The Friends We Keep

“It happens.” He glanced at her, then away. “I had an older sister, Alice. She had Down syndrome. She loved picture books and we would read them together. One day, when I was about eight, it was raining and my mom couldn’t take us to the library to get more books. I forget why. So I started drawing. Those scratches eventually became Brad.”


He smiled. “Alice loved Brad. She thought up some of the story lines. We had fun. I would write and draw and she would color him. She’s the one who said he had to be red.”

Nicole told herself it was rude to stare, even on a date, but she couldn’t look away. Nothing he was telling her was what she’d thought. He wasn’t what she’d thought. Wasn’t what she’d read in that online article.

“I knew that when my parents were gone, I would be responsible for Alice. I wanted that. So when I was older and started dating, that was always in the back of my mind.”

“Oh, no,” she breathed.

“Yeah. You guessed right. By college, I was getting serious about Brad. I looked for a publisher and I was lucky. He sold and he sold well. Then I met Mindy, who was sweet and sexy and claimed to love Alice.”

“But she didn’t.”

“No. My parents were killed while traveling and Alice moved in with us. Within a couple of months Mindy was talking about how Alice would be happier with her kind.” His mouth twisted. “Those were her exact words. Her kind. Like she wasn’t human. That was the day our marriage ended, at least for me. We fought more but in the end it came down to a choice. Mindy or my sister.”

Nicole was torn between being impressed and so incredibly sad. Eric couldn’t even suck it up enough to see his son for an afternoon. Jairus had stepped up without question.

“Mindy didn’t get it,” she said quietly.

“Not even close. A few months later, Alice got pneumonia and died.”

Nicole stiffened. “Oh, no. I’m sorry. That’s horrible.”

“It was. She’d always had trouble with her lungs, but I’d hoped she would live a long, happy life. I was with her until the end.”

“Of course you were.”

“Mindy came back.”

“What?” Her voice came out louder than she’d planned. She cleared her throat. “Sorry, but are you kidding? Like you’d take her back after what she did? You could never trust her. Alice was your sister. It wasn’t the promise, it was that you loved her.” She clamped her hand over her mouth. “Oh, no. You didn’t take her back, did you? Because if you did...”

He raised his eyebrows. “You just stuck your foot in it?”

“Technically, yes, but you’re an idiot, so I would say we’re even.”

He laughed then. A big, happy laugh that had her laughing with him.

“I didn’t take her back.”

“I’m glad.”

“She was pissed.”

Nicole rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. She was in it for the money.”

The brows went up again.

She swore silently. Really? Was she that bad at the whole dating thing? “Um, what I meant was you’re so amazing, I’m sure she was crushed.”

“Better. And you’re right. She was in it for the money.”

“And you.”

“Yeah. Sure.” He took a sip of his drink. “So, you read some stuff about me online, didn’t you? Bad stuff.”

She did her best not to flush. “What? No. Never. Maybe. Yes.”

He grinned. “I figured. Mindy got a friend who works for an online gossip site to write it. The article got picked up and circulated. For what it’s worth, I don’t spend my days counting my money or whatever it was they said.”

“Good to know.” They looked at each other. She reached her hand across the table. “I’m sorry about Alice.”

“Me, too.” He rested his fingers on hers. “Brad and I miss her.”

Nicole carefully withdrew her hand. “You and Brad? You speak to Brad?”

“Sure. We’re partners.”

“That’s, um, nice.”

The grin returned. “Gotcha.”

She groaned. “I hoped you were pretending, but he’s a compelling guy, so it’s hard to be sure.”

They ordered, then had dinner. Conversation stayed on a slightly more informational-slash-superficial level. Jairus was from Mischief Bay and had gone to the California Institute of the Arts—a school found by Walt Disney. Nicole told him about her dance scholarship at Arizona State and her disastrous attempt to make it in New York. When she happened to glance at her watch, she was shocked to find over three hours had passed.

“I told Cecelia I wouldn’t be late,” she explained, as they got up to leave.

“I had a good time,” Jairus told her as they walked outside. “I’d like to see you again.”

They reached her car and she faced him. The sun had set. The parking lot was well lit, but the quality of light was different than daylight. Still, he looked good. Even better, he’d been easy to talk to. He was a decent guy. These days that was so much more important than handsome.

“I enjoyed this, as well. But I have to tell you something.”

“I’m listening.”

She sighed. “It’s Brad.”

“The dragon?”

“Yeah. He’s, ah...” She pressed her lips together. “Sometimes he drives me crazy. All the merchandise, the stories. I know he’s a good role model, but he is everywhere in my life. Did you know there are Brad chapter books?”