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else. I just wanted to see you.”
    I held my breath as Sean and his dad looked at each other across the table. Sean’s smile was so sweet and so hopeful that I wanted to fling my arms around him and kiss him. Definitely best not to go there, I decided.
    “Does your mother know you’re here?” Pat asked after a moment. It was the last thing I expected him to say and by the look on Sean’s face he was thinking the same.
    “No,” he replied. “I didn’t want her to try and stop me. It’s just me and Ruby.”
    “I’m glad you came, son,” Mr Rivers said, softening his voice. “I’ve missed you too, of course I have. And, well, if you don’t want to work any more then I’m fine with that. Like I said, I know I worked you too hard in the past. I know I drove you away. I don’t want to lose you again.”
    His face sort of crumpled as if he were trying not tocry and I realised then exactly who it was that Sean inherited his acting skills from.
    “Really?” Sean asked, his face lighting up. “You miss me too?”
    “Of course,” Mr Rivers said, sniffing. “You’re my only son.” He reached a hand across the table and clapped it on Sean’s shoulder. “It’s probably best you don’t tell your mother for a while though.”
    “Why?” I asked, speaking before I remembered that I was only supposed to be there for moral support and was not to get involved.
    “Because, Miss Parker,” Mr River said, narrowing his eyes slightly, “Sean and I need some time to get to know each other again.” He looked at Sean. “He needs to know he can trust me. Sean, we will tell your mom, it would be wrong not to, but after we’ve had some bonding time – right, son?”
    I resisted the urge to shove my fingers down my throat and took a large slurp of milkshake instead.
    “Right,” Sean said happily.
    “So have you taken the screen test for Spotlight! yet?” Mr Rivers asked after a couple of seconds.
    “No,” Sean told him. “I mean, I was never going to take it. I only said I would to get Mom to bring me over here.”
    “But you still could if you wanted too, right?”
    “Yeah, I could …” Sean said hesitantly.
    “I’m just thinking, it takes a long time to cast a musical. There’ll be all sorts of stuff they have to do before filming starts. Find the kids with the right chemistry. Workshop it with the actors, rehearsing, staging the dance scenes, choreography, singing, coaching…”
    “So?” Sean asked him, perplexed.
    “Well, if you don’t even test for a role you’ll be back in England within a week. But if you test for the film and get a part you’ll be here for weeks. We could spend some serious time together.”
    “But I don’t want to be in Spotlight! ” Sean said.
    “I know that, son, but if you make out that you do, go along with it, we would be able to see more of each other. And you’d be giving me the chance to make things up to you, to really be a good dad. You can pull out of the film later on, say you’ve changed your mind at any time. You’re Sean Rivers after all. You can do what you like.”
    “Except it’s not very fair to pretend to take a part when you…” I started to interfere again, but Sean spoke over me.
    “OK,” he said. My jaw dropped open for a second time and I stared at him.
    “Sean!”
    “OK, I’ll take the audition, and if I get offered a part…”
    “Oh, you will,” Pat Rivers said, and he was probably right.
    “Then I’ll stick around for as long as I can, but only until they start rehearsing properly. I’m not going to sign any kind of contract, because I’m serious. I don’t want to be famous any more, Dad.”
    “Son, there are some things you can’t change,” Mr Rivers told him with a glint of triumph in his eye.
    “We’d better get back before we’re missed,” I said, looking at my watch. Besides I wanted a word alone with Sean.
    “Here’s my personal number…” Pat Rivers pushed a business card across the table to Sean.