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“Yay!” He grins while wiping his still wet fingers on his t-shirt.
I ruffle his blond locks and step out into the sunshine.
Then I come to a halt.
Julie.
Her face brightens and her blush makes her appear even younger than she is.
“Hi! I had hoped to see you two.” She shyly bites her lip.
“Dad was tickling me, I almost peed my pants.”
“You didn’t!” Julie gasps and crouches down. “How did he tickle you? Was it like this?”
Adam squeals as Julie pokes his sides. “Stop! Stop! I’ll pee!” He laughs and hides behind my legs.
I chuckle, but the laugh is stuck in my throat when Julie rises, looking at me through her lashes, twisting her thick ponytail.
“You’re up early,” I comment, shifting on my feet and finding it difficult to meet her hopeful eyes.
“I’m just about to start cleaning the kitchen.”
“We’ll not hold you back.” I swallow tightly as her face falls. I force the next words out. “See you later, yeah?”
I turn to leave.
“Jamie?” I stop. “Are…are you avoiding me?”
“Julie, I…” Sighing deeply, I rub my hand over my face. “This is all very new, Julie. Separating from Adam’s mum and all. I-I guess I’m a bit spooked.” I hate lying to her, hate seeing the light in her baby blues dim. “I’ll see you later, okay?” The smile on my face feels stiff.
“I’ll see you later, Jamie.”
The track up to the tent is long.
13
The Short Bridge Between Joy and Pain
“Is it true?”
I jump at the voice right behind me, but the jump is followed by a tingling sensation down my spine.
“Trevor, seriously, you need to stop sneaking up on people.” I turn. A smile I’m trying to suppress is tugging at the corners of my mouth.
Trevor’s face is ashen. Hair, for once not confined in a ponytail, is falling over his eyes. Ice spreads in my stomach.
“Is it true?” he repeats. His shoulders are slumped and his big hands burrowed in his pockets.
“Is what true? Trevor, what’s wrong?” I reach for him, but he retreats.
He opens his mouth, but then clamps his teeth shut and he looks away while pulling his hands out of his pockets and running them through his hair.
“Have you been with Julie?”
My intake of breath is so sharp, I’m sure he notices. I glance over the field, to where Adam is playing football with some of the other kids. The joy I felt when he walked over to them is all gone.
“Trevor…”
