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He takes his mobile phone out of his pocket, unlocks it, and passes it to me. “Just drop it off at the front desk when you’re done.”

Touched at his trust, I say, “Thanks, Gabriel.”

“You’re more than welcome. Stay in touch, yeah?” He smiles and walks away, disappearing around the corner.

I wait for my coffee, then take it out and walk to the site he’s suggested for the bookshop.

I’m excited by the possibilities here. See, I tell myself, there are still so many things to look forward to. Jayden is your past. This is your future.

Looking out of the window, I bring up the keypad and dial in Mitch’s number. Then I put it to my ear and wait.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Mitch

When Vix walks out, Jayden and I watch her go, speechless for a moment.

Then I call out, “Vix!” But the door has shut behind her, and she’s gone.

I look back at him, furious. “You fucking idiot.” I go over to him and push him hard, and he stumbles back against one of the bookcases. I’d forgotten that he has to use a cane, and it occurs to me that I’ve just pushed a disabled person, but at that moment I don’t care.

Without waiting, I turn and storm over to the door and go out. Barefoot, I run down the street, stop at the crossroads, and look around. There’s no sign of her.

So angry I could spit, I walk back to the bookshop and go in, closing the door behind me so hard that the bell dances for ages.

“Why did you have to say that?” I demand, walking back up to him. I feel a flare of pleasure when he takes a wary step back.

“Which bit?” he asks.

“All of it! Telling her about your affair. That you shouldn’t have married her. And that you couldn’t fucking get it up—for her.” That’s the bit that annoyed me most. No man is going to laugh at another guy for failing to achieve an erection. There but for the grace of God and all that. Erectile dysfunction is every man’s worst nightmare. But to tell her that he could perform with his affair partner, but not with her… Jesus, what an insult.

“You fucking heartless bastard.” I’m so angry, I want to throttle him. “She stood by your side all through your accident. She’s been faithful and loyal. I don’t understand.”

“No, you don’t,” he snaps. “Everyone said, all the time, ‘Vix, you’re an angel.’ ‘Vix, you’re the perfect wife.’ ‘Jayden, you’re so lucky.’ You don’t know what it’s like being with someone who never puts a foot wrong.”

I think about the number of things I’ve seen her knock over or break over the years and roll my eyes. “She’s hardly perfect. She’s just better than you.”

We glare at each other for about ten seconds. Then it’s like the fight goes out of him, and he drops his gaze. Looking around, he finds a chair and lowers himself into it gingerly, then leans back with a sigh. “Yeah,” he says. “You’re probably right.”

I perch on the nearest table, holding the edge with both hands so I don’t punch him. “She’s so lovely,” I say. “She doesn’t deserve what you’ve done to her.”

“I know.”

“Why didn’t you just say it was over? Why wait all that time and put her through hell?”

“Relationships rarely just end, Mitch. You must know that. Breakups don’t happen like tsunamis. They’re more like sea erosion—they happen over weeks, months, and years.”

“Maybe. But you told her you shouldn’t have married her.”

He looks down at that, and his shoulders sag. “I didn’t mean it like that. I don’t regret marrying her or having Millie. I just meant that if I hadn’t married her, she’d probably have married you.” He looks back up at me. “I know how you feel about her. How you’ve always felt about her.” He shifts on the chair. “It’s the main reason I proposed to her.”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on, we’ve always been competitive, haven’t we? And somehow you were always that bit better than me. You’re smarter—I could never be a teacher. You ran faster, which always annoyed me.”

“You got the place in the Northland Taniwha,” I say, astonished. “Not me.”

“Only because you went to uni, and I threw myself into it, a hundred percent. I knew it was the only thing I could do. And now I can’t even do that.” His lips twist. “Vix and I started dating, and we were getting on just fine… and then you turned up.” He glares at me. “I knew immediately that you liked her. And I could see she liked you. And I couldn’t bear to lose to you again.”