Queen V.'s Arc

Chapter 4 of 13

The guests arrived at three-fifteen. Queen V. stood by the garden house door and watched them step out of their cars, heads turning toward the glass walls, the fire pit, the lake. No one looked at the bin. No one mentioned beer. She counted twelve arrivals by four o'clock. By five, Alan James had slipped away from the rosé table and wandered toward the property line. Queen V. spotted him from across the lawn, small hands reaching toward something near the fence that marked Hank's side. She walked over and found him holding one of Hank's bottles, amber glass catching the late sun. He lifted it to his nose and sniffed, then tipped it toward his mouth. She moved faster, but Hank was already there, stepping around the fridge covered in stickers. He took the bottle from Alan James's hand and shook his head. "Not for kids," he said, voice firm but not angry. Alan James looked at the ground. Queen V. pulled her grandson back across the property line without a word. She could feel eyes on her from the garden house. The woman from Alberta stood near the rosé table, watching. Queen V. bent down and told Alan James to stay with Paul, then walked him back inside. When she returned to the lawn, Hank was gone. The bottle sat on top of the fridge, cap twisted back on. She stayed outside until the caterer began serving dinner at six. Alan James stayed close to Paul after that, hands in his pockets. No one asked what happened. The garden house filled with conversation and the smell of grilled salmon. Queen V. checked the fence line twice before sunset. The bottle was still there, untouched. She left it where it was.