“I’m sorry,” Olivia said, sucking in a deep breath and releasing it. She brushed her hands against her thighs and then swiped at her tear-soaked face. “I shouldn’t have lost control like that. I’ve spent a lot of this week trying to decide what to do about what we discovered, how to tell my mom the truth, how not to take a crowbar to my father’s head, and how to deal with how Marley died and what happened to her.”

“Why would you apologize to me? You’re doing what you’ve always told me to do—you’re owning your feelings, working through them, expending energy in a positive way. Okay, well, I’m not sure if throwing sand is positive.” Chase shrugged with a soft smile.

Olivia looked at her, sniffling a little. Her brown eyes didn’t look so distant. Instead they reflected tenderness. “You really have learned some things, haven’t you?”

Chase looked at her watch. “And we’re about to see if they pay off in a few hours.”

“Oh God, that’s right.” Olivia slapped a hand over her mouth and then sputtered against the grains of sand on her lips. “Yuck. But the audition is today, and I laid all this on you. I’m sorry, Chase. You need to be distraction-free.”

“It’s cool. I feel really good about this read. I think I’ve nailed the character, so I’m planning on rocking this bitch.” Chase smiled, trying to believe her own words.

“You know Conrad is on your side. He wants you, and that’s a powerful ally.”

“We’ll see.” Chase looked out at the ocean at the seagulls dancing in the air, a boat skipping along the horizon, and to her left, surfers skidding along the curling waves. She embraced the feeling of control she’d nurtured in herself, that calm centeredness she needed to take with her to the casting director’s office. “I’m going to head out in thirty minutes. Lorna’s picking me up. I mean, Mom is picking me up. She’s going to take me by my apartment to get some clothes and drive me to the audition. She’s practicing being supportive, and I’m practicing letting her be supportive. It’s part of our agreed-upon boundaries.”

Olivia’s mouth curved a little. “That’s great, Chase.”

“But if you’re feeling down and want me to stay, I can get my mother to go by and get my clothes without me. I want to make sure you’re okay.” Chase reached out and brushed Olivia’s back, the first time she’d voluntarily touched her therapist.