“Just friends,” Corinne laughed. “Go! Get ready but come back quickly! We have some delicious drinks planned.”
CHAPTERFORTY-ONE
“So, that was Luca?”Cara leaned against the door after she closed it behind them.
Wes paced the length of the room. “Did you see her?”
“Melody? She looked great.”
“She didn’t look like herself, she looked…” He waved his hand in exasperation. “Too slick. That’s not her at all!”
“Seemed like the Melody I’ve heard about,” Cara said under her breath, remembering the model’s dismissal of her. She would bet, now that Melody knew she was a Bloom, she would suddenly want to be friends. Cara recognized the type.
Wes carried his shirt and slacks into the bathroom, lost in his own world. Cara sat at the antique vanity table and applied her makeup. Seeing Melody again had been a shock. Intellectually, she knew the model would be there. But somehow, seeing her in person, had yanked Cara out of her dream world—the one where Wes might care enough about her to forget his ridiculousplan.
She pictured the evening ahead and sighed. Cara didn’t want to deal with her mother’s attempts to pretend, for her friends’ benefit, that she and Cara were close. And, she definitely wasn’t interested in watching Wes chase after Melody.
Cara rifled through her bag until she found the tube of lipstick she was looking for. If ever there was a night she needed red lips, it was this one. She sat back and looked at her reflection before picking up her black liquid liner. She drew sharp cat-eyes on her lids and applied several coats of mascara to her thick lashes.
She may not be a supermodel, but she was Cara Bloom, and it was past time to rejoin the world.
* * *
“I need a drink.”
It was the first coherent sentence Wes had made since exiting the bathroom ten minutes before. Cara had intentionally stood in the middle of the room for effect. The one-shouldered jumpsuit, with sweetheart neckline and cinched waist, showcased her full curves perfectly, and by the way Wes’s jaw dropped when he saw her, he agreed.
Fairy lights strung above the large patio transformed the gardens behind the villa. The spring sun hadn’t set yet, and from the patio they could see the rolling hills of Tuscany in every direction. It was still early, and only a handful of guests milled about on the patio and gravel paths that led past the pool and the stairs leading to the upper gardens.
While Wes ordered their drinks, she took a minute to look for a familiar face. Declan had texted that he would be there but wasn’t sure what time.
“Damn!” Wes cursed softly as he sloshed the old-fashioned onto his wrist.
“What do you think the chances are someone twists their ankle in this stuff?” Cara asked, hoping for a smile.
He surveyed the tiny pebbles between the larger pavers surrounding them, and then glanced down at her feet. Cara had chosen flats to go with her jumpsuit. What she lost in height, she made up for in stability. “Looks like you knew what to expect.”
“I’m an old pro,” she joked, sipping from the coupe glass.
“Better question is,” Wes tilted his head towards the water nearby, “does someone end up in the pool?”
Cara pretended to consider the narrow reflecting pool. “I’ve seen it happen.”
“Really?”
“No,” she giggled.
“To not falling in pools.” Wes clinked his glass against hers.
They sipped their cocktails, watching people arrive.
“It’s beautiful out here,” Wes said, looking over the landscape. “I’ve never been to Italy. I’ve never really been anywhere except Mexico. I always wanted to travel.”
“You should. We could take a few days after the wedding. Go to Florence or Rome.” Cara bit her lip. Even if she had the budget to travel, she should remember that there was a possibility he would leave the villa with Melody and not her.
Wes cocked an eyebrow at her. “That’s not a bad idea. I’ve got my computer with me. If something pressing comes up that Jin can’t handle, all I need is a good internet connection. You’re between jobs, so it might be the perfect time. I doubt you’re in a rush to go back and deal with—”
“Shh. I’m on denial holiday, remember?”
