by Lexi C. Foss
The train wreck started with Evan getting out of the limo and holding the door open for his parents. He held a hand out for his mother, and she used it to exit, her gaze flitting around the neighborhood and house as if she hadn’t been staring at it for the last thirty minutes. Ellen’s blonde hair was styled, her makeup was perfect, and her skirt suit was professional. Jonah’s suit rivaled Evan’s, except he wore a black tie with a white shirt.
They stood awkwardly beside the car, waiting for my family to exit. Abby went first, smoothing her hands over the skirt of her dress and giving the cameras a shy smile before moving toward Evan. His eyes crinkled at the corners as he held an arm out to hug her. She moved right in and kissed him on the jaw, nuzzling him like a cat. I threw up a little in my mouth.
“Hey, sweetheart.” His voice was affectionate, but there was something not quite right in his chocolate gaze. It was missing that wicked note I loved. No doubt a result of spending too much time with his parents outside. They frequently put him in a pissy mood.
“Hi, Evan.” God, Abby was laying it on thick, batting her lashes the way she always did around handsome men. “May I introduce my mom, Estrella, and her boyfriend, Bob.”
“Nice to meet you.” He shook their hands while Abby stayed glued to his side, and introduced his parents. Ellen gave a small smile, while Jonah looked my mother over with blatant interest. She was wearing a dark blue, spaghetti strap dress that flirted with her knees and displayed all her curves. The man had no shame. His behavior was caught on film, but his smile said he didn’t have a care in the world.
Knowing what I did about the elder Mershano, it was a wonder Evan turned out the way he did. His parents’ neglect throughout his childhood turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
“And you,” Evan murmured after all the introductions were finished, “must be Abby.”
28
Sister Bonding
“Abby?” Ellen repeated while Jonah chuckled.
“Son, her name is Sarah.”
“No, Sarah doesn’t giggle.” Evan removed my sister from his arm with a wink. “But I’m betting her identical twin sister, Abby, does.”
“Well, color me impressed.” Abby’s smile was the one she used when she truly enjoyed something. My mom looked Evan over with keen approval. Neither of them had expected him to catch on at all, let alone so quickly.
My heart took off at a dangerous pace as heat swam up my neck and caressed my cheeks. He knew the difference. My stomach turned over, making me light-headed. Too many years of watching people, including my own mother, fail at this game had programmed me to doubt him. I should have known better. Of course he knew the difference. That was the foundation of who we were; he trusted me when I told him it was Abby who auditioned on my behalf.
“Uh, they’re asking you to come outside.” Bill’s hand hovered beside me as if debating whether or not it was safe to touch me. My glare earlier scared the poor kid. The screen showed everyone looking expectantly at the house.
“Oh, right, thanks.” I stood on shaky legs and made my way to the foyer. In a move that was just like Abby, I ran my clammy palms over my dress skirt and opened the door. Evan’s gaze hit me like a ton of bricks. Triumph mingled with a touch of wickedness in their dark depths, stealing my breath. He didn’t wait for me to walk to him; he met me on the porch and engulfed me in a hug that had nothing on the way he embraced Abby.
“You knew right away that it wasn’t me.” He had hugged my sister with one arm. He never hugged me with one arm.
His lips brushed my ear. “The smile wasn’t right.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Knowing the difference.” He would never know how much that meant to me. It was a rare gift. Abby and I were nothing alike, and yet too many people had trouble telling us apart. Our voice was the same, we were identical, and some said our mannerisms rivaled each other. I didn’t agree on that last bit, but it’s what we were told.
He kissed me on the mouth, not caring that everyone else could see, and smiled. “You’re my Sarah. I’ll always know the difference.” Warmth touched my every nerve despite the cold air. “Shall we go inside? I hear your mom’s been cooking up a storm.”
His devilish gaze told me he knew full well caterers were the chefs inside, but the show wanted it to look like my mom cooked. It was a shame they didn’t let her manage the kitchen. My mom could make a mean carbonada.
“Sure.” I led him inside, followed by our families.
“This is where you grew up, right?” Evan had his arm around my shoulders and his lips were at my ear.
“Yep.”
“I want to see your bedroom.”
“What are you two whispering about?” Abby was taking in every detail, her gaze astute.
Is it hot, or is that just me? I cleared my throat. “Nothing.”
“My sister’s a terrible liar.” She folded her arms, heightening the cleavage of her chest. It was an old trick meant to distract, but Evan’s gaze was steady on hers.
“Yes, she’s an even worse actress. She tells me you got all those genes.”
She gave up on the cleavage front and toyed with a strand of her hair that fell over her breasts. His gaze never fled south. I frowned, unsure why my sister was trying to openly flirt with my man in front of me. We loved to prank each other, but men were a boundary we never crossed. Evan was mine. She knew this, and yet she was drawing her finger down her breasts in a taunting manner. “What else did she tell you about me?”
“You’re a remarkable painter who lives a carefree existence and loves toying with men.” He leaned in, pulling me with him so I could hear. “And by the way, all that flirtatious charm you’re throwing my way right now? It isn’t going to work on me, sweetheart. But feel free to keep trying.”
“Oh, I like him.” Her eyes sparkled. “I approve of the potential future brother-in-law.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course you do.” She was easy to please.
“Can I borrow her for a minute?” Abby looped her arm through mine without waiting for a reply. “Thanks, future BIL.” She dragged me up the stairs too fast for the cameraman and pulled me into her old room before slamming the door. “Jesus, Sarah. He’s even more gorgeous in person.”
I punched her on the arm. “What the hell, Abby? Sister pact, remember? You were totally flirting with him!”
“Well, duh, to test him. Gotta make sure the man my sister’s in love with is worthy, and wow, is he worthy. He knew right away I wasn’t you! I wasn’t sure if he was just tense in general, but the way he melted when you walked out of the house, there’s no question, Sis. He’s as gone for you as you are for him.”
If only. I walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower and sinks. Abby’s forehead creased, but she didn’t say anything. “They’ve probably bugged all the rooms.” I kept my voice low. This was my first time getting her alone without Brenda or anyone else lurking nearby. “He knows you’re the one who did the interview.”
“What?!”
“Shh! I don’t want anyone to hear this, okay?”
“He knows and didn’t send you home?”
“No, he proposed a deal instead. I stay on and reject his proposal in the end, and he’ll fund my marketing firm.” I waited while that sunk in. “We’re acting for the cameras.”
Her head swayed slowly back and forth. “No. You’re a shitty actress, Sis. You’re not faking the way you feel about him.” I didn’t deny it, making her lips part. “Oh shit, you’ve gone and fallen for him, and you have to reject his proposal.” Now it was sinking in, the guilt and the understanding that was long overdue. “Oh, I meant for this to be a joke, give you a short vacation. I didn’t . . . Oh, I’m such a bitch!”
“Yes, you are. Big time.”
“Oh, Sarah, I’m so sorry. I had no idea. But hold on, he likes you. And why does he want you to reject his proposal in the end? Doesn’t he want a wife?”
I explained the history wi
th his parents and how they were forcing him to get married or give up the company to Wyatt. Her lips were pursed by the end.
“And I thought Mom butting into my dating life was rough. That’s just, well, that sucks.” She shook her head again but then stopped. “Okay, but he likes you. I know what a man looks like when he’s smitten, and that man down there is more than smitten. He didn’t look at my boobs once, and my rack is fantastic. Well, so is yours, but seriously, being with two identical twins is like every man’s dream come true. The director is thinking it, Evan’s dad is definitely dreaming about it, and all the male members of that crew are looking—”
“Right, I get it. I have eyes, too. Get to the point.”
“Evan’s the only one down there not thinking about it. He’s not even interested, because he’s in love with you.”
A laugh escaped me. “No, he’s not. It’s only been a few weeks—”
“Yet you’re already in love with him.”
“Totally different, and he’s not interested in anything long-term. What we’re doing is temporary.”
“So there is something going on off camera. I knew it. He’s totally gone for you.”
“No, it’s just sex.” Okay, that needed to be reworded. “Amazing sex—totally not the point—but that’s all there is between us.” And a few late-night discussions that went beyond the physical and into the emotional. Not important.
“I’m sure the sex is phenomenal, with that body.” She paused, no doubt picturing it, making me pinch her. “Right, sorry. No, there’s more to it. He knew right away I wasn’t you. Not even Mom has won the game that fast. He’s into you.”
“Maybe.” I chewed my lip. “But I still have to reject his proposal. I signed a contract.”
“Screw the legalities. Say yes and see what happens.”
“After two months of knowing him? Seems a bit fast, doesn’t it?”
“Need I remind you that Mom and Dad were engaged and married within six months? Have you ever seen two people more in love than them? She’s still not over him, and he died fourteen years ago.”
I smiled, thinking of the nights Dad took Mom out back to dance under the stars. Abby and I used to spy on them until the kissing started. “He loved Mom.”
“And she loved him.”
“Yeah.” I flicked a tear from my eye and cleared my throat. “Brenda’s going to kill me if I ruin my makeup.”
“Speaking of which, we should get back. Otherwise the men are going to have all sorts of sordid fantasies when they find us both in the bathroom with the shower running.”
I groaned. “I don’t even want to know what Evan’s dad would think.”
“Oh, I can tell you exactly what that man would be thinking. Did you see the way he was looking at Mom?”
“Yeah, his dad’s a piece of work, huh?” I turned off all the faucets and fixed my hair. The humidity from the water and closed door made it frizzy. “Evan’s nothing like him.”
“My boobs and I figured that out quickly.”
I sent my eyes heavenward. “Stop trying to get him to leer at you, okay? I don’t like it.”
She pressed the back of her hand to my forehead. “Huh, no fever. But I swear I just heard a jealous note come out of your mouth. Strange.”
“Oh, shut up.”
“There’s my favorite twin.” Her grin was infectious. “Now let’s go down there and get you a husband.”
“You realize payback’s a bitch, right?” Little did my twin know that my plan was already in the works. Rachel’s federal agent friend was on board and waiting for my cue. Abby was going to learn the lesson of a lifetime, and I couldn’t wait.
“Hmm, you know, I loved Rome but didn’t get to spend enough time there. Maybe I’ll get Andy to whisk me off to Europe this time just as the show is finishing?”
“You’re terrible.” Note to self: activate plan sooner rather than later.
“It’s the men, Sarah. They’re too easy.” She plucked at her cleavage and grabbed a shawl from the closet on her way to the door. “It’s do-or-die time, Sis. Let’s go.”
29
Maintaining Status Quo
“He’s in France with Amber.” A week ago we were having dinner with our families. It felt like a lifetime ago.
“You sound pissed about that.” I pictured Rachel’s lips pursing on the other end of the phone, an expression to match her disapproving tone. “You’re falling for him.”
Oh, I’m beyond that point, Rach. I think I’m in love with him. Not a conversation I was ready to have with my best friend. She wouldn’t approve.
“I’m just cranky about being trapped in his house for almost a week while waiting for him to pick me up. I don’t see why I couldn’t stay in Indiana with my family or run home to Chicago for a bit.”
“Yeah, how did all that go, by the way?” This was the first time one of my rare moments alone overlapped with Rachel taking a break from work. The woman needed a vacation.
“Oh, it went okay. You got my text about Abby, right?” I told her how my sister admitted she was a bitch for getting me into this mess, but that didn’t change my mind about getting revenge. She was in for an eye-opening experience once Agent Kincaid got his hands on her. I couldn’t wait. “That was pretty much the highlight other than my mom giving Evan approval to ask the big question. I think she meant it, which is scary.”
“Estrella Summers gave Evan the okay to ask you to marry him?” She sounded about as shocked as I felt last week. “Did they ply her with wine or something?”
“No, I think he won her over.” Which said a lot about him. “He passed the twin test. That alone decided his fate.”
“He was able to tell the difference between you and Abby? Even I struggle with that when you’re both on your game.”
“He knew right away.” My heart skipped a beat at the memory. “Everyone was shocked, including me.”
Rachel was quiet for too long, an indicator she was thinking hard about what she wanted to say. “Be careful, Sarah.”
My shoulders fell. “I think it’s too late for that.” A truth I reconciled myself to when he left for France. Five days without him was hell. Not knowing what he was doing with Amber was worse. He texted me every day but never called. They were sharing a suite in Paris. He couldn’t risk her overhearing him, and my heart didn’t want to know what was happening between them in that hotel room.
“Are you going to be able to say no?”
“I don’t have a choice, Rach. I have to reject him even if it kills me.”
“What if you tell him how you feel?”
“It won’t help. He’s made it very clear how he feels about marriage, and besides, it’s not the happily ever after that I want. It’s him.”
“So tell him that.”
She made it sound so easy. He would be horrified if he knew how I felt. Our connection went deeper than lust, but he made his stance on relationships very clear. This was temporary between us. My suggesting otherwise wouldn’t change his mind. It would only break my heart and make things awkward for us going forward. I had a future business to think about. He might be a silent partner, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t see him again. Better to maintain status quo, enjoy the moment, and get over him in the privacy of my own apartment hundreds of miles away.
“Yo, Summers. Time for makeup.” Brenda gave a double tap against my closed door to punctuate her words.
Great. “My babysitter’s back. Gotta go.”
“The makeup artist? Even at his house?”
“Yeah, the producers required it, and she’s outside my door.”
“Wow. That’s . . . wow.”
“Right?” Another knock had me rolling off the bed. “I’ll talk to you soon, Rach.”
“Okay. Adiós, amiga.”
I rolled my eyes. “Your Spanish is still awful.”
“You love it.”
“Uh-huh. Bye, Rach.” I hung up, stashed the phone, and opened the door to find Brenda with her
arms full of supplies.
“What’s up with the locked door, Summers?”
“Can’t a girl have a moment of privacy?” I countered.
“Not when you’re on a reality television show.”
I snorted. “Whatever.” I let her in and paused on my way to the couch. “Hold on. Why do I need makeup?”
“Because the prince is on his way here to pick you up for your weeklong date.” She held up a pair of jeans, boots, and a white sweater. “Cute, right?”
“Very, but pajamas are more appropriate for ten o’clock at night.”
“You can change back into them on the plane. Now scoot it, missy. I only have thirty minutes to work my magic, and you need to do something with your hair.”
“With such short notice, and just before bedtime, a ponytail should suffice.” Did she mention a plane? “Where am I going?”
“It’s a surprise, sunshine.”
“Hence the lack of notice?”
“Oh, you can blame your prince for that one. He wasn’t supposed to get you until tomorrow, but apparently he couldn’t wait another day.”
My cheeks heated. He’s on his way home right now? Why didn’t he tell me? He usually gave me a warning, but he kept me in the dark this time. What are you up to, Evan Mershano? “All right, make me reality-show-worthy.”
30
Private Jets
I was surrounded by luxury. Plush recliner chairs, two matching couches, coffee tables, a fully stocked kitchen and minibar, and champagne were a few of the finer touches I noticed. There appeared to be a room at the back with a bed and a full bathroom. I thought the private jet we took to the Bahamas was nice, but this was quintessence of elegance.
“You’ve officially ruined me when it comes to future travel.” I sipped the bubbly from my flute and relaxed into my oversized executive chair. “I’m also starting to think this is the real reason you came to visit me in Indiana. If I owned something like this, I would live in it.”