Chapter 10

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Luc first served a salad with raspberry vinaigrette. Rémy kept up the conversation by asking Ian questions about his life before his father and brother died.

“My mother died of breast cancer when I was fourteen. I was always my mother’s son. She encouraged my interest in design. When she died, things became pretty tough for me.” Ian sighed. Rémy encouraged him to continue.

“How so?” Rémy was interested in his mate’s childhood memories.

“Mom was my biggest fan. My drawings were always on the fridge, and she bought me art supplies, sketchbooks and pencils, watercolor and chalk for my birthday and the holidays. She used to go to the furniture store and get me old fabric books and samples. One evening about two days after she died, I went up to my room, and it was all gone, all of the books, my sketching pencils, watercolors. He even trashed my sketchpad that, along with my designs, had the pictures I drew of my mother. I came downstairs crying and got a beating.”