Gabriel's Inferno (Gabriel's Inferno 1)

“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.