She opened it, deciding it was better to display its contents to her father than to her boyfriend. She gave the bottle of maple syrup to Tom with a smile, she giggled at the toy Holstein and kissed it, but when she unwrapped the Dante and Beatrice figurines her face grew

pale. It was almost as if Paul knew. And yet, he couldn’t have known that Gabriel and Julia were Dante and Beatrice, at least to each other.

While Tom ate his blue plate special — turkey with stuffing and

mashed potatoes — Julia opened Paul’s card. It displayed children

engaged in a snowball fight and the typical Merry Christmas emblazoned on the front. But it was the words that Paul wrote in his own hand that brought a lump to her throat.

Merry Christmas, Rabbit.

I know it was a rough first semester and I’m sorry I didn’t do a

better job of helping you when you needed it. I’m proud of you for not quitting. With a big Vermont hug

from your friend, Paul.

P.S. I don’t know if you’ve heard Sarah McLachlan’s “Wintersong,”

but part of it made me think of you.

71

Sylvain Reynard

Julia didn’t know the song that he was referring to, so the lyrics he omitted did not run through her mind as she examined the card’s artwork more closely. In the center of the image of a snowball fight stood a little girl with long, dark hair in a bright red coat, laughing.

The quotation, the picture, the card, the gift — Paul had tried

to keep his feelings secret, she thought, but he’d betrayed himself.

It was all in the picture of the laughing girl and the song that she would listen to later.

Julia sighed and placed everything back in the box and set it at

her feet.

“So, Gabriel treating you right?” Tom broached the topic of Julia’s relationship in between bites of turkey.

“He loves me, Dad. He’s very good to me.”

Her father shook his head as he reflected on how Simon had had

the appearance of being good and Gabriel had the reality of being

good — and how he had failed to recognize the difference.

“You let me know if he isn’t,” he said, tasting the mashed potatoes.

Julia almost rolled her eyes. Yes, it was a bit late for Tom to play the part of the overprotective father, but better late than not at all.

“When Gabriel and I drove into town this morning we went by

the house. I saw the sign on the lawn.”

Tom wiped his mouth on a napkin. “I put it up for sale a couple

of weeks ago.”

“Why?”

“Why not? I can’t live in a place where my daughter doesn’t feel

safe.”

“But you grew up in that house. What about you and Deb?”

He shrugged and hid his expression behind a cup of coffee. “It’s

over.”

She gasped. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

Tom sipped his coffee stoically. “We had a difference of opinion.

And her kids don’t like me.”

Julia fidgeted with her silverware, lining them up so their ends

were even.

“So Deb sided with Natalie and Simon?”

He shrugged again.

72

Gabriel’s Rapture

“It was a long time coming. Truth is, I’m relieved. It feels good

to be a free agent.” He winked at her conspiratorially.

“I’m looking to buy a smaller house. I’d like to use some of the

money I make to pay for your education.”

Julia was surprised. Then she was angry. Her conflict with him had cost her and her father so much — too much to be remedied by

a criminal record and some community service. She was scarred and

her father lost his prospective wife and the Mitchell family home.

“Dad, you should use the money for your retirement.”

“I’m sure there will be enough for everything. And if you don’t

want to use my money for school, then use it to buy beer. From now on, it’s just you and me kid.” He reached out a hand to ruffle Julia’s hair, his preferred gesture of affection.

He excused himself to use the men’s room, leaving her alone to

contemplate her half-eaten cheeseburger and her changed father. She was deep in thought, fingering the glass of ginger ale in front of her, when someone moved to occupy the stool next to her.

“Hello, Jules.”

Startled, Julia turned and found her former roommate, Natalie

Lundy, sitting next to her.

There was a time when Julia had laughingly called her former

friend Jolene, for her beautiful and voluptuous features perfectly matched those described in the song. But that was before Natalie

had betrayed her. Now her beauty seemed harsh and cold.

As Julia stared at her, she noticed something painful about the

way she was dressed — the vintage designer coat with the slightly

frayed cuffs, the expensive boots that were worn and second-hand. On first glance, she looked rich and well dressed. But Julia glanced twice and saw what others could not see — the small town girl who was

ashamed of her blue collar roots and wished to leave them far behind.

“Merry Christmas, Natalie. What can I get for you?” Diane, the

waitress, leaned over the counter.

Julia watched as Natalie transformed from cold and sul en to

cheerful and sunny, slipping into the local accent.

“Merry Christmas, Diane. I’ll just have coffee. I can’t stay long.”

The waitress smiled and poured coffee, then moved to wait on a

group of Tom’s fellow volunteer firemen at the far end of the counter.

73

Sylvain Reynard

As soon as her back was turned, Natalie’s demeanor changed. She

glared at Julia with hate-filled eyes.

“I need to talk to you.”

“You have nothing to say that I want to hear.” Julia moved to

stand, but Natalie subtly gripped her wrist.

“Sit down and shut up, or I’ll make a scene.” Her voice was low,

barely above a whisper. She smiled artificially. No one would know by looking at her that she was threatening Julia, who swallowed

noisily and sat back down.

Natalie released her arm with a punishing squeeze. “We need

to talk about Simon.”

Julia’s eyes darted toward the men’s room, hoping that her father

would reappear.

Natalie continued. “I’m going to assume that your recent mis-

understanding with Simon was unintentional. You were upset; he

said some things he shouldn’t have, you called the police.

“Because of that misunderstanding, Simon now has a criminal

record. I’m sure I don’t need to explain why that record needs to

disappear before he runs for state Senate. You need to fix the misunderstanding. Today.”

Natalie smiled and flipped her hair behind her shoulder, acting

as if she and Julia were engaged in a friendly conversation.

“There’s nothing I can do,” Julia mumbled. “He’s already

plea-bargained.”

Natalie took a sip of her coffee. “Don’t treat me like I’m stupid, Jules. I know that. Obviously, you need to tell the District Attorney that you lied. Explain that it was a lover’s quarrel gone awry, you got your revenge, and now you feel bad about having made the

whole thing up.” She laughed a little too loudly. “Although, I don’t understand how anyone believed that Simon could be interested in

you. Look at you, for God’s sake. You’re a mess.”

Julia bit back a harsh retort, deciding prudentially that silence

was best.

Natalie leaned toward her, pulling the crewneck of Julia’s sweater away from her throat with icy fingers. She examined Julia’s neck

carefully.

74

Gabriel’s Rapture

“There isn’t a mark on you. Show the D.A. your neck and tell

him you lied.”

“No.” Julia moved out of Natalie’s reach, resisting the urge to

show her the bite that she’d slathered with concealer that morning.

She pulled her sweater further up her neck, pressing a hand over the place where Simon had bitten her. It was a phantom pain, she knew, but she could still feel where his teeth had broken skin.

Natalie dropped her voice to a whisper. “I’m not asking — I’m

telling you.” She pulled her BlackBerry out of her large handbag and placed it on the counter between them. “I hoped I wouldn’t have to do this, but you leave me without a choice. I have pictures of you that Simon took. They’re very…colorful.”

Julia’s eyes darted to the phone. She tried to swallow, but her

mouth went dry. With a shaking hand, she lifted her glass to her lips, frantically trying not to spill her drink.

Natalie smiled, clearly enjoying the torture she was able to inflict on her former rival. She snatched up the cell phone eagerly, scrolling through the pictures. “I could never figure out how he set up the

shots without you knowing. Or maybe you knew but didn’t care.”

She tilted her head to one side, narrowing her eyes at Julia. “Do you care if everyone in Selinsgrove sees these pictures on the internet?”

Julia scanned the eyes of the townspeople around them, hoping

they hadn’t heard Natalie’s threat. At least no one was looking in their direction. Her first instinct was to run, to hide. But that strategy hadn’t saved her from her mother when she was younger. Her mother

always found her. It hadn’t saved her from Simon, either. He’d been stopped only because Gabriel hit him back.

Julia was tired of hiding. She felt her spine stiffen.

“Simon’s record is your fault. He came to see me to get the pictures.