I jumped, startled, then relaxed as Brooke sat down beside me on the bench.
Her thin little T-shirt made me shiver on her behalf.
‘Do you really not feel the cold?’ I asked.
‘Nope. Nor the warmth, which is worse. I do miss the feel of the sunshine on my skin,’ she admitted wistfully.
‘I’m sorry,’ I said. ‘Really I am.’
She gave me a funny look, as if she was wondering what exactly I was sorry for.
‘What are you doing out here alone?’ she asked.
‘I was going to ask you the same question,’ I said.
‘Couldn’t sleep. It’s been a heck of a day, and my mind won’t switch off. I thought a bit of solitude and darkness might help me get some clarity. You?’
‘Same.’
We smiled at each other, sadness in our eyes. She looked just like the Brooke I used to know and love before she got all bolshy and cross with me.
‘You looked miles away when I saw you,’ she told me. ‘Is it because Rory told Danny about the two of you?’
‘Rory said he didn’t take it very well,’ I said.
‘No, well, did you really think he would?’
‘No. I suppose not. Although I hoped… After eighteen years I guess I hoped he’d moved on. Got over me.’
‘Yeah,’ she said with a sigh. ‘Me, too.’
I gave her a sideways look. The girl I remembered had always had a major crush on Danny. Was it possible that she still had a crush on him, all these years later?
‘Do you think he’ll forgive me?’ I asked.
‘For what?’ She was staring at the river rather than at me, but I saw her tense and wondered how much she knew.
‘For marrying Rory,’ I said cautiously.
‘Oh,’ she said. ‘For that. Well, I suppose he will. The thing about Danny is he always sees the best in people. He’s hurt now but before long he’ll realise it’s the best thing that could have happened. He loves and trusts Rory. He’ll be grateful that you’re being looked after by him.’ She turned to face me. ‘I’m not like Danny. I don’t think I’ll ever forgive you.’
‘For marrying Rory?’ I asked, puzzled.
‘No. For what you did to Danny.’
I swallowed.Ah. Here it is then. ‘He told you.’
‘What about?’ she asked. ‘About you stringing him along, pretending you wanted to have a family and move to the Essex countryside with him? No, he didn’t mention it, because he never knew, did he? I only know because I heard Mum and Auntie Sheryl talking. They said it was pretty clear that you didn’t want either of those things, and they wished you would just be honest with him.’
‘They were right,’ I said. ‘Ishouldhave been honest with him. I was a coward. I didn’t know how to break it to him, so I went along with it, hoping somehow that he’d change his mind.’
‘That would never happen,’ she said. ‘I could have told you that.’
‘I know. Like I said, I was a coward.’
‘He didn’t deserve to be lied to like that.’
‘No, he didn’t. I’m not making excuses, Brooke. Really, I’m not. You’re right to be angry with me on his behalf. Does he still not know?’
