Falling for the Wrong Twin (5 page)

With that thought in mind, she whipped out her cell phone and dialed the garage. Five minutes later, her spine crumpled again. She sank down on the stairs as she listened to the mechanic detail the exact reasons why fixing her car might take weeks. Plural. Not a few days, but two weeks as he waited for specialty parts.

“It’s not a specialty car,” she said plaintively. “How can it take--”

“It’s an old car, Miss Lopez. I’ve got calls into all the junkyards, and I’ve found some stuff on the internet. But given the expense of the repair, are you sure you just don’t want to junk it? I mean, it’ll cost you more to fix than the car’s worth. I can hook you up with something better at half the cost.”

She sighed. She knew it was an old car. Probably the last Chevette still on the road. And it was definitely more trouble than it was worth. But it was her
mother’s
car. Hell, there had been a bad time when she and her mother had slept in that car. Junking it would feel like tossing aside all those nights when her mother had tucked her in on the back seat and whispered, “We’ll find a way through, Anna. You and me, we’ll find a way through.”

And they had. Always. Until four years ago when Mama had passed from ovarian cancer. Anna had been left with memories, dilapidated furniture in a rented apartment, and this car.

“See what you can do,” she said to the mechanic. “I’m not ready to give up on the old girl yet.”

The man sighed, clearly thinking she was nuts. Anna didn’t care. She’d already had her fill of arrogant men who thought they knew best. And it wasn’t even nine in the morning yet. Meanwhile, Bethany came around the corner, her expression sympathetic.

“I’m so sorry about that,” she began, but Anna held up her hand.

“Not your fault. But you can help by getting me a cab to another hotel. I just called the garage and it could be weeks before my car is fixed.” So much for her Chicago vacation. At this point, she’d be thrilled if she got home in time to go back to work.

“Um, yeah. There’s a problem with that,” said Beth, her expression getting even more apologetic. “You might have noticed it’s the second coming out there.”

Anna looked out the window and was startled to realize that the storm looked like it was getting worse. She’d fallen asleep to thunder and lightning, but this morning it had looked like it was easing up. Not so anymore.

“What happened?” she asked.

“Global warming is my guess.”

Anna grimaced. “But surely--”

“The roads are out.”

“In all of St. Louis?”

“Nope. Just the ones around us. What isn’t flooded has been hit by downed trees. No one’s going anywhere for a day at least.” She sighed. “I’m so sorry.”

She looked at the woman, then glanced back to the dining room. She could hear the laughter of the kids, the more muted tones of the women, and of course the deep rumble of that exclusionary bastard man. “I can’t stay here.”

“Even if you could get to the local Hampton Inn, it’s booked up.” She handed her a phone number. “That’s their number if you want to call, but I’m pretty sure they’re full.”

“Hell.” Then because she was on vacation, she added a few more choice words that included indictments of Mother Nature’s anatomy. She might have continued longer if a low sexy voice didn’t interrupt her.

“Now there’s a curse you don’t hear every day.”

She glanced up to see the bastard coming down the stairs. Oh wait, not the bastard because that man was still in the dining room. This was the twin, the soccer star. And he was flanked by two teenage boys, one emo-goth, the other looking more Harry Potter geek, but all three were handsome on their own. And if their grins were any indication, all of them appreciated her colorful language.

She felt heat in her cheeks, but fresh from her encounter with the evil twin, she resolved to prove herself normal and capable. So she smiled as she kept with the cruder tone.

“Mother Bitch has made it so only Noah and his ark could leave today. And seeing as how I’m fresh out of big boats--”

“You’re stuck here another day,” said the soccer star. He smiled that mega-watt grin that seduced fans and supermodels alike. Damn, he was pretty, she thought, in his crisp jeans and silk shirt.

“I’m definitely trapped,” she said, feeling better about it every moment the man smiled at her. Though her mind was busy cataloguing all the differences between him and his twin brother. This one had charisma and charm. Definite pluses. But his shoulders were narrower, he walked with a hint of limp, and most significant, there was a deadness in his eyes. Clearly fame was wearing on the guy. And despite all logic, she wasn’t in the least bit attracted to him. Which was unfortunate because it was the mega star twin who was flirting with her.

“I think I’m going to light a candle in thanks to Mother Bitch. I like that you’re stuck here.” Then he glanced at the teens. “What do you think boys? Do we like it when beautiful women are locked inside with us?”

The teen boys both made murmurs of appreciation but it was clear that neither of them knew what to do with girls yet. Close up now, she could see that they were more on the pre-teen side of adolescence.

“Thanks,” she said earnestly. She shouldn’t feel warmed by such easy praise, but after the beating her ego just took with the Evil Twin, she’d take any compliment she could get. “But I doubt that your brother feels the same. He thinks I’m stalking you.”

The man snorted. “Mike gets his knickers in a twist over the stupidest things. You don’t have the look of stalker.”

She leaned back against the stair railing. “There’s a look? I thought the whole problem was that the worst psychos fake normal very well.”

He nodded, pretending to study her closely. She arched her brow, settling into the easy rhythm of casual flirting. This dance she knew very well.

“What’s a give and go? Do you know Bundesliga? How many hat tricks have I had in my career?”

She blinked, then rolled some nonsense off her tongue. “The hat was bundled in the sling that I bought at the Kwik-Go mart and…” Her words faltered as she tried to fit in the word “give” somehow.

The goth-boy snorted. “Not a fan.”

She shrugged. “Sorry. If it helps, I know what a bicycle kick is.”

Harry Potter boy sighed dramatically. “Everyone knows that. You can’t look at a futball poster without seeing someone upside down kicking a goal.”

She noted that the kid used the European word for soccer—futball—and couldn’t help laughing at his deliberately snobbish accent. Meanwhile, the superstar extended his hand.

“Hi, I’m Rick Smithson and my brother’s an ass. But my cousins here–Joey and James--are very pleased that you’ve joined our little party. I’m teaching them how to flirt with girls, so be warned. I’m going to have them practice their moves on you.”

She grabbed his hand and shook, feeling the strength in his grip but not the callouses she remembered from her dream. Because, she belatedly realized, she’d been dreaming about Mike. Wow, did she know how to pick ‘em or what?

“Hello Rick, Joey, and James. I’m very pleased to meet all of you.” And she was. Her battered ego felt much restored. “Enjoy your breakfast. I’ve already got mine--” She hoisted her boxed meal. “And I think I should hide out in my room right now. This is your family reunion, and I’m just a stranger caught in a storm.”

“The very best kind,” returned Rick. Then his expression sobered. “Look, hide if you want, but really there’s no sense in locking yourself away. It’s not like my boys can practice flirting with their grandmother or Aunt Dee.” All three males shuddered in unison. “And frankly, with my sister sleeping, we could use the extra hands with the munchkins.”

Right on cue, a little girl screech split the air. It came from the dining room, but it made everyone wince. Whatever was happening in the dining room did not meet with the toddler’s approval.

Goth-boy wrinkled his nose. “Is he going to do that all week?”

“It’s what toddlers do,” returned Rick.

Quick as a wink, Harry Potter boy grabbed Anna’s boxed breakfast. “I’m going to eat in my room.” Then he bounded up the stairs before Anna could say a word.

“James!” called Rick, but the other boy stopped him.

“Don’t bother. He’s got a new book he’s reading. Been looking for an excuse to hide away with it.”

Rick shot a final annoyed look up the stairs, then turned to the remaining twin. “What about you? No book you want to delve into?”

The kid winked. “Nah. I’m more about magazines right now.”

“I’ll bet,” Rick said with a grin. Anna couldn’t help but laugh. The camaraderie between the two was something she envied. It was…well, it was family and it was beautiful. And that meant she needed to go upstairs.

“Thanks for the invite--”

“Not a chance!” Rick said as he snagged her arm as another loud shriek came from the dining room. “We’re not facing that alone.”

“You’re not alone,” she said quietly. “You’ve got a whole family there to help.”

Rick’s expression turned serious and his voice dropped to a lower, quieter tone. “Look, I know something about being stuck on the road. I say again, my brother’s an ass. And since my cousin stole your breakfast, the least I can do is buy you another.”

She snorted. “It’s a B&B, breakfast is included for free.”

“Ah, you’re smart too. Definitely not a stalker fan girl.” Then he tugged her toward the dining room. “Come on.”

She could have resisted. She could have dug in her heels and insisted she hide out in her room, but to what end? So she could go crazy staring at sheets of rain that were ruining her vacation? Besides, she thought with a secret grin, she was looking forward to showing up the Evil Twin. After all, she’d just nabbed the object of her so-called fanatical lust. And he was
insisting
that she join him.

“Okay,” she said with a shrug. “But you’ve got to tell your brother that I tried to refuse.”

“Not a problem. You have no idea how much joy I get from defying my brother.”

She arched a brow. “Was he the responsible twin, you the…” She glanced at the emo-goth boy beside them. “The rebel?”

“Without a cause. Yup. Until I found soccer, that is. And women.”

“Somehow, I get the feeling that the women found you.”

“And right there is the source of our brotherly discontent. Athleticism, charm, and girls--they all came easily to me.”

She cocked her head as she thought about his brother. “You think he’s jealous?” Hard not to be with a pro-athlete for a brother, but jealousy didn’t fit with what little she’d seen of the Evil Twin. Insanely-protective-with-a-stick-up-his-ass was more like it.

It was the boy who answered, his words punctuated with a snort. “I think he needs to get laid.”

“Don’t we all,” said Rick with a sigh.

Anna didn’t speak, but in her heart she echoed the sentiment. After all, it had been over a year since her last boyfriend and the nights were getting really, really long.

“Is the flirting done?” asked the boy. “Can we go eat now?”

This time she joined in the laughter and they headed back into the dining room. A moment later, all three of them stopped dead in dumbfounded amazement as their laughter faded into stupefied silence.

Well, if she wanted to show up the Evil Twin, she was obviously going to have to wait her turn.

Chapter 4

Mike was at his wit’s end. He had eggy bits in his hairs, ground into his shirt, and smeared into his pants. He also had a two year old Henry in toddler melt-down. He was screaming, twisting like a demon in his high chair, and streaming tears as if Mike had just ripped apart his favorite teddy bear. And all he’d done was take away a mashed grape that he’d been smearing across her tray.

What the hell?

He looked to his mother and Aunt Tilde for help. They had their heads together over an iPad as they read Ms. Lopez’s blog.

“Look at that picture of Oprah. Doesn’t she look young?”

No help there. He tried again to approach Henry but that just sent him into increased spasms. Thank God he was restrained in that high chair or he’d topple for sure. Desperate, he looked to the child’s sister. Lord, he was hoping a five year old could help.

The girl was watching her brother, her eyes wide and her lower lip quivering. Red alert! Red alert! The child was seconds away from joining her brother. And she wasn’t restrained in her chair.

“Hey Darla,” Rick said, doing his best to keep the panic from his voice. “Does Henry do this a lot?”

The girl looked up, then slowly nodded.

“Um, so what does your mother do?”

The child frowned in concentration. At least her lip wasn’t quivering anymore. “She usually screams back.”

“Oh. Does it help?”

“No.”

Shit. “Uh, Mom, could you--”

“There you are, Anna!” his mother said as she looked past Rick’s shoulder. “Did you really meet Alan Alda? Is this him?”

He spun around, finally facing a threat he could manage. It was Ms. Lopez, her clutches firmly wrapped around his gullible brother.

“I thought I’d made myself clear--”

Her gaze was trained on his niece, her mouth pursed in a rather sexy pout. Meanwhile, his brother and young goth cousin were struggling between laughter and horror.

“You do have a way with women, don’t you?” his brother drawled.

Meanwhile, Anna came forward and neatly snagged a blueberry muffin, which she stripped of paper before holding out directly in front of his nephew. It was an indication of his desperation that he’d let her close to the child, but he didn’t sense any immediate threat. At least not from her. Henry was liable to attack with the last of his scrambled eggs.

Anna squatted down until she was eye to eye with the toddler. Then she just sat there. And sat there, waiting with more patience than he could muster. Her expression was steady, her body calm. Henry reacted just as he expected with more screaming and more contortions reminiscent of demon possession. He was about to step in when a miracle happened.

Henry quieted. With a sudden hiccup, he gasped his last wail and stared right back at the interloper. Then Anna smiled as she brought the muffin into view. Mike’s gaze was drawn to her lush mouth, the pull of wet lips and a glimpse of even white teeth. Henry’s gaze, on the other hand, went for the muffin. A moment later, the toddler reached forward, took the pastry from the woman’s hand, and happily set about munching as if nothing had happened to upset him.