.”
“Come on, I’ll drive you home. You can call a garage tomorrow.”
She thought for a moment. Maybe Windy’s nephew could take care of it. She could ask Windy to call him later. “Okay, thanks a lot.”
It wasn’t until they were parked in front of the church where Sophia ’s class was being held that Chloe suddenly saw the flaw in her plan. “ Sophia ,” she said suddenly. “Isn’t she going to recognise you?”
“I doubt it. I haven’t seen her for four years.”
“But you look like her father.”
He shrugged. “Don’t worry. They say everyone has a twin somewhere. Just go get her - everything will be fine.”
And it was. Sophia did a slight double-ta ke at seeing Bowen but on deciding that he wasn’t her father didn’t remark on the likeness. She had more important things to talk about. One of the students had brought in his puppy, and Chloe was regaled with a moment -by- moment description of the puppy’s antics.
They drove along the coast. On their left was a rock cut, and signs warned of falling rocks. On the right, a guard rail marked the edge of the shoulder and the beginning of a rocky descent to the ocean. They were about five miles out of town when the clouds finally let go and the rain came down in a sudden torrent. Bowen cursed and slowed the car down to a crawl. “It’s freezing on the road,” he said, straining to see through the downpour. “I just sudden ly remembered why I hate this bloody province - winter ten months of the year.”
Taken aback by his language, Chloe suggested they find a spot to pull over until the worst of the rain had passed . She looked behind her to check on Sophia and was horrified to see that the girl had taken off her seatbelt and was leaning over the back of her seat. “ Sophia !” Chloe said sharply. “Put your seatbelt back on!”
“I want to show you my picture of the puppy. It’s in my backpack.”
“You can show me when you get home. Please sit down and put on your seatbelt.”
Just then Bowen cursed again , and Chloe wheeled around to see a truck coming toward them, swerving from side to side as the driver s truggled to keep it on the road. Everything else happened in a blur. Bowen slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel hard to the left, and Chloe saw the truck, the rock cut, the ocean, the sky whirling around them as if their car was a spinning top. Sophia screamed in the back of the car, and Chloe turned in her seat. Straining against the momentum of the spinning car, she reached for Sophia , praying the child would not be thrown through the windshield, and waited for the crash...
* * *
“ Mon d ieu , Gaelan !” Marcus said in exasperation from behind his desk. “You are going to wear out the carpet with that infernal pacing. Not only that, you haven’t heard a single word I’ve said to you . Now sit down and tell me what i s going on.”
Gaelan didn’t answer but instead went to the window and looked out over the city of Montreal . Marcus’s office was on the fortieth floor of the glass-and- steel building that housed Byrne’s Enterprises. The floor-to-ceiling windows afforded an excellent view. The building marked the edge of the modern city , and below them the old city with its labyrinth of cobbled streets and stone buildings stretched between them and the harbour still peppered with the remains of the winter's ice. Gaelan liked this view, liked to think of the river flowing out of the city toward the ocean and his home on Widow’s Cliff. It was a grey day, but as yet there had been no rain.
“Come on,” Marcus urged. “Tell me what's going on. You’ve been here since Monday, shutting yourself up in your office, but as far as I can tell, you haven’t done a stitch of work.”
Gaelan turned and looked
“Come on, I’ll drive you home. You can call a garage tomorrow.”
She thought for a moment. Maybe Windy’s nephew could take care of it. She could ask Windy to call him later. “Okay, thanks a lot.”
It wasn’t until they were parked in front of the church where Sophia ’s class was being held that Chloe suddenly saw the flaw in her plan. “ Sophia ,” she said suddenly. “Isn’t she going to recognise you?”
“I doubt it. I haven’t seen her for four years.”
“But you look like her father.”
He shrugged. “Don’t worry. They say everyone has a twin somewhere. Just go get her - everything will be fine.”
And it was. Sophia did a slight double-ta ke at seeing Bowen but on deciding that he wasn’t her father didn’t remark on the likeness. She had more important things to talk about. One of the students had brought in his puppy, and Chloe was regaled with a moment -by- moment description of the puppy’s antics.
They drove along the coast. On their left was a rock cut, and signs warned of falling rocks. On the right, a guard rail marked the edge of the shoulder and the beginning of a rocky descent to the ocean. They were about five miles out of town when the clouds finally let go and the rain came down in a sudden torrent. Bowen cursed and slowed the car down to a crawl. “It’s freezing on the road,” he said, straining to see through the downpour. “I just sudden ly remembered why I hate this bloody province - winter ten months of the year.”
Taken aback by his language, Chloe suggested they find a spot to pull over until the worst of the rain had passed . She looked behind her to check on Sophia and was horrified to see that the girl had taken off her seatbelt and was leaning over the back of her seat. “ Sophia !” Chloe said sharply. “Put your seatbelt back on!”
“I want to show you my picture of the puppy. It’s in my backpack.”
“You can show me when you get home. Please sit down and put on your seatbelt.”
Just then Bowen cursed again , and Chloe wheeled around to see a truck coming toward them, swerving from side to side as the driver s truggled to keep it on the road. Everything else happened in a blur. Bowen slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel hard to the left, and Chloe saw the truck, the rock cut, the ocean, the sky whirling around them as if their car was a spinning top. Sophia screamed in the back of the car, and Chloe turned in her seat. Straining against the momentum of the spinning car, she reached for Sophia , praying the child would not be thrown through the windshield, and waited for the crash...
* * *
“ Mon d ieu , Gaelan !” Marcus said in exasperation from behind his desk. “You are going to wear out the carpet with that infernal pacing. Not only that, you haven’t heard a single word I’ve said to you . Now sit down and tell me what i s going on.”
Gaelan didn’t answer but instead went to the window and looked out over the city of Montreal . Marcus’s office was on the fortieth floor of the glass-and- steel building that housed Byrne’s Enterprises. The floor-to-ceiling windows afforded an excellent view. The building marked the edge of the modern city , and below them the old city with its labyrinth of cobbled streets and stone buildings stretched between them and the harbour still peppered with the remains of the winter's ice. Gaelan liked this view, liked to think of the river flowing out of the city toward the ocean and his home on Widow’s Cliff. It was a grey day, but as yet there had been no rain.
“Come on,” Marcus urged. “Tell me what's going on. You’ve been here since Monday, shutting yourself up in your office, but as far as I can tell, you haven’t done a stitch of work.”
Gaelan turned and looked
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