“Okay,you’re seriously glowing. It’s kind of annoying.” Rachel plopped down on the sofa next to me.
“You’re one to talk,” I said. “When we first met, I didn’t think it was possible to see you smile this much.”
She bit her lip. “My mom really liked him,” she said quietly.
I bumped my knee into hers. “I’m happy for you. You and Arnie make a lot of sense together.”
Trace walked in wordlessly and sank into the couch on the other side of Rachel, resting her head on Rachel’s shoulder.
Rachel glanced at me and frowned.
Trace sighed loudly. “Don’t stop talking on my account. I’m numb to any pain.”
Wincing, I sat forward so I could see her face. Gone was the redness caused by her free-flowing tears from earlier. Now she just looked dull and over it.
“The family meetings didn’t go well?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“About as awful as you could have expected. My mom was so nice to him and asked what I did wrong?—”
“You didn’t do anything wrong!” Rachel and I exclaimed in unison.
“Tell that to my mother,” Trace said. “Anyway, Danny at least had the decency to defend me. He said it wasn’t anything I’d done, he justwasn’t ready. Whatever that tired and overdone cliché even means.”
“And his mom?” Rachel asked.
I was almost scared to hear the answer.
Trace’s bottom lip quivered. “She was amazingly sweet, of course. Said she already loved me and cried when Danny told her it wasn’t going to work out. She basically sobbed and called him an idiot and told him he needed to settle down and stop risking his life for fun. And I just sat there awkwardly, trying not to cry. As soon as Brady called cut, Danny pretty much ran away from me and I haven’t seen him since.”
“He’s a coward, Trace. I’m so sorry,” Rachel said.
“He’s missing out,” I added. “You can see it all over his face. He already regrets letting you go.”
Trace hung her head. “It doesn’t matter whether he regrets it or not. I’m heartbroken all the same. Getting through the finale tomorrow is going to be miserable. I can’t wait to be home with a very large glass of wine and a cold compress over my eyes.”
Heels clicked through the room announcing Sofia before she appeared in our circle and sat in one of the armchairs perpendicular to the sofa. We fell quiet and she huffed out a disgruntled sigh.
“You’re seriously going to just sit there in silence because I’m here?” she questioned.
“How was meeting Grant’s family?” Rachel asked, her tone somehow both snarky and sweet at the same time.
Sofia twisted a piece of her hair. “Oh, it was amazing,” she gushed sarcastically. “Totally made me fall for him.”
The corner of Trace’s mouth turned up. “At least you’re in a good mood.”
Sofia analyzed her nails. “It was great catching up with my friends—the ones who signed me up for this. I was kind of stressed about how that whole Eli thing would play out on TV, but apparently people like how strong I am. I have, like, three hundred thousand followers now.”
“And that’s really what this is all about,” Rachel responded dryly.
“Exactly,” Sofia agreed.
“I’m glad it all worked out,” I offered.
Sofia waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, consider everything that happened between us water under the bridge. I’m so beyond over it.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. I feel the same way.” While I didn’t care about or need any absolution from Sofia, it still felt good to end this experience with completely cleared air.
“So, how did meeting the big movie star go?” asked Sofia.
