Page 108 of The Charade

Mack glanced at his watch and sighed. "It's five-thirty. I guess I better head home to help my dad make dinner."

"Yeah?" I asked, feeling a little disappointed that he was leaving already.

He nodded. "We're having the twins over for the first time tonight, so he and my mom want everything to be perfect."

The news about the twins being Mack's half-sisters had been buzzing around the school all week. I knew that Mack had been slightly interested in Ava and Elyse when they'd first come to the school, so I was sure it was a little weird for him to find out he was related to them. Well, actually pretty shocking since it had come completely from left field. But yesterday, while studying for a biology test, when I asked him how he felt about it, he seemed okay with it. He said it was the least of his worries right now, anyway.

Which was why I asked my next question.

"Is your mom out of bed today, then?" I asked, hating that it was a question that even needed to be asked. His mom was the same age as my mom. She shouldn't be spending most of her days in bed when she was barely over forty.

But Mack nodded and said, "Yeah. She's feeling a little better today." He sighed. After glancing at Carter and Ava who had finally stopped their tickling session and were back to looking at possible costume options, he spoke in a low voice, "They're going to New York again next week. I think they were planning to ask your parents if I could stay at your place—with permission this time. So you won’t have to worry about me sleepwalking outside your window in the middle of the night."

Even though I knew it meant nothing—that Mack would only be staying at my house because he hated to sleep alone when his mom was getting her treatments—my heart still raced a little at the thought of him sleeping nearby again.

But I tried to keep my face neutral because having feelings for Mack was not something I should ever entertain. So, in as unaffected of a voice as I could manage, I said, “Hopefully you’ll sleep better this time."

And hopefully his sleepwalking episodes would stop so my brothers wouldn’t find out the real reason why I now kept a men's deodorant and extra toothbrush in my bathroom.

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