She liked the way they chatted together so naturally, each one tossing a line of conversation that the other one caught and ran with. She liked the way Zoe talked so openly to Milly, and although she hadn’t told her about Cally, it was because she was trying to protect Milly. And she admired the way Milly listened carefully to everything her daughter said, never interrupting, and never judging. She bestowed hugs and comfort when needed and calm good humor when things were tense. It was obvious from the conversation they’d had on their morning runs that Milly had bitten her lip again and again rather than allow herself to say bad things about Richard in front of their daughter.

Nicole wasn’t sure she would have been able to display the same restraint.

And she couldn’t help wondering how different things would have been if her mother had been more like Milly.

Nicole’s entire inner world had been a secret from her mother, and she hadn’t had to work hard to keep it private because her mother had never been interested enough to look.

It had been years since she’d seen her. She didn’t know exactly how many years because she was afraid to count them. Every year that passed was yet more evidence of her lack of importance in her mother’s life.

The last time she’d been in touch with her mother was when Nicole had been in London for the premiere of one of her movies. Ironically she’d been playing the part of a daughter estranged from her mother, an emotional role that she’d found so true to life that she hadn’t had to dig that deep for inspiration.

On impulse she’d called her mother and asked if she’d like to meet up, but her mother had told her that she was at the airport about to fly to Australia where she had a new job as the head of vascular surgery in a major hospital.

Nicole had listened in disbelief.

Her mother was moving to Australia and hadn’t even mentioned it. If Nicole hadn’t called at that exact moment, would she even have known?

Nicole had wished her luck, as if she was nothing more than an acquaintance from the past, and had never called her mother again.

It was too humiliating. In her lowest moments she’d actually wondered if her mother had chosen Australia on purpose because it was a country Nicole rarely visited.

She’d been upset all over again, but that final move of her mother’s had confirmed what she’d always known: that their relationship would never be what Nicole wanted it to be. Gradually she’d accepted the situation for what it was.