Where Beauty Lies (Sophia and Ava London) (18 page)

The Contessa rolled her eyes. “You’re not thinking. It is your Dalton of course. He tells you practically, ‘I am here to get revenge and rip your heart out.’ And then he does it.”

“He said the opposite, actually,” Ava told her. “Pretty much word-for-word. And he would never hurt an animal. Especially not Popcorn or Charming.”

The Contessa shook her head. “You are blinded by his pretty face. This is why it is so good I am here to save you from the unhappiness by fixing you up with my nephew. What you would do without me, having your best interests in my heart, it makes me shudder to think of it.” She shuddered once, recovered, and pointed at Lily. “Write ‘Your Dalton’ for IT.”

“It’s not Dalton, Contessa,” Ava said, sagging dejectedly against the couch. “He isn’t overweight, doesn’t stoop, and looks nothing at all like the guy who took Popcorn and Charming.” She lifted her head and let it loll from one side of the couch to the other. “Would anyone besides me like a cyanide pill? I mean some coffee? I could use a break.”

“Wait a second,” Hunter said, breezing into the room then. He slid onto the couch next to Sophia and wrapped his hand around hers.

“Where have you been?” she asked. “You were gone when I got up.”

He nodded. “This morning I started thinking, How did this guy get the Pet Sanctuary jacket? Because that’s the key to the whole thing, right? Without it he never could have gotten into the apartment or taken the kids. So I decided to pay the pet spa a visit.”

Sophia’s expression was a combination of amazed and impressed. “What did you learn?”

“That the person who called to cancel Popcorn and Charming’s appointments was a woman,” Hunter said. “And so was the person who offered one of the employees five hundred dollars to borrow his jacket for a few hours.”

Ava stared at him. “Are you saying a
woman
kidnapped our pets?”

Hunter nodded. “And from the smell lingering on the collar of the windbreaker she borrowed, a woman who wears Parfum Celeste 123.”

“But I wear that,” the Contessa said. “Although really it is for the summer.
Bene,
this proves what I say, that the taking of the babies is not done for money. If you can afford this perfume, you are not going to do kidnapping.”

“So it’s not just a woman but a
rich
woman who kidnapped our dog and cat,” Sophia elaborated.

MM said, “Which would mean the hat and glasses the kidnapper was wearing were a disguise.”

“Yes, yes, I do this sometimes when I go to the Whole Foods,” the Contessa told them excitedly. “Since they get so picky with their door policy. No you can’t come in we have told you before blah blah. Who do they think it is, a nightclub?”

“This means it’s not Dalton,” Ava put in. “Since among other things he’s not a woman.”

But no one seemed to be paying any attention to her. Sophia shook her head. “None of this makes any sense. What woman hates us so much that she’d dress up like a man and kidnap a kitten and a puppy?”

Lily turned to write something on the board beneath “Dalton,” then used the marker to point at it. “Whitney.”

“Really?” Ava couldn’t quite believe it. Whitney was a little nutty, for sure, but she didn’t seem to be the one-hundred-percent certified authentic nut someone would have to be to kidnap someone’s pets.

But the idea seemed to bolster Sophia. “Why not. Let’s call Whitney and tell her we have proof she did it. We’ll be bluffing, obviously, but she won’t know that. We’ll offer not to press charges as long as she just admits it.”

Hunter shook his head. “Are you trying to get Charming killed?”

Sophia’s eyes blazed. “What kind of question is that?”

“I’m not trying to upset you,” Hunter said. “But if Whitney has gone completely off the rails and started kidnapping pets, what do you think will happen when you force her hand? Obviously none of this is the act of a rational person. We have no idea what triggered it, so we have no idea what would trigger its escalation.”

“Then how do we get Popcorn and Charming back?” Sophia asked, and Ava heard a note of sad longing in her voice. “Don’t tell me I have to sit and wait patiently because I really can’t handle doing any more of that.”

“Me either,” Ava agreed, desperate to erase the grooves of tension between Sophia’s brows.

The Contessa stared at them. “But you are joking, no? Surely there is plenty for you to do. I will make some calls about the moneys. But you two”—she pointed from Sophia to Ava—“you will go finish the last dress. The secret one.”

“I don’t think we can go work when Popcorn and Charming’s lives hang in the—” Sophia began.

“Basta,”
the Contessa said, silencing her. Her eyes looked fierce, but not crazy. She made a fist and pounded it into her palm. “We will have no more giving up. Would Popcorn and the little Charming want you to stop and sit around like lumps on logs? No. They would want you to fight. If we do not put on this show, whoever has done this wins. And that we cannot allow. You will go to the studio. You will work on the line. The car will pick you up in ten minutes. That is the end of the discussion.”

“Is that what they mean when they say someone is gnashing their teeth?” Ava asked MM and Sophia.

They both nodded, too stunned to talk.

Ava was in her room dressing when she realized she must have left her phone in the dining room. She dashed in there before meeting Sophia in the foyer and walked in on Hunter gesturing broadly and saying to someone on the other end of his phone, “I don’t care about money or papers. I care about getting it now, and getting it right. It needs to be big, but elegant. Something that makes an impression, you know, makes people say ‘whoa’ even from a hundred pac—” He turned and saw Ava behind him.

She waved and mouthed
sorry,
but he put up a finger for her to wait. “I’ll call you back.”

“I didn’t mean to interrupt. I was just looking for my phone.”

He smiled. “No problem.” He got a little sheepish. “I’m trying to get something to surprise Sophia. You won’t blow it for me and tell her what you just overheard, will you? Promise?”

“Of course,” Ava said.

Lily, MM, and Sven had set out to do a walk-through of the Central Park Boathouse with Sam filming, and Hunter announced that he’d come later with the Contessa, so it was just Ava and Sophia in the car when it left a few minutes later.

Which was making keeping her promise to Hunter very hard. Big, elegant, makes an impression and a surprise? There was only thing that could be, and it was really hard not to mention to her sister that her boyfriend was shopping for it.

She tried to distract herself by thinking of Dalton, but Jax’s face kept floating into her mind, too, making her feel even more discombobulated. She’d had a really nice time with Jax at Central Park, but as soon as she’d seen Dalton, and looked into his eyes and known he was innocent, as soon as she’d felt his fingers twined with hers, she’d known he was the one.

But then she’d listened to Jax’s message and the low rumble of his voice made her knees feel a little funny, and made her remember the swoony feeling she’d gotten when his serious eyes lit up with his perfect smile. And when he’d swept her up and carried her—effortlessly—across the ice, she couldn’t remember ever having felt so protected and cared for.

Not that it mattered, strictly speaking, both of them were off-limits.

A nagging voice in Ava’s head whispered,
What if the Contessa was right? What if Ava was a lousy judge of character? What if Dalton really was bad, actually was behind the kidnapping?
She couldn’t deny that he’d come back at exactly the right time—

Sophia’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “How would Whitney have found out about Popcorn and Charming’s Pet Sanctuary appointment?”

“I have no idea.” Ava said. “You can add that to the list of questions we don’t know the answers to. Like how the Contessa can enter and leave rooms without making use of the door. Or how did Christopher Wildwood get all our designs in the first place.” Ava remembered something she’d meant to ask Sophia about. “Did you take any pictures of our new dress with your phone?”

“One or two,” Sophia said. “Why? Do you want to see them?”

“No, I want you to delete them.” Sophia gave her a quizzical look and Ava said, “Last night while I was busy not sleeping I kept thinking about how much Whitney’s dress looked not like our
prototype,
but like the
photo
of our prototype on your phone. Right down to the mistakes.”

“Got it. That
was
weird.” Sophia pulled out her phone, flipped through images, clicked twice, and announced, “Deleted. Just try to copy us this time, Wildwoood,” she said to her phone. She looked up. “Somehow that all seems so much less important now.”

Ava avoided her eyes. Studying the seams on the leather seat, she said, “But it makes sense that whoever took them is trying to hurt us. Leaving our line unfinished lets them succeed. The Contessa was right.”
About that, anyway,
Ava added to herself.

She felt Sophia’s eyes on her but she didn’t meet them, not even when Sophia said, “Do you want to stop at Starbucks?”

Ava hesitated. “I’m not—I don’t think—I’m not sure—”

Sophia took both her hands and made Ava look at her. “What is going on?”

Nothing
was on the tip of Ava’s tongue, as though if she didn’t talk about it her worst fear would just vanish. But Sophia knew her better than that. Like she was reading her sister’s mind, Sophia said, “I don’t think Dalton had anything to do with what’s happened to Popcorn and Charming, Ava. I’m positive.”

Now Ava looked at her. “Are you? Really? Why can’t I be positive?”

Sophia gave her the most understanding smile. “Maybe you’re afraid. Afraid of liking him too much. Afraid of getting hurt.”

“Maybe,” Ava agreed. “But I’m so confused. Because I really like Dalton. I mean
really.
But I also really like Jax.”

“What do you like about each of them?” Sophia asked.

“Dalton makes me laugh. When I’m with him I feel—alive,” Ava said. “Fizzy. In the knees. Well, everywhere.”

Sophia grinned at her. “That’s a great feeling. And Jax? How do you feel when you’re with him?”

“Safe,” Ava answered without having to think about it. “Cared about. Supported.”

“Your feelings for Jax seem much less complicated than your feelings for Dalton,” Sophia observed.

Ava nodded slowly. “You’re right. I hadn’t realized that.”

“Good, then it’s settled.”

“What do you mean?” Ava frowned.

“Well, it’s clear who you want to be with.”

“It is?” Ava’s eyebrows shot up. “Who?”

Sophia laughed at her. “Ask your gut.”

“My gut says to ask you,” Ava told her. “Not that it matters, because I have to date the Contessa’s nephew.”

“I’ve been thinking about that.” Sophia nodded hard. “I think you should ignore it when she mentions it. She can’t really mean it.”

“Um, this is the Contessa we’re talking about,” Ava reminded her.

“And it’s also your life,” Sophia said. Her tone was earnest and serious. “That’s more important than anything else. We’ll find a way to deal with the Contessa.”

The lump that seemed to have taken up permanent residence in Ava’s throat since the night before threatened to overwhelm her again. “Thank you. That means—
Oh no.
”

The last part came as the car pulled up in front of the workroom and was immediately swarmed by reporters. They pressed against all four of the side windows. Ava felt panic rising inside her. “Sophia, I don’t think I can deal with this right now,” she said.

“I have an idea,” Sophia said. Her eyes became unusually mischievous. “What if we tell them we’ll have a statement soon. That way they’ll stick around until the Contessa comes. And then she can talk to them. And after, maybe we can talk to her about her nephew. You know she’s always in a better mood after a session of confusion and delight.”

Ava’s panic turned to admiration. “That’s a great idea. And since you’re on such a roll, why don’t you tell me who I’ve made up my mind in favor of.”

“Nice try,” Sophia said, getting out of the car.

LonDOs

Whiteboards

Not IT

Concealer

Benefit Eye Bright stick

Hairbrushes

Our models arriving tomorrow!

Sherlock Hunter

Child-safe markers

Guys who make you feel alight

Guys who make you feel like everything is going to be all right

Sisters who can read your mind

LonDON’Ts

Police who don’t think petnapping is a big deal

Presuming guilt before innocence

Believing the Contessa has your best interests in her heart

The temperature dropping below freezing

Missing Popcorn and Charming

IT

Sisters who won’t tell you what they read in your mind

16

forget-me-hots

Two hours later, Sophia slipped off her earphones, looked up from the sound file she was editing on her computer, and said, “Why yes, I’d love a latte, thanks.”

“I was going to say that,” Ava told her.

“Don’t you think a trip to Starbucks would make a nice break in your day?”

“Are you saying that Jax is the one I’ve chosen?” Ava asked.

Sophia looked at her wide-eyed. “I can’t tell you that. But maybe a walk will clear your head and help you figure it out.”

“You just don’t want to go outside because it’s below freezing.”

“Don’t be silly,” Sophia said, scoffing. “I love the cold.”

“Tell me three things you like about the cold.”

“Blazing fire. Cozy sweaters. Hot chocolate. A Yule log. Stockings hung by the chimney with care. That’s five.”

“You were describing Mom and Dad’s Christmas card, not real winter,” Ava said.

“I was only looking out for your well-being,” Sophia told her with a mock huff.