Page 127 of Secrets in the Deep

Another kick of nerves hit her throat. She swallowed them and crossed to the front door.

She’d be fine. She’d say her goodbye and that would be it. Then, maybe they’d have a normal mother-daughter kind of relationship. At a distance. They’d text every so often. A few calls here and there. And they wouldn’t live in each other’s pockets. It would be so much healthier.

She opened the door and smiled, but the expression slipped when she saw Roscoe behind her mother. “Roscoe. I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Well, someone had to drive me to the airport.” Her mother pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head. “Can we come in?”

Hello, darling. So good to see you. Yes, I wanted to do this alone too, but is it okay if Roscoe joins us so he can drive me to the airport?

All words her mother hadnotsaid.

Emily stepped back. “I was just about to make coffee.”

Her mother wrinkled her nose. “It’s not that pod stuff, is it?”

Again, kind of like a thank you, but not.

“Unless you want tea, that’s all I have.” Emily closed the door after them and moved to the kitchen. “When are you leaving, Roscoe?”

“Once I wrap up a few things, I’ll head off.”

Emily pulled a third mug from the cupboard before looking over her shoulder. “I’m sorry we never finished your film.”

Sorry for Roscoe, at least. This was a big deal for him. His last few movies hadn’t done so well, and this was supposed to boost his career back to what it had been at its peak.

Roscoe lifted a shoulder like it was no big deal as he walked around the living room, his eyes stopping on the framed photo of her and Ryan that sat on the mantel. Ryan had put it there last week. It was one of the first photos they’d ever taken together years ago, and she’d barely stopped looking at it since.

Her mother’s lip curled at the sight of it.

Really? After everything Emily had told her mother about loving Ryan, the woman still couldn’t even muster a smile?

She looked away before she said something she’d regret. “Are you going back to California, Mom?”

“Where else would I go? I’m now jobless, so I can’t exactly buy a new place.”

Breathe, Emily.

“You could go to one of the three vacation homes you own. You could retire and live off the millions of dollars you’ve made.” Because her motherhadmade millions. Even if she didn’t work another day in her life, financially, she’d be fine. “You could even look at acting for yourself, if that’s what you want.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You’re an amazing actress, Mom.”

“Who would cast a washed-up old woman like me?”

She turned and crossed her arms. “First, you’re not oldorwashed up. You also look thirty years younger than you are. Second, casting directors hire actors of all different ages, all the time.”

Her mother’s brow creased, like the idea hadn’t even occurred to her. “I tried.”

“You had no connections then.” And really…she hadn’t tried that hard. And she’d used the excuse of being a new mother to quit trying entirely. But the more Emily thought about it, the more she believed it had been a mental thing for her mother. A deep belief that she wasn’t good enough. That she’d never reach the heights that she wanted to reach, so why try at all?

Instead, her mother had funneled all her efforts into Emily. Maybe there hadn’t been as much fear of failure for her daughter.

Her mother’s frown deepened. But there was something else in her eyes…hope. Just a flicker.

Mom turned to look at Roscoe. “What do you think, Roscoe?”

He glanced up from staring at the floor. “Huh?”