Fiona felt worry tear through her. How was Prentice going to handle this?
Her husband sighed and turned to his son. “All right Jace. As you know from last night, a long time ago, Mrs. Evangelista used to holiday here.”
“Aye,” Jason prompted when Prentice stopped speaking.
“She did a couple of things that angered a few people. They haven’t gotten over it.”
“What’d she do?”
“It doesn’t matter now.”
“What’d she do?”
“She hurt some people’s feelings.”
“So?” Jason asked. “People get their feelings hurt all the time. Worse stuff happens.”
Prentice’s face changed, anguish tore through it because both her husband and son had learned that lesson.
And Jason was right. Worse stuff happens, that was the God’s honest truth. Fiona was beyond the veil existence proof of it.
And now Fiona knew that something did not quite fit together with Isabella Austin Evangahlala.
There were, indeed, two sides to every story and no one knew Isabella’s.
Except perhaps Annie, Mikey and Fergus and they were all intensely loyal to her, something Fiona never understood about Annie or Fergus and didn’t think much about, until now.
Fiona felt another bolt of worry tear through her.
“Aye, Jason, worse stuff happens,” Prentice agreed.
“You should have said something,” Jason accused and Fiona was surprised at the heat behind his words.
He was defending Isabella. Fiona didn’t know what to feel about that but she had to admit the first thing it felt like she felt was pride.
Then again, Jason had always been a good lad.
“Jason –” Prentice started.
“You know she’s no’ a bad lass. You ate her pancakes.”
“Jace –” Prentice tried again.
“And she liked Mum,” Jason kept at it.
“Jason, it’s complicated,” Prentice finally got out.
“I don’t know what’s complicated about it. She’s nice and she painted Sally’s fingernails. And people like you. You’ve been living here all your life. They’d listen to you.”
Fiona watched as Prentice approached his son, reaching him and putting his hand on Jason’s tense shoulder.
“You’re right, I should have said something.”
“Next time, you hafta say something.”
Prentice nodded. “Aye, I will.”
Jason stared at him and Prentice held his stare. Then Jason nodded back and mumbled he was going to bed. Prentice went to his study and Fiona hovered with him until they heard Isabella come down the stairs. The minute he heard it, Prentice got up and walked into the great room, Fiona floating after him.