Page 29 of Beauty Of Her

“Oh? It’s good they do laundry.” A little mess didn’t scare me.

“No, no.” Julia laughed. “They don’t do laundry. I do their laundry.”

“Um, Julia. I don’t think you’ll finish that in time if we plan on making the flight.” I motioned to my watch.

“Julia’s not doing anything other than hauling ass out of the house with you,” said a woman standing tall at the top of the staircase, peering down at me and Julia like servants. I peered to see a woman in her mid-thirties, wearing a tight-fitting dress that hugged her curves that any man would appreciate except me. My eyes belonged to Julia. She had raven hair, and her makeup was perfect, making her look like she had just stepped out of a fashion magazine.

I glanced at Julia, scrunching my brow. “Is this your sister?”

“Julia wishes,” said the woman, marching the staircase with her pointy heels stabbing each wooden plank on her way down.

Julia rolled her eyes and looped her arm through the woman’s elbow. “This is Amelia, my best friend.” They exchanged smiles. “Amelia, this is Brett.”

“It’s so great to meet you.” Amelia extended her hand to accept mine. “I’m also the babysitter for the weekend.”

I popped my eyebrows, nodding. At this point, I was ready for all the surprises if it meant getting to know Julia better.

“It’s not my ex’s weekend, so Amelia volunteered to watch the girls.” Julia gestured to a proud Amelia, who wouldn’t stop buzzing with excitement over the idea that I was here to take her friend to the airport. At least, that was what I was assuming what was happening. “I’m just going to go grab my luggage.” Before I could object to Julia lifting anything over five pounds, she bolted upstairs.

“Here, I’ll help you,” Amelia chimed in, making me lose a second chance to help. “We’ll be right back.”

I watched both women disappear until I was alone. Where were her kids? Were they home? On their way home? I wasn’t afraid to meet Julia’s daughters, but something in me wanted to push back that meeting until after the trip. I did my best to keep it together, but today was… a lot.

A second later, a door clicked from another room, and my stomach flipped.

“Who are you?” said a tiny yet stern voice behind me.

I spun around, and there were Julia’s twin daughters. Fuck, what were their names? Did she even tell me the names? I was off to a great fucking start. “Um, hi.” I shot a hand up. “How are you?” Oh my God, how were they? Scared, dumb, dumb. Probably fucking scared. I was a stranger in their house, after all. The twins weren’t identical, but they shared the same core features. Fair skin, thick brown hair like Julia’s, and green eyes. Julia had brown, so they must have inherited that trait from their father…maybe? The talking twin was anything but amused as she crossed her arms over her yellow sweatshirt, brooding. The other twin stood silent, but a light in her eyes invited me to speak. “I’m your mother’s friend. We’re going to Florida for the weekend for a work thing.”

“You’re my mom’s friend. Right.” The brooding twin rolled her eyes.

I swallowed, trying to fight the nerves this kid triggered in me, but she was fucking tough. “I’m Brett.”

“I’m Sara,” said the sweeter twin and even flashed a smile. Yup, that was all Julia.

“Sara, shhh,” the other twin scowled.

Seriously? She needed to relax. “What’s your name?”

The twin shot me a warning stare with those green daggers. “It doesn’t matter. You’re just a friend. Or are you my mom’s boyfriend?”

Sara giggled, biting her bottom lip, and mouthed, ‘Sorry.’

I chuckled awkwardly, feeling like a deer caught in headlights. "I am just a friend," I reassured her. "And no, I'm not your mom's boyfriend." Not yet at least. It was too soon to tell where Julia and I were headed.

The brooding twin seemed to relax slightly at my answer but still eyed me warily. "Good," she said, as if the idea of her mother having a boyfriend was distasteful to her. "Mom doesn't need a boyfriend."

“But why does Dad get to have a boyfriend?” Sara asked her sister.

“Sara, enough,” the twin hissed.

I fought any reaction that could be used against me, but jeez. This twin was hard on her mom. Didn’t everyone deserve to be happy? Unless this girl standing before me was unhappy.

Suddenly, the footsteps on the stairs caught my attention, and Julia appeared, lugging her suitcase behind her. "Hey guys," she said, smiling warmly at her daughters.

I took two steps at a time and grabbed the luggage from Julia’s hands, carrying the heavy piece down. Amelia followed me seconds later; we were standing in a circle before I knew it.

“Thanks, Brett.” Julia shifted nervously, and her eyes landed on her girls. “Brett, these are my twins, Sara and Zoe.”

---