Josie caught sight of her mom sitting on the edge of Jo’s bed. “It worked out.”
“I suppose I could have told you,” Jo continued, speaking in a very calm, deliberate tone. “About our moms, and about what my father was.” She looked up at Josie. “He told me one day that he’d tried to kill my mom. And if I didn’t do exactly as he said, I’d be next. He was deranged.”
“I’m so sorry, Jo.”
Jo shrugged, and her carefree attitude immediately returned. “Oh well, he’s dead. Too bad, so sad.”
Jo may have been totally unfazed by her father’s gruesome death, but the thought of Mr. Byrne’s mangled body made Josie shiver. As happy as she was that he was gone, it was a death that would haunt her for the rest of her life.
Jo glanced at Nick, then back to Josie. “So you’re really going back?”
Josie’s stomach clenched. The time was rapidly approaching when she’d have to make a decision: stay or go. She honestly wasn’t sure which it would be. “I think so.”
Jo stared at her for a moment, assessing; then her eyes drifted down to Dr. Byrne’s necklace that still hung around Josie’s neck.
“Oh,” Josie said. “Right. You probably want this back.” She reached up and placed her hand on the necklace, two entwined hearts. Josie and Nick. He hadn’t given it to her, but somehow it had come to symbolize all that they’d been through together, and the idea of taking it off was almost as painful as the idea of leaving Nick forever.
Jo continued to stare at the necklace. “You really thought Nick gave that to me.”
Josie nodded.
“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”
Josie nodded again. “Yeah.”
Jo’s face was blank and impassive. “But you were going to give him up. Back at Fort Meade, you said you’d save him for me.”
“Yeah.” She had said that. And she’d meant it, realizing at the time that the odds of her and Nick actually being together were very slim.
“You know, he’s the only guy that ever said ‘no’ to me. I think that’s what made me want him so badly.” Jo pointed to the necklace. “You keep it. As if he gave it to you.” Then she turned on her heel and walked to the window.
Josie’s mom sat on Jo’s bed staring at the mirror. “I can’t believe it’s all come down to that wretched mirror.”
Josie sat down next to her and squeezed her hand. “Think of it this way: if the initial explosion hadn’t established a connection between the two mirrors, I never would have known you were gone, never would have been able to come here and find you.”
Her mom sighed. “That’s one way of looking at it.”
“Personally,” Nick said with a smile, “I kinda love that mirror.”
Josie looked at Nick. Despite his smile, his eyes were sad. Her heart ached at what was coming, and when Nick twitched his head toward the hallway, Josie stood up and followed.
“Stay,” Nick said as soon as the bedroom door closed behind them. “Stay here with me.”
“I can’t. My mom needs me.”
“I need you.”
Josie swallowed. “Come with me, then.”
Nick reached up and cupped her cheek with his hand. “But my brother . . .”
“I know.” Josie dropped her eyes. She leaned forward and rested her head against his chest, listening to the rapid beat of his heart. Could she stay? Her mom was going home to her dad, and hopefully they’d be able to reconcile once Dad knew the whole story. With Tony completing the Nox injectable and Dr. Byrne there to oversee the eradication, this universe would be safer. She could send her mom home with the formula to help do the same in her world. And besides, maybe she could contribute something here, explore the physics of this universe with a different perspective. It was an enticing possibility.
But the only thing that really mattered to her was Nick.
“Okay.”
They said it in unison, both Josie and Nick. Josie looked up and Nick’s head was tilted to the side. “Did you say ‘okay’?”
“Yeah.” Josie laughed. “Did you?”
“Yeah.”
That was it. They needed each other, were desperate to be together no matter whose universe they chose. Josie’s heart ached from happiness. She’d never felt this way with her ex-boyfriend. This was something different. Something deeper. Even though they had only known each other a few days, Nick knew her better than anyone else, and loved her even more because of it.