Page 96 of Actually Yours

AMELIA: I’ll be there. Looking forward to seeing you all.

I press send, surprised that I actually mean it. I have two sisters, with another one on the way, and a stepmother, who all want to know me. And on my path to healing, I realise I really want to know them as well.

“All OK?” Bella asks. I look up to see her standing next to me, concerned.

“It’s better than OK. I’m spending Christmas morning with my dad.”

She leans down to hug me. If there’s anyone who knows the value of family, it’s Bella. Last year, her dad had been very unwell after a stroke left him in the hospital with life-threatening injuries. During that time, Bella had to make the tough decisionto either stay in Italy with her parents or follow her heart and move to be with Daniel in Melbourne permanently. I know how gut-wrenching that had been for her, but luckily, she ended up with the best of both worlds. Her dad is well enough to travel Down Under to be with Bella and her husband, which they’ve done several times in the past eighteen months.

“That’s wonderful, Millie. I’m so happy for you.”

“Me too.” There isn’t much enthusiasm in my voice and we both know why. I need to sort things out with Jake before I can feel much joy in anything else. “I think I’m going to go home now and wallow in private.”

Bella looks at her watch, her gaze bouncing to Lilly. “How about one more cup of tea before you go?”

There are my spidey senses going off again. “What’s going on?”

They exchange a look. “Nothing,” Bella lies. She’s so bad at it. “We just don’t think you should be alone.”

That’s fair. I’ve spent way too much time alone with theGilmore Girlsthinking about every missed turn I’ve made in my life that’s landed me in this position.

“OK, one more cup of tea. Then wallowing.”

Bella gives Lilly a thumbs up, which isn’t very covert, but I let it go. I don’t have the brain capacity to explore this strange behaviour.

“A cup of tea coming right up.”

She skips back to the kitchen and I watch as she bumbles about, not even close to making me a cup of tea.Come on, Bella. I’m on a deadline here. My couch is calling my name.

I’m just about to call it quits and cancel the cup of tea that I didn’t want in the first place, when a flash of activity outside the café window catches my eye.

“What in the world?”

My full attention now on the footpath outside the window next to me, my breath catches in my throat when I see who is standing out there.

Jake.

And he’s grinning at me.

I get up to go to him, only to be pushed back down into my seat by a surprisingly strong pair of hands.

“Bella?” I frown at her. “I need to get out there!”

“Just trust me,” she whispers in my ear, holding me in place.

Giving in, I turn back to where Jake is still standing, now with a portable bluetooth speaker in his hand, his brow scrunched up in concentration as he looks between the speaker and his phone.

“For goodness’s sake,” Bella hisses from behind me. “Lilly, go help Grandpa out there.”

“I’m on it!”

Baffled and mildly amused, I watch Lilly walk—nobounce—outside. She says something to Jake, making him laugh and then takes his phone from him. Two minutes pass and she hands it back to him, patting him on his arm and then walking back inside.

By now, the entire café is looking between me and Jake, and I hold my breath for what is coming next.

Jake puts the speaker on the ground in front of him and I hearSilent Nightblaring from it.

“Excellent attention to detail,” Bella murmurs to Lilly, who has joined us at the window.

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