Chapter Seven
She was still smarting over Gabriel’s response—or rather his lack of response, considering one of the sliding doors had shattered at the construction site shortly after she told him. The loud bang had rocked all of them. No one knew what had happened, and Gabriel and the tradesmen there had freaked out, with shouting and chaos. Once again, she had been forgotten, so she simply left.
“Mom, is Gabriel eating with us tonight?” Shaunty asked as she slipped onto a stool at the kitchen counter. Her curly hair was tied back, and she appeared far older than her nine years. She couldn’t help wondering, from what Gabriel had said this morning to his mom about his jaded childhood memories, if she too had caused some everlasting damage to Shaunty.
“Likely not,” she said. “I’m sure Gab
