WHEN ELISE ENTERED the living room and started toward the kitchen she saw Noel and Matt already seated on chairs around a table made from of a thick slab of a tree trunk that was sanded and varnished to a high gloss.
As the two men talked, she noticed that Matt wore a pendant like the one she and Noel had around their necks, and recalled his words of moments ago. Did Noel truly believe in the old fable? Was he hoping to keep them here with him by binding them together through stones and an ancient myth?
She could see the trust in Matt’s eyes for the man who sat near him. Her chest grew tight and tears pressed behind her eyes at hearing Matt’s laughter again, seeing him so open and relaxed in this man’s company. Whether Noel ever admitted it or not, he too seemed to find comfort in her so
