“Sure. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah.” She hesitated again. “What about you?”

“I’m fine,” I lied, then changed my mind. As best friends, it was my duty to tell her the truth. “Actually, no. Jett’s been blaming himself for his father’s death, and I don’t know what to do about it.”

“That’s huge, but he has to accept all the bad things that happened, and that’s something you can’t do for him. It’s a natural process, Brooke.”

I nodded, because every now and then Sylvie opened her mouth and something amazing came out of it. It was rare but it happened, and right now was one of those times. Somewhere at the back of my mind I registered that someone had started to talk into the microphone again, and a few guests had begun to eye me up and down with disdain.

“We can’t really talk right now,” I whispered. “Let’s meet tomorrow. Three p.m. Same place as always?”

“I’ll be there.”

Chapter 9

THE BISTRO WAS situated in a tiny cul-de-sac, shielded from the busy midday traffic. I pushed the door open and headed directly for our usual spot in the far corner. Since she was hidden by a huge plant, I spotted Sylvie’s stilettos long before I spied her. As usual, they were mile-high and matched the rest of her. Her blonde hair was glossy, her nails were done, her makeup impeccable. Dressed in a blue fitted dress that matched her sapphire eyes, she looked stunning. I kissed her on the cheek and slid into the seat opposite hers.

“I’ve missed you like crazy.” Sylvie smiled, scanning me up and down, which was never a good sign. Either there was something wrong with my outfit, or she thought I looked exhausted, or both. Whatever was the matter, she kept her thoughts to herself and would only start dropping hints when she thought I wouldn’t notice. “The apartment feels lonely without you.”

“I’m sorry.” I realized we had never been separated this long. “I feel terrible I neglected you. So much has happened that I didn’t realize we haven’t seen each other for weeks.”

“Fifteen days and nine hours.” She pointed at her sleek cell phone. “I’ve kept track in case Jett locks you up forever and I have to sue his ass to get five minutes with you.”

I opened my mouth to protest when a waitress appeared to bring us two lattes.

“I’ve ordered the usual,” Sylvie said. “Hope you don’t mind. The decaf is for you. Because of the—” She was so scared of kids, she couldn’t even bring herself to say the word.

“Baby.” Smiling, I rolled my eyes and took a sip of my coffee. It was delicious though I could taste the lack of caffeine. Even though I was still in my first term, I couldn’t wait to get this pregnancy over and done with so I could return to my usual knockout caffeine dose.

“Have you told your mother yet?” Sylvie asked, playing with the spoon in her cup.

“Not yet.”

Sylvie frowned. I held up my hand before she could start her interrogation and persuaded me into making a decision I didn’t want to make.

“I’m waiting to see whether it’s serious between Jett and me. Knowing her, the moment I mention a boyfriend or baby, she’ll go all traditional on me, you know—” I waved my hand, ignoring the urge to roll my eyes again “—insist that we get married and all. I don’t want to scare Jett.” The mere thought of mentioning marriage and scaring the hell out of him almost caused me a panic attack. “God, Sylvie, I feel like a shitty friend not getting in touch with you sooner. How are you?”

“It’s okay. I’m good. To be honest, I have been busy, too.” She shot me a dazzling smile, which usually screamed one of two things: she’d snagged up a designer handbag people usually waited for months, or she was in relationship bliss. I took a sip of my coffee again, thinking I knew her well enough to guess whatever she had to say. “I got a job offer from Delta & Warren, and I’m still deciding whether to take it.”

I gaped at her. “Wow. Sylvie, that’s huge. That’s been your dream job forever. What are you waiting for? A few weeks ago you said you’d do anything to get it.”

“I know, right?” Sylvie heaved an exaggerated sigh. I narrowed my eyes in the hope I’d make sense of her cryptic expression. The way her fingers couldn’t stop playing with the hem of her dress instantly raised my suspicion.

“Why?” I prompted.

“I’ve been doing some thinking these past few days.”

Sylvie never thought. She acted on impulse, doing whatever her little heart and hot body desired.

“I don’t understand. This is your dream job. You worked hard for it, and now you tell me you’ve been thinking?”

“I know how this sounds.” She avoided my gaze again, and in that instant I knew my initial instinct had been right. “Kenny wants to show me Arkansas. This could be my first try at a real relationship. I don’t want to mess it up. Besides, he’s seen so many places, I feel like I’ve been missing out.”

I blinked several times, unable to comprehend the meaning of her words. “You want to go on a road trip with Kenny?” I asked, shocked. “What happened to ‘never put a guy first’?”

“It’s just for two months, after which I’d be back to my usual boring life.”

Boring? Sylvie wouldn’t know what boring was if it came knocking on her door.

“But you’re a city girl, Sylvie. You hate sitting in a car, or sitting anywhere, for longer than an hour. You say it makes you itchy.”

She shrugged. “Maybe I’m converted. Life changes people. I’ve been studying and working my butt off my whole life. Maybe I’m sick of it all. Maybe I need something new.”

I narrowed my eyes on her again, assessing her. Something else must have happened, because the Sylvie I knew did stupid things, but they weren’t monumentally stupid. Had Jett’s father’s death affected her in any way? She hadn’t known him, but maybe his passing away made her aware of just how fleeting life was. Deep in my heart, I could accept that Sylvie sought something new, because I wanted to see her happy and support her, no matter how crazy it all was. I just wanted her to be aware of any consequences.

“When are you planning to go?” I asked.

“Kenny wants to leave as soon as I’m ready. I thought maybe before the month’s up.”

“If that’s what you want, I’ll support you,” I said. “You don’t have to please anyone. And you love vacations.” Of the five-star catered kind, which I didn’t add. “But before you decide, I just want to remind you this job was your big dream. It might be a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

“I know,” she wailed, “which is why it’s so hard to decide. And then there’s you and the—”

“Baby.”

She waved her hand. “Yeah. I don’t want to leave you on your own.”

“Well, don’t worry about us. I’m sure you’ll be back before it’s born. We still have a few more months to go.”

“You sure?” She sounded doubtful. “Maybe Jett and you need a break. If you want, you can come with us.”

I frowned. I had watched Sylvie for the past minutes and somehow from the way she behaved, I just knew she was hiding something. She was nervous, more than usual. And what was she saying anyway? That I end my relationship and leave Jett alone in his grief?

“Are you suggesting I break up with him?” I tried to keep my voice low and casual but didn’t succeed.

She leaned over the table and grabbed my hand to stop the sudden wave of anger washing over me. “No, Brooke. I was thinking he might need some time alone to deal with his grief. People aren’t themselves when they suffer loss. I don’t want things to take their toll on you.”

“I can’t, Sylvie.” My voice came out more agitated than necessary. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “He needs me more than ever. Even when he shuts me out of his life, it’s like a part of me is with him, feeling what he feels. It literally pains me to see him like that.”

The mere idea of not seeing Jett daily and not waking up to the rough stubble of his cheeks grating my skin made me anxious to call him just to hear his voice.

“I know, sweetie, but I honestly feel you should think about it.” She took my hand again, her voice changing to a whisper. “There are other things you need to worry about.”

My whole body stiffened. “What do you mean?”

She bit her lip, her eyes avoiding mine. “That’s why I’ve been calling, but you were never available. I would’ve texted you, but when Jett’s father died, you were busy, and it’s not something you should ever put in a text message.”

“Please don’t tell me you had the kind of surprise I had back in Italy.” I laughed nervously. An unwanted pregnancy was Sylvie’s nightmare. “There has already been so much drama.”

“No, that’s not it.” She looked down, stalling, avoiding my gaze on purpose, which wasn’t a good sign. Worry set in. Was Kenny abusive? Those things happened. You heard it every day, read about them in the newspaper. I didn’t want Sylvie to be a victim. “Is it Kenny? Whatever’s wrong, you can tell me. Just because Jett needs me doesn’t mean I’m not here for you.”

“Things are fine with him. We’re dating. He’s great,” Sylvie said. I opened my mouth to push for an answer when she held up a hand. “Please stop, Brooke. It’s not about me. It’s about you and Jett, and it’s bad…. God, this is so hard to say.”

“Bad?” My fingers clenched around my cup so tight, I feared it might snap as hundreds of thoughts raced through my mind.

What could Sylvie know that I didn’t? Was he having an affair, and she didn’t know how to break it to me?

“Promise me you won’t kill me,” she said, squeezing my hand. “I need you to promise, because I swear otherwise I’m not telling you anything.”

My heart started to race. All of a sudden, I didn’t want to know. I felt like I should just run out of the door and not look back, pretend this conversation never happened. But my feet were glued to the floor while, inside, the chains of my heart were about to unleash a tornado of chaos.

What could be so terrible that Sylvie was too worried to tell me? I knew my best friend. She was never afraid to share her honest opinion. And then it dawned on me that an affair was the only reason why Sylvie might have been so jumpy.

Jett was having an affair. I knew it because he’d been working long hours lately, often arriving home past midnight.

What did you expect, Stewart? He’s a guy with an oversized ego and the kind of looks no man should possess. What woman would ever say “no” to that?

“I know what you want to tell me,” I whispered. “I should have known all along.”

Sylvie grimaced. “I don’t think we’re talking about the same thing here.”