My sister smiled and, for the first time in a while, there was hope in her eyes. It was quickly dashed when the baby monitor made sounds of Shelby calling for Chloe, who she called Cla.
My sister sighed and glanced down at the mess of the kitchen. “It’s like she knows we’re busy and that’s when she decides to wake from her nap.”
“If she inherited anything from our side of the family, it’s definitely bad timing,” I said as I reached over and gave my sister a side hug.
THREE
Bea
“The way you’re looking at that guy, I wonder if Carter should be jealous,” I said, turning in the direction of my sister’s stare.
She licked her lips and moaned.
I was only joking, but now she had me worried. When it came to men, I never had contemplated a serious relationship. Olivia got the romantic-lovey-dovey genes. As my twin, we shared the womb and an unusual sixth sense. I always knew when she was in trouble and she could sense when I was about to get my period.
Like I said . . . unusual.
But when Olivia met her mountain man, who also happened to be a sheep farmer, last year while running away from her wedding, I knew it was meant to be. I liked Carter, even if he didn’t care much for me.
But Olivia would never cheat on Carter. Or was I wrong?
“We have an open relationship with these things.”
My mouth fell open. She was sounding more like me. Did the mountain air mess with her brain?
I reached over the red, chipped diner table and grasped my sister’s arm. She wore an ill-fitted navy sweater, and I fought the urge to pick off the pills that had formed.
“Is something wrong in sheep paradise? Why would you lust after . . .” I turned, and my eyes swept over the guy’s body, “some middle-aged guy with a beer gut and a trucker hat that says Pretty is as Pretty does?”
She tore her hazel eyes off the guy in question and pushed her blond bangs aside.
Bangs, another change that had me worried.
“What? No, not the guy. What’s on his plate.”
That’s when I noticed the bacon. Lots of it. It was a mountain of bacon.
“Don’t you get enough of that stuff? I would have thought you figured out a way to inject it into your veins by now.”
Her bottom lip wobbled. Something was wrong with Olivia. That wasn’t like her—overly emotional and staring at bacon as if she contemplated putting it into a blender and creating a bacon milkshake.
My sister was sweet, at times naïve, but she wasn’t the type to cry at any moment.
“Olivia, is everything okay? Does, uh,” I looked around and leaned closer, “is Carter cheating on you with the . . . um, sheep? You can tell me.”
She yanked her arm back and snorted. “No. Why does everyone think sheep farmers have sex with their sheep?”
I shrugged. “Because it’s funny and disturbing and that’s mostly what people think about on average. I heard a podcast about weird things that pop into people’s heads. You’d be surprised how often animal sex popped up.”
She covered her mouth. “I’m going to be sick.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, like you’ve never thought about it before.”
“No, I mean, I might actually be sick.”
She got up and ran toward the back of Fire and Ice Diner. I came up to Maine to visit my sister this morning. She was happy to see me and took the morning off at the veterinarian’s office where she worked and decided to take me out to eat.
I was happy to see my sister, but the real reason I was here was for business. As I lifted the cup of hot caffeinated goodness to my lips, they curled at what awaited my taste buds.
The coffee in this diner was the best I had ever tasted. Being raised by wealthy parents who considered it proper parenting to spoil their children, I had visited many places around the world that boasted of their coffee greatness—Italy, Morocco, Peru . . .
But nothing compared to the coffee I currently sipped and wondered if it was the same stuff they drank up in Heaven because that’s where my mouth was right now.
“Ready for more than just coffee?” the waitress with short gray curls asked as she seemed to appear out of nowhere.
Maybe she had been there the whole time, but the coffee had created an epic orgasm in my mouth, and I hadn’t noticed her.
“This is all I need.”
“You’re Olivia’s sister, right?”
“Yes.” I reluctantly put down my cup and smiled up at the woman. “It’s Debbie, right? We met about a year ago.”
“That’s right. I’m surprised you remember my name. It’s been so long.”
“I never forget names. I’m Bea, by the way.”
She nodded. “Right. Now I remember. You’re Olivia’s twin. Despite you having dark hair, you two look so much alike.”
I smiled. I didn’t think I looked anything like my sister. She had paler skin and more of a chest. What I saw wasn’t what everyone else saw.
Like our personalities. Olivia was the sweet one, the good girl. I was the opposite. My mother even joked that my first word was no.
Debbie leaned in. “If it’s none of my business, just let me know, but is there something wrong with your sister? She’s been different the last couple of weeks.”
“She has been a little more emotional today, but other than that, I don’t know. She hasn’t said anything. Why?”
Was there something Olivia wasn’t telling me?
“She hasn’t ordered bacon in three weeks,” Debbie said as if she just told me she saw Hitler casually stroll down the street, kicking stray cats along his path.
“But I don’t understand. She was drooling over that guy’s bacon a few minutes ago just before she got sick . . .”
The realization of my sister’s sudden change hit me. We both gazed at each other with wide eyes.
“She’s pregnant,” Debbie whispered while I blurted out, “She’s going through the change.”
“What? How old is Olivia?” Debbie asked.
I nodded. “Your answer makes much more sense. She’s only twenty-nine. I’ve been hanging out with my mom too much.”
Debbie lowered her hand to my shoulder with concern on her face. “Are you okay?”
“Just tired and a bit distracted.”
“Okay. Well, if there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.” She turned, and then I remembered why I came up here to begin with.
“Actually, Debbie, I could use your help with something.”
She looked back. “Okay. What do you need?”
I lifted the cup. “The coffee. I’ve been told it’s from a local company. Can you tell me where?”
Her face froze. If it wasn’t for the rising and falling of her chest, I would’ve thought my question killed her.
“Why would you need that information?” Her jaw seemed to tighten the more she spoke.
“It’s some business I have with them. I only need an address or a phone number. At the very least, an email. But, it’s rather urgent, so I’d prefer the phone number or address.”
The bell rang above the diner door, and we both turned our heads. A pretty woman in a puffy, navy coat and a beautifully styled messy bun of light brown hair, pushed a cart of large red bags into the diner.
“Oh no,” Debbie said through gritted teeth. Her eyes swiveled back and forth between me and the woman.
The woman waved at Debbie after taking off her knitted, brown mittens. “Debbie, hey. I got your order of coff—”
“Coffs, uh, coffers. Yes!” Debbie yelled as she pointed to the ceiling.
What the hell were coffers? Must be diner lingo.
The woman’s blue eyes narrowed. As she started to open her mouth, Debbie ran over and yelled even louder than before.
“Oh, Chloe, it’s been so long. Please, come over to the cash register and away from the customers. You know, so we do not disturb them as they eat.”
At this point, everyone in the diner had turn
ed to stare at Debbie. Too late for that, Deb.
I watched as Debbie dragged the confused Chloe by the arm, leaving the cart in the middle of the diner, toward the register. They both huddled together, whispering. Every so often, Debbie would point in my direction, and Chloe would glance over her shoulder at me.
Just as I got up to go inspect what was in those red bags, as I suspected they weren’t coffers—whatever coffers were—my sister reappeared from the back and dragged her feet to the table.
“What happened?” I asked as I sat back down.
She didn’t look well. “If you haven’t guessed by now, I’m pregnant,” she said in between gasps of air. I guess pregnancy made you short of breath too or minimal exercise was exhausting. Because Olivia was breathing like she had run here from Carter’s farm.
My eyes slid toward Debbie, where she was eyeing me, as was Chloe. “Yes, I did,” I lied.
It’s best not to tell a pregnant woman that her twin sister thought she was going through menopause. I had learned the hard way that pregnant women and non-pregnant women don’t like being told their old. Not that I would say my sister was old since we’re the same age. But I had used the word aged once when describing a former friend’s complexion. Yeah, she doesn’t speak to me anymore.
I reached over and grasped her clammy hand. “Congratulations! How’s Carter taking it?”
My sister’s face froze. What was with this place? Was there a face freezing disease being spread in the water?
“You told him, right?”
She bit her bottom lip. “Not yet.”
I shook my head, confused as to why my sister would keep this from the man she loved.
“Are you planning a surprise party for him? Because from what I know about Carter, which isn’t much, but what I do know is he would hate that. He’s not really a people person.”
Olivia frowned and turned her attention out the window to the people walking on the sidewalk.
“That’s why I haven’t told him.”
“Because he might have to interact with people at your party? That doesn’t make sense, Olivia. Just don’t throw the party.”
She shook her head, causing her blond hair to flutter around.
“I’m not throwing him a party. He barely survived visiting Mom and Dad last year at Dad’s ‘coming home from the hospital’ party. There’s no way I’d throw him a surprise party.”
A lot of us barely got out of that party alive.
“Then why won’t you tell him?”
“Because he may not want it. It took him months to accept me in his life.” She frowned and clasped my hand. “What about a baby? He’s all about taking care of himself on his own and pulling his own weight. Doing chores and all that. A baby has to be taken care of. What if he hates the idea of taking care of another person?”
She had a point. Carter was the definition of a hermit.
“I’m sure he’ll be happy that he’ll have a mini-worker in the cabin. In a few years, the kid can help with the farm. I’m sure he’d love that.”
Olivia didn’t look convinced as she said, “I guess.”
I glanced back to the register in time to find Chloe standing at our booth.
“What the hell—” I threw my head back in surprise.
“Sorry,” she said. “You two were deep in conversation, and I didn’t want to interrupt.”
My sister looked up at Chloe and smiled. “I’ve seen you around. I’m Olivia. I work at the veterinarian’s office.”
Chloe reached over and shook my sister’s hand.
“And I’m Bea, Olivia’s sister.”
She shook my hand and said, “I’m Chloe. I heard from Debbie that you’re interested in Fire Lake Coffee? My brother and I own the company.” She gave a small chuckle and awkwardly removed her hand from mine. “It’s more of an old barn turned coffee roaster than a company, but he takes pride in his beans.”
What a wonderful surprise. That must mean the red bags were filled with coffee.
“I was wondering why Debbie was acting strange, but then again, I’m not from around here. She may act like that all the time.”
Chloe seemed more uncomfortable than before my Debbie observation. If I wanted her coffee to bring to The Blue Spot, the exclusive resort for billionaires that my brother told me about yesterday, then I had to lay on the charm.
“I’m sorry, that was out of line. I didn’t mean strange. I meant, uh . . .” I glanced over at Olivia, silently begging her to help me out. Twins could communicate without words. It’s a fact.
“Ridiculous. My sister meant ridiculous,” Olivia added with a smile.
I frowned. I loved my sister, but she had trouble reading a room. Or, in this case, reading the woman standing right next to her.
Chloe shook her head. “No apology necessary. Debbie was just worried about my brother. He’s very particular on whom he does business with. She wanted to talk to me first about your inquiry before you did.”
A challenge. The reward was always sweeter if it was more difficult to procure. I sat up in my booth seat and slid over, patting the spot next to me.
“Please, Chloe, have a seat. I’ve dealt with particular people in the past, and there hasn’t been a client that wasn’t happy with how I helped them when it was all done.”
“Except for Carter . . . He’s still wary of you,” my sister said in her usual, unhelpful way.
“But he’s warmed up to me,” I said with an even wider smile while glaring at Olivia.
“Actually, he’s—”
“Enough about a reclusive sheep farmer. Let’s discuss how I can help Chloe and her brother sell their coffee to a bunch of billionaires who will pay an obscene amount of money for it.”
Chloe’s eyes widened as Olivia shut her mouth rather quickly.
That’s the power of the word billionaire. People pay attention when that word is thrown around.
FOUR
Mica
I sat in the truck and gazed in the rearview mirror at Shelby as she played with her stuffed tiger. She smiled, her eyes widened, and within moments, her arms and legs outstretched in excitement.
“Doctors are the worst, Shelby. It’s never too early to learn that.”
A few pieces of paper were in my hand—one was a prescription for physical therapy, and the other, a referral for a neurologist.
Chloe was right. Shelby should be walking.
I threw open the red truck door and hopped out, shoving the papers into my jeans pocket. Pushing the front seat back, I unbuckled Shelby from her car seat and lifted her out.
I held her a little tighter as I made my way to the front door. Shame filled my heart. I was a bad guardian to this little girl. She needed help, and I was ready to ignore it all because I didn’t trust anyone from outside the family.
I still didn’t trust anyone, but it was obvious when I sat in the waiting room at the doctor’s office that something was different with her. There were children younger than Shelby easily walking around and lifting books. Shelby couldn’t even lift a spoon.
I heard voices right before I opened the door. Stopping, I leaned closer as a female voice I didn’t recognize said something about being homey. Had someone broken in?
It could be possible since I hadn’t fixed the kitchen door yet. Looking around, I placed Shelby on the porch off to the side, and far enough from the steps for her to reach. I winced as I gently pulled back the screen door and heard a few squeaks.
I stood still to wait for action on the other side of the door, but there was none. I reached for the door handle, but before I could turn the knob, I was pulled inside when the door swung open.
My feet tripped and I almost fell, but I righted myself just in time to gaze upon a woman with wide, golden eyes with a splash of green and silky black hair that dusted the tops of her shoulders.
She was too beautiful to be a burglar. But that was ridiculous. A person’s attractiveness had nothing to do with whether they chose a life of crime
or not.
I narrowed my eyes and pointed to the open door. “I suggest you leave before I call the sheriff.”
The woman, who also smelled like wildflowers and honey, laughed. “I heard the sheriff’s a hottie. I wouldn’t mind meeting him.”
Why wasn’t she running out the door or holding a gun or any number of things criminals did in this type of situation?
I took a step closer until her chest brushed up against my stomach. My cock twitched, and I cleared my throat to distract myself from how nice her tits felt against me.
“I’m serious.”
Her eyes, which were focused on my chest, slowly moved until she was staring up into my eyes. I didn’t like how she was looking at me as if this was all part of her plan. That she wanted me to touch her.
What I hated even more? That I wanted to do a lot more than just stand in front of her. A lot more with my hands on her body.
“I can tell.”
“Mica, I see you’ve met Bea Love.”
The sound of my sister’s voice was the icy bath I needed to step back. It was more of a shocked hop where I tripped once again. But this time, I fell.
“Mica! Are you okay?”
Chloe put down a wooden tray filled with Mom’s old teapot and some chipped teacups and a plate of Oreo cookies. She rushed to my side and I waved her hand away, humiliated enough by my behavior over the past few minutes.
“I got it. No need to baby me,” I grumbled and then remembered. “Shelby!” I jumped up and ran back out on the porch where she sat chewing on her tiger.
My shoulders sagged as I let out a breath.
“Right where I left you.” I reached down and scooped her up.
Once we were back inside the house, I closed the door and placed her on the floor next to her letter blocks.
“Mica, I invited Bea over to discuss a business proposition.”
I kept my eyes on Shelby as I stood because I didn’t want Chloe to see my frown. “Our business is fine. I’m afraid you’ve wasted your time coming here, Ms. Love.” I took a deep breath and plastered on the best smile I could before turning to face the two women.
Lost and Found (books 1-3): Small-Town Romantic Comedy Page 47
