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‘Is this because of your parents? Is what Brady said about them true?’
He didn’t want to answer her—it wasn’t any of her business. But the closer Flávia got, the more she pushed, the less wound up he seemed to feel. She had an uncanny knack of highlighting his shortcomings, yet simultaneously make him feel as though she could help solve them.
It made no sense.
‘They did their duty by us. Neither Helen nor I were ever hurt or mistreated by them.’
‘That’s basically what Brady said. But it doesn’t fully answer the question, does it?’
‘It isn’t relevant,’ he deflected.
‘We both know that it is. Unless you’re happy with your relationship with your nephew, that is. And we both know that you aren’t.’
‘Well, talking about it isn’t going to change that, is it?’
Jake didn’t know what he expected her to say, but it wasn’t what she came out with.
‘You’re right. I can’t tell you how to treat Brady, how to connect with him. But maybe I can show you.’
‘Show me?’ he echoed sceptically.
‘He loves animals, and the natural world. Why not let me take you both into the rainforest for a day or two? Doing something new like that, something he loves but with which he has no residual memories of his mother, might help the two of you connect. Build some memories of your own.’
‘I don’t think so.’ The refusal was out before he’d even engaged his brain.
‘Why not? Brady would love it!’
Jake opened his mouth to reply, but couldn’t bring himself to tell her that he’d heard the rumours about the way she risked her life. He didn’t want to say that he was worried she would risk Brady’s.
He found he didn’t want to hurt her.
So what did that say?
‘I’m not exactly an authority on the rainforest. I wouldn’t know how to keep myself safe, so how can I keep a seven-year-old safe?’
She wrinkled her nose and, without warning, looked awkward, and he would have given anything to know what she was thinking in that instant.
‘Then why not try smaller?’ she suggested after a moment.
‘Smaller?’
‘My sister is having a barbecue at the weekend. There’ll be lots of people there, but especially my family. My nieces. Brady said he didn’t have many friends at his new school and I wonder how much is Brady’s lack of confidence. Julianna and Marcie are sweet, and funny, and friendly. They would love Brady, and you can help him to get out of himself, and start building new, positive experiences with you. It might even take some of the pressure off you so that you can find a way to let the kid in.’
‘You’re inviting me to a family barbecue?’
She huffed as though she was irritated, but he could see her level of discomfort grow.
‘From everything I said, that’s the point you’re hung up on?’
‘I’m just trying to establish exactly what it is you’re suggesting.’
‘I’m trying to help your nephew,’ she snapped, a little too tightly.
He should refuse. They’d had a one-night stand; he wasn’t looking to make some kind of relationship out of it. And yet, the idea of going was more appealing than it ought to be.
‘I’m not using Brady to try to score points with you,’ she added, bristling.
‘I know,’ he replied, and the odd thing was that he did know.
