Thirty

James's house was no longer the mess it had been when he had left. Portia had been watching the window for several minutes as she couldn't wait for her father to arrive. She was a born party lover and wasted no opportunity to exploit the situation to the fullest.

Luna, meanwhile, was distracted by her computer in the kitchen. Clare had been telling her a couple of anecdotes about Mitchell and he sounded like a completely unusual man. James had told her that in his teenage years he had become one of her main father figures. After all, his father had died and Mitchell was the only one who had been there for him without wanting to sabotage him.

He was writing an email to his mother when his phone vibrated. He ignored it for a few seconds but then it did again. He looked at it quickly and the unusual message caught his attention.

He picked up the phone and read. What?

"See you soon, Luna. You can't keep me away if I don't go alone."

He chose to ignore it and with a distorted mind, left it