"You're going to wear a path into the rug."
William turned around to see Kathryn smirking.
"Shut it. You're the one who encouraged me to meet her."
"What? She's the girl from the French restaurant?"
"Yeah. Remember? You said she was into me. Turns out you were more right than even you knew."
Kathryn smiled. "I know love when I see it. She couldn't take her eyes off you."
"Would you have really given me your laptop if she didn't give me her number?"
"I didn't have to worry about it, because I knew she would. She couldn't even take her eyes off you. She didn't bother trying to hide the fact that she was staring. So, what's her name?"
"Clara."
"That's pretty. She didn't mind waiting for you while you were away?"
William narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice. "I don't want to talk about it now."
Kathryn's eyes widened. She whispered, "Did she go with you?"
"I said I don't want to talk about it. Ears are everywhere. You know that."
She grinned. "Who would have ever guessed? Our perfect William has been hiding a secret." She slapped his shoulder. "Good for you. I'm glad to know you're human, like everyone else."
He glared at her, and then looked out the window again.
"The driver only left a few minutes ago."
"I know, but I want to be the first one to greet her when she arrives."
"What's she like?"
"She's a lot of fun. You'll like her."
"What does she see in you?"
He shoved her playfully, and she laughed.
"Seriously. Even you agreed that night that she was way out of your league."
"Obviously there's more to me than you give me credit for."
"Don't give me that. Girls like her don't give you a second glance. Not that it's a dig. Guys that hot don't look at me, either. It's a fact of life. Is she poor and could tell we had money?"
William shook his head. "Her family has money. I have barely paid for anything for her, except for meals when we go out to eat."
"They didn't care that she went to England with you? Did she get into Cambridge too?"
"She didn't go to school. She spent the days sightseeing when I was in class and studying."
"Is she planning on going to school?"
"She said she was going to wait. She wasn't in any hurry."
Kathryn leaned against the wall. "Is she taking a year off?"
"What's with the questions?"
"It just doesn't make sense."
"Are you jealous or something?"
"Of you? Dream on, brother. I don't want to be the one always trying to impress our parents."
He wrinkled his nose, unable to think of a good comeback.
"Well, I'll just have to question her myself and figure out what's going on."
"Why's it so hard to believe that she just likes me?"
"You're too easy to rile up." She walked over and kissed him on the cheek. "Oh, is that them?"
William spun around and looked out the window, not seeing a car.
She pinched his arm. "Like I said, easy to rile up."
"When she gets here, you be nice to her."
"No worries. I'm hoping for some makeup tips."
Sighing, he looked out the window again. "What's taking them so long?"
"If you hadn't gotten dressed two hours early, you wouldn't be so anxious. You're such a girl, William."
"Shut up."
"This is too easy. I'm going to my room. Let me know when she gets here."
William grumbled under his breath.
"I heard that!" she called, already out of the room.
"No, you didn't!"
Kathryn laughed, and William stared out the window. His sister was right, and he knew it. There were a lot of unanswered questions, and even more with those pictures. He shook his head. Now wasn't the time to go over every detail again.
William heard the car before he saw it. He took a deep breath, not sure why he was so nervous. That was a lie. He knew exactly why he was anxious. His dad would probably grill Clara, making for an extremely uncomfortable night.
He stood back from the window as he watched the car inch toward the garage. The familiar sound of the garage door opening could be heard, and then he went over to the door leading to the garage. As the car pulled into its spot, William walked to the back door, and opened it.
She stepped out of the car, smiling at him.
"Wow," he breathed, looking her over. She was wearing an elegant, classy dress that made her look even more beautiful than he had ever seen her.
Clara wrapped her arms around him, smelling of an exotic perfume.
He took a deep breath. "You smell as good as you look."
"Want a taste?" She winked.
William's heart skipped a beat. "Not here," he whispered.
She touched his nose, causing his heart to speed up. "Of course not, silly. Are you going to bring me in so I can meet your family?"
"Right. Of course." He took her hand and led her inside.
"Mmm. Dinner smells divine."
"It probably is." He squeezed her hand, all too aware of his sweaty palm. How did she seem so relaxed?
As they walked down the hall toward the kitchen, Kathryn stepped out of a door, smiling. She put her hand out. "You must be Clara. I'm Kathryn."
"So nice to meet you." Clara smiled back, and then let go of William's hand and wrapped her arms around Kathryn.
Kathryn gave William a surprised look, but then wrapped her arms around Clara. "What perfume is that? It smells good enough to eat."
"I borrowed it from a friend. I'll have to ask her." Clara stood back. "I adore your leggings."
"You do?" Kathryn looked back and forth between Clara and her own leggings.
Clara nodded.
William took Clara's hand. "Would you like to see if dinner's ready?"
"Sounds good to me."
The three of them went into the dining room and sat down. William held Clara's chair for her.
Kathryn raised an eyebrow. "Such a gentleman." She looked at Clara. "Is he always like this?"
"Always."
William and Kathryn's parents walked in, and Clara stood up and walked up to them, clearly full of confidence. She held out her hand. "I'm Clara. It's so nice to meet you. William has told me so many wonderful things about you."
Kathryn kicked William under the table. She mouthed, "She's a great liar."
A smile escaped, despite his best effort. He kicked his sister back.
They sat down after introducing themselves.
Sally brought out the food, and everyone dug in. William had worried about trying to keep the conversation going, but Clara was holding her own, obviously charming both of his parents. She was right. She was great with parents.
Kathryn gave William a questioning look. He shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't about to interrupt the good conversation they had going. If they liked her that much, his dad would be a lot more likely to let them spend time together without William having to sneak around as he had before. After having lived with her, sneaking around to see her felt ridiculous and childish.
Maybe this would finally be a step toward speaking to his dad on level terms. They were both grown men, after all, even if his dad wasn't ready to accept the fact. He thought that because he was paying for William's education, he was somehow superior.
Listening to Clara speak to them as equals gave him more confidence about standing up to his dad. If she could do it, so could he.
His sister leaned near him. "She sounds like she's used to talking to adults like equals. It's kinda weird, don't you think?"
William shrugged. "Living on campus, everyone is an adult. It's just the way of life."
"Yet Dad still talks to you like you're a kid."
"That's about to change."
"I can't wait to see that."
Their dad cleared his throat. "What are y
ou studying in school?"
William's heart dropped into his stomach. This was it. Clara was going to lose all her standing now.
Clara set her glass down. "I'm taking a break from studying. I've taken some classes, but needed some time to think about what I really want to do. I don't want to waste time or money on classes I don't need."
Will nodded. "That's a wise move. Do you have any ideas?"
She crossed one leg over the other, rubbing William's leg with her foot. She spoke to his parents, but he couldn't focus on what she said. His neck felt hot, and it was creeping up toward his face. How could she do that with his parents right there?
Her foot moved down to the cuff of his pants. She slid her sandal off, and nuzzled her toes under his cuff and ran her foot up his leg, pulling the pants as far as they would go. The heat had moved all the way up his face.
Kathryn gave him a funny look, but he looked away, hoping no one would look under the table. He took a deep breath, and realized his parents were entranced by whatever Clara was saying.
He took another deep breath and focused his thoughts. He was acting like a pre-pubescent middle schooler, not a college-age man who had just spent the school year living with the beautiful woman enchanting his family. He sneaked his hand under the table and put his hand on her silky-smooth leg.
She ran her toes along his leg in response, and he reached his hand as far along her leg as he could reach and still look natural to everyone else. His face and neck were no longer warm, so he went back to eating with his free hand.
Sally came into the room, carrying more food. She looked under the table and looked surprised for a moment. She looked up to William, and he shook his head, begging her not to say anything. She smiled and then raised an eyebrow at him. She placed the food on the table without a word before taking some empty plates and going back into the kitchen.
Before he knew it, the meal was over. He hadn't thought beyond eating. Would Clara stay or would his parents insist that she go? She removed her foot from his leg, and his pant leg fell into place.
His dad stood up, looking at Clara. "Before William left for Cambridge, we used to play games after eating."
"Oh? What kinds of games?"
"Card games and board games, mostly. Do you have a favorite? Would you even like to stay for a game?"
"I'd love to. Why don't you surprise me with the game?"
His mom stood up. "That sounds lovely. I'll set one up."
"Good. I'll show her my study."
William groaned. He didn't want to spend hours listening to his dad rambling on about their long family history of practicing law.
Clara grabbed William's hand and squeezed. "That sounds interesting, Will."
"Follow me."
They followed him to the study. At least William would be with Clara while listening to his dad's diatribe. He could probably say it word for word himself, because he'd heard it that many times over the years. He sat on the couch as Clara and his dad wandered through the study. He watched Clara, studying and admiring her figure. She moved with such grace and ease. He wanted nothing more than to sneak out and spend some alone time with her.
Their little foot game had left him wanting much more.
He moved his gaze up toward her stunning face. He could never get over how beautiful she was. She should be in the movies or walking down a model's runway, not with him. Not that he was going to complain.
She actually looked interested in what his dad was saying. She was nodding, staying engaged with eye contact, and asking questions about their ancestors and their own law practices. After they had made their way around the room, his dad turned to him. "Why don't you get out the picture album, William? She's so interested in all of this. She'll love to see the old photos."
William's heart stopped. He had forgotten about the pictures. Would she notice her lookalike hiding in them? No. That was absurd. His dad had spent his entire life flipping through the pages, and he had never mentioned them. William had never noticed until the night before, and probably wouldn't have if the mystery girl wasn't Clara's twin…looking at his own twin.
"Sure, dad. I bet she'll enjoy it." He grabbed the album off the shelf. When he turned around, they were already sitting on the couch.
He sat next to Clara and handed her the album. "May you enjoy it as much as Dad does."
His dad narrowed his eyes at him, and then turned to the album, opening it to the first page. "This is the list of our lawyer predecessors who practiced law before film was available. There used to be some paintings, but over the years, they were lost."
Clara smiled. "That sounds mysterious."
Will frowned. "I wish it was something to be solved. Most of them were burned in a house fire."
"During the witch hunts?"
William looked up at Clara. How did she know about the witch hunts? He thought over everything his dad had told her, and he hadn't mentioned the witch trials.
Clara smiled. "You told me about them. Remember?"
He looked confused. "Did I?"
"Yeah. Over there by your desk."
Will chuckled. "I suppose you were listening to me better than I was listening to myself."
William wrinkled his forehead. He was sure that his dad hadn't mentioned the witches. For one, he hadn't heard him say anything about it. Secondly, his dad loathed that part of their family history. It was up there with his plantation-owning great-grandparents. His dad had forbidden him and Kathryn from ever speaking of it outside of the family.
Clara nodded. "I was listening to every word you said, Will."
"Aren't you a breath of fresh air?" He went through the list of names, giving Clara a brief history of each. There was a lot more to all of them, but it had taken William years to learn all of it, so there was no way his dad was going to bore Clara with that her first evening in their home.
He leaned forward, watching his dad and girlfriend. He couldn't believe how Clara was eating it up. Was she a closet history buff? She looked like she was actually enjoying herself.
Will flipped the page, turning to the picture of Clara's twin. William kept his attention on Clara. Her eyes widened. She looked as though she were holding her breath. He thought she looked pale, though it was hard to tell since she was always getting those spray tans. She said she didn't like the naturally light complexion that came with being a born blonde.
His dad was rattling off facts about Liam, not even aware that Clara looked like she was going to lose her dinner all over the album.
She appeared to be staring directly at the picture of Liam and his family, not even aware of the hidden girl. What would she think if she saw that? And why did she look so disturbed by the picture of Liam and his family?
Clara stood up. "I'm so sorry, Will. I just remembered that I said I would help Mr. Ferguson with something after dinner. Can I get a rain check on the game and finishing this album?"
Will looked surprised and disappointed. "Are you sure?"
She nodded. "Yes. Mr. Ferguson really needs my help."
"Jack Ferguson?"
"You know him?"
"I've provided services for his company before. He's a good man."
Clara nodded, looking as though she wasn't even paying attention. "I'll tell him you said hi. Again, I'm so sorry." She ran out of the room.
William glared at his dad. "What did you do, Dad? Good job."
"It's not my fault. She was really enjoying herself."
"Until you brought out the album." He folded his arms.
"I told you we shouldn't talk about the witches. They're bad news. No good ever comes when they're even mentioned."
William stood, rolling his eyes.
Chapter 8
CLARA SAT ON the bed, staring at a blank wall. She should have prepared for this. She should have known that seeing a picture of Liam was a possibility. After all, in that family, they were obsessed with family history. They always had been.
Back when she been in love with
Liam, almost two hundred years ago, they had been just as focused on practicing law and memorizing family facts. It was ultimately why Liam had chosen not to marry Clara, why he had chosen Anna. In fact, that was probably what had upset Clara more than seeing Liam's picture. What if William also decided to make the same decision?
She had been looking into Liam's face via her current boyfriend for the last couple of years. Except that Clara knew it wasn't really Liam—her first true love. The one who got away, and she had never been able to get over until she met William. She had all but forgotten about her lost love since she met William.
And now he was hinting at marriage, and on the day she met his family, she was forced to look at Anna's face. The face of a heartless cow who had gloated over Liam choosing her instead of Clara. Although, Clara was able to gloat inwardly, because everyone else called him Liam, and Clara was the only one who ever called Liam William.
Clara also knew the truth: That Liam had actually loved her more than Anna. The reality was that Liam had only chosen a life that he couldn't have with Clara. That was the only thing that wretched Anna held over her—not Liam's love.
Sighing, Clara grabbed a pillow and held it tight. She was shaking, remembering all the events as though they had just happened yesterday. She had watched Liam raise his family from afar until the day he was buried. She never thought she would see Anna's face again. But even the grainy photo was enough to shake her to the core.
Natalie walked into the room and froze mid-step. "What's wrong, Clara?"
Without moving her gaze from the blank wall, Clara said, "I knew it was a bad idea. I just knew it."
"Meeting his parents?"
Clara shook her head. "No. Meeting him."
Natalie sat down. "What do you mean?"
"Did I ever tell you about my first love?"
"I don't think so." Natalie looked up, obviously trying to remember. "No. I'm pretty sure I would remember that story."
"Get comfortable."
Natalie leaned up against the headboard next to Clara. "Spill it."
"My first love was named Liam. Actually, William is his descendant. I met Liam around two hundred years ago." She sighed.
Natalie's mouth gaped open. She stared at Clara. "For real?"
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