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“Certainly. The brunch courses will start to come out in fifteen minutes, starting with an array of fruits.”
“Thank you,” Charlotte replies in an impatient voice as she watches him walk off. When she turns her gaze back to me, I know she means business. “Tristan is spiraling.”
“I—”
“You know he’s not himself, hasn’t been for the last six years. I thought I was finally getting through to him for a while, but he’s reverted back to not taking my calls and not bringing my grandbabies over to see me.”
I sigh, looking out over the city landscape. “He’s not talking to me either. I’ve been trying for weeks and I’m not getting more than single word replies.”
She takes a sip from her teacup. “And now this.” I’m assuming she means Harmony. “The kids love their art class. Clay is normally so reserved but he was coming out of his shell. He was actually talking at dinners with me before Tristan cut contact again.”
“I didn’t know they were even taking an art class.” I think about the last time I saw them all. “I turned up at Izzie’s dance recital a while back and started talking about Natalia.” She gives me a pointed look and I roll my eyes. “I know it was stupid but he can’t keep pretending like she never existed. You should’ve seen the way Izzie’s eyes lit up when I mentioned her mom. They need to know about her.”
“I agree.”
Wait, what? “You do?”
“I do. This has gone on for far too long now.” She sips on her tea. “I want my son back, not this angry shell of himself he’s become.”
The waiter comes back with my coffee and a tray of fruits. I wait until he leaves to talk again.
“I don’t know what to do anymore. I’ve tried being understanding. I’ve tried to grieve along with him. I’ve tried being funny and inviting him to do things, but he won’t take the bait.”
Her gaze falls on the city before looking back at me with a sigh. “Harmony was good for him, wasn’t she?”
My head reels back at her random thought. “I, erm… where is this coming from?”
She places her hands in her lap. “We were all at the studio last night, he seemed in good spirits at first until he disappeared. When he reappeared, he was flustered and said he had to go, something to do with work. I was skeptical but I made some phone calls last night and it turns out he was actually at work, which also worries me. Someone is trying to push him out of the company.”
Someone is working against Tris? Fuck! I’m his lawyer, he should’ve called me last night!
“He left the art studio and suddenly there she was right in front of me, and I knew this needed to happen.”
“I don’t understand.”
“My son has been broken only twice in his life. He has been for the last six years, but the first time was with Harmony. It got me thinking maybe…” She looks up from the table. “Maybe the healing can start with her.”
I blow out a long breath as I look over the city again, knowing I have to divulge my secret. “I know I should’ve said something before, but I knew she was back.” Her eyes widen in horror when I look back at her. “I know, I know, don’t look at me like that I feel bad enough as it is. But she came to me for legal advice, for what I can’t say anything more on, but I couldn’t betray her trust. It wasn't my place to say.”
“You could’ve told him she was back and prepared him. Our town isn’t that big of a place.”
“How was I to know he would take the kids to her art studio?”
“He wouldn’t have been blindsided last night if you’d have said something. That art class means everything to the kids and now I’m afraid he’s going to take it away from them because of her.”
I think back to her earlier thoughts as I pick up a grape and pop it into my mouth. “What does this have to do with him healing?”
“We need to find a way to worm our way back into his life, so to speak.”
I chuckle. “Worm our way back in?”
“He needs help. If we can start mending our relationships with him, then maybe he will listen and let the kids go to art class. If he happens to run into a certain art teacher while there and he can heal that broken part of himself again, then maybe he has a chance to start over.”
I can’t comprehend what she’s saying properly. I toss the idea about in my head but come up blank. “You can’t force them together.”
“I’m not trying to. All I want is those kids to go to art class and for my son to start learning it’s okay to be upset, but he has people that love him and want to help.”
I shake my head. “We need to leave Harmony out of this. We can do it on our own, starting tomorrow.”
