Or it could be the biggest mistake she’d ever make.
***
Dominic pushed a hand through his hair and threw his head back, sighing heavily, closing his eyes for a second as the sound of cameras clicking away filled the air, catching every second of the frustration he was feeling as the woman he’d fallen head-over-heels crazy-in-love with walked away from him once more. She’d been unable to even look at him for more than a few seconds. And yet all he really wanted to do was tell her how sorry he was, how stupid he’d been – how much he loved her, because these past few days without her had proved that to him. For the first time in his life Dominic MacDonald knew what it was like to miss someone so bad it physically hurt, to have one person invade every waking thought and every sleeping dream; to make you realise that, without them, you don’t really feel like carrying on. It was strange, and they were feelings totally alien to him but they were there, and he knew it was because he loved her. India Walsh – model, movie star, mother. He loved her. Simple as that.
***
‘Everything alright?’ Reece asked as India threw herself down in the chair beside him in the make-up trailer whilst Scott – her hair stylist – fussed unnecessarily around her.
‘Everything’s fine. I’m in a movie being directed by my ex-husband, starring alongside the man who’s just been exposed as his long-lost son and, oh, let’s just add another complication to that already off-the-page scenario – I’ve also slept with him.’
Reece looked at his daughter out of the corner of his eye as the make-up girl finished off her work, dusting powder over his tanned skin.
‘And if that wasn’t enough…’ India continued, taking the glass of water Bobby held out to her, smiling briefly at him, ‘… my best friend’s porn-star past has just been resurrected by her psycho ex-boyfriend who’s out of jail and back in town. The Hollywood gossip machine must be partying non-stop at the amount of shit we’re giving them to work with. I’ve seen movies with less convoluted storylines than this.’
‘You’re working yourself up into an unnecessary state, Princess,’ Bobby said, leaning back against the counter in front of her, fanning her with a copy of the day’s call sheets. ‘And it’s no good for the skin, y’know. All this stress. Especially at your age.’
She stuck her tongue out at him, but she couldn’t help smiling. ‘I’m not stressed, Bobby.’
‘No. Not much you aren’t.’ He leant over and kissed her cheek, giving her hand a quick squeeze. ‘Right, I’m off to make some phone calls. I’ll see you on set, okay, Angel?’
She nodded, throwing her head back and closing her eyes. Despite a good eight hours sleep she still felt as though she could go another eight and still need more. She was exhausted.
‘Have you seen Dominic this morning?’ Reece asked, swinging round in his chair to face his daughter.
India opened her eyes and looked at him. ‘Yeah. Just now. Why?’
‘And?’
‘And, nothing. We bumped into each other – quite literally, actually – but I was hardly going to conduct a conversation with him in full view of a crowd of tourists and waiting paparazzi. They got the pictures they wanted and that was bad enough, but unavoidable. Giving them anything else wasn’t an option. I think Dominic and I have aired enough of our lives in public, don’t you?’
Reece just looked at her. She seemed tired. This movie wasn’t turning out to be the fun father/daughter experience he’d hoped it would be, but then, they were working on a Michael Walsh film, weren’t they? They both should have known better.
‘He was so… nice, y’know? When I first arrived in Vegas.’
‘Who was?’ Reece asked, sitting back in his chair and crossing his legs, watching her as she fiddled with the bracelet on her left wrist.
‘Michael. It felt as though we’d finally turned that corner, actually got to the point where we could be friends, good friends, despite…’
‘Despite, what?’
India looked down at her hands which were now clasped in her lap, suddenly remembering what she’d told Martha and hoping to God that Martha had kept her promise and not told Reece what she now knew. That really wouldn’t help an already volatile situation.
‘Nothing. Just, after everything we’d been through, being able to be friends would have been nice. It would have been good for Ethan, and made things a lot easier for