Alice stared out the window for a long time and when she eventually turned, her eyes were overly bright. “I recently found out that I can’t have kids, so your offer’s a tantalizing gift and an honor.”

For the first time since being told she had weeks to live, Jess wondered if Alice’s situation existed to ease her own. Relief spilled through her. “Thank you.”

Alice nodded, but shadows dimmed her eyes. “But I don’t think you asking me to co-parent him is in Leo’s best interests.”

“I think I know what’s best for my son.”

“Perhaps.” Alice’s face was unusually determined. “But you said no bullshit, so here it is. When I was thirteen, you wedged yourself between me and Libby. By choosing to have Leo, you wedged yourself between Libby and Nick. If I raise Leo, it will put a wedge between me, Nick and Libby and the effects will spill out into the family. Everyone will suffer, including Leo. I’m not prepared to let that happen. If Leo is truly your priority, the only way to protect him is to sort everything out with Libby.”

Jess’s chest cramped. “It’s not all on me, you know.”

“I know. But it will be all on Leo.”

“You make it sound like I’m being difficult.”

“You’re choosing to hear that.”

“Will you at least ask her to come and see me?”

Alice shook her head, her obstinacy always so at odds with her pixie looks. “You’re the only one who can ask her, Jess.”

“She won’t come.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do. It’s something I might have done. The ultimate revenge.”

Alice winced. “A friend of mine told me that parenting takes you to places you never expected to go and then abandons you in the mud without a compass. This is your compass and your way out of the mud. You need to do this for Leo. Email Libby and ask her to visit you. It’s that simple.”

Only there was nothing simple about it.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Libby poked at the cold meat and salad she’d put together for lunch and eventually pushed it away.

“If you lose any more weight, you’ll get sick,” Nick commented.

It was Wednesday and they were eating lunch at Burrunan. Nick had suggested they meet at a café, but the last time they’d done that, a stream of people had paused by their table wanting to talk about the “terrible news.”

“Just shocking,” Genevieve Lawry had said, shaking her head. “I mean, it really makes you think …”

Libby hadn’t inquired as to exactly what it had made the notorious gossip think.

Nick had countered with, “It’s a difficult time for everyone,” and when Genevieve realized that was all she was going to get from them, she’d finally left them in peace.