Lori and Charlie had come to help out, since their duplex wasn’t available yet. Lori knelt in the main room, opening boxes to sort through them. Nick had failed to mark half of them, and unpacking was a bit of a treasure hunt. “Here’s your tool kit, Nick. No wonder this one was heavy.”
“You’re not lifting stuff, right?” Charlie gave her a sharp glance. “You’re not allowed to go into labor until we’re moved in.”
Lori smirked at him. “Believe me, I’m not planning to. All I did was push it.”
Charlie bent stiffly to reach into the box, pulling out a large, heavy-looking tool chest. Brian thought Charlie probably shouldn’t be lifting that either, but knew not to offer to help.
Over by the windows, Nick said, “Bring me the power screwdriver? There should be a tin of odd screws in there too.”
“You are an odd screw,” Charlie quipped, digging back in the box to come up with a coffee can.
“And how would you know?” Nick took the can, searching through it. “Here, when I’m ready, hold this sill in place, wouldya?” He knelt and looked up at the bottom of the window. “Lori, is there a flashlight in there? I can’t see what the fuck I’m doing.”
Lori said, “I don’t see one.”
“Try the front pocket of my backpack.” Nick plugged in the cord and gave the tool a quick buzz.
“Sure.” Lori unzipped the pack and pulled out a Maglite, tossing it over. “Good catch, Charles.” Charlie knelt to hold the light for Nick to drive the screw, the tool whirring.
Lori turned to Brian. “Hey, you seen this? This is cool.” The object in her hands was a familiar decorative box, sides and top inlaid with strips of different colors of wood.
Brian shrugged. “It’s pretty. Nick keeps it to look at.” He probably wouldn’t want you messing with it. But he didn’t want to make a big deal of it. You never knew which way Lori would jump.
“No,” she said over the whine of the power drill, as Nick drove more screws into the sagging windowsill. “It’s a puzzle box. Look, I’ll show you.” She pushed at one of the strips on the side, and it slid out half an inch. Her quick jab at the end moved another strip past that one.
“Oh.” It was clever, the way the bits of the outside moved around, like a maze. Lori pushed a couple back, and did it another way. This time the lid popped open half an inch.
“There! Got it.”
Lori was great at stuff like that. Brian sucked at anything that required sequences and logic. He wondered if the baby would be like her or like him— “Wait. Don’t look in it.” He’d been distracted, and only realized what she was doing as she set the box down and opened it.
“What’s the harm?” She dug a finger into the contents. “It’s little stuff.”
“Nick’s personal little stuff.” He reached to shut the lid quickly before Nick could see. As he slammed it closed, she pulled her fingers back holding a girl’s hair ribbon.
“Hey, looks like your Nick likes to play girly dress-up,” she teased, holding the clip against her hair.
“Don’t!” His protest came an instant after Nick finished driving a screw, and his voice echoed in the sudden silence.
Nick looked over. “Don’t what?” Then his face darkened and he set the tool down. “What’s that?”
Lori gave him an innocent face. “Something fell out of this little box here.”
Brian muttered, “Lori! Give it!” through gritted teeth. Lori dropped the clip into his outstretched palm as Nick took a step toward them.
The look on Nick’s face as Brian closed his fingers on the clip shocked him. Nick just… stopped. Froze in place, eyes wide and fixed on that little bit of plastic and ribbon on Brian’s palm, face white as milk. His harsh intake of breath was clear. His hands clenched into fists.
Brian glanced down at the hair ornament. For this? It took a moment for the realization to come. “Nick?” He softened his voice. “Was this… hers?” He held back Ariana’s name at the last moment; he wasn’t spilling Nick’s secrets in front of Lori, or even Charlie.
“Yeah.” Nick snatched the clip from him. “Give that here.”
“You don’t want me to…?”
“Not now!” Nick grabbed the box, placed the ribbon into it, shut the lid and slid the veneer slats back into place. Squatting, he opened the lowest desk drawer, set the box inside, and slammed the drawer. Brian jumped at