My brother's secret

From MY BROTHER'S SECRET:Stefan's movement had pulled open his jacket, revealing a white flower embroidered on his inside pocket. It was small, perhaps the size of my thumbnail, and the stitching was crude, as if Stefan had done it himself.At first, I didn't think anything of it, but it was right there, staring me in the face, and the longer I looked at it, the more I became aware of it."What's that?""Hmm?""That flower."Immediately, Stefan stepped back and drew his jacket closed. "Nothing." He stared at me, eyes glistening, as if he were wondering what to tell me. When he spoke again, there was a defensive edge to his voice. "It's nothing," he said. "You didn't see it.""What do you mean? I don't . . .""Just forget it." Then his face softened and he closed his eyes. He sighed, letting his breath come out through his nose in one long whoosh. When he opened his eyes again, he said, "Reallyit's nothing. It's just a flower." Excerpted from My Brother's Secret by Dan Smith All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.