I got up and went to her, sitting down and throwing my arm around her shoulders. She leaned into me, taking the comfort I offered without a word. It was only when I looked down to see the pregnancy test she was holding that I gasped. The little window showed two red lines, and I didn’t need to be a genius to know what they meant.

“You’re pregnant?” I said, my voice airy with disbelief. Just the other week I’d joked about it, but that’s all it had been, a joke. I never actually thought it was true. And, by the looks of it, neither had Alexis. This was a massive shock for her. King had been missing for a while, which meant she had to be at least three or four months gone, and I knew she hadn’t been with anyone else since him.

Her smile was sad. “There was me thinking it was a cake shelf I was sporting,” she said, hand going to her belly, hiding her feelings with humour like always.

I swallowed, trying not to let my own personal feelings affect me right then. When I was a teenager, I’d been in a very bad car accident. My dad had been behind the wheel, my mum in the passenger seat, and I was in the back. Long story short, I’d been injured far worse than my parents, and the damage meant I’d never be able to have kids. It was why I got so angry when I saw people neglecting their own children, but I’d come to terms with the fact a long time ago. Still, a strange, phantom-like pain always passed through me whenever I was reminded of it. Alexis knew all about my accident, but I didn’t think she knew quite how much it hurt me, knowing I’d never have a child of my own.

“It’s King’s, isn’t it?” I finally asked, pushing my own feelings aside.

She nodded and stared at her feet.

“Have you had any luck finding him? Any clues as to where he might be?”

“Nothing,” she croaked. “It’s like he never even existed.” And then the tears began to flow. I sat with her for a long while, just hugging her and letting her cry. Finally I managed to get her to her own room, where she climbed into bed and went to sleep. She’d been up all night, wracked with worry.

I spent the day tidying the flat and hanging out. I even baked a batch of brownies, thinking they might cheer Alexis up. Unfortunately, she was acting completely out of character when she woke and barely even gave the brownies a second glance. Normally, she was the sort of girl to take life’s challenges in stride, so it was disconcerting to see her like this.

I was watching television that evening when she suddenly sat down beside me and asked, “Can we go out tonight?”

“Out where?”

“Anywhere. I need to get away from these four walls before I go insane. We could go to a bar and I could watch you drink. It’ll be fun.” The look on her face told me she was desperately trying to convince herself of that. I didn’t want to upset her, though, so I nodded.

“Sure, just let me grab a quick shower and we’ll head out.”

An hour later we were in a cab, headed for the bar where Alexis used to work before she changed career paths. At the moment she was in between jobs, but she did some modelling every once in a while to pay the bills. I was guessing she might have to take a break from that once she started to show.

I wasn’t sure why she wanted to go visit her old workplace. Well, I wasn’t until we walked inside and I saw Stu standing by the pool table. How had I not predicted this? I could only see the back of the person he was playing with, but I knew instantly that it was Lee. He wore jeans and a Fred Perry T-shirt with the collar turned up, the uniform of cocky little fuckers everywhere.

“What are you up to?” I asked, narrowing my gaze at my friend. She just shook her head and walked over to the bar, ordering a glass of wine and a Coke. I was guessing the wine was for me. I hadn’t really dressed up, but I suddenly became more aware of my appearance. I’d left my hair down, and was wearing a pair of khaki green trousers with a tight black wrap top and boots.

Even when Alexis had worked here, I’d never really visited. Truth be told, it was a bit of a dive. It was Stu’s local, though, so it had to be Lee’s, too. It was also where Alexis and Stu had originally met.

“I hope this isn’t what I think it is,” I said as she slid the glass of wine my way and led me over to sit at a booth.

The look she gave me was miserable, and she ran her hands through her hair before replying, “I’m lonely, Karla. And yes, I know I’m probably going to regret this in the morning, but just let me regret it, okay? Tonight of all nights I just need somebody to make me feel good.”

Her answer shut me right up, and a pang of sympathy hit me square in the gut. I’d never lost someone I loved like Alexis had lost King, so I had no business judging her. Instead, I sat quietly and drank my wine. A couple of minutes later, Stu spotted Alexis and sidled up to our booth.

“Lex, what brings you around these parts?” he asked, eyes dark with interest as he slid in next to her.

I thought I heard her mutter “desperation” under her breath before she looked up and mustered a smile for him. “Just having a quiet drink.”

“Mind if I join you?” he practically purred.

“Uh, you already have,” I commented dryly.

Stu shot me a wide grin, unfazed by my comment as he gave me his full attention. “This is a dangerous place for the likes of you, Karla. Taking a walk on the wild side, are we?”

“What, are cops not allowed into dive bars now?” I asked smartly.

Stu shook his head and answered, “That’s not what I’m talking about,” just as I felt a warm body take the empty spot beside me in the booth. My every muscle grew tense.

“Clarky,” said Lee, nodding to Alexis. She gave him a similar head nod in return.

“Snap,” he went on, his mouth a lot closer to my ear than it needed to be.

“Lee,” I said, shifting away and meeting his eyes.

There was a moment of silence, the two brothers grinning, while Alexis and I frowned. I thought that maybe we both felt the same way right then. On one level we wanted to be there, and on another we really didn’t.

“So, what’s everybody drinking?” Lee asked.

“Coke,” said Alexis, lifting her empty glass.

“I’ll have another beer,” Stu put in.

I stayed quiet. No way was I letting him buy me a drink. No effing way.

“Snap?”

“I’m good.”

“Babe.”

My brow furrowed, and I simply shook my head at him to let him know that the whole “babe” thing wasn’t happening. His grin widened, like he enjoyed the challenge. Instead of asking me again, he simply leaned in, picked up my glass, and took a sip.

He winced when he tasted it. “One glass of vinegar coming right up.”

“Hey, it’s not her fault this bar serves shit wine. Go have a word with Keith and tell him to get some better stuff in,” Alexis complained. I was guessing Keith was the landlord.

“I’ll get right on that,” Lee replied sarcastically before heading over to the bar.

I rubbed at my eyelids, frustrated. This certainly wasn’t how I planned on spending my night off, but I couldn’t abandon Alexis in her time of need. Looking across the table, I saw that Stu was already moving in on her, his arm resting casually along the top of the booth. He bent down and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and said something in reply, but I couldn’t hear over the bar music. It didn’t take long for her to warm up to him, and then they were full-on flirting with one another.

I couldn’t have been more uncomfortable if I’d tried.

Oh, no, wait. I spoke too soon.

Lee returned with the drinks, placing a fresh glass in front of me. I glanced at it, no intention of drinking any. Alexis and Stu were deep in conversation, so I might as well have been sitting alone with Lee. It was too awkward for words. Well, it was on my end. Lee didn’t look like he had an awkward bone in his body.

“Relax,” he murmured. “You look like you’re afraid I might jump you or something.”