Page 62 of Untroubled Heart

I narrow my gaze. “What do you know?”

“What? Nothing,” she mumbles.

“There are no secrets amongst friends, Maevyn.”

She swallows, looking sick as she wipes icing from her lip. “I promised Westley I wouldn’t say anything.”

“Different rules apply on girls’ night. What is said here stays here.”

She picks up a single strawberry from our snack tray. “Okay. This is just our assumption, but I strongly believe that Xander may be… Daisy’s dad.”

“Oh my god!” I smack Liv’s arm in shock.

“What?” she whispers.

Maevyn starts counting off the reasons on her fingers. “He knew your name—your last name before you moved here and changed it to your mother’s maiden one. He thought you’d died, which would explain why he never came looking for you and—” She leans over, rubbing a thumb over the daisy tattoo on Liv’s wrist. “You both have daisy tattoos. I don’t think he knows about her, but it feels like too much of a coincidence that you both have them. They must have meant something, somewhere in the memories that you lost.”

Liv holds a hand to her chest, her face frozen in shock as she attempts to digest everything Maevyn just shared.

“Well, this is too much to unpack for one girls’ night. Let’s focus on Callie.”

I reach over, taking her hand in mine, and give it a squeeze. In the year I’ve known Liv, the mystery surrounding Daisy’s dad and the pieces of time she lost after her accident have been a relentless flame in the back of her mind, an ember of the unknown that refuses to be snuffed out. I can’t help but appreciate her even more at this moment. Her problems feel so much bigger than mine, more urgent and important, but she’s still here for me. A true friend never lets you walk alone, and I’ll make sure I do the same for her.

“Okay.” Maevyn claps her hands, invoking order. “Carbs, vodka, and let’s unpack this bitch.”

***

“So we’re putting family values in the pro column,” Liv slurs as she writes on the canvas we’ve set up in the lounge room. We’re a few cocktails deep at this point.

When I started unpacking everything in more detail, Maevyn suggested we write it down—she’s very pro-lists. So far, the cons are all the obvious things. One, he’s my boss. Two, he has a reputation for being a one-and-done guy. I’m not going to judge anyone on how they satisfy their needs. Everyone is looking for something different. I’ve had plenty of one-night stands or situationships when I was in the off phase of my relationship with Derek, but I’m in a different place in my life now.

Is it smart to engage in something casual with my boss? Is he even looking for something casual? It wouldn’t match the image social media portrays of him, but that never matched what he showed me himself.

I’m so confused, and I’m certain the only thing that will help right now is more vodka.

“Does anyone want another drink?” I push off the couch, a slight rush in my head as I wander over to the kitchen.

“I’m still going with mine.” Liv takes a sip of her gin fizz, her eyes trailing over the board.

“Same.” Maevyn raises her glass from where she’s seated cross-legged on top of the coffee table.

“What else is on the con side?” I ask, unscrewing the bottle of vodka and pouring a small amount into my glass.

“Just boss and playboy,” says Liv, surveying the board.

“What?” I top my glass with ginger beer. “That’s it? What’s on the pro list?”

“Thoughtful. Understanding. Likes kids, Navie specifically. Gorgeous. Good kisser. Gifted with his hands. Strong family values.” Maevyn rattles off each point.

“Jesus, it sounds like I’m interviewing candidates for a husband,” I whine. “Am I being a complete loser and making this bigger than it is? I bet he hasn’t even given what happened a single further thought.”

“Didn’t you say he wanted another—” Liv snorts, her face growing bright red as she muffles a laugh. “Taste.”

“Maybe he was just caught up in the moment?” I finish my drink with a squeeze of lime.

“I know talking about your brother is off-limits,” Maevyn says, the last part in air quotes. “But can I tell you what my experience was like as a single mum who had never dated before him?”

“Can you keep it PG?” I ask, a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth as I rejoin them in the lounge room.