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“Two,” they said in unison, and then looked at each other and laughed. That made me smile, even though I didn’t think it was particularly funny. I liked seeing my sister like this. The past year had been rough on her, with Dad’s health declining so fast. It made me feel a little better knowing she’d had a friend like Nora to laugh with.
I loaded up the roasting fork with marshmallows. Behind me, Nora asked, “Do you have time for a short hike tomorrow? I have a couple hours in the afternoon free between interviews.”
I wanted to say yes. The weather was turning from summer to a mellow autumn, my favorite hiking season. Plus it would mean more time with Nora. But I had already committed to taking Dad to his first psychiatrist appointment.
“I can’t,” I said regretfully. “I’ll be with my dad all day. We’re going to Asheville for an appointment.”
“No worries,” she said. “How about this weekend?”
“Not this weekend,” Suzie interrupted. “The Turners are having a big fall festival on their farm. Hayrides, petting zoo, that kind of thing. We should all go together.”
“Sounds fun,” Nora said.
A memory pinged in my mind. “Isn’t that the farm we ran by on Friday, Nora? It looked like they were setting up a big slide.”
This question was greeted with silence.
I looked up. Nora stared back at me like a deer in headlights.
Or like a woman who hadn’t told her best friend she was sleeping with her brother.
Oh. Shit.
“What?” Suzie looked from me to Nora. “What happened Friday?”
Nora cleared her throat. “I meant to tell you, but it slipped my mind. We ran into each other on the same running trail.”
True enough. Sort of.
I could have done without theslipped my mindcomment. I had devoted serious amounts of brain space to reliving the feel of her, the sounds she made, the way she said my name when she came. I liked to think I had made some kind of impression on her, too.
“Oh.” Suzie looked disappointed. But she perked up when I brought her a perfectly toasted marshmallow. She held out her graham cracker, I slid the marshmallow on top, and she squished it down with a chocolate square and another graham cracker. When both s’mores were assembled, she hopped up. “I’ll take one to Sam.”
She jogged across the yard to where Sam was teaching the older kids how to do flips. I turned my attention fully to Nora.
“I’m sorry—”
“I didn’t—”
We both stopped. I gestured at her to go first.
“I didn’t tell her,” Nora said in a rush. “I meant to, but then I just…didn’t.”
“Yeah, I figured. Well, no. I figured youhadtold her, but I caught on pretty quick when you looked at me like I had ruined your life.”
She looked abashed at that. Her eyes lowered and she traced a screw in the chair with her finger. “I was thinking maybe weshouldn’ttell her.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. “Why?” I asked.
“The timing isn’t right,” she said. Lamely, in my opinion. Timing had fuck all to do with this. She was being a chicken. What I didn’t know what why.
“It wouldn’t be as simple as just not telling her,” I said slowly. “She’s too close to both of us. Things would get complicated, and we would have to outright lie. I’m not a fan of that. I don’t like lies and complications. We’re not teenagers. We have a right to live our lives as we see fit, out in the open, without lying to cover it up.”
“So you’re going to tell her?”
“I didn’t say that. Blood is thick, but friendship is chosen. If she needs to hear it, she needs to hear it from you. At the end of the day, I’ll always be her brother, but I don’t want to be the end of your friendship. So, no. I’m not going to tell her. I wouldn’t do that to you.”
She finally looked at me. “Thank you.”
