A screen came down over his eyes and he adjusted the position of his water glass on the

table with exaggerated precision. ‘No. She’s not in employment at the moment.’ His voice gave
no clue to his feelings regarding his sister’s lack of employment but there was a muscle in the
lower quadrant of his jaw that tap-tap-tippity-tapped like a miniature hammer being held by
someone with a not-quite-steady hand.
Millie wasn’t known by her friends as a sniffer dog for secrets for nothing. Hunter was better
than most at keeping his cards close, but she could sense there was more to his sister’s situation
than he was letting on. Did Emma have mental health issues? Drug or alcohol problems? An
eating disorder? Had her father’s desertion so young in her life caused her to struggle during
school and thus have difficulty finding gainful employment as an adult? Not everyone got a
happy childhood, and those that had the more difficult ones often struggled throughout their
lives. Millie wanted to press him for more details, but the waiter came with their entrees and
the moment was lost.
Instead, she commented on the gorgeous entrees set down before them—she had caramelised
scallops with strawberry salsa, Hunter had crispy duck-breast with cherry port sauce. ‘Oh, my
goodness, look at the sheer artistry of this food. Can you believe how incredibly creative chefs
are? It never ceases to amaze me. Every mouthful is like a work of art.’
‘They certainly do a good job here,’ Hunter said, picking up his fork. ‘Have you been to this
restaurant before?’
Millie speared a scallop with her fork. ‘No, never, but I’ve heard heaps about it.’
‘You said earlier you haven’t been out to dinner with a guy for ages,’ Hunter said. ‘I guess
you didn’t eat out much with your fiancé before he passed away.’
In spite of the delicious flavours exploding in her mouth, Millie could feel her appetite
slipping away and put her fork back down. ‘Well, certainly not at places as fancy as this, but
sometimes we’d pick up a fast-food meal if Julian was feeling up to it.’
She paused for a beat and went on, ‘Chemo kind of ruins one’s appetite and even the flavour
of food at times. And once Julian lost his hair he was really self-conscious and hated being
seen in public without a cap or beanie on.’ A tiny sigh escaped her lips before she could stop
it. She picked up her fork and speared another scallop. ‘It was hard watching him suffer...’
Hunter reached across the table and laid his broad hand over the top of hers, the gentle
pressure soothing, comforting. ‘It must have been heart-breaking for you. You were childhood
sweethearts, right?’
Millie kept her eyes on their joined hands, conscious of the warmth spreading through her
skin from his. Conscious of the lies she was feeding him about her relationship with Julian.
‘Yes, we met in school. He only lived a couple of streets from my house, so we hung out a lot
together as kids. We started officially dating when we were sixteen. He was diagnosed with a
brain tumour just before his eighteenth birthday.’
‘How tragic.’ Hunter’s voice was gentle and full of compassion.
‘Yes, it was...’ Millie flicked a glance his way and, pulling her hand from underneath his,
continued, ‘He fought it as bravely as he could for six years. Round after round of chemo, so
many specialist appointments, long hours on the chemo ward while he had treatment. In and
out of hospital when things got bad. I supported him and his mother. I still see her most weeks.
She was understandably devastated when he died. He was an only child.’
‘His father?’
Millie gave him a speaking look. ‘Another one of those deadbeat dads who walked out on
his family. He left when Julian was a toddler. Julian had no memory of him at all, which was
probably a good thing in the end.’
But because Julian’s mother Lena hadn’t had a partner to share the emotional load, Millie had
had no choice but to continue to offer support and comfort even though it had made her feel
terribly conflicted. Julian was an only child and Lena had relied heavily on Millie when things
had got tough. They’d become a tag team to help Julian get through the ordeal of his illness.
They’d supported each other. They’d cheered the other on when the other one’s hopes had
faded. They’d stepped up when the other had had to step back. In some ways, Lena had
become more of a mother figure to her than her own mother. Millie knew if she’d broken up
with Julian, she’d have been breaking up with his mother as well. It had been easier in the
end to continue her relationship with Julian, even though for the last couple of years it had
felt like an emotional prison from which she might never escape.