The Boy Toy - Nicola Marsh Page 0,13

afternoon at four. Great.

With his bank account hovering in the low triple figures, and Amelia’s plea for a donation, he needed to suck it up. The money from fronting a show like Renegades would enable him to help Amelia launch her program and give back, repaying her faith in him a decade ago.

So he’d face his fears and meet with this bloody dialect coach tomorrow.

What was the worst that could happen?

Six

Samira spied Pia at a small back table as she entered Dosa Villas, her favorite South Indian restaurant in Dandenong. She’d been coming here since she was a kid, and the aromas of sautéed curry leaves, cumin, and mustard seeds catapulted her straight back to her life as a twelve-year-old, when the hardest decision she had to face was what costume to wear for Book Week. Considering she’d always had her nose buried in novels, she’d been torn between which favorite character to channel and which outfit to wear to school, yet Anne of Green Gables always won out.

If only life were so simple now.

Pia waved her over, and she wound her way through the tiny, no-frills restaurant sporting ten tables, a chipped counter for ordering, and a fridge stacked to the top with lassi.

“I already ordered you a masala dosa because I couldn’t wait,” Pia said, patting her flat stomach. “I’m starving.”

“Thanks.” Samira slid onto the seat opposite her cousin, sending a pointed look at Pia’s belly. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

Pia gave a quick shake of her head, the spark in her eyes diminishing. “Our latest IVF attempt failed.”

“I’m sorry, sweetie.” Samira reached across the table and squeezed her hand. She should know better than to ask about Pia’s attempts to get pregnant, but they hadn’t talked about it in a while.

She knew firsthand the ongoing disappointment of discovering a single blue line on a little white stick rather than two. And while she’d tolerated Avi’s constant badgering after they’d started trying, only to throw countless pregnancy tests into the trash under his judgmental, disappointed glare, she wished she’d had someone back then to hold her hand through it all. She could be that person for Pia.

“I know what you’re going through, and I’m here for you.” She squeezed Pia’s hand again, but her cousin withdrew it on the pretext of reaching for her water glass.

“It sucks being thirty-five and surrounded by friends who procreate just by looking at their husbands.” Pia blinked rapidly, but not before Samira glimpsed the sheen of telltale tears. “And it’s harder being so in control of my professional life while . . . failing at this.”

Samira’s heart broke. She knew exactly how Pia felt. “You’re not failing. You’re freaking amazing, giving this your all, just like you do in your marriage and your career.”

She should know. She’d done the same, juggling a burgeoning career as a newly graduated physical therapist with marriage. Thankfully, compassionate, devoted Dev was nothing like demanding, egotistical Avi. “You’ve only tried twice and—”

“It costs a fortune, and I’m over it.” Pia grimaced, her gaze steely. “The injections, the invasiveness of the procedures, everything.”

“How’s Dev coping?”

“He seems okay, but the stress of it all is taking its toll on both of us.” The corners of Pia’s mouth pinched, causing tiny lines to fan out. “He’s putting on a brave face, but I know he blames himself, and sometimes I think . . .”

“What?”

“That he’s only doing this to please me, and the fact we have to use donor sperm to conceive is killing him.”

“Oh, sweetie.” Samira reached across the table and squeezed Pia’s hand. “He’s a good guy, and you two have a great marriage. He’d tell you if he was feeling that way.”

Pia shrugged, doubt in her eyes. “He thinks we should wait awhile before trying again because of the health center opening and all the extra work that will entail.”

“He’s probably right.”

“I guess.” Pia shrugged, her uncharacteristic moroseness making Samira wish she could take away her cousin’s pain.

While Avi having an affair and getting his girlfriend pregnant had gutted her at the time, maybe in some warped way he’d done her a favor. She couldn’t imagine going through the rigors of IVF with an impatient man like him, and he’d betrayed her before they could go down that route.

Pia and Dev adored each other and would be great parents. Their ongoing trials in having a baby must be devastating.

Determined to change the subject, Samira said, “Speaking of the center, I checked the schedule, and I’ve