Page 116 of Sing with Me

“Thank you, sir.”

“Do you have food?” Mom asked.

“Yes, ma’am.” Malik helped her get out of her chair. “Chef Pierre left us a whole refrigerator of food we can heat up. We probably have enough to last us through Sunday night.”

Before they adjourned the meeting, Diehl asked Malik to do something for his kids.

“Is that necessary?” Mom asked.

“They’re my kids,” Diehl said.

“Not biologically.”

Mom’s words hurt badly. Diehl tried not to react, tried not to recall the lies that Isobel had told him for thirteen years. He tried to compartmentalize it, file it away for later.

“Officially, they are,” Diehl said. “If I’m not responsible for them, who would be?”

“My cold son has a heart, after all.” Mom squeezed Diehl’s arm.

“I will let you know, sir,” Malik said.

“You do that.” Diehl didn’t have to add that he didn’t care how much it cost.

Diehl accompanied his mom across the lawn to Brooks Cottage. He wondered why they didn’t build a covered walkway, but Dad might say it’d ruin the view.

“I wish your dad was here,” Mom said. “Even though he doesn’t know what to do every time, I like him around. He’s the stable type, you know?”

“Yes, he is. I feel guilty that he has to go back to work because I couldn’t handle it.” Diehl followed Mom to the terrace. That was the closest entrance from the guest cottage.

Mom smacked her lips. “You can handle it. You just need to manage your emotions.”

“My emotions?”

“Yes. You lost Isobel, but you didn’t give yourself time to grieve. You sent the kids away to live with their other grandparents—not us, but that’s another matter—so you didn’t have to see the kids, who remind you of your dead wife.”

“Was that it?” Diehl wondered if there was some truth in what Mom just told him.

Mom nodded. “I’m always right, Son. So listen. Isobel has been gone for just one year. Some people grieve longer. My friend Marguerite is still grieving, and her husband’s been dead four years.”

“Really?” Diehl hadn’t seen Marguerite Urquhart since Sherman’s funeral. “I thought she’s keeping busy.”

“Yeah, trying to marry off her daughters.” Mom chuckled. “I don’t think you like Siobhan as much as you like Skye, do you?”

“Siobhan and I are friends on account of her cousin, Jared, but no, there is nothing between us.” Diehl didn’t say that he would like to date someone older than Siobhan.

Someone like Skye.

They took the elevator to the third floor.

“Do I need to look up my rolodex of eligible girls for you?” Mom asked.

“That won’t be necessary.” Diehl tried to be nonchalant about it so that Mom didn’t read too much into it.

Yes, he was trying to keep his emotions in check.

“Because you have found the one?”

Diehl held the elevator door while Mom exited. “Maybe I have. But right now, the only thing that matters to me is to get Elisa home safely.”

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