Rebecca's POV
The second Kate vanished around the corner and stayed gone, the mask came off.
I let my expression collapse and rolled my eyes at the empty sidewalk. That little performance had nearly killed me.
The tears had taken three fast blinks and a hard pinch into my own thigh to coax out. The catch in my voice had been pure improvisation. I had been away too long. As a girl I could summon that sad, abandoned look on command. Apparently even she was getting rusty.
I shoved the takeout bag of leftovers, the prop I had so carefully packed to sell my I am barely surviving story, straight into the nearest trash can. I caught my reflection in a boutique window. The faded cardigan. The cheap shoes. Disgust crawled up the back of my throat.
Three blocks later I walked into Cherry Creek
