a moment. Unlike every other woman, when I remembered Kara’s face, she was in bright color to me. I shook my head like that might erase the image. “Because she said I gave up on my dreams.”
My grandmother pushed the ring back at me. “I like her.”
Huh? She hated every girlfriend I’d brought home for dinner. “You never like any of my girlfriends, Grand-mère, and you don’t even know Kara.”
She gave a “ha” and sipped her wine. Once she finished, she patted my hand like I was an idiot she needed to shepherd. “I was looking for just one selfless thing out of any woman’s mouth. Every girl you ever brought home was self-involved.”
I never needed a woman like I ached to have Kara. But I drank a glass with my family and stared into the empty container once I finished. “So am I. All I do is live with regret.”
She showed her wrinkles as she asked in a low voice, “Were you in love?”
I refilled everyone’s glasses. “Doesn’t matter. Life changes fast. Look, Simon and Calliope want to come and see Blake’s grave.”
For a moment no one spoke. I remembered all the rude things I’d said to Kara in that moment and, for once, didn’t dwell on never being good enough to help my parents. She’d have slapped me if she’d had known.
“Oui. Bien sûr,” my father said.
I saw how my mother was still. For years, I wanted more from them. They’d come to graduation, but they’d had almost no emotion at anything I did. Good grades. Bad grades. None of that mattered.
I stared into my glass. “Don’t start drinking, Papa, and don’t start crying, Mama.”
My mother wiped a tear from her eye and smiled. “We didn’t handle Blake’s death well with you, Quentin. We should have gotten help sooner, but the therapists you sent over the years… They helped. Thank you.”
Well, then the years of schooling had mattered. If we all didn’t go to pieces at the mention of Blake, then I’d helped here. “Glad that worked.”
My father finished his own sip and asked, “Are you going to set up a new practice in town?”
Practice? I’d killed my fiancée, my brother, and really the biggest good was finding people to help my parents. My mind was a mess. “Why would you think that?”
My mother said, “Doctor Trudeau is retiring, and we need a new doctor here.”
Like in most places, doctors preferred urban settings. Maybe I wouldn’t have taken Cecilia’s death so seriously if I’d had people close to me who cared.
Helping Marlon was a rush of adrenaline.
“I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
My father asked, “What’s your plan, Quentin?”
“I’m going to live in one of our guest houses and help you more, Papa.”
Grand-mère scoffed. “I knew Cecilia was wrong for you. She hadn’t even told you all her symptoms as it interfered with her shopping.” She stared at my father, jabbing a thumb at me. “Now he’s given up on his dream.”
Even she saw it? “Grand-mère…”
The pause in the air was obvious when she pushed the ring to the edge of the table in front of me. “Get over your ennui and chase after your dreams before you really lose.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
She let out a major sigh. I put her ring back in my wallet as she wanted me to.
“I’m going to go take a shower.”
“Be here for breakfast so we can see more of you,” my mother said.
Right. Perfect. I put my bag on my back. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
Outside, I took one of the parked golf carts to one of the houses in the back. The estate had five houses attached to the land, plus the bed-and-breakfast for short-term guests.
I’d always liked the one near the lake, so I drove there and made myself at home.
As I finished unpacking my small bag, I took out my phone and emailed the local doctor my mother had mentioned. Doctor Trudeau, how much for your practice?
I put my phone down, dug out my laptop, and set it up. A moment later I whispered to myself, “There. I did it, Kara. I was a fool for walking away from you.”
Out of habit I checked my phone as I put it on charge and read the fast response. These people need a doctor far more than I need money. Meet me tomorrow morning.
I’d look into this. Being helpful was better than doing nothing. I’ll be there.
Breakfast, meetings… I guess life continued for me, even if I let my