otherâs slightly off-kilter jokes, or share a look or a smile the way that only very old friends could. But those moments were rare. Mostly there was a subtle tension between them. As if they had more of those close moments either one of them might read more into it. As if maybe their friendly looks would morph into something like what had happened when sheâd fallen playing tennis. When sheâd seen something in Sebâs gaze that had made her insides melt and her skin heat.
And as by unspoken consensus that hadnât been a good thing, a slightly tense and superficial friendship was what they had.
Which was good, of course. It meant that once Seb had processed his tumult of grief and guilt and loss their rehashed friendship would drift again. There would be no more tension and no more confusing, conflictingâdefinitely unwantedâemotions.
And her life would go back to normal.
Her phone rang, vibrating in her hand as it was still on silent. It wasnât a number she recognised.
âHello?â
âMila Molyneux?â asked a female voice with a heavy American accent.
Milaâs stomach instantly went south. She knew exactly who this was.
âSpeaking,â she told her fatherâs personal assistant.
For a momentâa long momentâshe considered hanging up. It was exactly what her sisters would do. But then Blaine Spencer wouldnât bother calling them , would he? He knew which daughter put up with his lies and broken promises.
âJust put my dad on,â said Mila.
This one . This gutless, hopeful, stupid daughter.
âLa-la!â
â Mila ,â she corrected, as she did every time. âIâm not three, Dad.â
The age sheâd been when heâd left.
âYou still are to me , darling girl!â
Every muscle in her body tightened just that little bit more.
âAny chance you could call me yourself, one time?â she asked, not bothering to hide her frustration. âYou knowâfind my name in your contacts, push the call button. Itâs not difficult.â
âNow, donât be like that, Mila , you know how hard I work.â
There it was: The Justification. Mila always capitalised it in her mind.
Why didnât you call for ?
But you said youâd come to .
And then The Justification.
You know how hard I work.
Or its many variations.
You canât just pass up opportunities in this industry.
Work has been crazy!
This director is a hard-ass. Iâm working fourteen-hour days...
But always: You know I love you, right?
Right.
âSo youâve been working hard for the past three months, then?â
Sheâd done the calculations. In fact, this was pretty good for him. Normally his calls were biannual. Maybe that was why she hadnât hung up on him.
âI have, indeed,â he said, either missing or ignoring Milaâs sarcasm.
To be honest, Mila didnât know him well enough to say which. Maybe that was the problemâshe clung to the possibility that he was just thoughtless, not a selfish waste of a father who knew exactly how much pain he caused.
âIâve just landed in Sydney for the premiere of my latest.â
He always expected Mila to know everything about him.
âLatest what, Dad?â
âMovie,â he said, all incredulous.
Mila rolled her eyes.
â Tsunami . The directorâs from Perth, so the Australian premiere is over there tomorrow night. Iâm doing a few cast interviews in Sydney today, then hopping on a plane tonight. You wonât believe it, but Iâm booked on a late flight because Serena has no concept of how far away bloody Perth is...â
Blaine Spencer just kept on talking, but Mila wasnât paying attention any more. âWaitâDad. Youâre coming here ?â
âSeriously, I wouldnât be surprised if sheâd booked us a hotel in