Page 39 of A Secret Escape

“Maybe.”

Nicole gazed at the door Zoe had just sprinted through. She was relieved Zoe hadn’t asked for advice on acting because her advice at the moment would beDon’t do it.“I can’t believe how grown-up she seems.I remember giving her dress-up clothes when she was four.”

“I know. It’s unsettling how fast time passes.” Milly grabbed a loaf of sourdough, cut a few thick slices and then hacked it into rough chunks. “One minute she’s lining up her soft toys on the bed, and the next she’s talking about the patriarchy. It gives me whiplash.”

“She’s wonderful, Milly. So bright and confident. I don’t remember us being so sure of ourselves. Were we?”

“I don’t know. I can’t remember that far back. Come and talk to me while I cook. One of the advantages of this heat wave is that we can eat on the deck.” Milly paused. “Unless you’d rather not sit outside?”

The urge to hide away was powerful, but she fought it hard.

“It’s not overlooked. It will be nice to eat with a view of the lake. I love your deck. I particularly love your porch swing.” She watched as Milly removed a stack of ingredients from the fridge. “What can I do?”

“Nothing. Just sit there and talk to me while I prepare. Glass of wine?”

Nicole shook her head. “I don’t drink.”

“Since when? You were drinking when we visited you last.”

Nicole remembered precisely when. “I decided I wanted to be healthier.” It wasn’t the truth, but it could have been, and fortunately Milly didn’t question it.

She walked back to the fridge and pulled out a jug. “Homemade lemonade? It’s beautifully refreshing in this weather.” Milly added ice to three glasses and poured the lemonade.

“Delicious.” Nicole decided not to think about the sugar content for once. At this point, did it even matter? “How has Zoe been about Richard?” Just saying the words made her heart hammer her chest, but she knew she had to ask, even though she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer. It was a question she should have asked a long time ago.

“Hard to say.” Milly tossed the chunks of bread in olive oil and herbs and tipped them onto a baking sheet. “Mostly she seems to be handling it, but you never know what is going on underneath. I think she protects me, and I protect her. Which means we don’t have too many honest conversations about it. But she has good friends, which makes me feel better about the whole thing. If there’s something she feels she can’t talk to me about, hopefully she’ll be talking to them.”

“Like we did.”

Milly added a few more herbs. “Like we did. This reminds me of that time we stayed with you in LA and you didn’t want to go out to eat because someone always recognized you, so I cooked in your kitchen. You didn’t know where anything was kept, and most of your pans were unused.”

Nicole laughed. “I remember that time too. You complained that my knives weren’t sharp enough.” But what she really remembered wasn’t Milly creating magic in her kitchen with its ocean view but what happened afterward. On the terrace. She pushed that memory aside and leaned in to take a closer look at the sourdough. “That looks amazing. Is that from the local bakery?”

“Only if you count me as the local bakery. I make it. Which I shouldn’t, because baking isn’t doing anything for my waistline. But it does a lot for my stress levels, and that’s my priority.” Milly slid the chunks of bread into the oven. “You probably don’t want carbs, and that’s fine. I can serve yours without.”

Nicole’s stomach rumbled for the first time in weeks. “I’ll eat whatever you’re having. And I know it will be better than anything I’d have in a top restaurant.”

Milly removed chicken breasts from the fridge and heated some oil in a pan. “Do you really never cook for yourself?”

“Mostly I order room service.”

“I mean when you’re at home.”

Nicole watched as Milly rubbed the chicken with oil and herbs.

“I haven’t spent a single night in my home since the intruder.I’ve been living in hotels.” She’d expected Milly to look shocked, but she hadn’t expected to see the sympathy.

“That must have been hard.”

Nicole shrugged. “They were pretty nice hotels, and I was on location most of the time anyway, so it’s not as dramatic as it sounds.”

“But you should feel safe in your own home. I’m starting to understand why you’re so jumpy.”

“That’s me. Jumpy. Does Zoe cook with you?”

“Yes, when she is around. There’s something about preparing food side by side that is conducive to conversation.”

“You were the same with your mother and Nanna Peg. Remember when we used to make cupcakes?” Nicole felt a rush of warm memories. “How is Nanna Peg?”

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