The Right Twin

Even more reason for the family’s gratitude toward Andrew, Aaron mused. “So, did you ever think about leaving the family business yourself?” he asked casually.

She adjusted a lamp into a more secure position on a rustic end table. “Not really. I’ve always known this is where I belong. My family’s a little different, but then so I am. We’re close and we get along very well, for the most part. I like my work, and the people we meet here in the resort. Well, most of the people,” she added darkly, glancing toward the tiny round kitchen window, through which Cabin Seven was just visible.

Following her gaze, he asked, “Is that where the ‘hinky’ guy is staying?”

“Yes. Which makes it all the more convenient that you’re in this one.”

He wasn’t sure convenient was the word he’d have used. He didn’t relish the image of himself sneaking peeks at his neighbor during his impulsive vacation. He moved to look out the window, just to ascertain how much he could see from here. Shelby followed him, standing shoulder to shoulder with him as they gazed out at the slightly larger cabin next door. The blinds were all closed, so they were unable to see in, though he wasn’t sure how much he could have made out, anyway, through the lightly tinted glass. He spotted movement from the corner of his eye and automatically turned his head to look that direction.

A tall, thin man with buzz-cut hair, a square jaw and a stern expression half hidden by oversized mirrored aviator glasses stood at the back of Cabin Seven, as if he’d just walked up from the lakeshore. Obviously he’d noticed them looking at his cabin, because he’d stopped to glare at them. Aaron gave him a friendly nod, then drew Shelby away from the window.

“You haven’t actually expressed your concerns to Landon, have you?” he asked her, thinking of the other man’s suspicious scowl.

“No, of course not! Though, maybe …”

He raised his eyebrows. “Maybe …?” he prodded.

Looking a bit sheepish, she scuffed the toe of one flip-flop against the floor. “Well, maybe he’s noticed me looking at him a few times. I mean, I think I’ve been discreet about it.”

Aaron had a strong suspicion that discreet and Shelby were two words rarely used in the same sentence. He shook his head. “I’ll unpack, then head over to the grill for something to eat before they close. If I happen to notice anything nefarious going on in the cabin next door, I’ll be sure and let you know.”

She gave him a quick frown, as if trying to determine if she was being mocked, but then she laughed. “Okay, you do that,” she said good-naturedly. “Maybe we should have a secret code word.”

“Nebraska,” he suggested, because for some reason that was the first word that popped into his mind.

Giggling, she nodded and moved toward the door. “Right. If I hear you say Nebraska, I’ll know you found signs of nefariousness. Um, nefariousness is a word, right?”

He shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

“And we need another code word for danger,” she suggested, carrying the teasing a bit further. “Since we’re naming states, how about Minnesota?”

“Minnesota sounds very ominous,” he agreed, tongue-in-cheek. “If I ever feel in danger, I’ll say Minnesota.”

“And I’ll rush to your rescue.” She paused with a hand on the doorknob, looking over her shoulder at him with a bright smile. “So, I’ll see you later?”

“You will most definitely see me later,” he assured her.

He was gratified by the slight wave of pink in her cheeks when she slipped out the door. Maybe there had been no sparks between Shelby and Andrew—but he didn’t think he was imagining the sizzle between her and himself. And while it was unlikely that the attraction would lead to anything, considering that they were surrounded by her entire family, he certainly wouldn’t mind flirting with her while he was here, however long that might be.

He drew his phone out of his pocket. He needed to let the family know he was out of town for a few days. And he had a few questions for his twin.

Chapter Three

“Where the hell are you?” Andrew demanded in lieu of a greeting when he answered his phone.

“I’m fine, bro, thanks for asking.”

Andrew didn’t bother to respond to Aaron’s sarcastic comment. “Everyone was expecting you at the graduation party for Miles last night. Mom said you called her and told her you were headed out of town for a few days, but she thought you’d wait until after the party to leave. Dad’s ticked at you for just taking off without telling anyone where you were going.”

“I told them I wasn’t in the mood for a party. I specifically said I wouldn’t be there.”

“They thought you’d change your mind. Mom seemed really surprised when you didn’t show up.”

“I’m sure there were plenty of people there to celebrate the occasion,” Aaron muttered, pushing down a ripple of defensive guilt. “I sent Miles a graduation gift.”

There was always some sort of family gathering in the extended Walker clan. A birthday, an anniversary, a wedding, a housewarming, a birth. He and Andrew had thirteen first cousins just on their dad’s side, and another generation was well underway. The family had gathered last night at their cousin Brynn Walker D’Alessandro’s house to commemorate the high school graduation of Brynn and Joe’s son, Miles. So not only would many of the Walkers have been in attendance, but a good number of D’Alessandros had also been invited.

Even knowing he risked general disapproval with his absence, Aaron just couldn’t make himself attend. It had been about the time he should have been leaving for the party when he’d impulsively decided to escape to the lake for a few days. Someplace where no one would know him or any other member of his illustrious family. He guessed the joke was on him.

“So, Andrew. Tell me about the Bell family.”

A rather lengthy silence followed before Andrew cleared his throat and asked, “The Bell family?”

“Bell Resort and Marina? I’d think you’d remember, since you are apparently the Bell family hero.”

“Tell me you aren’t at the resort.”

“I could tell you that, but it would be a lie. I needed a place to get away for a few days. I’m sure you can figure out why. I didn’t expect to be greeted with genuflects when the folks here mistook me for you.”

“How did you end up there, anyway?”

“I found a brochure in—well, near your trash can yesterday. It looked ideal, and since you’d thrown the brochure away, I figured you weren’t interested and I wouldn’t have to worry about running into you or the rest of the family. I’d be completely anonymous. As usual, my plan didn’t work out quite as I expected.”

“Well, what do you expect?” Andrew asked with unmistakable exasperation. “You take off out of the blue to someplace you learn about from my trash can and you’re surprised there are complications?”

“I just needed to get away to think.” Aaron hated that he’d gone on the defensive, as he so often did with his twin lately. “It’s no different from what Casey did when he was questioning his career with the law firm in Dallas. He spent some meditation time in east Tennessee away from the family pressure for a few weeks and it ended up working out great for him. He met Natalie, they went into legal practice together, they’ve been happily married for—what? Four years now?”

“So you headed for southeast Texas looking for a wife?”

Aaron scowled. He was rapidly growing tired of his brother’s sarcasm. “I just need to reassess. Granted, I didn’t know there would be all new expectations of me here, just because I happen to be your brother.”

“What expectations?”

“We’ll get to that in a minute. First, why don’t you tell me exactly what you did for the Bell family that made them all so grateful to you? Were you just doing the job, or did you go beyond the call of duty to reap all this gratitude?”

“They hired me to assist with a problem and I took care of it. It wasn’t a favor—they paid me for my time, though they gave me so many perks at the resort that I took a discount off the total bill. And you know I’m not going to discuss the details of the case with you, Aaron.”

Aaron was not surprised by Andrew’s insistence on client confidentiality, even under these circumstances. “Shelby told me the basics of your job for them last summer, so you wouldn’t be breaking any agency rules to talk about it superficially with me. But I’m not really all that interested in your case. Tell me about Shelby.”

“Shelby?” Andrew’s brusque voice softened. “She’s sort of flaky, but a sweetheart, really. She gets a little carried away. Takes an idea and runs with it. She really got into the investigation when I was there. Came up with a lot of increasingly improbable ideas for helping me, that sort of thing.”

Something about his brother’s indulgent tone rubbed Aaron the wrong way. He found himself getting defensive on Shelby’s behalf. “Are you saying she can’t be taken seriously?”

“No, I didn’t say that. Shelby’s damn good at her accounting job for the resort. She’s the one who figured out what was going on with the guy they all call ‘the evil ex,’ even though she couldn’t find the proof they needed without professional help. And a couple of her offbeat ideas came in rather helpful when we were laying a trap for the jerk. She just goes about things a little differently. So what’s going on with her?”

“She asked me to look into one of the guests here. She thought I was you at the time she asked, but even after I corrected her, she thought I’d be qualified to do some snooping.”

Andrew groaned. “What sort of snooping?”