Page 96 of See You Soon

Wes’s footsteps approached the door, and she scurried back, pretending like she had just arrived in the kitchen. Cara grabbed a glass and quickly filled it with water.

She wanted to make a snarky comment about Melody, but one look at Wes’s face made her swallow the words. His eyebrows almost met over his eyes, his mouth turned down.

On the drive back from Anne’s, Cara thought about what her brothers had said about Corinne and David. She wasn’t ready to use the L-word about Wes, but she was past denying that her feelings ran deeper than just lusting after a friend. She wouldn’t add to his hurt.

“Hey,” she said.

Wes made a face. “Did you hear that?”

“Some.” She shrugged, taking a sip of her water.

“She wants me to pack up her stuff and send it to her in Milan.”

Cara bit her tongue. She was glad Melody wasn’t coming back. Even if Wes didn’t want to be with her, he didn’t deserve to be with someone as selfish as Melody.

“She’s going to some fancy wedding in San Gimignano and wants me to wait until she’s back.” He tipped his head back, closing his eyes and breathing out through his nose. “Always on her schedule.” He brought his eyes to hers. “I know what you’re thinking.”

Something clicked in Cara’s brain. San Gimignano? Where had she seen that? She was familiar with the scenic town in Tuscany, but why did it seem like someone mentioned—oh my god!

Her lips parted in surprise before clamping shut again as a horrified giggle escaped her. Wes glared at her.

“I’m glad my life’s dream falling apart is funny to you,” he glowered.

Cara put a hand over her mouth. “It’s not that. Maybe it’s not the same but… my mom is getting married next week in a villa outside of San Gimignano. I mean, it might be a coincidence…”

Wes huffed a laugh before his face blanked. “She said it was a fashion designer and a supermodel. Your mom…”

“Corinne Blease, yeah.”

Wes’s eyes rounded. “Holy shit!” He studied her face. “I see the resemblance now.” Cara grit her teeth, shoving down a lifetime of insecurity. “But you’re prettier.”

“You don’t have to lie to flatter me.” She curled her lip, disappointed in him. “People have done it my entire life. I know I’m not a supermodel.”

“True.” His tone was matter of fact, his gaze still on her face. “Maybe, it’s because I see you in three dimensions and not on an ad. Your mom is stunning, but you have a warmth and glow that radiates…” His gaze fell to her lips. “And your smile.” Wes’s eyes met hers briefly before he looked away, red blooming high on his cheekbones.

Cara’s heart hammered in her chest, and she tried to get her brain to reengage.

“Do you really think it’s your mom’s wedding she’s going to?”

“Yes.”

“How can you be sure? I don’t know the names.”

Cara wished he would turn back to face her so she could see his eyes. What she’d seen in them, moments before, revealed he felt the connection as much as she did.

He cared about her more than he wanted to admit.

A plan of her own formed in Cara’s mind. “For one thing, my mother would rent out every villa within a hundred miles of her wedding if she thought someone else famous was also getting married nearby.”

Wes stared sightlessly at the wall.

Did she dare?

This could be a disaster.

Cara swallowed over the lump in her throat, anxiety clawing at her. It would settle the issue once and for all. His entire childhood had been one of uncertainty. He had created this life plan of his in a futile attempt to control his future.

He might not admit it, but Wes feared love even more than she did. The revelation made everything clear. Wes’s plan was just his way of keeping his heart from being broken. Melody was familiar, but he didn’t love her, not really. Cara would bet her life on it. As it was, there was a very real chance she was betting her heart.