Page 31 of Twins For My Bestie's Brother

I guess I am too, but that’s beside the point. “I haven’t been avoiding you.”

Kayla turns, hand on her hip, other hand on the shelf. She’s way too comfortable on that rolling ladder for my sanity. “I haven’t seen you in over a week.”

I turn away from her to the shelving cart in front of me and start shuffling through them randomly, deciding which books to take on next even though my mind is anywhere but organizing. Sometimes she enlists me for free labor after the store is closed. What are brothers for anyway? “You were at your conference.”

“Yeah, but I got back Monday night,” Kayla says. “And I haven’t heardanythingabout—”

“Kay.” I shouldn’t lie to her. I have been avoiding coming by the store or going to her house for dinner. I used work as an excuse. And long bike rides. I’m too tired. Too busy.

You can only avoid your sister for so long, though.

She smiles. She knows when she’s stirring the pot. “What? I think I’m allowed to be curious about my brother and best friend going on a date.”

“Fake date.”

“Shhhh! Customers!”

We’re alone in the store, and she knows it.

I watch her dismount the ladder, skipping the last two rungs even though she’s wearing a long, fluttering skirt that could make her trip. “Seriously, Jackson. How’d it go?”

“I’m sure you’ve already discussed it with Lily,” I say, picking up a stack of new releases and heading toward the front table display.

Kayla follows at my heels. “Lily gave me a few of the details. We’ve mostly talked about Will.”

I place the books on the table and start shifting piles around to make room for them, trying not to feel the sting of knowing Lily’s major takeaway from the night of the reunion was her ex-boyfriend and not . . . anything else. Of course, I’d be foolish to think Lily would divulge all the dirt on that night. How things almost tumbled out of control. After all, I am Kayla’s brother.

“She said you two are going to keep . . . fake dating. To make him back off.”

The way she says “fake” makes it sound like she doesn’t think there’s anything fake about it. “Yeah. It only makes sense. He’s pushy, and she doesn’t deserve that.”

“She also told me you two are going on a picnic tonight.”

“Well, yeah, if we’re going to fake date—”

“And she’s been joining you on morning runs.”

“Walks,” I correct. “But yeah. We need people to believe it, right?”

Kayla sidles up to me, sticking her nose into my space. “Are you okay with that, Jackson?”

I finally lift my head with a heavy sigh. “I’m fine with it. I was the one who suggested it, actually.”

She crosses her arms over her chest. “Jackson . . . ”

“Kayla, you’re the one who put us in this situation.”

“Yeah, but one night is a lot different than a whole month! I thought maybe . . . ” Kayla trails off.

I return to the book cart without looking at her. “What? You thought you could force something to happen between us?”

“You’ve liked her your whole life.”

“Whole life is a stretch, but—”

“Mostof your life.”

“Halfmy life.” I realize quickly that doesn’t sound much better. “Whatever. It’s no big deal.”

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