Broken Hearts, page 9
“Maybe today isn’t the right time for this conversation—”
“Or any other day,” he said and took a left onto Greenfield Road. “We’re almost at the funeral home and I’d rather not do this in front of your family. No need to give your dad another reason to tell me that I’m unworthy of you.”
“He doesn’t think that.”
“You should see the way he looks at me. He probably wishes you’d never married me.”
“Now you’re imagining things.”
“And you’re taking his side.”
“I’m not taking any sides, Matt. Let’s put this entire conversation away for now.”
“Fine.” He pulled the car into the funeral home parking lot and found an empty spot near the front. The building was new, modern, with four big white pillars fronting the entrance. “I’m sorry.”
Lori-Anne touched his arm. “Me too. We’re both stressed.”
“I don’t want to do this.”
“No parent does.”
“She’s all we had.”
“We still have each other. We’ll get through this.”
“And if we don’t?”
Lori-Anne looked at him, her features softening as she remembered their daughter. “Nadia was a beautiful girl who blessed us with fourteen years. Our love for her will get us through this. She will always be with us. That can never be taken from us. Never.”
* * *
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Acknowledgments
It’s impossible to write without family support, and I’d love to thank my wife and daughter for letting me lock myself in my office night after night and weekend after weekend. I did come out once in a while so they wouldn’t forget who I was.
A special thank you to my editor Ethan James Clarke of SilverJay Editing. This story is better because of his wonderful suggestions.
Most importantly, I want to thank you for coming along on this journey with me. I hope you enjoyed this novella as much as I did writing it.
Until next time, take care.
Also by François Houle
We Became Us
It Happened to Us
Beautiful Midnight (coming in 2018)
About François Houle
François Houle’s books can best be described as character-driven stories that explore the importance that love, family, and friends play in helping us get through the many imperfections and challenges that life has to offer. François grew up one of five boys so it’s no surprise that family is a strong theme in his books. A lot of his inspiration for his first two novels It Happened to Us and Beautiful Midnight and his two novellas We Became Us and Broken Hearts came from the passing of his father in 2005.
François grew up in a small town outside of Montréal, moved to Toronto when he was ten, and currently lives in Ottawa. An avid reader from a young age, he tried to create a comic book when he was twelve, penned hundreds of song lyrics as a teenager, and wrote his first novel in 1985, a sci-fi influenced by the novel Dune. Several horror novels followed, and although none of these books will ever be published, they were important in his development as an author.
In 1985, at the age of 22, he graduated from college with a Programmer/Analyst diploma and then went into the ice cream business with his family, owning three Baskin-Robbins franchises for about 6 years. In 1991, he started his IT career which now spans 27 years, and from 2003 – 2017, he was a Certified Professional Résumé Writer and operated a part-time business writing résumés for professionals at all levels.
If you’d like to get your free ebook copy of his novellas We Became Us and Broken Hearts, and to stay current with what he’s working on, please visit his website at: www.francoisghoule.com.
Fun Facts About Me
I’m a big hockey and football fan.
I love alternative music (The Cure is my all time favourite band).
I enjoy woodworking.
François Houle, Broken Hearts
