”

Richard disappeared, and Julia sat next to Rachel on the couch, putting her arm around her friend’s shoulders.

“What happened?”

“I had a fight with Aaron. He was moody this morning, so I asked him what was wrong. He starting talking about the wedding and wondering if I was ever going to set a date. When I said I wanted to wait, he wanted to know how long.” She threw up her hands in frustration. “I told him what I said before — I don’t know. Then he asked if I wanted him to let me out of the engagement!”

Julia inhaled sharply in surprise.

“We never fight. But he was so upset that he couldn’t even look at me. Then in the middle of our conversation, he just walked out the front door and drove away. I have no idea where he went or if he’s even coming back,” Rachel sobbed.

Julia hugged her friend tightly. “Of course he’s coming back. I’m sure he was upset with himself for fighting with you and went for a drive to cool off.”

“Dad overhead us. So of course he wanted to know why I was delay-ing the wedding.” She wiped her eyes with her hands. “He said Aaron was right, I couldn’t put my life on hold. He said that Mom would be upset if she knew I was putting things off because of her.” Rachel’s face crumpled as her eyes filled with more tears.

“Your dad is right — you both deserve to be happy. Aaron loves you so much. He just wants to get married. He’s worried you’ve got cold feet.”

“I don’t have cold feet. I’ve loved him forever.”

“Then tell him that. He took you to an island to reconnect with you after the funeral. He’s been patient about everything. I’m sure he doesn’t care when the wedding is, he just wants to set a date.”

Rachel sniffled sadly. “I had no idea how upset he was.”

“Maybe you should eat some breakfast, then call him. He’ll have calmed down by then, and you two can go somewhere and talk. You can’t work things out here with so many people around.”

Rachel shuddered. “Thank God Scott didn’t walk in on us. He would have sided with me and pissed Aaron off even more.”

At that moment, the front door opened and closed and a tall, brown-haired man, sweaty from jogging, strolled into the living room. His hair was messy and damp, and he was wearing a black Nike jogging suit. As he approached the two women, he took a pair of ear buds out of his ears and pressed a button on his iPhone.

He looked at Rachel and Julia, frowning darkly. “What happened?”

“Aaron and I had a fight.” More tears fell down Rachel’s cheeks, leaving Gabriel stricken.

He walked over and pulled her into a hug, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m sorry, Rach. Where is he?”

“He left.”

He subtly shook his head in frustration. It pained him to see his sister cry.

Before he could ask for more details, Richard emerged from the kitchen, announcing that breakfast was served. “And Julia, if you can give me a few minutes, I’ll take you to Kinfolks.”

Gabriel released Rachel. “What’s happening?”

“Julia needs to meet her father at nine.”

Gabriel looked at his watch. “It’s not even eight-thirty.”

“That’s okay. I can just have a cup of coffee at the restaurant and wait for him.” Julia avoided Gabriel’s gaze. She didn’t want to be an inconvenience.

“Let me shower and I’ll drive you. I have to stop by my real estate agent’s house anyway.”

Julia nodded and the three of them entered the kitchen while Gabriel went upstairs. Over blueberry pancakes, Rachel produced something from her purse and fastened it around Julia’s neck.

She touched the pearl necklace with surprise. “What’s this?”

“They were Mom’s. We wanted you to have something of hers.”

“I can’t, Rachel. You should have them.”

“I have other things,” she said, smiling.

“What about Scott?”

Rachel giggled. “Scott said they weren’t his style.”

“We wanted you to have them.” Richard looked at her kindly.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course!” Rachel hugged her friend, grateful for the opportunity to return her kindness in some tangible way.

Julia was overwhelmed, but she fought back tears for Richard’s sake.

“Thank you. Thank you both.”

He pressed a fatherly kiss to the top of her head. “Grace would have been so happy to see you wearing something of hers.”

“I should thank Scott.”

Rachel rolled her eyes and stifled a snort. “He won’t be up till noon.

Aaron and I had to turn the stereo on last night to block out the sounds of him snoring. We could hear him through the wal s.” She looked up into her father’s slightly disapproving face. “Sorry, Dad, but it’s the truth. Anyway, just bring your dad to dinner tomorrow night, Julia, and you’ll be able to thank Scott then.”

Julia nodded, fingering the pearls thoughtfully, marveling at their smooth spherical shape.

Gabriel and Julia didn’t say much on the drive to the restaurant. Almost all the words they needed to speak had already been spoken. They held hands like teenagers in the car. Julia beamed when Gabriel gave her his Magdalen College scarf and said that he wanted her to have it. When they arrived at the restaurant, Tom’s truck was nowhere to be found.

“I guess we’re lucky.” Julia sounded relieved.

“He’ll have to be told eventually. I’ll tell him, if you wish.”

Julia turned her head to see if he was serious. He was. “He told me to stay away from you. He thinks you’re a criminal.”

“Then you should let me tell him. You’ve taken enough abuse to last a lifetime.”

“Gabriel, my father never abused me. He isn’t a bad man. He’s just — misguided.”

Gabriel rubbed his mouth but said nothing.

“I’m not going to say anything until we’re back in Toronto and the semester is over. It will be easier to explain on the phone. But I should go.

He’ll be here any minute.”

Gabriel kissed her lightly, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand. “Call me later.”

“I will.” She kissed him again and slipped out of the Jeep.

He pulled her luggage out of the back and placed it at her feet, leaning forward to whisper in her ear, “I’m already fantasizing about our first time.”

Julia blushed and murmured, “Me too.”

Tom Mitchell was a man of few words. He was incredibly average-looking — of medium height and build with medium brown hair and rather medium brown eyes. Despite his failure as a father and whatever failures he had been guilty of as a husband, he was a dedicated volunteer and very active in municipal life. In fact, he enjoyed an excellent reputation amongst the townsfolk of Selinsgrove, and his opinion was frequently sought after in all matters municipal.

To Tom’s credit, he and Julia spent an enjoyable day together. The regulars at Kinfolks restaurant welcomed her gladly, and he was able to brag to them about how well she was doing in graduate school and how she was applying to Harvard for her PhD.

He took her for a drive around town to see some of the new building projects, pointing out how Selinsgrove had grown even during her short absence. And he brought her to a first-aid training session that was being hosted at the fire house so that his colleagues could tell her how much her old man talked about her. Afterward, they went grocery shopping, because for various reasons Tom didn’t keep a lot of food in the house. Later that afternoon, he skipped the football game so that they could watch an old movie together. Yes, it was the director’s cut of Blade Runner, but it was a film that they both wanted to see, and they quite enjoyed it.

When it was over, Julia handed him a beer, thus encouraging him to watch football while she made Grace’s famous chicken Kiev for dinner.

Finally alone, she sent a short text to Gabriel:

G, Just making Grace’s chicken Kiev and a lemon meringue pie for Dad.

He’s watching football. Hope you’re having a great day.

I’ll call you around 6:30. Your Julia. XO

A few minutes later, while Julia was in the middle of assembling two casseroles of chicken Kiev, one for that evening and one for Tom to freeze, her iPhone chirped with an incoming text:

My Julia, I’ve missed you. We’re watching football too.

R and A have kissed and made up and set a date.

Richard is something of a miracle worker, I think, or perhaps it was you?

You don’t know what it means to me to hear you say that you are mine.

Looking forward to your call. I am yours, Gabriel XO

Julia fairly floated in the kitchen, buoyed as she was by Gabriel’s words and the moments they’d shared the previous night. Her dream was going to come true. After years of dreaming, Gabriel was going to be her first.

All the tears and trouble and the humiliation with Simon were now forgotten. She’d waited for the man she loved, and now she was going to have the first time she’d always desired. And in Florence, of all places. She had many things to be thankful for, including the string of pearls around her neck. She was pretty sure that Grace had had a hand in everything, and she silently whispered her thanks.

When she was finished with her preparations, Julia placed one of the casseroles of chicken Kiev in the oven and walked the second one down to the basement. Upon opening the freezer, she was surprised to find a lot of pre-made meals, stored in Tupperware or wrapped in tin foil, many of which had little notes on them signed Love, Deb.

Julia resisted the urge to gag at the sight of them. Deb Lundy was a nice lady, and she seemed to take good care of Tom. But her daughter Natalie was another story, and Julia couldn’t even fathom how upset she would be if Deb and Tom decided to move in together or God forbid, get married. That would be disturbing on more than one level.

Julia pushed all thoughts of Deb and Natalie aside and devoted her full attention to preparing her father’s favorite dessert, which was lemon meringue pie. He tended to prefer the pie that was served at Kinfolks, but that didn’t stop Julia from making her own.

She was just putting the pie into the oven when the telephone rang.

Tom answered it and within seconds was cursing loudly. After a few brief sentences that sounded work-related, he slammed the phone into its cradle and disappeared upstairs. When he returned, he had changed into his uniform.

“Jules, I’ve got to go.”

“What happened?”

“There’s a fire over at the bowling alley. The guys are there already, but they think it might be arson.”

“At Best Bowl? How?”

“That’s what I’m going to find out. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

He was almost to the door when he stopped and hunched his shoulders.

“I’m sorry I ruined your dinner. I was looking forward to it. See you later.”

Julia watched her father back out of the driveway in his truck and drive away. No doubt Gabriel was already in the middle of dinner with his family, so Julia decided against texting him. She would wait until six-thirty and call him as planned.

When the timer went off, she removed the pie from the oven and inhaled the sweet, citrusy aroma. While she waited for it to cool, she wrapped the chicken Kiev and put it in the refrigerator. It would keep until tomorrow — she’d make a sandwich for dinner.

About fifteen minutes later she heard the front door open and close.

She hurriedly grabbed a plate so that she could serve Tom a piece of pie.

“How did you get away so quickly? The pie is ready right now,” she called to the hallway.

“I’m glad to hear that, Jules.”

At the sound of that voice, the plate slipped through Julia’s fingers, smashing on the old linoleum floor beneath her.