Page 64 of The Moment They Can't Forget

She pouted and flicked her hair.

“Larry Limpet came to bridge last night,” June Matilda said from the circle behind them. “He brought a brookie and slapped it on the bar. Now what in God’s name did he expect us to do with that? When I clearly told him that if he wants to be part of our club, then he needs to bring something ready to eat.”

“The curried eggs were good though,” someone else said.

“What is a brookie?” Henry asked her.

“A trout,” four people yelled at him.

And this was why she loved this town. You learned so many things when you danced.

When it finally finished after many wrong turns from Henry, Zoe told Lil she was heading to her car for a sweater, as her muscles were now seizing up and getting cold. If she left now, her family would want to know why, so she’d give it another hour.

“Are you all right?”

“Crap!” She grabbed her chest. “You scared the shit out of me, JD.”

“Sorry.”

“Where is your brother?” He no longer held Ruby, but he was still frowning.

“Talking to your brothers. No doubt they’re pumping him for information about me.”

“Well, go join him then. You haven’t seen him in years.”

It was early evening now, and the sun was slowly sinking into the sky. The sunset would be another good one as they often were out here.

She opened her car and found her sweater and pulled it on. The moan slipped out as abused muscles pulled.

“Are you sure you don’t need a doctor, Zoe?”

She closed the car door and leaned on it to look at him. That big body had every muscle clenched as he battled with the fact his brother, who he hadn’t seen in years, was here.

“Is it nice to see your brother?”

His eyes were cloudy with emotion she couldn’t read.

“Not really.”

“Why? It’s been years.”

“Not every family is like the Dukes, Zoe.”

“I know that.” She didn’t bite back even though his words had heat in them. He was struggling with his brother’s reappearance. “I’m sorry yours isn’t.”

“I just wanted to say thank you.” His voice was raspy and deep.

“For what?”

“Standing beside me and talking to Henry. For not asking a whole heap of questions or telling anyone my first name. For being a friend, I guess.” He shrugged. “Even if we’re n-not really.”

JD never stuttered. That he was struggling now told her just how much Henry’s appearance had affected him.

Zoe did something she would never normally do. She stepped into his space and put her arms around him. In that moment, he needed a hug, and she could do that. Putting the mess between them aside, she could be his friend.

“What are you doing? I thought we weren’t into touching anymore.”

“This is a hug from one friend to another.”

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