Page 53 of The Prime-Time Experiment

Riley smiled faintly. “She’s… a lot like me. Or, like I was. The way she thinks, the way she processes things. It’s been nice to see that she’s got the support system I never had.”

“Is that a sad thing, or a nice thing to recognise?”

Riley considered it, then nodded. “Yeah. It’s nice, being around someone who just gets you, and a family that supports her needs and processes,” she paused, then added, a little softer, “Declan really enjoys having her there too.”

Dee hummed, something warm and knowing flickering across her expression, but she didn’t push it. “I’m really happy for you,” she said instead.

Riley felt that land just as easily as everything else had. “What about you?” she asked. “You said things have been busy?”

Dee groaned quietly, leaning her head back against the couch. “Busy is an understatement. Stillwater is at full capacity. We’ve been turning people away for weeks.”

Riley’s brows lifted. “That’s incredible.”

“It is, kinda,” Dee said, though there was a thread of overwhelm beneath it. “But you know me, I can’t say no to children who very clearly need help. Every no feels like I’m being stabbed in the heart. I’ve been looking at potentially expanding.”

Riley turned toward her slightly. “You are?”

“Mm. There’s a space that opened up on the Sunshine Coast. If I could secure it, it would save so many families driving to Brisbane every week…” She exhaled, somewhere between excitement and nerves. “I’ve got a meeting with the bank this week. Loan, projections, everything.”

“I’m so proud of you.”

Dee looked at her properly then, the weight landing fully. “Thanks, Ri.”

She hesitated, then almost thoughtfully, “If it all goes through, I’d have two spaces running. Maybe twelve staff total. Right now, we’re already stretched thin and there’s no place for me to get more staff or rooms.”

Riley let the image settle, Dee building something bigger, something that reached further than where she’d started. “You’ll do it,” she said simply.

Dee huffed a quiet laugh. “I like your confidence.”

Riley shook her head lightly. “It’s not confidence. It’s just… true. You care for everyone, including me; they’ll take care of you.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Dee nudged one of the containers with her foot. “Alright. What did you order? Because if it’s that dodgy Chinese place you always pick, I’m judging you.”

Riley’s mouth twitched, just slightly. “You’re still going to eat it.”

“Absolutely,” Dee said, already reaching for it. “What are we watching?”

“I thought Moulin Rouge.”

Dee turned to her and grinned. “Oh babe, you really love me.”

As Riley went to press play, she smiled. Yeah, she really did.

❈

Riley was halfway through her notes on the previous client when the chair beside her shifted.

She registered it before she looked up: the proximity, the quiet presence, the subtle brush of Declan’s arm against hers as he sat. Close enough that she could feel the warmth of him, steady and unselfconscious, like he hadn’t considered the distance at all.

Her pen continued moving for another few seconds, finishing the sentence she’d started, but her focus had already shifted. Not away from the work, just split.

“How’s it going?” he asked.

“The research?” Riley replied, eyes still on the page.

“Yeah.”

“It’s progressing,” she said, tone analytical and distracted by work, finishing the line before she moved to the next.