Moonlight Masquerade (Edilean 8)

“Oh. I thought you were Reede. Sometimes he gets off early.”

Carter stepped inside and closed the door behind him. “We need to talk.”

“Carter, if you and Kelli have had an argument and now you want me back, it’s not going to happen. I—”

“No argument. I came here to find out what’s wrong with you.”

“Nothing,” she said. “You need to leave. You saw what Reede did the last time he got jealous.”

Carter’s eyes widened. “Sophie, is that what’s wrong with you? Is he horribly jealous? Does he . . . Has he hit you? I can get you some help. I can—”

Sophie plopped down on the sofa. “Of course he hasn’t! Reede couldn’t be kinder. He’s very sweet to me. Very courteous.”

Carter sat in a chair across from her. “Sophie, you’re driving us all crazy! You look miserable but no one can figure out why. What is wrong? You have a fabulous job coming up, some doctor is mad about you, you have friends, and—”

“Reede won’t leave. I can’t get him to go.”

“You want to break up with him?” he asked with sympathy.

“Heavens no! Where did you get that idea? I want to marry him and get pregnant immediately. Don’t you think Reede was made to be a father?”

Carter ran his hand over his face, then looked at her with eyes full of pleading. “Sophie, help me out here. I was told to talk to you and find out what’s wrong between you and Dr. Hit-First-Talk-Later but all I hear is good.”

“I did tell you,” Sophie said. “What’s wrong is that Reede won’t leave.”

“Last I heard, if the man leaves no babies are made.”

Sophie looked at the windows to the outside. She desperately needed to talk to someone. The last two weeks had been hell. Reede had been so resolutely cheerful that she wanted to strangle him. Instead, she’d smiled back at him as sweetly as she could. But several times when he’d thought no one was looking, she’d seen the look of . . . well, fatalism on his face. She could see that the happiness he tried to show her was only skin deep.

“Okay, Sophie,” Carter said, “I know I’m failing the girlfriend test but I really don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. You want to marry him; you want him to leave. Make up your mind.”

Sophie shook her head at him is disbelief. “You are failing as a girlfriend. Carter, I want Reede to leave and I want to go with him.”

Carter still didn’t understand. “So go. Now, is the problem solved?”

“No, Mr. Rich Boy, the problem is not solved. Reede can’t leave to go save the world because he has no money for funding. I can get the money but only if I stay here and work for Henry. But Reede won’t accept the gift and leave because I can’t leave.”

Carter blinked at her for a moment. “ ‘The Gift of the Magi.’ ”

“Right,” Sophie said. “ ‘The Gift of the Magi.’ ”

They were referring to the O. Henry story where the very poor couple who were deeply in love wanted to buy each other gifts. He sold his gold watch to buy her combs for her glorious hair; she sold her hair to buy him a fob chain for his watch.

Sophie looked up at him. “I’m considering telling Reede I’m actually in love with you so he’ll take Henry’s offer of funding and leave town. I want him to go do what he’s meant to.”

Carter turned pale at that idea and involuntarily put his hand to his nose. “Please don’t do that. What about your sculpture? You’re so very talented.”

Sophie stood up, walked to the windows, then turned back to look at him. “I think maybe everyone on earth is given a talent.”

“Not like yours.”

“Maybe not,” she said, frowning, “but to succeed I think a person also needs . . . I don’t know, drive. Ambition. Something to propel a person forward. I’ve heard people in churches sing better than people who sell millions of disks. So why aren’t the best sin

gers being given the money and applause?”

“I have no idea.”

“Because it takes more than talent to succeed. Kim and Jecca were driven. All through school all the two of them did was create. Anything. They cut out paper stars at Christmas.”