The Love Twin

I guess I’ve gotten a bit shy over the years. It’s so hard for me to say how I feel about you when I’m with you. Will you forgive me for hurting you on my prom night? I think about you a lot. I see your face in my mind when I’m working. I see your sexy eyes. And when I’m lying in bed at night—

“Hey, buddy, you’re parked in a reserved spot!” Jarrid heard the parking attendant call out.

“Sorry!” he quickly yelled back, his stomach churning over Becky’s revealing letter.

Jarrid quickly shoved Becky’s red-hot letter back into the envelope, slipped it in his pocket and drove to the spot the attendant pointed to. She was bold in her letter, like the Becky he knew. Yet, in person, she presented a softer, shier side that appealed to him even more.

When Jarrid entered the gray-carpeted, lamplit reception area, he was told to wait a few minutes. Becky’s inviting words filled his head. Having a couple of minutes, he took out her letter and quickly read the rest.

Becky couldn’t relax sitting in the plush floral chair in Charlotte Swanson’s advertising office in Beverly Hills. Somehow, she had to get her sister to L.A. sooner than Charlotte had in mind for that job. She couldn’t go on another second pretending to be her twin when she wanted so badly to be with Jarrid herself.

She had stopped by her apartment before going to Charlotte’s office to see if Pam’s diary had been delivered, but there was no mail waiting for her. Her message machine was blinking with a call, but she was a couple of minutes late for her appointment with Charlotte and didn’t take the time to listen to it.

She saw Charlotte glance up from her three-way conference call on her videophone and motion that she would be with her in a moment.

Becky politely nodded, feeling the tension growing inside of her. She picked up the framed family photograph on her friend’s desktop of Charlotte, her husband and three children.

She admired the closeness between Charlotte and her husband. For a split second she imagined her and Jarrid in the photo as husband and wife with his protective arm around her waist, gazing at her with those brown eyes of his filled with more love than she could ever dream of.

“Becky, about your sister,” Charlotte began, flicking off the videophone screen.

“Yes, of course, my sister.”

Becky quickly set the photograph back on the desk. Every time her thoughts drifted to Jarrid, she forgot about Pam. Her fantasies about him were growing steadily out of control.

“I hope you don’t mind, Becky,” Charlotte said, “but I called your sister in New York early this morning. I offered her a very desirable salary and benefits package.”

“Oh, Charlotte, thank you so much,” she said. “How soon can Pam come to Los Angeles?”

“Actually, there might be a slight delay.”

“A delay?” Becky repeated uneasily.

“The account exec who is leaving the position your sister will fill told me that she is still negotiating a contract with her new employer,” Charlotte explained. “She asked to remain at her job for a while longer until the signed document is in her hand.”

Becky anxiously straightened in the chair. “How long will that take?”

“We’re looking at possibly another four to five weeks, because her new employer is out of town.”

Four to five more weeks with Jarrid!

Becky’s forehead started to pound. She could barely hear Charlotte say that she had already informed Pam of the delay, and her sister seemed fine about it.

Charlotte’s videophone buzzed, and she glanced at the caller I.D. number. “Unfortunately, Becky, I’m going to be on this call for a while. I’ll let you and Pam know the second my employee gives me her final date.”

Becky stood up, fidgeting with her purse, her mind in major discord. “Charlotte, thanks a trillion for your help.” She warmly shook her hand.

As Becky drove back to the hair salon, she barely noticed driving past the glitzy department stores and the prestigious international bank buildings on Wilshire Boulevard.

Her brain was in total chaos thinking about Pam’s move to Los Angeles being pushed farther away. Instead of being upset about having to pretend to be her sister even longer, she suddenly felt exhilarated knowing she had several more weeks with Jarrid!

She made a sharp turn into the parking structure for her last few hair appointments for the evening. She yanked open the door of the salon, verbally drilling into her skull the mantra, Jarrid belongs to Pam. Jarrid belongs to Pam!

Yet no matter how many times she said those words, she couldn’t wait to be with Jarrid—for herself.

“Thank you so much for this order,” Jarrid said, vigorously shaking Mr. Lyle’s hand. “You’ll be very pleased with the system my company will install.”

Minutes later Jarrid was back in his van hurrying to make a few more customer calls. But he had only one thing in mind. He had to see Becky. He couldn’t believe the rest of the words she had written in her special delivery letter. He needed to find out if she really meant what she had said.