Ivy could only nod.

“Huh. So anyway, have you talked to Phoebe today? I mean, she’s coming, right?”

Ivy decided to cut to the chase. “So, Cody. Phoebe showed me the photos from your online profile, and I just have to point out, you don’t look anything like those pictures. In fact, that’s not you at all. Am I right?”

He hung his head and mumbled something.

“I’m sorry?”

Now he looked her directly in the eyes. “I’m an idiot, okay? You’re right. Those pictures are fakes. Like me. Big, fat fakes. Which is why I came here today. I had to tell Phoebe the truth about me. No matter what. She deserves that.”

“Is any of it true?” Ivy asked gently. “I mean, is your name really Cody? Did you actually just get out of the Army?”

“Hell yeah, that part is true,” he said, looking offended. He reached for his wallet. “I’ll show you my driver’s license and military ID, if you don’t believe me.”

“Not necessary,” Ivy said. “But why? If you’re who you say you are, why the phony pictures?”

“Are you kidding? Look at me. I’m six-foot-six, weigh one hundred and sixty pounds. I’ve got this stinking red hair and freckles. I’m like a comic book freak. What girl would fall for somebody who looks like me?”

“Phoebe.”

“No.” He shook his head emphatically. “She fell in love with whoever that dude is. I checked it out. He’s some catalog model. His name is Estefan. No last name. Some guys in my unit, they told me about this internet site, you can download photos for free.” He ran his hands through his short-cropped hair again. “It was Saturday night; I was lonely; I hadn’t had a real girlfriend since I left home for basic training. I thought, what the hell. Give it a shot. So I made a profile for myself, using the fake photos, and I just randomly started following cute girls I found on social media.”

“That Estefan was some hottie. I bet you got lots of responses,” Ivy said.

He rolled his eyes. “You don’t want to know. What kind of girl sends nude selfies to a stranger?” His face was pinking up again. “There are some sicko chicks out there. But not Phoebe. I liked her right away. Yeah, she’s beautiful, but she’s so normal, you know? So real.”

“Real.” She left the word hanging there in the frigid air.

“Yeah. She told me how it took her, like, six years to finish college, because she was working and could only take a few classes at a time, because she works for the county. I liked that she’s lived in the same town her whole life, and that she’s close to her family. Me? My parents are divorced. They both remarried, and I’m not that crazy about being the stepkid. The more Phoebe and I wrote each other, the more we found out we have in common. She told me I’m the only guy she’s ever known who actually likes cats.”