Page 57 of The Charade

After takingmy shopping bags to my room, Carter helped me find the special collections area of the school's library where Scarlett, Elyse, and Hunter were already perusing the yearbooks.

"Sorry I'm late." I pulled out a chair next to my sister and sat down. "It took a while to convince Carter to show some school spirit and help us."

Carter chuckled and took the seat beside me. "More like Ava's late because she had to try on about twenty different outfits at the store before settling on the first ones she'd pulled off the racks."

"Sure." Scarlett nodded, a knowing smile on her face. "I'm sure you were justshopping."

Hunter chuckled at her comment, and I had the feeling they may have been talking about Carter and me behind our backs.

They'd given us funny looks when Carter and I had come out of the gardens last night, but was it possible they believed Carter and I were dating for real?

I'd only told Elyse about the deal we'd made, and she knew all about the kiss and the reasons why it had happened in the first place since I'd gushed over it in our room while we got ready for bed last night. But had Carter not told anyone else about it?

He'd at least clue his friends in, wouldn't he?

But since I wasn't sure if we were letting the rest of our friends believe we were dating for real or not, I just said, "Yeah,shoppingwith Carter was better than I thought. Pretty sure we might need to do it again soon."

I looked over at Carter to see his reaction—wondering if he would set the record straight. But he just put his arm around my shoulder, pressed a quick kiss to my cheek, and said, "We can go shopping anytime you want."

Okaaaaaay.My face felt like it might catch on fire from how hot it became after his quick kiss.

Did he have any idea what he was doing to me?

He had to know. A guy like him had to know the effect he had on women.

I sat up a little straighter, hoping it would help me regain my composure. "We'll save the shopping for later. Right now, we're here to help Scarlett."

"If you insist, babe." Carter grabbed a yearbook from the stack that had been placed at the center of the table.

Had he just called me babe?

Eek!

I never thought I'd like that term of endearment before, but having it come from his lips and directed at me might just be the best thing I'd ever heard.

I scanned the yearbooks, checking the years on the sides for one that matched the time my mom had been at the academy. As I sifted through the pages for photos from my mom's past, I couldn't help but wonder if something was really happening between Carter and me and whether I should be reading into it.

Because let’s face it, I really,reallywanted to read into it.

"Look at this,"Elyse said to me a little while later. "I don't remember Mom ever telling us she was in a school play. Do you?"

"She was in a play?" I leaned over to see and found a spread from the school's production ofRomeo and Juliet, with a photo of my mom as Juliet at the top. "She was the star?"

"Crazy, right?" Elyse said, as surprised as I was by this fact.

"She looks so young there."

"I know," Elyse said. "She was our age. She looks just like us."

"She was so beautiful," I said, taking in our mom's long, brown hair that cascaded down her back in curls.

I slid the yearbook away from Elyse toward Carter so I could show him. "Doesn't she look just like Elyse and me?"

He studied the photo with narrowed eyes and then moved his gaze to my face, as if comparing the two of us. "You definitely look like you're related. Is she as tall as you two?"

I shook my head. "No, she's only five-foot. She never says much about our bio dad, but she has said that we got our height from him."

"I got my height from my dad, too," Carter said. "I don't think my mom was very tall."

---