Page 19 of The Charade

So apparently, Ava hadn't appreciated how aloof I'd been yesterday.

For which I couldn't really blame her. I wasn't exactly known for my welcoming nature. That was what Mack and Nash were for.

But despite all that, she'd just come to my rescue, so the girl deserved some props.

I looked back at Sofia. "So as you can see, today isn't going to work." Hopefully, she'd not only buy the excuse but would also take the hint that I wasn't interested in making whatever amends she was trying to make.

"Oh. I—" Sofia bit her plump bottom lip. "I didn't realize…" She drifted off, and I almost felt bad for how obviously I was avoiding her.

She glanced at Ava and slipped what looked like a forced smile onto her face. "It's nice to meet you, Ava." She held her hand out to the girl seated beside me. "I'm Sofia, one of Carter's, um…" She pinched her lips together and her gaze rested on me as if to ask what previous relationship she could claim we had. But I was interested in hearing the answer myself, so I just waited. After a beat, she said, "I'm one of Carter's old friends."

Friends.

The word hit me like a punch to the gut.

Two years of shared memories and a connection I’d never experienced with someone before was now reduced to “just friends.”

Huh.

I pressed my eyes shut as pain hit my chest.

For some reason, I'd rather have her tell this near stranger that we'd been lovers instead, then at least it would make all the pain I'd felt these past few months seem valid.

But who knew, maybe she'd always seen our relationship differently than I had. She’d been the one to break up with me out of the blue just when I'd been considering inviting her to spend the summer in the Hamptons with my family.

"It's great to meet you, Sofia." Ava shook Sofia's hand, oblivious to the knife twisting in my chest. "But I'd be lying if I pretended not to know who you are."

Sofia nodded, looking down at her black Jimmy Choos. "I'm still not used to that, I guess."

"I imagine you're not," Ava said. "But if it makes it less weird, my mom’s also in the fashion world, so we've made it our business to know who's who in the modeling world."

"Who's your mom? Would I know her?" Sofia asked, perking up a little.

"Her name’s Miriam Cohen. She's a designer. She just had her first fashion show this past year so it's all new for us."

Sofia's eyes lit up, like she recognized the name. "I totally went to her show this summer with Sim—" She caught herself before finishing the name of my replacement. She gave me an apologetic glance and said, "I was there with a friend."

So maybe "friends" was the term Sofia favored when talking about the guys whose hearts she’d enjoyed stringing along.

Maybe I should warn poor Simon he might be headed toward a similar fate as me.

"It was an amazing show," Sofia continued. "I loved the purple off-the-shoulder dress. I think it was called The Vienna?"

"That's my favorite of hers, too." Ava smiled. "I actually helped my mom come up with the concept for that one."

"So you're a prodigy?" Sofia asked, showing how personable she could be. It was something that had drawn me to her in the first place. Being uncomfortable meeting new people myself, it was always nice to be around someone who could become instant friends with anyone.

But she stabbed you in the back with a smile on her face,I reminded myself before I could start remembering too many of Sofia's better qualities.

"Oh, I don't know about that." Ava's fair cheeks flushed at Sofia's compliment. "My mom’s the real deal, but I like being part of the process."

"That's cool." Sofia gave Ava a genuine smile. "Someday I hope to get into design as well."

There was a long pause where it seemed like the two girls had run out of things to say. After a beat, Sofia cleared her throat and said, "I guess I'll let you two get to your lunch." She adjusted the strap of her bag and looked at me. "It was good to see you again, Carter. We'll have to catch up some other time."

"Sure." I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat. "Some other time."

Unless I can come up with another excuse to get me out of it next time.

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