Page 55 of Touch the Sky

That’s what this whole move is supposed to help with. Shel deserves a life where she’s not just the daughter of the twenty-two year-old who had ‘so much going for her before the baby.’ She deserves more than pitying glances from friends and neighbours who watched all my plans change.

She deserves a place where she fits, right from the start.

“She won’t think that.”

There’s a firm determination in my mom’s voice now.

“That girl is so loved and wanted, and she knows it. You’ve done a great job at that, sweetie.”

The corners of my eyes start to burn.

“I hope so,” I murmur. “I really miss her. I know it’s only a long weekend, but it feels like she’s been gone for months already. Like, it physicallyhurts. Isn’t that crazy? After ten years, I still feel this ache, like she’s my baby and I justhaveto hold her right now.”

Mom gives me a soft smile.

“I know the feeling, even after thirty-two years. It doesn’t ever go away.”

“I miss you too, Mom,” I say around the lump in my throat.

“I miss you every day, Tess.” She sniffs, and I can see her eyes are getting shiny too. “But I know you’re doing the right thing for your own family. You have to trust that.”

I reach for my mug and distract myself with a few sips before I can start crying for real. There’s no way I’m showing up to dinner with my eyes all puffy.

Mom takes a hot chocolate break too, and after a couple minutes, I no longer feel like the waterworks are going to switch on at any second.

“Oh, I wish I was there,” Mom says after setting her mug back down. “It sounds like it’s going to be a really fun Thanksgiving.”

I bob my head. “Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”

It hits me then that I have no idea how long we’ve been on the call for. I tap my screen to bring up the clock in the corner.

“Actually, I’m supposed to drive over there with Gabrielle in about ten minutes.”

“Don’t let me keep you, then.” She waves like she’s shooing me out the door to go play with friends. “Go have fun. Take lots of pictures for me, okay? I want to see all the decorations.”

“I will. I love you.”

She puckers her lips and blows a kiss at the screen.

“Love you too, my baby!”

We hang up, and the silence of the house falls over me like a shroud. Shel has only been away for two nights, and the quiet is already making my skin crawl.

I give my outfit a final once-over and smooth down my hair before locking up the back and strolling around to the front of the house. I’m just in time to catch Gabrielle stepping out onto the porch.

She’s wearing an old puffer coat over a long burgundy dress with a beaded hem, and she’s got some beaten-up tennis shoes on her feet.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the people of La Cloche, it’s that no matter how artistic the town’s reputation might be, good old-fashioned practicality will always win out over fashion.

I walk over to the porch with my hands shoved in the pockets of my blazer.

“Heard you might need a ride, Madame Gauthier.”

She spins around and grins at me. She’s got two sparkly, bow-shaped clips holding her hair back that make her look absolutely adorable.

“Ah,très jolie!” she says, motioning at my outfit. “You look very nice.”

“So do you. How you feeling today?”