“I’m amazed you seem to have come through everything so well.” He eyed me curiously. “So, how did the fame happen? I always figured that was part of the reason you stayed in L.A. That you must have secretly had dreams of making it in Hollywood but had never shared with me because you knew I wouldn’t have approved.”

I snorted. “Hardly. One of Malcolm’s former clients needed a last minute fill-in for a minor role in a movie he was filming. It wasn’t the kind of thing I’d ever thought of doing, but it paid well, and I was beginning to worry about how quickly we were going through my parent’s life insurance payout. It was nice to have the chance to earn some money of my own. It all spiraled from there, and somehow, I ended up going to fancy parties, wearing designer clothes, and starring in big films without ever having consciously made the decision to be an actress. Before I knew it, I’d set aside college funds for the kids, and I figured I may as well go with the flow, since everything seemed to be working out well enough.”

He shook his head. “It’s hard to imagine that happening when you always hear how difficult it is to have a career in the industry.”

I grimaced. Yeah, I knew how privileged I’d been, and that some people had it much harder. “It really is about who you know. I’m a decent actress because I spent a lot of my childhood around actors, but I became popular because I had the right connections and a reputation for being easy to work with.”

“You can’t say you didn’t enjoy the parties and premieres though,” he remarked.

I shot him a look. “There were definite upsides. I won’t deny it. But I never sought them out. I went out of obligation more than anything else. Production companies like their actors to be publicly visible. But getting back to the point—the kids are all grown, they have money to set themselves up, and I don’t have to play a part anymore. I can finally be myself again, and do what makes me happy.”

Liam gave a half-hearted laugh. “Strange to think you could effectively retire at age thirty.”

It was. I considered myself incredibly lucky to be in that position, and I wasn’t going to waste it.

“I feel so stupid for not seeing that there was more going on.” He squeezed my knee gently. “My girlfriend was going through a major crisis, and I missed it. I should have flown over there regardless of what you said, but instead, I let fear and a bruised ego get the better of me. We had something real, and I shouldn’t have let it go so easily.”