The Unknown Twin

Lauren had researched the history of Courage Bay before coming here. The ten-mile strip of coastal area, near Los Angeles, had been inhabited solely by Native Americans until a ship called the Ranger came upon the coast during a horrific storm. The ship was ready to capsize when twelve very brave natives had risked their lives to save the sailors, who ended up staying and intermarrying with their rescuers. Lauren loved reading the stories, especially the somewhat mystical connection of the town’s current rescue personnel and those brave natives who’d put themselves in danger for others.

“Lauren?”

“Sorry, I was just thinking about the Ranger.” She glanced around. “I love the interior of this place.” The dining room was softly lit, with buttery-cream walls and smooth, rich oak trim. It smelled like seafood and the freshly baked bread they’d served before dinner. She broke off a piece and brought it to her mouth. It was flaky. Light. “I hope all the food’s as good as this.”

His eyes were riveted on her mouth. “Did anybody ever tell you you have a really sensuous way of eating?”

“Yes, people have said that. I enjoy food.”

“You savor it.”

“Observations from an ace reporter.”

He shook his head.

“What? Your coverage of the goings-on with the police and firefighters is very insightful.”

“I wish Perry would give me more challenging stuff. Or that I’d have the gumption to leave the Courier.”

The waiter arrived and took their orders for Veal Marsala. She and Toby were well matched in tastes. Alex would no doubt have picked the prime rib. A man’s meal. Toby was more her type.

Deirdre’s voice broke into her thoughts. Then why are you thinking about the hunky firefighter so much?

I’m not.

“Lauren, you look like you’re someplace else again.”

“Oh, sorry. You were talking about your job.”

“I like it well enough. I just think I’m underappreciated.”

“Then you should do something else.”

“Is that why you moved here?”

“No, I came to Courage Bay because my roommate from college teaches school here. After my mother and father died a year ago, I was at loose ends in Benicia. I’d been trying to get the cartoon off the ground, so this seemed like a good opportunity.” And since her parents, who were both lawyers, had left her a lot of money, she was free to pursue her interests and work only part-time.

She didn’t tell him about her broken engagement. Or James’s deception.

“Do you mind doing the layout Perry assigned you until you get the cartoon going?” he asked her.

“No, it’s fine. I like helping with the artwork.”

He nodded to her clothes. “That jacket’s a work of art itself.” It was several shades of pink and wine, like a patchwork quilt. Gold threads outlined each small square.

“I made it.”

“A woman of many talents.”

They managed small talk while they ate their salads, then their meals arrived. She sipped the white wine he’d ordered for them both and cut the veal. “This is so tender, it melts in my mouth.”

Again he watched her. Smiling. Hmm. Seemed as if he was interested. She wondered what he’d kiss like. Then she wondered what Alex would kiss like.

The dinner finished pleasantly. “I’d like to see the rest of this place,” she told Toby. “I’ve only been in town two weeks and I’ve never been here. Would you mind if we looked around before we left?”

“No, of course not. It’s cool. You’ll love the Wall.”

“What’s that?”

“I’ll show you.”

He led her to the far side of the room to the Remembrance Wall. It was filled with names and pictures of rescue personnel who’d died in the line of duty. “This is remarkable.” Lauren ran her finger along the frames, studying the faces of the men and women who’d lost their lives saving others.

“The Goodmans’ son is here.” Toby pointed to a picture.

A young, redheaded boy stood, looking proud in his fire department blues. She saw so much life there, so much missed. It made her sad.

“He was a paramedic. After he died, Larry and Louise put up this wall.”

“A lovely tribute.”

They headed to the back, to what was called the Function Room. She laughed when she saw it. It was a man’s paradise: three huge TVs, pool tables, darts and framed photos and articles around the perimeter. It even smelled male—with a faint hint of aftershave. “Did you write any of these articles?”

“I’ve written some they’ve hung in the bar, though I don’t think there are any of mine in this room. I don’t hang out much in here. I’m not good at these games.”

Lauren perused the pictures. One was captioned “Captain Saves Little Girl.” The captain was Alex. He was smiling broadly, holding a small child. His face was grimy, and he was dressed in turnout gear, which was dirt smeared. For a moment, she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

She followed Toby, looking at other articles, photos and various memorabilia in the back room, then they went to the bar. More accolades were out there.

More Alex. A casual shot of him with his crew. Lauren’s eyes zeroed in on a woman. Dana. Damn. She looked even more like Lauren in this picture.

Toby gave voice to her thoughts. “She could be your twin.”

Lauren peered over at him. “You must know her, Toby. Why didn’t you ever say anything about how much I resemble her?”

He shrugged. “You’ve only been here two weeks. Truthfully, I thought maybe you were related, and since you didn’t say anything, you must not want to talk about it.”

“That was thoughtful. But we’re not sisters, or anything else.”

“Okay. Just fate, I guess.” He nodded to the wall. “Here’s an article I wrote.”

She moved closer. Please don’t let it be about Alex.

It was an off-the-job rescue. Alex had been out of town on vacation and drove past a house on fire. He’d spotted a kid in the window two stories up. He’d called 911 and then shinnied up a tree to rescue the child. On the way down, a limb had cracked and they’d fallen. The girl was fine, but Alex had broken his arm. He’d received a medal from the mayor for his actions.

By the time they left the grill, Lauren felt she’d been to dinner with Alex Shields—he’d been in her thoughts so much and his pictures had been all around. Damn. She got her car from the newspaper office parking lot and drove home, wondering about her preoccupation with the man. She was distracted as she parked in the driveway, got out and hurried up to her house. When she had moved here, she’d wanted her own space. Since she had the money, she’d rented, with an option to buy, this small stucco one-story home on a quiet street. The landlord had even agreed to go half on any redecorating. She liked the place, she thought, as she reached the porch and unlocked the door.

But once inside, she stopped in her tracks.