Page 11 of Fluttering Heart

God, please don’t let this be just another date I regret going on.

“Awesome.” He jumps a little. “I need to go let my brother know, just wait here for a few minutes.”

I nod and watch him run back down the hallway then take a turn to the left.

He’s gone less than a minute, but when he comes back with his brother in tow, I lose all brain function.

Twins.

They’re twins.

Identical, perfect, Italian godtwins.

I mean sure, Finn’s brother is buffer than he is, but they’re both exactly the same height and their faces really are copies.

“Lou, this is my brother, Beau,” Finn says.

“Hi,” I say lamely and wave a hand. Not my brightest moment but seriously ... twins!

“Hi,” he says back, glumly. He barely looks up at me but quickly turns to look at Finn. “I don’t have to be here, really. You two?—”

“Yes, you do have to be here because you’re supposed to spend timeoutof your room, bro. Come on.” Finn grabs him by the arm and drags him the few steps to the elevator banks where he presses the button to go down.

“Twins,” I say out loud and regret it instantly when four equally alert and beautiful black eyes look straight at me. Though Beau’s look sad. Man, the guy is clearly having a really rough time and you can tell right away.Get a hold of yourself. I shake my head to clear it. “Sorry, I was just surprised. You didn’t mention your brother was your twin,” I say, looking at Finn, maybe a bit accusingly.

“Yeah, I never think to mention it, sorry.” He winces and I just... sigh. He looks all apologetic, and again that word—adorable. I can’t do anything but let it go.

“It’s a good thing you’re wearing different clothes. That way I can tell you apart.” I make a mental note, though, just in case. Finn is wearing blue and Beau is wearing black—to fit his mood or happenstance? Who knows, maybe I’ll find out during brunch.

The elevator dings its arrival and we all get in.

“You have no idea the stories we have of times Mom dressed us up in the same clothes,” Finn says, and smiles just at the thought of it.

Beau smiles a little, and seeing the stark difference of how he looks just from that tiny smile makes me realize I’m actually glad that Finn is dragging him with us.

Not only will it probably help him, but it will also maybe make this an easier date for me. If at any point I don’t know what to say, I can always ask Beau something.

* * *

“So,Finn, you told me you’re an accountant?” I ask once our food is ordered and we have coffee in front of us. Beau looks to his brother sitting next to him in the booth, and I tell myself it’s fine. It’s normal and nothing to worry about that the twin of the man I’m on a first date with is going to be able to dissect every single thing I say.

“Yeah,” Finn says with a smile and reaches for his cup of coffee. “What do you do?”

“I work for Clarice We?—”

“Clarice Wells!” he shouts suddenly.

“Yeah? You know it?”

“Do I know it?” he asks like it’s preposterous. “I literally had my office designed around every single Clarice Wells item I own.”

“Oh,” I whisper.Oh boy. Lou you cannot get an erection in this crowded restaurant.“Really?” I ask in the breathy tone I always get when I’m…impressed.Yeah, sure, let’s go with that.

“Yes, really.” Finn nods excitedly. “What do you do there?” He leans his elbows on the table and cups his cheeks with his hands, then just stares at me with an expression I’ve dreamed about seeing in a man my whole damn life.

“I’m the VP of design,” I say slowly, trying to control my emotions.

“Youdesign for Clarice Wells?” he asks in an awed whisper. “I want to knoweverything!”

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