look. “Did you come in here for a reason?”
He shrugged and shook his head. “Just wanted to rescue you. And tell you we could hear every word you said. And oh, by the way, there’s another one of your sisters shuffling in the doorway.” He eyed Helen and saw no reason not to be blunt. Enjoyed the prospect, in fact. “She didn’t give me her name, but she turned white and nearly left when I told her you were here, Helen. Alice did the same thing when she saw you on the porch. Do you have that effect on everybody?”
Helen nodded sadly. “It’s the curse we who are tactless, insensitive and decisive about everything have to bear. You are coming to the wedding and you will steal my heart and dance the night away with me, won’t you—”
“Oh, hell,” Alice said and left the room.
The baby of the family, just three years older than Alice’s daughters, honey-haired hazel-eyed Grace, shuffled guiltily at her approach, reminding Alice of Allyn on the day she’d backed the car into the wall at school. She couldn’t help it. Suspicion settled immediately. “What’s up?”
“Nothing.” Grace spread her hands wide. “Mom said Helen said you were home so I just came to try on my veil. But you’ve got company, so I won’t stay.”
She made a move to go, but Alice stopped her. “Grace? Is something wrong? Do you...” She glanced at Gabriel and Helen behind her, at Skip looking as vacant as possible on the couch. “Do you want to talk?”
“Not really. It’s just... Mom thought I should tell you...” Grace shuffled a little, glanced at Alice, at Helen, two of the legends and censors of her childhood, older sisters whose approval she needed to earn and whose expectations she had to live up to. Her waffling features firmed, her chin took on a stubborn tilt. “I think you should know Phil and I stood up for Becky at her wedding because Allyn wouldn’t, and I thought they should have someone in the family support them.”
She settled her hands defiantly on her hips and didn’t say so there, but the room resounded with the sentiment, anyway. Skip squirmed on the couch looking as though he’d prefer to be anywhere else. Helen arched one brow incredulously for Alice’s benefit, then slipped Grace a delighted grin and an unreserved thumbs-up behind Alice’s back. Alice opened her mouth, shut it with a snap, then gaped at Grace unable to utter a word.
Gabriel laughed. He couldn’t help himself. The urge bellied upward and burst from his lungs before he could stop it. The harder he tried to suppress it, the harder he laughed. His sides hurt and some of the humor he saw was a bit macabre—the parallels he recognized between Grace’s betrayal of Alice’s trust for the sake of Alice’s daughter, and the possibility that he’d been set up for a hit by his oldest friend and mentor were painful—but it had been a long time since he’d been able to laugh at anything and, God help him, he didn’t want to stop. It was the first remotely normal feeling he’d experienced in months.
“Shut up,” Alice said.
“It’s funny,” Gabriel gasped.
“Maybe if it was your daughter it’d be funny, but it’s my daughter and my sister. I’ve put 950 seed pearls on her veil so far, and she helps my eighteen year old get married without me behind my back. Why didn’t one of them come to me? I might have tried to talk Becky out of it, but I’m not an ogre, I’m just a mother.” She swung around at a strangled gurgle from Helen. “Don’t say it,” she ordered fiercely. “You know what I mean.”
“Sure,” Helen agreed. “You can’t stand it that Becky ran away to get a parent-ectomy on her own the same way you did, and you’re hurt that she felt she had to, the same way Ma and Dad and the rest of us were hurt when you cut the family out of helping you with your problems. Face it, Allie, we come from a long line of independent self-righteous granite-willed women, and the fruit just doesn’t fall far
He shrugged and shook his head. “Just wanted to rescue you. And tell you we could hear every word you said. And oh, by the way, there’s another one of your sisters shuffling in the doorway.” He eyed Helen and saw no reason not to be blunt. Enjoyed the prospect, in fact. “She didn’t give me her name, but she turned white and nearly left when I told her you were here, Helen. Alice did the same thing when she saw you on the porch. Do you have that effect on everybody?”
Helen nodded sadly. “It’s the curse we who are tactless, insensitive and decisive about everything have to bear. You are coming to the wedding and you will steal my heart and dance the night away with me, won’t you—”
“Oh, hell,” Alice said and left the room.
The baby of the family, just three years older than Alice’s daughters, honey-haired hazel-eyed Grace, shuffled guiltily at her approach, reminding Alice of Allyn on the day she’d backed the car into the wall at school. She couldn’t help it. Suspicion settled immediately. “What’s up?”
“Nothing.” Grace spread her hands wide. “Mom said Helen said you were home so I just came to try on my veil. But you’ve got company, so I won’t stay.”
She made a move to go, but Alice stopped her. “Grace? Is something wrong? Do you...” She glanced at Gabriel and Helen behind her, at Skip looking as vacant as possible on the couch. “Do you want to talk?”
“Not really. It’s just... Mom thought I should tell you...” Grace shuffled a little, glanced at Alice, at Helen, two of the legends and censors of her childhood, older sisters whose approval she needed to earn and whose expectations she had to live up to. Her waffling features firmed, her chin took on a stubborn tilt. “I think you should know Phil and I stood up for Becky at her wedding because Allyn wouldn’t, and I thought they should have someone in the family support them.”
She settled her hands defiantly on her hips and didn’t say so there, but the room resounded with the sentiment, anyway. Skip squirmed on the couch looking as though he’d prefer to be anywhere else. Helen arched one brow incredulously for Alice’s benefit, then slipped Grace a delighted grin and an unreserved thumbs-up behind Alice’s back. Alice opened her mouth, shut it with a snap, then gaped at Grace unable to utter a word.
Gabriel laughed. He couldn’t help himself. The urge bellied upward and burst from his lungs before he could stop it. The harder he tried to suppress it, the harder he laughed. His sides hurt and some of the humor he saw was a bit macabre—the parallels he recognized between Grace’s betrayal of Alice’s trust for the sake of Alice’s daughter, and the possibility that he’d been set up for a hit by his oldest friend and mentor were painful—but it had been a long time since he’d been able to laugh at anything and, God help him, he didn’t want to stop. It was the first remotely normal feeling he’d experienced in months.
“Shut up,” Alice said.
“It’s funny,” Gabriel gasped.
“Maybe if it was your daughter it’d be funny, but it’s my daughter and my sister. I’ve put 950 seed pearls on her veil so far, and she helps my eighteen year old get married without me behind my back. Why didn’t one of them come to me? I might have tried to talk Becky out of it, but I’m not an ogre, I’m just a mother.” She swung around at a strangled gurgle from Helen. “Don’t say it,” she ordered fiercely. “You know what I mean.”
“Sure,” Helen agreed. “You can’t stand it that Becky ran away to get a parent-ectomy on her own the same way you did, and you’re hurt that she felt she had to, the same way Ma and Dad and the rest of us were hurt when you cut the family out of helping you with your problems. Face it, Allie, we come from a long line of independent self-righteous granite-willed women, and the fruit just doesn’t fall far
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