“Or else it just shows you what you don’t have, and dwelling on that isn’t helpful.” Milly fastened her seat belt and started the engine. “We need to go. I have to be up early. My life doesn’t go on hold just because you’re here. How long are you planning to stay?”

“I don’t know.” Nicole’s voice shook again. “Maybe forever.”

Forever?

That was a joke, surely? Milly glanced quickly at her friend, but Nicole’s eyes were closed again, and there was no hint of a smile on her face.

Forever.

Milly tightened her grip on the wheel. If she had to wish for one thing right now, it would be patience.

Chapter 2Nicole

She’d made a mess of things. How could she be so good at playing a part and so bad at real life? She needed a script. She needed to be told who to be.

She shivered and huddled deeper into her coat. Milly had the air-conditioning running in the car and Nicole was frozen, but she said nothing because she was pathetically grateful to Milly for picking her up and didn’t dare ask for anything more.

She shouldn’t even have asked her to do this. She didn’t deserve it. She didn’t deserve Milly. She’d been a terrible friend to her. She’d let her down, and the fact that Milly had still shown up for her made her feel even worse.

Her younger self had naively thought that fame and fortune would be the answer to everything. It had come as a shock and disappointment to discover that being a movie star insulated you from many things, but not human emotion. You could buy a big house with walls of glass and a view of the ocean, but that didn’t ease the agony of heartbreak. A healthy savings account didn’t protect you from mortifying shame or nerve-shredding fear. All it really did was make you even more alone because everyone around you thought you had no reason to feel anything but lucky and permanently joyful.

Her eyes stung, and she blinked several times and tried to focus on her surroundings.

“Where are we?” She’d been expecting to go directly to Milly’s house in the village, but they’d driven straight through and were now heading toward the lake and Forest Nest, the exclusive resort owned and run by Milly and her family. The headlights picked out stone walls and fields, and she could just about make out the looming slope of the mountains to the right of her. It felt a long way from California, which was a relief, but still she felt a lurch of panic at the thought of being alone in one of the lakeside cabins. “I’m not staying with you in your home?”