CHAPTER 20
GABRIEL
I usemy key to let us in the back door at work.
My mom shuffles her feet, hesitating. “Is this ok, Gabriel?”
“I used a key, Mom. I think that means I’m allowed to be here.” Instantly I feel bad for my sarcasm. I’m on edge, knowing what I’m about to do. “Follow me,” I say, leading the way to Camryn’s arch. “This is for a wedding.” I pull off the sheet, and step aside. If I tell them this is Camryn’s arch, it will invite questions about Avery. Me seeing her here in Sugar Creek isn’t a secret, but telling them will only end up with questions that don’t have answers.
My mom circles the arch, her hand hovering an inch above the wood. My dad stays in place, studying one portion of it before moving on to another.
“This is stunning,” my mom says appreciatively. “Look at all the detail.” To her credit, she looks like she means it. It’s her stiff posture that communicates she still doesn’t understand why I want to be here, in this room that smells of sawdust and glaze. She peers around the wood shop. “I still can’t believe you left Phoenix to come all the way up here. You’re an assistant to the owner? Why?”
“I’m—”
“Gabriel!” Joel comes from behind us. He’s smiling at my parents, his hand already out for introductions. He makes them himself, pumping my parents' hands enthusiastically.
“What are you doing here on your day off?” he asks me.
“Just wanted to show my parents where I work.” What I really mean is, I wanted to show them I fucked up, but I’m not a fuck-up. I’ve been seeing myself that way for too long, and I have to show them it’s not ok for them to, either.
It has to start with me. That’s what I decided on my way over here, driving alone as my parents followed.
“You must be so proud of Gabriel,” Joel says, smiling and nodding.
My mom smiles tightly and lies through her teeth. “We are very proud of him.” My dad echoes my mom. Joel must pick up on the insincerity, because he steps over to the arch.
It’s the biggest piece in the shop right now, and the most impressive. He raps two knuckles against one pillar, the sound staying close by because the wood is solid. “He has more talent in his pinky finger than I have in my whole body. I couldn’t have made this into half of what you see here.”
My mom’s eyes widen. “You didn’t make that?” she asks Joel.
He shakes his hands and rolls back onto the balls of his feet. “No way. That’s far beyond my artistic abilities. This piece is Gabriel’s work.”
“Gabriel…you made this?” Her astonishment sends pride coursing through me, with a vein of irritation nestled in there, too.
“That’s my work, Mom.”
My dad clears his throat, shifting from foot to foot. “I didn’t realize you could make something like this, Gabriel.”
Joel pats my back. “The kid is good at many things. Let me show you these coasters he made.” He waves at my parents,urging them to walk with him. I follow behind, listening to Joel tell them about the first time he saw me with my burn tools. “I watched him for a full five minutes. Couldn’t say a damn word, I was so fascinated by it.” He picks up the set of coasters.
“My grandson added these to our social media, and it’s been blowing up with comments. People are asking where they can order these, and I don’t have a damn link yet. I don’t like missing out on sales.” Joel glances at the door that leads to the reception area. “He’s supposed to meet me here to add them to my online store, but he’s late.”
Joel hands the coasters to my mom. She studies them. Her eyebrows lift at the one with Avery’s monogram.Previous monogram.
I shrug one-shouldered at her look, and a corner of her mouth lifts.
“Anyway,” Joel says, “I have work to do in my office while I wait for Mason. It was nice to meet you both. I hope to see you again.”
My parents say goodbye, and then it’s the three of us once more.
“Why didn’t you tell us you were this talented?” My mom sounds disappointed, but I don’t think it’s directed at me.
“Gabriel,” my dad says my name gruffly, and then nothing else.
I ran into fires with him. Obeyed his commands. We risked our lives together, always knowing that even if we followed protocol and did our best, things could go sideways. Where are his words now? Why do they escape him?
I look at the ground, gathering my courage, then meet my mother’s gaze. “The better question is, why didn’t you notice? I bet you already know the answer.”
