Gabriel's Inferno (Gabriel's Inferno 1)

“Come here,” he whispered, reaching to envelope her in a warm embrace. “You’re wrong you know, I did mean it. Of course I feel better when I touch you. But I’m sorry to fly at you like that. I wasn’t thinking…” Gabriel appeared disgusted with himself.

“You didn’t hurt me.”

He smiled into her hair and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I will endeavor to be worthy of you. If you weren’t here, I’d have left already.”

“No, you wouldn’t have. Richard needs you. And you would never leave him in need.”

A pained look shadowed Gabriel’s features. He kissed her once again, more like a friend than a lover, and turned back to his suitcase.

Julia crept out of his room and down the stairs, wondering what would happen during dinner. She paused on the landing to check her appearance in the mirror, hoping that she didn’t look as if she had just stolen a sensual moment with her professor.

Chapter 25

Rachel planned the seating arrangement. She sat in Grace’s place at the foot of the table, so she could be near the kitchen, while Richard sat at the head. Scott and Aaron sat on one side, Julia and Gabriel sat on the other. Julia could feel his eyes on her, but he made no move to brush up against her under the table, much to her disappointment.

Rachel stared at Julia’s new Mennonite look and glanced over at Gabriel.

He ignored his sister by focusing all of his attention on his linen napkin.

Before they began eating, Richard asked his family to hold hands so that he could say grace. A shock passed from Gabriel’s hand to Julia’s, making her withdraw hastily. Rachel’s eagle eyes saw the retreat, but she said nothing, especially since Julia eventually gave Gabriel her hand.

“Our Father, we thank you for this day and for the many gifts you’ve given us. Thank you for our country, our home, our food. Thank you for my beautiful family and that we can be together, for my lovely wife, the love of my life — ”

Six pairs of eyes opened immediately. Five pairs of eyes swung to the head of the table. One pair of gray eyes immediately closed and his hands covered them.

It had been a mistake. Her description had rolled off his tongue as it normally did during family grace. But the effect was dramatic and immediate. Richard’s shoulders began to shake.

“Oh my God,” mumbled Julia.

Rachel was out of her seat in a flash, wrapping her arms around her father’s shoulders, fighting back her own tears. Aaron quickly finished Richard’s prayer as if nothing had happened, and at the Amen everyone else wiped away a tear or two. They began passing vegetables and turkey and Scott’s mashed potatoes.

Except for Gabriel. He sat stoically, hands clenched into fists at his sides as he watched his adoptive father cry. Underneath the table, Julia reached out a tentative hand to Gabriel’s knee. And when he didn’t flinch, or throw her hand back into her lap, she kept it there. Eventually, he took her hand in his and squeezed it.

Julia felt Gabriel’s body begin to relax before they withdrew their hands. For most of the meal, he brought his left foot to entwine with her right, keeping their continued connection secret.

While the family enjoyed a store bought pumpkin pie, Richard told Julia he was moving to Philadelphia in January in order to start a new job as a researcher in the Neurosciences Center at Temple University Hospital.

“You sold the house?”

Richard’s eyes went to Gabriel and returned to Julia. “Yes. I bought a condo near Rachel and Aaron. I’ll be able to focus on my research in Philadelphia, and I won’t have to teach anymore. I’m not ready to retire yet, but I’d like to do something different.”

Julia felt sad that the house was going to be sold, but she said only complimentary things about his plans. This must be why Gabriel wants to visit the orchard tonight.

“So, Gabriel, why don’t you tell everyone about your upcoming trip to Italy?” Richard smiled in his adopted son’s direction.

Several things happened all at once. Rachel and Aaron glanced at Julia.

Julia continued eating her pumpkin pie as if nothing had happened, trying valiantly not to appear wooden. And Gabriel sought her hand under the table while he clenched his teeth. Julia could almost hear his jaw snap shut.

“You’re going to Italy? Man, I wish I had a cushy trust fund that would let me do that. I would love to go to Italy.” Scott winked at Julia.

Richard gazed at Gabriel politely but expectantly. Julia saw a flicker of anger pass over Gabriel’s features before it disappeared.

“I’ve been invited to give a lecture at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence,”

he announced stiffly.

“When will you go?” asked Rachel.

“The beginning of December.”

“How long will you be gone?” asked Aaron.

“A week or two, possibly more. My hosts have several events planned, and I had hoped to do some research for my book while I’m there. But that depends.”

Gabriel squeezed Julia’s hand under the table, but her hand had gone limp. She remained focused on her pie and chewed thoughtfully. No one noticed that her eyes had become watery. She didn’t dare look in Gabriel’s direction.

After dinner, the kitchen was crowded as everyone helped clean and put things away. Gabriel tried to speak to Julia alone, but they were constantly interrupted. Finally, he gave up and accompanied Richard out to the back porch while the rest of the family piled onto the couches in the living room to listen to very bad eighties music.

It had been Scott’s choice. And when he stood up to dance to Tainted Love by Soft Cell, Rachel and Julia mocked him mercilessly. Aaron didn’t understand the attraction to eighties music or the humor in Scott’s slightly eclectic dance routine, but he smiled politely as he sipped his beer.

When the song was replaced by Don’t You (Forget About Me), Julia knew it was time to get another drink. She floated into the kitchen and found herself looking out the window at Gabriel and Richard, who were wearing their winter coats and sitting in two Adirondack chairs on the back porch.

“Hey, Julia.” Aaron came up behind her and pulled another beer from the refrigerator. “Corona?”

“Thanks.” Julia took the bottle gratefully.

“Lime?” He pointed to a series of lime sections in a bowl on the counter.

After watching her struggle to force the lime into the narrow opening of the bottle, he took pity on her. “Want me to do that?”

“Please.”

Aaron was a Corona specialist. He pushed the lime into the bottle, and capping the opening with his thumb, proceeded to tip the bottle upside down, sending the lime to the very bottom. When he righted the bottle, he carefully let the air pressure out at a snail’s pace and with a smug look, handed the bottle back to Julia.

“That’s the correct way to do it,” he said, grinning at her.

She took a quick pul from the bottle and smiled. He was right. It was good. “You’re a good man, Aaron.” Julia surprised herself by speaking the words aloud.

He reddened but returned her smile. “How are you doing?”

She shrugged. “I’m fine. Grad school is a lot of work, but I seem to be doing well. I’m applying to different doctoral programs for next year. I hope I get in somewhere.”

Aaron nodded, and he fixed her with a serious but sympathetic look.

“Rachel told me that Simon called. I don’t want to upset you, but we’re both really worried. Are you okay?”

Julia blinked slightly as she worked through what he’d said, realizing that Gabriel must have told Rachel about the phone call.

“I was scared. Even though I was so far away, he still found me. He wasn’t exactly happy with our conversation.”

Aaron gently patted her arm. “You’re with us. You’re part of our family, and we stick together. If he shows up, I’ll take care of him. Hell, I’ve been itching for a fight. What better way to work out your frustration than by teaching someone like him a lesson?” He grinned and took a swig of his beer.

Julia nodded but did not smile. “What’s happening with the wedding?

Rachel said that you picked a date, but when I asked her about it tonight she clammed up on me.”

He shook his head. “Don’t say anything to anyone, but we were planning to get married in July. That is, until Rachel saw her dad break down during grace. She pulled me aside after dinner and said that there was no way she could bring up the topic of a wedding now. So we’re back to where we were before — engaged with no fixed wedding date.” Aaron hung his head a little and wiped at his eyes with the back of one of his hands.

Julia felt sorry for him. “She loves you. She’ll marry you. She just wants a happy family and a big, happy wedding. You’ll get there.”

“What about a happy Aaron?” he muttered, his eyes momentarily hard.

He sighed and shook his head. “I didn’t mean that. I really didn’t mean that.

But I love her. I’ve loved her for years. I never wanted to live together — I wanted to marry her as soon as we graduated high school. But she always wanted to wait. The waiting is killing me, Jules.”

“Some people think that marriage is just a piece of paper. Rachel is lucky you think differently.”