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Downstairs in the living room, Jean-Guy took Annie’s hand as they stared at the stairway. No longer pretending not to listen. They’d tried small talk, but all conversation about the weather was blown away by the words tumbling down.
* * *
“You want me to say that I know? That I love you, too?” said Daniel. “You’re going to wait a long time, old man.”
Armand’s mouth opened slightly as he absorbed the blow. A sharp inhale and his hands closing tight were the only indications of the magnitude of pain.
“That doesn’t change my feelings for you,” he managed to say. Quietly. “Never will. I will love you until the day I die. And beyond.”
He held out his hand. It trembled, very slightly, as he offered it to his son.
Not to shake. But to take.
As he’d reached out to his little boy when crossing the street. Or in a crowd.
Or hiking along a trail when there was a rustle in the woods.
To let Daniel know he was not alone. His father would protect him, no matter what.
He would not lose him.
“I’m not a child,” snapped Daniel. “I don’t need you. Never have, never will.”
He turned his back on his father and left.
Annie, Reine-Marie, Jean-Guy, and Séverine got to their feet when Daniel appeared.
“Everything’s fine,” he said.
Though Reine-Marie wasn’t fooled. She knew what “fine” meant.
Armand came down a few minutes later. He’d needed the time to splash water on his face. And gather himself. He stopped in to see Honoré, and kiss the sleeping boy lightly on the forehead.
As he went down the stairs, Armand heard Daniel say to his mother, “I’m sorry I didn’t answer your call. I was with Stephen and didn’t want to be disturbed.” He turned to Séverine Arbour. “Who are you?”
“I work with Jean-Guy.”
She explained about Beauvoir coming to her home and asking for help.
Armand came down and greeted her, thanking her for joining them.
“Let’s sit at the dining table,” he suggested.
As they walked over, Reine-Marie took his arm and whispered, “Is she really here to help? You said they might try to place someone among us. Her?”
“Possible,” he whispered. “But Jean-Guy went to her, not the other way around.”
“What’re you two whispering about?” Annie asked.
“Food,” said Reine-Marie. “What to order.”
“Oh, good, I’m starving.”
The order was placed for sandwiches, patisseries, and drinks.
“There goes my other kidney,” muttered Reine-Marie.
Armand also called down for an easel, paper, and magic markers.
