Quiet and imaginative, Derek O'Reilly spends a lot of time watching a movie in his head. His fiancé Nathan wonders why Derek hasn't taken any interest in their wedding planning, and Aunt Fran -- his spiritual guru -- would like to know when her guilt-tripping nephew became a kept boy. When she drops Derek's childhood journal on his lap, he's forced to remember the name he's been trying to forget since he was twelve years old. Nicolai Lund. Nick was Derek's neighbor ... and first love. Weeks before Derek's engagement party, a chance meeting with Nick catapults Derek into the past. But Nick isn't that seventeen-year-old rebel anymore. He's a man hardened by invisible scars. A man struggling with grief. As Derek reads through his childhood diary, he realizes what Nick was to him, still is today, and yet might be ... NOTE: This edition has been expanded and substantially edited.

Split

My fingers clasped the edges of the dish. I wanted to hurl it at her.


“Hon,” she said, without making eye contact, “why don’t you and Lene put on The Grinch Who Stole Christmas in the living room. Nicolas—Nick—and I are going to clean up in here, then I’ll serve dessert.”


“No.” The word gunned out of my mouth.


Aunt Frannie shrunk back a little, setting her hand on her chest. “No need to yell, Derek.” She turnedto Nick and rolled her eyes. Not much. Not in a very noticeable way. But, I saw it. Yes, I did.


Nick smiled at me. “I don’t blame you, O’Reilly. That green freak gives me the willies, too.” He rose and pulled his chair up, gathering the plates. Aunt Frannie seem to hesitate, but she soon followed his lead. Lene and I helped, too. While Aunt Frannie and Nick whispered at the table, Lene and I washed the dishes.


Lene pulled on my sleeve. “I have my Strawberry Shortcake panties on.”


I stared at her face for a second and then went back to scrubbing the glasses.


Chapter 53