“Because I know Catie.” Sailor rubbed his jaw. “Look, I’m in a tough position. I feel protective of both of you, so I’m not going to talk about one to the other behind their back—but I will tell you to use your brain and not react emotionally. Think about why Catie is the way she is, and then think about what it says that she always replies to your messages.”

Sailor pointed at Danny through the screen. “Use your smarts, baby brother. You know the answer.”

30

DANNY GOES MIA

It took three days of sending Catie messages and getting funny replies that made him grin before Danny got one that shifted his brain cells into gear. He’d said: Clive still in town after his second jackpot?

Catie’s reply was to the point: I went to his hotel today to meet him for coffee. Checked out. Left me a note with the desk. He found a great deal on a flight to Perth, had to take it. At least Gloria’s with him.

Danny found himself staring at that message, getting angrier with each second that passed. He knew without asking that Catie wasn’t angry—were she right in front of him, her voice would’ve been pragmatic, her tone without surprise. With Clive, the only certainty was a lack of certainty. A lack of care.

He missed a great coffee date, he wrote back instead of the expletives he wanted to pile on Clive’s head.

Are you still going to Kyoto this weekend?

Yes. With Takuro and one of the other guys. I’ll send you pics and we can go again when you visit.

I can’t wait. I’ve always wanted to see Kinkaku-ji.

They stopped the text chain then because Danny was joining his housemates for a run and Catie was gearing up for the rest of her day, but Clive’s thoughtlessness ate away at him. Catie might be blasé about it now, but what must it have been like to be a kid with a father who was so thoughtless and careless? The fact he’d had a kid had never stopped Clive from taking off for the next big score.

Yes, Catie had had Ísa, but Clive was her dad. Meant to be one of the strongest foundations of her life. Only he’d been nothing but a charming and feckless gambler who couldn’t be relied on for anything. He’d stood up his own daughter. No wonder—

Oh.

Danny sat up in bed that night, finally understanding what his brother had been trying to make him see. Catie, strong and tough and otherwise courageous Catie, couldn’t put herself out there. She’d done that too many times with Clive and been rejected or ignored or forgotten.