"Are you sure about that?"
* * * * *
WHEN MARA HAD been told that they were going shopping, she’d envisioned something like those scenes from the movies where they’d bounce from store to store trying on clothes and shoes while carrying bags in each hand. The reality of shopping with Sophia Townsend Winbush was entirely different.
They’d come to an exclusive boutique owned by one of Sophia’s girlfriends from her days at Yale. As soon as they’d entered they’d been shown to a special section in the back and served champagne where they waited. She didn’t want to seem completely clueless so Mara just sipped her champagne trying to figure out what they were waiting on. That’s when Sophia’s old friend Cleo had appeared with outfits she’d selected for them to view.
Apparently women like Sophia didn’t even do their own shopping. They had someone else pick out the best stuff and bring it to them. Mara tipped back her glass and swallow
ed the rest of her champagne in a big gulp.
“So, what was Trent like as a little boy?”
Sophia sat, one leg primly folded over the other as Cleo arranged the outfits on the rack in front of them. A second later, an assistant appeared carrying several different pairs of shoes which Cleo snatched before shooing her away.
“He was much like he is now. Focused. Driven.” Sophia didn’t seem to notice the flurry of activity in the room but Mara found she could barely concentrate with all the people coming in and out.
“Driven, huh? I guess I just see him differently. I would have said easygoing. Funny but not in an obvious way. He has a subtle sense of humor but it’s there.”
Sophia regarded her with open curiosity. "I suppose so."
Not the most friendly response but Mara figured this was probably as warm as Sophia was going to get. She decided not to take it personally. As Sophia nodded to another one of the selections, Mara had to admit that even if the other woman wasn't fond of her, she at least had impeccable taste. Every one of the outfits she'd picked out so far looked like it would complement her skin tone and figure perfectly.
When Cleo finally left them alone to go get more items to show them, Mara glanced over at Sophia. “What did you mean yesterday when you said that Trent ran away from his problems?” Mara asked.
Sophia picked at the platter of fruit sitting on the table between them. “You’re asking a lot of questions but none of the right ones. Doesn’t it seem odd to you that a wealthy young man would suddenly decide to leave it all behind and live like the commoners?”
“I don’t think he left it all behind. Hasn’t he been traveling here to visit family all along?”
“He’s been visiting Avery. Not us.” Sophia said the name with such disdain that Mara didn’t have to wonder what she thought. It appeared that Avery's dislike of Trent's sister was mutual. Obviously Avery wasn’t someone Sophia thought Trent should be spending time with. Although she secretly agreed, she figured Sophia probably felt the same way about her so that didn’t mean much.
“I didn’t realize.”
“There’s a lot of stuff you don’t realize. I’m guessing he didn’t tell you about Tia?”
She turned around to face forward as Cleo brought out a selection of handbags and accessories to go with the outfits. Sophia looked over the offerings with a critical eye. Every so often, she’d glance over at Mara and then back to the items as if imagining how they would look on her.
Mara sat quietly but the whole time, her mind was racing. Who was Tia? And just what the hell did she have to do with Trent’s decision to leave home?
What seemed like hours later, Cleo finally packed up the remainder of the outfits and Mara handed over the black credit card. Once they were alone again, Mara finally broke down.
“Who was Tia?”
Sophia sighed as if greatly put upon but there was a satisfied gleam in her eye that told Mara she’d been waiting for her to ask.
“Tia was my brother’s high school girlfriend. Spicy Latina girl just like you. Her father was some sort of relation to Spanish royalty or something. Anyway, she died. Trent was devastated.”
Mara’s hand shook so hard that she had to set her champagne glass down after Sophia's callous recitation of events. There had been so many times when she'd recounted stories from her high school days and she'd always wondered why Trent didn't talk about his past more.
He'd mentioned once that he'd been a champion runner and had several medals in track and field. But for some reason he hadn't joined the team in college, which she'd found odd. He also didn't talk about any old friends or seem to keep in contact with any of them. It had seemed off but she hadn't wanted to push. High school definitely wasn't filled with happy memories for a lot of people, she knew.
Was this why? Was he still so devastated over the loss of his high school girlfriend that he couldn't even think about that time?
"When did she die?"
Sophia pursed her lips. "Trent's senior year. It was actually the day after his prom, so it was near the end of the year. Then he disappeared and ended up in some college in Virginia. When did you meet him?"
"Right at the beginning of the term. August," she managed to get out. Trent had met her only three months after his previous girlfriend had died and he'd never mentioned a word to her.