by Gina Wilkins
“Okay.” He took a sip of his iced tea, and she had a sneaking suspicion that he was trying not to grin. “Why don’t you finish telling me about this ‘hinky’ guy, and then I’ll talk?”
She didn’t know what it was about her that made people not take her seriously. Just because she was energetic and enthusiastic, quick to show her feelings, a little too prone to jump to conclusions, everyone seemed to think they should just brush off her suggestions and ideas. But Andrew had listened to her last year when she insisted her cousin Hannah’s ex-husband had been stealthily stealing from the family business, and that he had then falsified legal claims against them that could have put the resort in serious financial straits had he won. She had even helped Andrew come up with a plan to prove her suspicions, though she had suggested perhaps a half-dozen schemes before she’d stumbled onto one he’d approved. She hoped he would be inclined to listen to her again now.
“So, this guy—he says his name is Terrence Landon, but he doesn’t really look like a Terrence, you know? Anyway, he’s been at the resort for about two weeks. He pays in cash. Says he’s on an extended vacation from a high-stress marketing job in Austin that almost put him in the hospital with high blood pressure and ulcers. Every other day or so, he has men join him—associates, he calls them—for fishing and business talks. They always bring stuff in boxes and cases, and they never seem to leave with the same stuff they brought. And either they’re the world’s worst fishermen or they just don’t try very hard, but they hardly ever bring in a good catch.”
“And you think he’s—what? Dealing drugs? Weapons?”
She narrowed her eyes on his face, but he didn’t seem to be mocking her. It sounded like a legitimate question.
“Maybe,” she said cautiously. “Or maybe he’s just baking brownies for their kids. Who knows? Dad and Steven both say I’m misinterpreting things and Dad told me to stay away from the guy before I run off a good-paying customer with my ‘crazy imagination,’ to quote him. Maggie thinks I got a little too enthusiastic about all the private investigating last summer and I’m looking for a way to relive that excitement. As if I’d want to relive that horrible time,” she added indignantly. “Poor Hannah still hasn’t gotten over the stress and humiliation, which is probably how she ended up...”
She swallowed and shook her head, deciding to focus on one mystery at a time. “Anyway, I’m willing to concede that there’s nothing at all suspicious going on with Terrence Landon, but since you’re going to be with us for a few days, and since you’re trained to look for things like that, maybe if you just happen to bump into him while you’re here? Talk with him for a couple minutes or sort of discreetly observe one of his meetings with his associates? Then you can tell me if I’m seeing things that aren’t there, or if there really is any reason for me to worry about him staying at the resort.”
He had set down his paper cup of iced tea and laced his fingers on the table, looking at her more seriously now.
She swallowed hard in response to his expression. “I’m sorry, was I out of line asking? I know you said you’re here for a vacation, and I certainly didn’t mean to ruin it for you before you’ve even unpacked your car. Forget I asked, okay? It’s probably nothing. I’ll keep an eye on the guy just in case, but you should just relax and have a good time.”
He was shaking his head before she finished apologizing. “It isn’t that, Shelby. What you asked sounded perfectly reasonable—if I was who you think I am.”
She felt a quick jolt of pleasure at having her concerns called reasonable, something she’d yet to hear from her family—but then the rest of his words sank in. “I don’t understand.”
“You see, the thing is, you’ve made a mistake. I’m not Andrew Walker.”
Chapter Two
Aaron’s head was spinning a little—both from confusion at trying to follow Shelby’s convoluted request and from a growing fascination with her. He liked the way she looked, but he was even more intrigued by the way her mind worked. She was different from the women he’d spent time with lately—and that was a good thing.
He had been almost tempted to allow Shelby to continue believing he was Andrew, just to see how long he could get away with it. It wouldn’t be the first time he and his brother had switched places for one reason or another, though it had been years since they’d pulled such a stunt. But then he’d realized he wanted those generous smiles of hers aimed at him, not Andrew, and he’d known it was time to tell her the truth.
“I’m Aaron,” he said gently. “Andrew’s brother.”
She blinked rapidly, her long lashes sweeping her pinkening cheeks. “Twins?”
“Identical,” he said, though she’d probably already figured that out. “Though we’re told it doesn’t run in families, our dad is an identical twin, too. Coincidence, I suppose, but here we are.”
“Wow.” Her face had turned as cherry-red as her icy drink. “It never even occurred to me—”
“I take it Andrew didn’t mention he has a twin?”
She shook her head slowly. “No, but then he didn’t talk about himself that much. He was here on a job, after all, though we all got very friendly with him. You’re Aaron?”
He nodded, familiar with the reaction of new acquaintances shocked by how much he and Andrew looked alike. If it wasn’t for their different hair and clothing styles—he favored a more casual and colorful look than his brother—few people outside their family would be able to tell them apart.
She covered her cheeks with her hands. “Oh, my gosh. You must have thought I was crazy when I threw my arms around you out there.”
He chuckled. “Actually, I thought I’d just gotten very lucky.”
She didn’t even seem to catch the joke. She was still shaking her head and looking embarrassed. “And I didn’t give you a chance to correct me, did I?”
“Well, no, you—”
“I just kept talking and talking and then I practically dragged you in here to hit you up for a favor.”
“Shelby, it’s—”
“My family is right. I do get carried away,” she muttered in self-recrimination. “I really do need to—”
“Shelby.” This time it was he who interrupted, reaching across the table to catch her hands in his just to make sure he had her attention. “My turn to talk, remember?”
She nodded, her slender throat working with the words she must be swallowing.
He squeezed her fingers, then rather reluctantly released her. “I don’t think you’re crazy. You certainly aren’t the first person to mistake me for my brother and you won’t be the last. And you didn’t have to drag me in here. I’m pleased to have met you.”
Her bright blue eyes widened, her humor returning as her blush faded. “Oh, my gosh, we haven’t actually met, have we? I’m Shelby. Shelby Bell. It’s very nice to meet you, Aaron.”
“Bell as in Bell Resort and Marina?”
She nodded. “My paternal great-grandfather built a little bait shop on the river back in the early 1940s. They owned some land on what would become the banks of Lake Livingston when the river was dammed to form a reservoir in the late sixties. My grandfather started Bell Resort with a small marina, bait shop and a few campsites in 1970, and now it’s a family-run business. My grandparents have two sons—my dad, Carl Jr., and my uncle, Bryan. Both sons and their wives work in the resort. My brother, Steven, and I have jobs there, along with our cousins, Hannah and Maggie. My youngest sister, Lori, is still in college. She hasn’t decided yet if she’s going into the family resort or if she wants to do something else. Our parents and grandparents always say they want the kids to follow their own dreams, do whatever they want, but there’s still a lot of pressure to stick with the family and keep the resort running. I think poor Steven feels that obligation the most.”
Aaron couldn’t help wincing a little. �
��I’m familiar with family pressure.”
“Oh, right. The D’Alessandro-Walker Agency. That’s how we met Andrew, of course. My cousin’s evil ex-husband, Wade Cavender, had been embezzling from the resort for a couple years, and then the bastard had the nerve to try to sue us for a ton of settlement money he wasn’t due—extortion, really—and Andrew helped us find proof it was all a scam. He turned over evidence of the embezzlement to the police, which is why Wade is currently in jail, which is exactly where he deserves to be. His sentence wasn’t nearly long enough, but I don’t think he’ll mess with us again when he gets out.”
She’d given him a lot of information to process at once. “Um—”
She shook her head quickly. “But maybe you know all that, since I’m sure the case is on file at the D’Alessandro-Walker Agency. It’s a family-run business, too, right?”
Since she’d given him the history of her family business, he figured he owed her the same. “The agency was founded by my uncle Tony D’Alessandro, who took on my dad and his twin as partners in the business before I was even born. Several of my cousins, as well as my brother, work for the agency.”
Her brows drew downward in what might have been a slight frown of disappointment. “You’re not an investigator?”
Now was the time when he should tell her that not only was he not a dashing P.I. like the twin she and her family seemed to idolize, but he was currently unemployed. Again. He cleared his throat. “Like you, I grew up in the family business.”
It wasn’t exactly a lie. He’d worked in the offices of Dee-Dub, as the agency was familiarly known within the family, during his teen years, breaking away after high school to pursue his own goals. It just happened that none of his experiments had led yet to a career in which he wanted to spend the foreseeable future. He knew it wasn’t the investigation and security field.
Shelby’s face lit up again and he was selfishly glad he’d prevaricated. “So maybe while you’re staying with us, you could still take a look at Terrence Landon?” she asked hopefully. “You know, just to sort of get an impression of whether he’s as shady as I think he is?”
He couldn’t stand to see disappointment on her face a second time, especially when he knew what Andrew would do in his shoes. “I’m not promising anything, but I guess I could take a discreet look at the guy while I’m here. That doesn’t mean I’ll agree with your suspicions. Or that I’ll even see enough to form a proper opinion of my own.”
She waved off his warnings with one hand. “Of course,” she said. “Maybe there’s nothing to it at all. But I’d feel better if at least someone took me seriously enough to just get a good look at the guy.”
Aaron leaned back in his plastic chair and studied her thoughtfully. If he was reading her correctly, this was something else they seemed to have in common. Being the family oddballs, the ones over whom all the others shook their heads and clucked their tongues. Even as he wondered what he was getting himself into, he shrugged. “Sure. I’ll check him out.”
This time she was the one who reached across the table. She caught both his hands in hers and squeezed. “Thank you, Aaron.”
Oh, man. He could be in big trouble, he thought with a hard swallow. Something told him Andrew was not going to like this at all. As for Shelby—would she still look at him with such glowing eyes when she found out that he’d just promised something he was in no way qualified to deliver?
And speaking of his brother, just how had Shelby gazed at him?
“Um, you and Andrew...”
She seemed to follow his line of thought easily enough. She laughed again, and every cell in his body responded to the sound. “Me and Andrew? No way. I liked him, of course—the whole family liked him. But as for the two of us—just no sparks, you know?”
Watching her gather their empty cups to toss into the waste can, Aaron wondered if she would say the same thing about him in a few days. As for himself, sparks were already flying. He hoped his impulsiveness didn’t get him burned but good this time.
* * *
After extracting a promise from Aaron that he would say nothing about her request of him, Shelby drove away from the station, where she’d come to get away from the resort for a little while. Whenever she needed a break from family and chores, she headed to town for a cherry freeze. She’d never expected to be followed home this time by Andrew Walker’s identical twin brother.
Every time she thought of the way she’d thrown herself at him, she felt her face warm again. And not only from embarrassment. Remembering how his arms had gone obligingly around her, drawing her against that very fine, fit body, she felt a wave of heat climb from somewhere deep inside her all the way to her cheeks. Funny, she’d hugged Andrew when he’d left last year, standing in line with the rest of the family to do so, but she didn’t remember having a reaction anything like this! Was it because there had been so many other people around? Because she had considered herself in a relationship with Pete then, tenuous as it had been? Or because there was some fundamental difference between Aaron and Andrew other than the way they wore their hair?
She couldn’t wait to see how the rest of the family reacted to meeting him.
Turning off the two-lane highway onto the resort’s entrance road, she drove the short distance to the gate booth. The family employed teenagers and senior citizens in part-time positions at the booth. Overnight guests of the resort were issued passes to allow them entrance, but day users of the boat launch, picnic or swimming areas were charged five dollars’ admission per vehicle.
She spoke through her open car window to the seventysomething man currently working the booth. “The man in the car behind me is a guest, Mac. Wave him on through, okay?”
“Will do, Shelby.”
The paved road forked just beyond the gate. Staying straight led to the campground—forty RV and camper sites with concrete pads and electric and water hookups, and a central unpaved area for more basic tent-camping enthusiasts. Half of the RV slots were waterfront sites, while the others were shaded by trees, within view and easy walking distance of the lake. Shelby turned right, driving past the boat-and-trailer parking lot toward the large L-shaped building that housed the offices, marina, a diner and a convenience store offering food and camping and fishing supplies. Behind the boat-trailer parking lot was a grassy compound holding a large pavilion, charcoal grills, tennis and basketball courts, and a children’s playground. The pavilion was often rented out for family and high school reunions, corporate and church functions, and birthday parties. Even a few weddings had taken place there.
The marina lay straight ahead of her, with the boat dock, gas pump, lighted fishing pier and fish-cleaning station directly behind it. To the right of the marina was a large, sparkling swimming pool next to a two-story, sixteen-unit waterfront motel. Across the parking lot from the motel were three of the eight rustic cabins in the resort.
The road made a left turn in front of the marina, leading to the boat launch, a swimming area with a sandy beach, day-use grounds with picnic tables and a volleyball court, five waterfront cabins and the campgrounds. Public restrooms and shower facilities were strategically located in the resort for use by swimmers and campers who didn’t have their own camper lavatories.
Following the circular road back around toward the gate, guests would pass a turn-off marked with a sign that read Private Drive. That narrow road led to three brick houses occupied by Shelby’s parents, grandparents, and aunt and uncle. Her grandparents’ house sat in the center, flanked on either side by the houses built by their sons. Shelby had lived in her parents’ house from birth until she graduated from college four years ago, spending her entire life within the resort compound.
Near the three houses, a small, nicely landscaped compound held four tidy single-wide mobile homes. One of those mobile homes was Shelby’s. The other three belonged to her brother, her cousin M
aggie and her cousin Hannah.
Hannah’s home was the newest. She’d had it moved in after her divorce sixteen months ago. She and her husband—“the evil ex,” as he was known in the family—had both worked for the resort...well, Hannah had worked, and Wade pretended to be useful while secretly embezzling and scheming to get his hands on even more of the family’s hard-earned profits. During their two-and-a-half-year marriage, Hannah and Wade lived in town and drove to the resort every day, but after the split, Hannah had needed the comfort of family around her. Not to mention that the divorce had cost her nearly everything she’d earned and saved, so moving back had been a financial benefit, too. Like the others, hers was a two-bedroom mobile home, which would come in handy soon.
Shelby didn’t bother driving around to her place, but parked in front of the office, motioning for Aaron to pull in beside her.
“Let’s get you set up for your stay,” she said when they’d both emerged from their vehicles. “Would you rather have a motel room or a cabin? Because it’s a weekday, we have several motel rooms available—probably one with a balcony looking out over the lake. Each room has a minifridge, flat-screen TV, cable and Wi-Fi, but no cooking facilities. I know one of the cabins across from the motel is unoccupied at the moment, but if you want a cabin, you’d probably rather have one on the water. I think there’s a one-bed cabin there you could use. All the cabins have TV, cable, Wi-Fi and a full kitchenette. We provide linens and kitchenware, but guests supply their own food.”
As she spoke Aaron studied the nearby pool in which several younger kids splashed noisily under the supervision of sunbathing parents, then turned in a circle to take in as much of the rest of the resort and lake as he could see from their vantage point. “That cabin on the water sounds good, if it’s available,” he said, proving he’d been listening while he looked. “I can go back into town for supplies after I unpack.”