“You’re a regular laugh riot, you know that?”
“Yeah,” Gabe said modestly. “Seriously, though, what’s up?”
“Don’t know yet. Celie’s coming out on Monday with her team to look the place over. I assume we’ll know more once we see what they find.”
“And then you’ll know if you’re going to lose trees?”
“I’ll know if we’re going to lose trees. They belong to all of us, Gabe. I don’t forget that.”
“And we appreciate it,” Gabe said. “So how’s Ma taking all this?”
“She seems okay. I haven’t gone into huge detail just because we don’t know enough yet and I don’t see the point in getting panicked. Anyway, I think she’s distracted right now.”
“Yeah,” Gabe said quietly. “We’re getting close to a year.”
“Month after next.” This time a year before, Adam Trask had still been around, striding through the maples with his rogue’s grin. This time a year before, Jacob had still had a father and business partner, and Molly had had a husband. And then one morning, out in the sugarbush, everything had changed….
“How’s she doing?”
“A little rocky, when she thinks no one’s looking.” He stared moodily at his coffee. “I caught her crying one day.”
“Crying?” Gabe echoed uneasily.
“Yeah.” Easily one of the most unsettling experiences of his life. “You know Ma, she was fine two minutes later but things are hard for her right now.”
“She needs us around,” Gabe said, in answer to his brother’s unspoken comment.
“Yeah.”
“Listen, I’ve got business in Montpelier next week. I figured I’d drop in at the end of the day, maybe for dinner.”
Trust Gabe to come through. “I think she’d like that. Bring Hadley, if you can.”
“She won’t be around. She’s got to go to New York for the week to close on some corporate business and see about her condo.”
“Oh yeah? She selling?”
“The place in New York, anyway. She’s got a flat out here in the manager’s house at the hotel.”
“The same manager’s house you live in?” Jacob asked innocently.
“Might be.”
“So what’s hotel ownership going to say to the two of you shacking up together?”
“Considering she’s hotel ownership, not a whole lot. Besides, we’re not shacking up.”
“No?”
“Nope. She’s still got her flat, I’ve still got mine.”
Jacob stretched, amused. “You losing your moves, little brother?”
“I’ve learned to be patient. When it’s right, we’ll know.”
“Good luck on that.”
“Yeah.” Gabe paused a moment. “So who’s this Celie?”
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