Page 14 of Mistlefoes

I couldn’t help but smile, seeing Jack with new eyes and not being as annoyed with him about all the pranks he’d pulled on me over the past months. “Yeah, he’s pretty great.”

Seven

Jack

All I Want for Christmas

“See… I really did plan to take you out,” I said as Jill and I sat across from each other atBarke’s Grille, down the street from our shops. Our waitress had just taken our drink orders and left us alone.

“Seeing as you needed to have a reservation, I believe you. Thanks for taking me to the shelter with you tonight. It was different from what I ever expected.”

“Wanna go back with me next week?” I asked, the question off hand, yet there was an underlying hope in it.

“Yes.” Jill didn’t hesitate for even a millisecond, which made me happy. She was such a giving person that I’d known she’d see why the shelter was special to me. “I think it’s great how you want to help them,” she added. “Make me feel selfish for my plans for the contest winnings.”

I shook my head. “Because you wanted to put it toward your business and staying in Cherish Cove? I can’t knock you for that. God knows, I want you here.”

“I can’t imagine why,” she teased. “All we’ve done is bicker and prank each other for the last year.”

“Oh, I have my reasons. So…we didn’t really get to talk about things earlier with Beya being sick again and you trying to help her.”

She winced. “Yeah. Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay. I wanted to tell you something, and maybe, this is the best place for that. It’s neutral. Don’t be upset.”

Her shoulders tensed as she sat back. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

“It’s… For a few days now, I’ve been trying to get a hold of my brother—John, the pilot. I needed to ask him a question that’s been poking at me. Something you said the other day triggered a thought for me, and I finally nailed him down today. Honey…last year, it wasn’t me you saw with that woman. It was him. You need to believe me.”

She shook her head, disbelief and denial mixing on her face. “No. I saw—”

“It was him. He flew in that day and was using my house to rest before the return flight. I didn’t realize it. He knows where the key is hidden, and supposedly he left me a note. I never saw one. Trust me, I’m pissed he hooked up with some woman at my place, too, but itwas himnot me.”

“No. I’ve seen pictures of him,” she denied.

“You’ve seen pictures of him standing beside me. Close-up pics. Clearly, we’re fraternal twins, and not identical. But you haven’t seen us each at a distance. Fuck, if I’d had any clue he’d been in town, that it was him, I could have cleared up this mess a year ago. It kills me to know we’ve wasted all this time.” Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my cellphone then opened my photos. I handed it to her. “This is from last summer. The two of us playing baseball at my family’s reunion. Which one is me?” From a distance, I knew it would be impossible to tell us apart. We both looked the same, especially in profile.

Jill stared, her disbelief turning to aghast horror in moments. Tears glistened in her eyes when she looked up at me, shaking her head.

“Oh my God,” she whispered, her hand covering her mouth as she glanced between the phone and me. “Oh my God…Jack. This… I…”

“It was him. He confirmed it earlier today when I talked to him. And I’m going to kick his ass the next time I see him.”

“You’re not a fighter,” she whispered, still staring at the picture.

“I could be. I’m pissed.”

She shook her head and handed back the cellphone. The waitress returned with our drinks and took our food order.

“I’m sorry,” Jill said when we were alone again. “I’m so sorry, Jack. You must hate me for what I put you through this year, accusing you of something you knew you didn’t do.”

“No. I love you. All I’ve ever wanted was to be with you. You’re mine, Jill. You were always meant to be mine.”

“I want to be with you, too. These past couple day, even when I still thought you cheated, I’ve been fighting with myself because I still want to be with you. I love you.”

I took a steadying breath. “I know we just ordered, but—”

Jill was already waving down our server. Minutes later, we’d paid for our uneaten meal and were on our way home, which was thankfully close. My lips on hers, I swept her inside my house, that would hopefully beourhouse soon. Just inside, our coats dropped to the floor. I pressed Jill to the wall, pillaging her mouth and working on the buttons of her blouse, while we both toed off our shoes, the time apart adding urgency to each touch.

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