by Heather Beck
“No, we won’t,” Ava said, pulling away from him. “I’m sorry, but I’ve made up my mind, and I’m not going to change it. It’s...it’s better to break things off now.” With that said, she turned on her heel and started to hurry away, praying that she could hold back the hot tears that were already filling her eyes.
“Ava, please,” she heard Javier call, his voice breaking.
But she kept on walking, telling herself that she’d done the right thing, even if it didn’t feel that way at all.
The walk back to her villa took less than ten minutes, but by the time Ava reached her front door, she felt drained, her eyes heavy from all the tears she’d kept in, her face red from wiping away the ones that she couldn’t hold back. Wanting to hide away from the world, she unlocked the door and stepped inside, finding the villa eerily quiet.
“Tess?” she called out. “Mom?”
“I’m in here,” Isabelle said.
Ava went into the living room to find her mom hunched on the couch, a cup of coffee in her hands and a torn expression on her face. “What’s going on?” Ava asked with a frown, sitting down next to her mom. After everything that had happened today, she couldn’t imagine what else had gone wrong.
“It’s Tessa.”
“Is she okay?” Ava’s heart started to pound in her chest. “Where is she?”
“She’s upstairs in her room, and she’s fine, at least I hope she will be.” Isabelle was about to say more when she noticed Ava’s puffy eyes. “Have you been crying?” she asked in concern.
Ava looked down, wishing she could hide her face. “Well, I’ve been trying not to,” she admitted.
“Why? What is it?”
“Me and Javier broke up.” The words felt funny on her tongue.
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine, really,” Ava lied. “It was my decision, and it’s for the best.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No, I want to talk about Tess. What happened with her?”
“She knows,” Isabelle said, her eyes falling sadly to the floor. “About your dad and me. About the divorce.”
“Oh,” Ava said. Even after everything that had happened today, she hadn’t forgotten about her mom’s promise to tell Tessa. “I didn’t think you’d do it today, after the Miguel thing and all.”
“I know it wasn’t the best timing,” Isabelle said, growing more upset, “but I made that promise to you, and I couldn’t keep it in any longer.”
Ava gave her mom a sympathetic look. “I’m guessing she didn’t take it very well.”
Isabelle shook her head. “She’s really hurting, and nothing I say seems to make it better.”
“She’s probably shocked and just needs some time. Maybe I can talk to her.”
“Would you? I know this isn’t your problem to fix, but you and Tessa are so close. If there’s one person she’ll let in, it’s you.”
“Of course.” Ava started to get up from the couch, when suddenly, her mom reached out to stop her. Puzzled, Ava looked at her.
“There’s something else,” Isabelle said, ashamed. “She knows about the Rowan thing and how I asked you to keep it a secret. I wasn’t planning on telling her, but then she started asking if you knew about the divorce, and that’s when the truth – the whole truth – came out. I’m so sorry, Ava.”
Ava was silent for a moment and then she sighed. “It’s probably better this way, with no more lies, but now I’m not sure if she’ll want to talk to me, either.”
“Please try.”
Ava nodded, and with one last glance at her mom, who looked more dejected than ever, she left the living room and headed up the stairs. When she reached the top floor, she heard sobs coming from behind her sister’s closed bedroom door.
“Tess?” she said, knocking gently on the door.
At first, there was no response, but then to Ava’s surprise, a muffled voice said, “Come in.”
Ava opened the door and walked into the room, finding her sister lying on the bed, her face tear-stained, a box of tissues at her side. “It’s going to be okay,” Ava said softly, placing her hand on her sister’s shoulder, trying to comfort her.
“How can you say that?” Tessa said through a sob. “Our lives are ruined, and there’s nothing we can do to fix it.”
“Our lives aren’t ruined.”
“Yes, they are. First, we lose our TV show, then we’re forced to hide in Mexico, and now our parents are getting divorced. It’s all happening so fast.” She let out another sob, louder this time.
“There’s been a lot of changes and fast,” Ava agreed. “But Mom and Dad aren’t taking this divorce lightly. Mom said they’ve been having problems for years.”
“Yeah, well, no one ever told me.”
“I didn’t know, either.”
“Are you sure about that?” Tessa snapped, pulling away from Ava. “Because I’m finding out a whole lot of new things today, like how you knew about the divorce and Mom’s kiss with Rowan. How could you keep something like that from me, Ava?”
“I wanted to tell you so badly, but Mom put me in an impossible position.”
“You should’ve told me.”
“I felt like I couldn’t. I’m sorry, Tess.”
Tessa’s expression softened, and finally, she sat up in bed, sighing. “I’m still pissed that you didn’t tell me, but I understand...kind of. Besides, I need you right now. I don’t have anyone else.”
“That’s not true.”
“Yeah, it...” Tessa stopped talking to look closer at Ava’s face. “Have you been crying?” she asked.
Ava sighed, wishing people would stop asking her that. Her break-up with Javier was the last thing she wanted to rehash.
“You have been crying,” Tessa said. “What’s wrong? Is it about Mom and Dad?”
“No, Javier and I broke up.”
Tessa’s eyes widened, her mouth making a perfect circle. “What? But why? You guys were perfect together!”
“Maybe, but I can’t live a lie anymore and I can’t tell him the truth, so there’s never going to be a happy ending for us.”
Tessa frowned. “That’s not fair. Mom told Rowan, so why can’t you tell Javier?”
“I promised her. Besides, it’s too risky. I’m not going to put our safety on the line, especially when it comes to you.”
“You don’t trust him to keep our secret?”
“I do, but you can never really know someone, can you?”
“No, I guess you can’t.”
A silence fell over Ava and Tessa as they sat there, thinking about everything that had happened today. Finally, Tessa leaned against her bed’s tufted headboard and let out a troubled sigh. “I don’t know what I’m going to do, Ava, I really don’t. I mean, what’s going to happen to us now? To our family, our jobs, our lives? Things have never been this messed up before.”
“No, they haven’t,” Ava agreed, letting out a sigh of her own, “but no matter what happens or how much things change, at least we’ll always have each other, right?”
“Definitely,” Tessa said, giving her sister a reassuring hug. “That’s the one thing we can always count on.”
* * *
Chapter Sixteen
“Oh my gosh, this dress is to die for!” Tessa said as she pulled open the dressing room curtains and stepped out, twirling around to show off the full effect of her long, strapless dark blue dress that sparkled every time the store’s lights hit it.
“It’s gorgeous,” Ava agreed, “but don’t you think it’s over the top for an art show?”
“Never. Go big or go home, right?” Tessa didn’t wait for a response as she turned back to the dressing room and pointed to three more dresses that hung inside. “I think I’ll get these ones, too,” she said. “You never know when you’ll need a pretty dress, and besides, they all looked great on me.”
As Tessa disappeared back into the dressing room, Ava rolled her eyes, but deep down
, she was glad to see her sister happy and excited, even if it was over something as frivolous as a few dresses. It had been over two weeks since Tessa had found out about their parents’ divorce, and at first, she’d been miserable, moping around the villa in her pajamas, avoiding their mom at all costs. Ava knew exactly what Tessa was going through, so she stayed strong for her sister’s sake, encouraging her to take her mind off things by going out and doing fun things together. Little by little, it worked until Tessa was back to her old self, and it helped Ava, too, keeping so busy that she didn’t have time to be upset over her break-up with Javier – almost.
As Ava sat there, waiting for Tessa, thoughts of Javier slowly crept back into her mind, like they always did whenever she was alone. She missed his smile, his laugh, the way he looked at her, but most of all, she missed his company. Stop it, she silently told herself, forcing her mind back to the present moment. She wanted to enjoy being at this amazing mall in Cancún with her sister, shopping for dresses for A Night Under The Stars, and the last thing she wanted was to let thoughts of Javier bring her down.
“So, are there seriously no dresses you like in this store?” Tessa asked as she emerged from the dressing room, the four dresses slung over her arm.
“Um, not really,” Ava lied, her eyes falling inadvertently to the short black lace dress in Tessa’s arm.
A look of realization washed over Tessa’s face as her eyes, too, fell on the dress. “Why didn’t you say something?” she said, slipping the black dress out of the pile and holding it against Ava’s body. “You’d look killer in this.”
“Thanks, but you saw it first.”
“Don’t be silly. It’s not like I really need four dresses, anyway.”
“Well, only if you’re one hundred percent sure.” Ava reached for the dress, but before she could get it, Tessa whisked it away.
“It’s on me,” Tessa said, heading for the checkout.
“Tess, no. I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
“You’re not asking. I’m offering. And it’s the least I can do after everything you’ve done for me, especially over the last couple of weeks. Please, let me do this for you.” She gave Ava a little pout.
“If you’re sure...”
“I am.”
“Well, thanks, then.” Ava smiled at her sister, touched by her gesture.
“You don’t have to thank me,” Tessa said playfully as she placed the dresses on the checkout counter. “We’re the same size, so don’t be surprised if I borrow it once...or twice.”
“I think I can live with that,” Ava said with a little laugh.
After Tessa had paid for the dresses, they headed back into the mall, their hands laden with bags, their shopping done for the day. They’d only been walking for a minute when they came across one of the posters they’d hung on a store window over a week ago. Featuring a dark night sky, small faraway stars, and a simple but effective white font, it advertised A Night Under The Stars, which was tomorrow night.
“You did an awesome job designing those posters,” Ava said, pointing to it as they stopped at a nearby coffee shop, getting in line. “It looks really professional.”
“I only did it to be professional. You know I always finish what I start. It had nothing to do with helping out Mom’s new boyfriend.” Tessa made a face as she said the word boyfriend.
“Mom says Rowan isn’t her boyfriend.”
“Yeah, right,” Tessa said with a snort, her happy demeanor now gone. “That’s just another lie, and I’m not believing it for a second.”
“You could be right. I mean, it’s hard to know what to believe anymore, but I think we should at least be civil toward him, for everyone’s sake.”
“That’s what I’ve been doing – not that he deserves it.”
“I know you have,” Ava said, her attention returning to the poster as she saw four Mexican girls approach it and begin talking excitedly. One even took out her phone to snap a picture of the poster, probably to send it to all her friends. “I’m starting to wonder if going to A Night Under The Stars is a good idea,” Ava said suddenly.
“What are you talking about? You’ve seen the dresses we’re wearing tomorrow night. It would be a public disservice if we didn’t go.”
“It’s just...how many people have RSVP’d for the event on social media?”
“Across all platforms?” Tessa thought for a moment. “Probably three or four hundred.”
“And that’s not counting the people who don’t use social media, who might’ve seen our posters or been invited by Mom and Rowan. It’s going to be packed, Tess. What if someone recognizes us?”
“It seems to be mostly locals who are coming. I honestly don’t think anyone will recognize us. Our show isn’t even translated here – trust me, I’ve checked all the channels.”
“What if the media shows up?”
“The media hasn’t been invited. Mom booked a private photographer, so she can approve the photos used for publicity. You know all this. What’s with the panic attack?”
“I don’t know,” Ava said, watching the four Mexican girls walk away, passing right by them without giving them a single glance. “I guess I’m just being paranoid.”
“I understand, but nothing and no one is going to stop us from going to the event and having a great time. And it will be a great time. Do you know how I know?”
“How?”
“Because I’m involved.” Tessa gave Ava a winning smile and then stepped forward, now at the front of the line. “Two iced coffees with whipped coconut milk, please,” she said to the cute barista behind the counter.
Twenty-five minutes later, Ava pulled into their driveway, putting the car into park and then taking the last sip of her delicious iced coffee. Tessa was already out of the car, getting the shopping bags that took up the entire back seat.
“Let me help you with the precious cargo,” Ava joked, stepping out of the car and taking a couple of bags from her sister.
“Thanks,” Tessa said as they headed to their front door. “You know, I really hope Mom brought her navy-blue pumps with her. They’d be the perfect match for the dress I plan on wearing tomorrow night.”
“I don’t think Mom would’ve thought of pumps when packing for Mexico. Besides, I thought you brought your own blue ones.”
“Yeah, but they’re a little too dark.”
“Oh, the horror,” Ava teased, unlocking the door and stepping inside. “Seriously, Tess, you’ll look good in whatever you wear.”
“Good? I was going for...” Tessa stopped mid-sentence as voices drifted into the foyer from the living room, loud and clearly not happy.
“You can’t show up unannounced like this,” Isabelle said.
“I have as much right to be here as you,” a man replied.
Ava and Tessa looked at each other in surprise, instantly recognizing the man’s voice. They dropped their shopping bags on the table in the foyer and hurried into the living room to find their dad standing there with their mom. When Mitchell saw his daughters, his expression softened. “Hi, girls,” he said, giving each of them a smile.
“Dad, what are you doing here?” Ava asked, giving him a hug.
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Isabelle said, looking pointedly at Mitchell.
Mitchell turned away from his wife’s gaze and gave Tessa a hug. “I’ve missed you two so much,” he said, looking back and forth between Ava and Tessa.
“We’ve missed you, too,” Tessa said, “but what are you doing here? You didn’t call or text or anything to let us know you were coming.”
“I’m sorry. It was a last-minute decision, and I had a lot to do before I left.”
“You mean with work?” Tessa asked.
“Not exactly.” Mitchell gestured to the couch. “Why don’t we sit down?”
“Dad, what’s going on?” Ava asked, feeling slightly anxious as she sat down on the couch next to him and Tessa. Their mom sat down, too, but on the loveseat across from t
hem.
“I thought now would be a good time to visit,” Mitchell said. “It’s been hard being away from you girls, especially under the circumstances. I also thought you might want to talk about, you know, me and your mom’s divorce.” His eyes fell to the floor as he finished his last sentence.
“What’s there to talk about?” Tessa said, her tone turning a little icy. “Your divorce seems pretty final to me, and you didn’t want to talk about it when you were still making that decision, like, several months ago.”
“Please, Tessa, I didn’t come all this way to start a fight,” Mitchell said.
“Who’s fighting? I’m just stating the facts,” Tessa replied.
Isabelle cleared her throat loudly and then looked at Mitchell. “Now’s not the time to be having a discussion about our divorce with Ava and Tessa,” she said.
“Why not?” Mitchell asked.
Isabelle looked exasperated. “Because you can’t show up out of the blue like this! Because there are still things we need to talk about in private!”
“In private?” Tessa repeated, sounding offended. “What’s that supposed to mean? You two have more secrets?”
Ava let out a loud sigh, wondering if this was how things were going to be from now on – their family utterly dysfunctional whenever they were all together. But she also wondered something else, something that didn’t add up. “What made you decide to come to Mexico now?” she asked, facing her dad.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, don’t get me wrong, I’m happy you’re here, but we’ve known about the divorce for weeks. So, why now?”
“I do have another reason for coming. It has to do with you, Ava.”
“Me?” She raised her eyebrows, afraid of what was coming next.
Sighing, Mitchell nodded. “I talked to the police two days ago, and they’ve made zero progress in their search for Christopher. There hasn’t been a single sighting since the day he delivered that letter to our house, and since he hasn’t tried anything like that again, the police are no longer deeming it a high priority case.”
