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“Maybe he’ll say something tomorrow when you drop Nick off?” Ember said, frowning at Brooke’s words.
“Maybe.” Brooke tried to ignore the taste of disappointment on her tongue. “But wouldn’t he have said something already if he was still interested? Maybe my running out of the gala and being all high maintenance has put him off.”
“Your reaction was understandable. You discovered he was lying to you.” Ally crossed her arms in front of her.
“Yeah, but he’d done it with good intentions,” Ember said. “He never meant to hurt you. He was so upset. But as soon as you ran out of the Beach Club he realized his mistake. I’ve never seen him so shaken.”
“So why hasn’t he called?”
“I don’t know.” Ember pressed her lips together, her eyes soft as they met Brooke’s. “And you won’t either, unless you ask him.”
“Oh this is such a mess.” Brooke dropped her head against the back of her chair and closed her eyes, pressing her palms to her face. “I wish Jamie had never come back.”
“Have you heard from him?” Ally asked.
“No. Thank goodness.” He was the Black brother she could do without talking to. “I know all children have a right to know their fathers, but I really don’t think he’ll bring anything good into Nick’s life. Not unless he cleans his act up massively.”
“I don’t think he’ll ever do that,” Ally said, her voice solemn. “Does Nick know about him?”
“Yeah. I told him on Wednesday.”
“What did he say?”
“Nothing, really. He was thoughtful for about five minutes before he asked me to get him some ice cream and completely changed the subject. I guess I’m taking my lead from him. I’m ready to answer his questions when he has them, but I’m not going to push him to talk about it until he’s ready.”
“You’re such a great mom.” Ember gave her a warm smile.
“Yeah, sure.”
“You are. I wish you had more confidence in yourself. Look at you, you have motherhood cracked, you’re almost finished with your studies, and you’re one of the mainstays of the animal shelter. All of Angel Sands thinks you’re fabulous.”
Brooke looked over at her friend. There wasn’t a hint of humor on Ember’s face. It was as though she meant every word. But she couldn’t bring herself to believe it. Because right now it felt as though everything she touched turned to dust.
“I know of at least one person in Angel Sands who doesn’t think I’m fabulous,” Brooke said, her voice thick. And damn if he wasn’t the one person whose opinion mattered most of all.
“You sure about that?” Ally asked, raising an eyebrow. “Maybe you should ask him first, before you come to any conclusions.”
30
“Mom, will my dad be at Uncle Aiden’s?” Nick asked as Brooke turned the car onto Beach Drive. He was a ball of pent up energy after a week of being cooped in their apartment. Brooke glanced in the mirror and saw him fidgeting in his seat. It was as if his body had no idea how to contain his excitement. He’d been talking about having ‘guy time’ with Uncle Aiden all day. She loved seeing him so happy, but there was still a tender spot in her heart which hurt every time he said Aiden’s name.
Maybe she needed some guy time, too.
“No, sweetie, he doesn’t live around here, remember? He’s in Sacramento.”
“Is that far?”
“Quite far. A few hundred miles.” She smiled at his reflection in the mirror, and he grinned back. “Sacramento is right at the top of California, and we’re near the bottom.”
“So I won’t be seeing him, will I?”
“Not unless you want to.” She took a deep breath in. The two of them were booked for family therapy next week, and as far as Brooke was concerned, it couldn’t come soon enough. She needed all the help she could get in answering his questions as truthfully as possible, while making sure he didn’t get hurt. Lies weren’t an option. Ever.
“But he’s Uncle Aiden’s broth
er, right?”
“Yes.”
