Page 81 of The Secret Beach

‘You should tell Jess the truth.’

Nikki stared at him. ‘Are you mad?’

‘No! That way, you control how much detail she gets. Tell her it was a moment of madness between the two of you, and it meant nothing. But at least it would be out in the open and no one can threaten you anymore. End of problem.’

‘She’d go ballistic. She’d kill me.’

‘You can play it right down. No one can possibly know what you did. Unless they were stalking you.’

‘Someone knows something.’

‘But not everything. Only you and Rik know everything. Well, and me.’ Woody laughed. ‘And it’s not me.’

Nikki looked down at the card again. It was so matter of fact. So confident it had the upper hand. She wanted to crush it, but she didn’t want to destroy the evidence.

‘Would it help if I told you Jess made a pass at me once?’ asked Woody. ‘At Bill’s third birthday party. When you and me were still together.’

Nikki sighed. ‘No. Not really.’

‘What – so it’s OK for her to do it, but not you?’

‘She wouldn’t have meant anything. She was probably bored. She wouldn’t have gone through with it.’

Both Woody’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Don’t you believe it. She went into pretty exacting detail about what she’d do to me.’

‘It’s totally different.’

Woody came over and wrapped his arms around her. ‘I think you should stop worrying. Enjoy the party tonight. Think about telling Jess.’

‘And Mum. I’d have to tell Mum. Because Jess would go straight to Mum.’

‘Your mum is pretty wise. And she wouldn’t hold something against you from twenty years ago.’

‘But they’d know what an awful person I am.’

‘Why is it all your fault? There are always two sides. You told me yourself that Rik and Jess were having problems.’

‘That doesn’t make it OK.’ Nikki shut her eyes as if she could hide from the truth.

‘You were young.’

‘Twenty-four. Hardly a child.’

‘Vulnerable.’

‘Vulnerable how?’

‘You’ve always had a vulnerable streak because you’re so kind. And nice.’

‘Not so nice, it turns out.’

‘You don’t think Rik took advantage?’ That had always been Woody’s point of view. Nikki had always insisted they were equally complicit.

‘I’m not blaming him, Woody. He’s not here to defend himself.’

The argument was getting heated. Woody hated conflict. His natural instinct was to defuse a situation. And it ate him up to see Nikki so distraught. He clenched his fists in frustration.

‘I didn’t judge you, did I?’ he asked. ‘We ended up together even though I knew what an awful person you are.’

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