Despite her vigilance, he must have somehow snuck into the party without her noticing, because the next time she scanned the yard to see if there was anything she could do to help her sister, her gaze got caught on a familiar dark-haired figure keeping Jason company by the barbecue.
Seth glanced over his shoulder at almost that exact moment and her heart gave a distinct excited kick as they locked gazes.
Just like old times.
He smiled, the same cocky, confident grin she remembered so well, and she grinned in return, offering him a nod of acknowledgement. It was tempting to weave her way through the crowd to talk to him, but that would be breaking her self-imposed rule where he was concerned. She was allowed to be amused by him, she was even allowed to indulge in a little flirting, but she was not allowed to make him important. Racing to his side the moment he arrived at the party definitely fell under that category.
Instead, she returned to the kitchen, eager to occupy herself handing around more food.
“Go away. You’ve done enough,” Jodie said, shooing her away like a housefly.
“I want to help,” Vivian protested.
“Great. Go and be charming and funny and make sure everyone is having a good time.”
“It’s much easier to hand around a platter of sushi,” Vivian grumbled.
“Why do you think I’m here in the kitchen?” Jodie grabbed a clean wineglass and poured a generous amount of a sémillon sauvignon. “Here.”
Vivian took the glass with good grace and was about to slip through the sliding doors when Jodie called to her.
“Wait. Jason probably needs a beer. Which means you should probably take one for Seth, too.”
Vivian dutifully accepted the two bottles of beer, letting them hang between the fingers of her left hand. Taking a deep breath, she headed for the barbecue.
She could see Jason’s and Seth’s heads above everyone else’s. They were both slightly taller than average, and they always seemed to stand out in a crowd. Seth’s shoulders were broader than Jason’s, though, his hair darker. He was dressed more stylishly, too, in a pair of low-slung jeans and a wrinkled black shirt with cowboy boots, as opposed to his brother’s polo shirt and slightly too loose bright blue jeans—daddy denim, as she and Robin called it.
Her professional self had to give Seth points for figuring out early what suited him and sticking to it. He always looked effortlessly cool, as though he’d slung on the nearest thing when he rolled out of bed and it just happened to be a very hip shirt and the latest in edgy jeans.
“Apparently you two reprobates aren’t capable of looking after your own hydration levels,” she said as she drew closer, causing both Seth and Jason to swing to face her.
“Finally. I was beginning to think Jodie had forgotten me,” Jason said, his eyes lighting up when he saw the beers she was carrying.
“You could have gotten a beer yourself, you know,” she said as she handed one of the bottles over.
“And leave my sacred post at the barbecue? What sort of heresy have they been teaching you over in the U.S.?” Jason said.
Finally Vivian allowed herself to look at Seth. He was watching her with lazy approval, his gaze sliding over her face before dropping to her body.
“Looking good, Viv,” he said. “As always.”
She was suddenly very aware of the warm sun on her face and how cool and slippery the bottle was as she passed it to him.
“High praise from a connoisseur like yourself, Seth. Thank you.”
His mouth kicked up at the corner at her dry tone. “And she comes out fighting.”
“Self-defense. As always.”
He glanced at the beer label. “I take it there were no Peronis?”
“I don’t know. Would you like me to race back and check for you?”
He offered her the beer. “You’re a champ.”
She let the bottle hang between them, her smile becoming a grin. He knew she wasn’t going to scamper off to fetch him his preferred brand of beer, and she knew that he loved suggesting that she might.
All part of the game.
“Better drink that while it’s still cold.” She took a mouthful of wine. “Might be the only one you get.”
He laughed. “You haven’t changed much.”
“Neither have you.” It had been two years since they’d last seen each other, and any changes in his appearance had all been in his favor as far as she could see. There were new lines around his eyes and mouth, but they only served to underscore the rugged handsomeness of his face. He’d been good-looking when he was younger, but now he was truly a man, and it showed in the hard, slightly cynical light in his eyes and the density of the two days’ worth of scruff shadowing his jaw. He seemed more comfortable in his own body, too, as though he’d settled more deeply into his own skin.
“Jason tells me you’re back for good this time?”
She couldn’t help but register the skeptical note in his voice.
“A friend and I have started a business together. We’ve got a studio in West Melbourne.”
He looked surprised. “Yeah? So you really have given up all that la-la-land stuff?”
“That’s right. How about you? A little birdie tells me you’re running a bar somewhere suitably grungy.”
“Collingwood. And I own the place.” His tone told her he was aware she’d been taking a retaliatory shot.
“The same little birdie tells me that congratulations are in order.” She raised her glass. “Here’s to becoming a daddy.”
He snorted his amusement. “Go ahead, get your digs in while you can. Everyone else has.”
“Have they?” She glanced at Jason, who shrugged apologetically.
“You’ve got to admit, it’s pretty ironic. Considering.”
She knew exactly what he meant. Seth had always been a walking, talking poster boy for an unencumbered, live-for-the-moment lifestyle.
“So have you swapped that little car you used to drive for an SUV yet?” she asked.
“Not yet.”
“You should probably get onto that,” Jason said. “Not much room in that Audi TT for anything.”
“It’s a baby, not a refrigerator,” Seth said.
“Still. You’re going to need to haul a lot of stuff around,” Vivian said. “Diaper bag, pram, portable cot, baby seat... You might even need to get a wagon.”
“Enjoying yourself?”
She pretended to consider. “You know, I am. Is that wrong?”
Jason laughed. Seth gave him a sardonic look.
“Your burgers are burning, by the way,” he said.
“Shit.” Jason turned to the barbecue and started urgently rotating hamburger patties.
Seth didn’t even bother trying to stifle his smile.
“This’ll be you soon,” Vivian said, unable to resist teasing him some more. It wasn’t every day a girl was handed such a golden opportunity. “Barbecues, kids running all over. The whole nine yards.”
“I’m up for it,” he said, surprising her.
She cocked an eyebrow and gave him a look, but his gaze remained unwavering.
“Well,