For a moment she closed her eyes and focused on her breathing.

Stay strong.

She reached for the phone. “Good afternoon. This is Olivia Han.”

Normally, she wouldn’t greet her sister so formally, but putting distance between them at the outset of the conversation would be the best practice. Neve had always been manipulative, excuse at the ready for everything she did or didn’t do.

“Livy, it’s been too long,” the voice on the other end drawled.

For a moment, her heart stopped.

“Conrad?”

“Of course it’s Con. Who else calls you Livy?”

“Uh, only you. I didn’t know you had this number.”

Conrad chuckled. “I managed to squeeze it out of your sister. You don’t seem to be returning my calls on your cell phone, so . . .”

Probably because she had been afraid to open a can of worms that would make her feel icky. Every time she saw a message from him, her heart skipped a beat and she remembered. It was easier to pretend her feelings for Conrad and the drama from her past away. “Sorry. I’ve been so busy.”

“Understandable.” He didn’t sound offended. Very matter-of-fact. That made her wonder why he’d been calling her. “How have you been? Besides busy.”

Olivia pressed a hand against her chest, fingering the pearl buttons at her throat. “I’m well. Very well. Thank you.”

“I bought your book and gave it to everyone I know. Well, almost everyone. Some people are hopeless.” His bark of laughter caused a frisson of the feeling she’d buried to skitter across her heart. She loved his big, blooming laugh of total abandon. Her mind tripped to him throwing back his head and clutching his stomach when they watched American Pie, sneaking it from the video store because it was rated R and her dad would freak if he knew they watched it. This was why she’d been avoiding talking to him. He made her feel weak, made her remember all she’d lost.

“That was kind of you. To buy the book.”

“You know I’m not kind, Livy.” Amusement nattered the edges of the affected growl he’d used to make the joke. Conrad Santos had erected a veneer of nonchalance long ago, something pretty much required when one grew up in West Rancho Dominguez, but beneath the laissez-faire facade was a person who’d given his last bit of hamburger to a stray cat and hung out with a nerdy girl at an ice cream parlor.

“If that’s what you want me to think, but I know the truth.”

“Using your shrink speak on me, huh?” Con said.

“I’m not a shrink. I’m a life coach and author. Didn’t you read the bio?” She watched as two hummingbirds took exception to each other. The birds were notoriously aggressive, but she understood fighting for what one needed. Sometimes one had to swoop and dive. And sometimes one had to retreat in order to fight another day. She’d learned to recognize the need for both.