“Luca?” Wes’s skin prickled.
There was silence, and the prickle became a full-fledged alarm in his brain. Wes propped his elbow on the table. “And what exactly does a ‘muse’ do?”
“What do you mean? It’s a muse! I’m myself!”
“Uh-huh.”
“I know this started as a job… But I love it here. And then I met Luca…”
His brain scrambled.
“He’s asked me to marry him.”
“You can’t be serious!”
She can’t do this! He had a plan. They were supposed to be the family they had both always longed for! Now she was saying she was going to be living outhisdream with some rich Italian fuck!
“I know it seems fast, but it was love at first sight!” Melody was off and running now, enthusing over how her fiancé had shown up at the photo shoot and how amazing he was.
Wes unlocked his jaw and forced his breathing to slow.
She was engaged. It was fine. Melody was impetuous. She had gotten carried away. She’d change her mind again. She could still come back.
Oblivious to Wes’s panicked thought process, Melody blithely continued. “His uncle is marrying some aging supermodel, so we have to wait until after their wedding to have an engagement party. Of course, it will be a big wedding. Luca’s family is very important. You’ll come, right?”
Wes’s stomach turned over. She was leaving him. His plans for his life slipping away with her.
“I have to go.”
“Aren’t you going to congratulate me?”
A plan. He just needed a new plan.
“Congratulations,” he said dully.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN
“Don’t you dare hang up!”
“Amara, I really don’t want to talk right now.”
That look on Wes’s face. He wanted her. Cara knew he did. But he had made it clear it wouldn’t happen. On the heels of seeing Erik last night, Wes’s rejection cut deep.
“Too bad!” Amara exclaimed. “I didn’t have time to explain before Erik descended on us.”
Cara stayed silent.
“I had no idea you’d be there, Cara! It wasn’t even my idea to go last night! If I thought you were going to be out, I would have warned you.”
Cara gave a bitter laugh. It might not be Amara’s fault they had run into each other. That was a horrible coincidence. But the fact her best friend was hanging out with the man who ruined her life was something else.
“Are you working today?”
“No—”
“Good, then we can meet and catch up. Let’s get dinner!”
Cara didn’t want to meet Amara. She felt raw and exposed.
