Page 53 of My Best Friend's Brother

“Everyone who sees us together, knows,” he said as struggled to get up, kissing me on the cheek. “It’s obvious.”

He kissed me again.

“Good night.”

I wondered if he was right. Was it that clear that we were together?

I wanted to believe we were strong enough to make it through all of this. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was too much. Our relationship was too young, too new, to handle this kind of pressure, the weight of a mother wanting to connect and build a life with her family. Every day, I saw small signs of Jade in Zoë. The way the little girl sometimes narrowed her eyes while deciding what to say in response to a question. Or the loose-limbed way she had of walking. She was skinny, like Jade, and supple. They were so similar, in so many ways.

That night, I dreamt of a mountain peak rising into a flaming sky, a white camp of snow gleaming from high up in the sky. I felt the mountain calling to me, my feet itching to take the path and I wanted to go to it.

Chapter 20

Will

I was lying on the bed, watching Nikki pack for her hiking weekend at Sugarloaf Mountain.

“Remind me again, who will be going?”

She had her backpack open and was folding T-shirts and socks, a rain jacket and sleeping bag.

“Some people from college, friends of mine,” she said. “You don’t know them, but if you want names, Debbie, Mike, Lamar, Rhonda and Isaac. Maybe a few more.”

“Have you dated any of them?”

She turned to look at me, an odd expression on her face.

“What kind of question is that?”

“Ah, babe, I was just joking.”

I wasn’t really, though.

She’d been quiet all week and no matter how much I tried to cheer her up or talk to her, I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was pulling away from me. Then she announced that friends of hers were doing this hiking thing and she asked if I could do without her on Saturday and Sunday.

“Why?” I’d asked her.

“I need to get away for a bit,” she’d said, not meeting my eye.

“From me?” I asked.

“Not you, but… the situation.”

I knew she meant Jade and Zoë and the way in which Jade was working herself back into my life.

“Look, I’ll tell Jade to back off…”

“No! I don’t want that!” she said.

She was looking so pretty, her hair tied up, dressed in a tight weatherproof top and some cargo shorts that stopped at the knee, revealing shapely calves. I wanted to throw her down on the bed, but things were too tense between us now.

“Did anything happen this week?” I asked.

She shook her head.

“Come on, Nik. Talk to me.” I kept quiet and stared at her until she finally turned to me. There were tears in her eyes.

“Zoë asked me if I could give you and Jade some alone time.”