She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. . . .
She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. . . .
Strength and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. . . .
Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. . . .’
“I ask you all to drink to the memory of our mother, Grace.”
By the time everyone drained their glasses, there was barely a dry eye among them.
Chapter Sixty-five
December 2011
Near Essex Junction, Vermont
Two nights before Christmas, Paul was working in the barn, deep in thought.
(Parenthetically, it should be noted that he was also deep in something else. Something organic.) “Hey.”
His sister Heather had wandered almost silently into the barn and was now staring at him, arms folded across her chest.
“Hey yourself.” He continued working, speaking to her over his shoulder. “What are you doing?”
“Chris had to look at one of the Andersons’ horses. They think it has colic. He’ll be out most of the night, so I asked him to drop me off. How are you?”
“Fine.”
“You don’t sound fine.” She stared at him until he met her gaze.
“I’m just preoccupied with my upcoming interviews. I’m meeting with six different colleges at the Modern Language Association convention in January. That’s a lot of pressure.”
“Right.” Heather gazed at her big brother skeptically.
“I have an interview with St. Mike’s. If they hire me, I could help Dad out on the weekends.”
“That’s great news. I’ll put in a good word with St. Michael, himself, asking that he see to it that you get the job.”
Heather cocked her head to one side and listened to the music that was playing in the background. It was a cover of “In the Sun” and Paul was listening to it on repeat, over and over again.
“If you’re excited about your job prospects, then why the hell are you listening to this? I’m ready to slit my wrists already and I just got here.”
He glared at her and began walking in the opposite direction.
She followed.
“I ran into Ali the other day at Hannaford’s.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Why don’t you ask her out?”
“We go out once in a while.”
“I mean on a date, not as friends.”
“We broke up.” He laid emphasis on the words. “A couple of years ago.”
“Chris wants to go snowboarding in Stowe for New Year’s. He’s going to rent a place so we don’t have to drive back and forth. Invite Ali and come with us.”
“That’s not a good idea.”
Heather reached out and caught her brother’s arm, stopping him midmotion. “Yes, it is. It will be like old times. Ask her.”
“We can’t leave Mom here by herself.”
“That’s why you hired extra help. Virgil.” Heather gave him a toothy grin.
“I’m not Virgil. I’m Dante,” he mumbled.
“What?”
“Nothing.” He turned away.
“Look, big guy, you need to blow off some steam. You’re letting things fester. I can see it.” She grinned at him impishly and tried to tickle him. “Fester, fester, fester.”
Paul swatted her hands away. “If I say yes, will you bug off?”
“Absolutely.”
“Fine. Now get lost.”
“Fine. I’ll make coffee. And when you come to the house, I’ll expect you to call her.”
Heather disappeared from the barn and Paul stood still for a moment, wondering what he had just agreed to.
Chapter Sixty-six
December 27, 2011
Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania
Richard, his children, and their spouses were gathered around the dining room table enjoying dessert and coffee. Rachel was updating everyone on her fertility treatments.
“Yeah, I’m on hormones. But I feel better than I did on the pill. It made me emotional.”
Aaron lifted his eyebrows behind Rachel’s back, and everyone laughed at his incredulous expression. Everyone, save Rachel and Julianne.
Gabriel’s eyes drifted to his wife, noticing that her eyes had narrowed. She began staring so hard at the table that he wouldn’t have been surprised if the wood started to blacken and burn under her gaze.
Suddenly, she pushed herself back from the table and bolted, her chair toppling over. Gabriel righted the chair and excused himself, climbing the stairs two at a time in an effort to catch up with her.
When he reached their bedroom, Julia was pawing through the contents of her nightstand. She pulled the drawer out and dumped the contents on the bed, spreading the items out into a single layer.
“Damn it!” She cursed.