The Twin Contract (The Contract Series Book 1)

by Ceeree Fields

  She barely made it into the bathroom before she emptied her stomach. She had taken such a huge chance of even stating her name and then to argue with him as well.

  Memories of lying on the floor while Ms. Williams had held a cloth napkin against her throat made Brianna heave again. So close. She had come so close to dying on that floor. Her mother's enraged face still visited her in her nightmares. This was the first time in a while they had come calling in the light of day and at the most inopportune time too.

  Her hands shook, and her stomach clenched at the thought of anyone hearing her throwing up. Christ, what a mess, and here I thought it would be just another day of pretending to be Briony.

  A cold washcloth was placed on the back of her clammy neck, and she shivered. "Thanks, Ms. Willia—"

  "It's Jackson, ma'am."

  His deep voice when she expected Ms. Williams's brisk tone made Brianna jump and knock her head into the back of the toilet. "Jesus!"

  "No, again, it's just Jackson." He smiled. "I'm sorry I misjudged you. People pretending to be someone they aren't is one of my hot buttons, especially if I think they're trying to pull a con."

  Brianna took the glass of water he pressed into her hand and looked at him through her lashes. His eyes held concern. For me? "I'm not trying to pull a con."

  "If your mother tried to kill you for not being Briony, then she needs to get some help."

  She took a sip to try to sort what she could safely reveal that wouldn't violate the contract she had signed. But the sheriff knew this piece too. "She was supposed to be getting help, and as soon as my father gets home, I'll be digging into what happened. As well as explaining to him about finding Briony's body."

  Jackson tipped his chin and lowered a hand toward her. He helped her to her feet and stepped away the second she was steady.

  "Miss Spencer?" Ms. Williams called.

  "In here." Brianna tried to brush the wrinkles from her dress but failed. Her mother would have a fit at seeing her like this. The gross taste in her mouth needed to go, and she quickly rinsed with mouthwash that was stashed in the medicine cabinet.

  "Oh, dear, are you feeling okay?" Ms. Williams's eyes lit with worry.

  Brianna mustered a smile at her one ally in this hellhole. "I'm fine."

  "Go to Briony's room and change. I'll tell Mrs. Spencer there was an accident." The worry left Ms. Williams's gaze.

  Brianna nodded. They both knew if Mother saw Brianna in a state of disarray, she would come unglued. Appearances were everything in this household. "Thank you, Ms. Williams. I'll show Jackson out for you."

  The woman was a godsend, helping cover for Brianna when it became crucial, and lately, her help was required more often than not.

  "Come on, Deputy. Let's get you out of here, so I can return to the mandatory garden party." More like the prison that had become her life, but she could never voice that sentiment. At least not here.

  "I'll need to do a cheek swab when we get to my car."

  "Whatever you need." Exhaustion twisted inside her. She was ready for this entire day to be over with.

  The crinkling of the bags let her know he'd snagged the DNA samples from the counter as she hurried from the room and back into the hallway.

  As she wound through the upstairs hallways to reach the kitchen, she winced at taking the easy way out. She should have admitted that at eighteen, she had wanted to see what life as Briony was like. Her sister was everything she wasn't.

  Their parents' favorite. The life of the party. And spoiled beyond reason.

  Brianna had thought to slip into Briony's shoes for a few days at most; especially, after her mother had her psychotic break. Her sister never stayed gone long. When Brianna's grandmother and father had shown up to her hospital room with a contract, she had acted impulsively. Never wondering why they would need a contract? Never wondering why they hadn't just asked Brianna to pretend for a few days?

  Though her best friend, Callie, had been suspicious from the beginning. Callie had warned her not to sign her life away. She had pointed out with all the benefits within those neatly typed words there was a lot Brianna would be giving up if Briony never returned. But Brianna refused to listen; she trusted her grandmother to watch her back.

  How it had burned Brianna to admit that Callie had been right. Brianna should never have trusted any of her family. It was a lesson ingrained into her soul.

  The one time she had tossed caution to the wind and leaped had cost her everything.

  Oh, she had gotten money to fund her animal sanctuary, the farm of her dreams, and her degree as a veterinarian. But the price was too high. And now that Brianna knew her mother wasn't getting better, she needed to take action to rid herself of her twin's shadow. Before she lost herself entirely.

  She couldn't tell this man any of it. Already, she wanted him to think the best of her, and the agreement she made years ago had been the stupidest thing she had ever done. No way did she want to show him her biggest mistake when he didn't even know her.

  "Here we are," Jackson's voice broke Brianna from her thoughts, and she stopped at his car.

  "Oh, well—"

  "I'll still want you to come to the office and get fingerprinted."

  Brianna pointed to his car. "Why not do it now?" Biting back a curse, she forced a smile, hoping he would say he didn't have a kit. She wanted him to see her outside of her Briony persona.

  "Because all I have is the messy kit. It would leave ink on your hands." He gave her a half-smile as he opened his passenger side door and placed the bags and file on the seat. Then he took a swab kit she had seen in police shows. She opened her mouth and winced as he swiped the side of her cheek. When he was done, he placed it back into the plastic container and scrawled her name and the date across it.

  She twisted her fingers together and barely kept from trying to find some other way to keep him here. "So, I'll call you and set up an appointment for the fingerprints."

  He tipped his chin. "You do that."

  "And you'll do it?"

  "If not me, someone at the office will. You have a good time at your garden party."

  "Thank you." She stepped away from the car as he slung his bulk into the driver's seat.

  Then he was pulling away.

  Her gaze clung to the vehicle as it disappeared from sight. Even though she made a crappy choice years ago, it shouldn't be counted against her now. Determination filled her. She would call and make sure he was in the office to take her prints. Spinning on her heel, she hurried back to Briony's room to change. Somehow she needed to convince the deputy to take a chance on her.

  Chapter Two

  Brianna rang the bell and waited. The fresh spring breeze blew through her hair, bringing with it the smell of recently cut grass. She tugged at the short peach-colored jacket that topped the sundress, hating that she wasn't in her sturdy jeans and t-shirt, riding one of her horses or playing with her rescue animals. Instead, she was forced to be here. But it was one more step closer to freedom.

  The heavy wooden door opened with a silent whoosh, and Brianna couldn't contain her startled gasp. "Grandmother?"

  Her grandmother's smile was tired, but it reached her dark blue eyes, making them sparkle. "Yes, Brianna, I do know how to answer a door. On occasion, I have been known to answer my door." Her grandmother teased, stepping back to allow Brianna to cross the threshold.

  When she entered, she looked around the foyer. Bright and airy with antiques, nothing had changed, though Brianna hadn't been here in ten years. Every time she had seen Grandmother, it had been at her parents' house with her mother in attendance. She inhaled deeply and sighed. Even the lavender scent her grandmother preferred remained the same.

  "Come along, dear, I sent Ava to make tea." Her grandmother strode ahead. The blush pink Chanel suit she'd donned for the day was a perfect foil for her short silver hair and sun-kissed complexion.

  The library wasn't at all like her parents' library. Cream-colored walls and furn
iture with mint green and peach accents opened the space up and made it feel homey. Two club chairs in the softest of fabric flanked the white marble fireplace.

  Memories of days past flooded Brianna. Her and her grandmother sitting in front of the fire reading. Her grandmother's infinite patience when she taught Brianna Pinochle. The large couch where she had sought comfort in her grandmother's arms when Brianna caught the first boy she liked, kissing Briony.

  This room above all others spoke of home to Brianna. Before her grandmother's betrayal and before the contract.

  It wasn't where she wanted to have this conversation, but she didn't have the right to demand they go to her grandmother's study.

  Ava bustled in with the tray, and her grandmother lifted the sparkling silver pot and began to pour.

  Unable to wait any longer, she swiped her sweaty palms over her dress and blurted. "I want to end the contract."

  Her grandmother's gaze snapped to Brianna's. Ava's startled shout alerted them both that her grandmother had spilled the tea. Grandmother's hands trembled as she set the pot down. "Ava, get something to clean this up, please."

  "Yes, ma'am." Ava hurried away.

  Grandmother's gaze pierced Brianna. "Explain."

  Her shoulders rounded as she shrunk in on herself. Her grandmother's sharp tone evoked images of harsh discipline that generally followed. The harshest punishment was being swatted with her grandmother's wood ruler. Screw this. She had to stand up for herself against her family because no one else would do it for her. "I want to end the contract. And based on—"

  Her grandmother's hand slammed up between them. "What in the world are you talking about?"

  Was her grandmother serious right now? Brianna examined Evelynn's expression and saw that she was serious. "I'm talking about the dang contract that forces me to be Briony."

  Her grandmother's mouth fell open, and she shook her head. Then it was as if something clicked, and Grandmother snapped into action. She gripped Brianna's wrist in an iron hold and tugged her from the library.

  As they passed Ava in the hallway, her grandmother ordered, "Ava, tell anyone who calls or comes by I'm out for the day. Tell Jacob to make himself scarce, so there aren't questions of who drove me."

  "Yes, ma'am."

  Several minutes later, they were in the study. The door to the study shut with a snick, and then it was only Grandmother and her in the oppressive silence.

  "Explain to me what you mean by ending the contract."

  Brianna sighed as she took one of the chairs in front of her grandmother's desk.

  Grandmother's study was as light as the library though done in shades of gold and blue. The colors contrasted beautifully with the antique tiger wood desk, built-in bookcases, and file cabinet.

  Brianna knew this would be difficult, but she forged ahead. "I'm ending the contract. Per the stipulation, I'm now giving you a sixty-day verbal notice and will give written notice with an end date as well."

  "Sixty days? Brianna, I do not know what game you're playing at, but that contract ended a year after it was signed." Her grandmother's eyes frosted as she scooted into the chair behind her desk. An ocean of wood separated them. "I never understood why you and your father continued the ruse of you being Briony during those parties your mother hosted, and I got sick and tired of watching a piece of you die every time someone called you by your sister's name. It's why I quit going—"

  Frustrated, Brianna lashed out. "It was your idea. It was your contract. And it was you I trusted when I signed it."

  Grandmother frowned. "And I told you the contract ended one year after you signed it."

  Brianna grabbed her oversized purse and dug out the heavily highlighted and earmarked ream of papers. A few of the pages were torn on the sides from how often she had handled it.

  Tossing the evidence on the desk, she pointed to it. "You can read for yourself. It doesn't end until I pay off the loan, which I'm going to do by the end of next month."

  She didn't add that Callie and Derrick would loan her the money. They had been asking her to let them help for years, and she had turned them down every time. It wasn't their place to dig her out of the crap she had gotten herself into. No way would Brianna share with her grandmother how she would get the funds in case the older woman put a stop to it like she had done before.

  Her grandmother tugged the thick sheaf of papers around, set her glasses on her nose, and began to read. The flipping of pages as Grandmother dug into the contract stepped on Brianna's last nerve.

  Why was she reading this? Did she not remember how tightly she'd tied up Brianna's life? Because if not, Brianna could give her a detailed list without needing to wade into all the legal mumbo-jumbo.

  Impatient, she opened her mouth to do just that, when her grandmother looked up and slapped a hand up between them again. She pushed back from her desk chair and rummaged through one of the far cabinets. She pulled a bright red file from the depths of the drawer and brought it to the desk. Grandmother opened it and flipped through several pages, and then set Brianna's contract to the left and the file to the right. Abruptly, she pushed the red file toward Brianna. "Have you ever seen this?"

  Brianna leaned forward and took the file. It was another contract. Flipping through until she found the terms, she sorted through the legalese as best she could. The more she read, the more confused she became. "This says it's for a year's term. And that if there was no change in Mother's condition, the contract could be reevaluated and Mother's psychiatrist … " she trailed off as the implications hit her. She hurriedly flipped to the back page and gasped. In the contract she held in her hand, it stated her grandmother would fully fund her college and her dream of the animal sanctuary. No mention of a loan at all. Brianna re-read the terms to be sure. But no repayment was mentioned. She looked to the bottom of the page. "I signed this?" Raising her eyes to meet her grandmother's, she shook her head. "I've never seen this before."

  Her grandmother raised the contract Brianna had given her. "And I've never seen this one."

  "What does this mean?" Brianna looked between both contracts. Did she have to pay the loan back? Why were they so different? "Which one is the right one? Or are they both wrong, and I'm not even in a contract?"

  Grandmother jabbed at the phone sitting on her desk, turning on the speakerphone. The sounds of pings bounced around the room as she entered a number.

  "Willoughby, Smith, and Abernathy, how may I help you?" The receptionist's bright tone drifted down the line.

  "Mr. Willoughby, please. This is Evelynn Spencer."

  "Right away, Mrs. Spencer."

  Brianna was never so glad her grandmother was not only rich but could fund a small island and never feel the pinch to her wallet. Her influence had others dropping everything to help her.

  "Mrs. Spencer, what can I do for you today?" Willoughby's southern drawl flowed through the line.

  "Do you have time to answer a few questions for me?"

  "I have an appointment in a few minutes. If it takes longer than that, I'll need to call you back."

  Grandmother motioned for the red file, and Brianna passed it back to her. "I need to know if you remember the contract you helped me put together with those entertainment lawyers ten years ago."

  "Of course. It was interesting, as I'd never been asked to do something like that before."

  "Was it changed before Brianna or I signed it?"

  Silence reigned in the room. The attorney cleared his throat as though hesitant. "Reginald and the other attorneys altered it due to a large portion of land coming onto the market. It was explained to me that it was a farm Brianna had her eye on for years."

  "The Donaldson farm?" Grandmother asked.

  "Yes, ma'am, and two adjacent farms. It was a large piece. A little over two thousand acres, I believe. I would need to pull the paperwork for the exact amount. And I was also under the impression Bianca needed more time to recuperate, per her doctor's instructions, and Brianna needed the deal swe
etened before she would sign."

  Grandmother arched a brow, and Brianna shook her head sharply. She'd been in the hospital, doped up to the gills. Callie had pointed out the farm to Brianna and later approached Brianna's father to see if they could purchase the farm outright instead of adding to the contract. Not that Callie had had the money any more than Brianna. Brianna had never been so glad of her father's stubbornness than when he turned down Callie's offer to buy the land. Otherwise, Brianna was sure her best friend would have been tied into an unholy agreement with Reginald.

  Callie had been as poor as Brianna until she met Derrick in college. And when Callie had pushed Reginald about the farm, he swore Evelynn wanted the farm to be contingent on Brianna's acting as Briony to make sure she didn't back out.

  "My appointment is here. Is there anything else?" Mr. Willoughby announced.

  "Yes. First, can you fax me the notarized contract? Second, how binding is this contract?"

  "I'll have Judith send you a copy as soon as we hang up. As for how binding? Very. Brianna and I tried to get it sorted several years ago, but without the resources to hire the entertainment firm—"

  "Why didn't you have those resources at hand?"

  "It was when Reginald had placed the company in a precarious position, so you had frozen all the Spencer accounts. Needless to say, there wasn't much either of us could do. Maybe if I had checked back in a few months with Brianna…"

  Grandmother's face paled. Her reading glasses skittered across the desk when she tossed them aside. "It wouldn't have helped. I kept the assets frozen for two years to make sure the company didn't lose any of its employees. Christ, that was a mess."

  Brianna didn't remember any of that, and Willoughby had never let on why she couldn't get the loan to pay off her schooling and the farm. He had only said she had been denied. She had assumed it was because she hadn't built up enough credit in her own name. To find out that everything she had been through all fell at her father's feet left her speechless.