Page 50 of My Twin Sister's Extremely Famous and Incredibly Hot Neighbor

“You’ll have to find a way to tell her to mind her own business.” I give him a smile like I’ve just solved world peace.

He smiles back. “Yeah. Easier said than done.”

I don’t ask about what his mother is pressuring him to do. I figure it’s not my business, and if he wants to tell me he will. “Let’s go get in the water.”

“Okay.”

Dustin and I get in the warm, June water. We play in the waves and enjoy the sun. I let myself go, ignoring the nagging feeling that this can’t last. That none of this is real. Or that he could be acting this whole time. I need this right now. I need him.

I don’t usually get very selfish, but this is something I’m selfishly clinging to. And I’m going to keep clinging until Jera forces me out of this role and back to my own life.

We grab our equipment and snorkel along the rocky shore and get some great views of sea stars, urchins, and anemones. I find myself enchanted with how the light plays off the reefs and sea life. This is my first time snorkeling, and I wish I could capture all the bright, colorful fish on film so I could paint them later.

We get hungry and decide to grab something to eat. I slip my sandals and coverup on, and we walk to the outdoor restaurant, Squint following along. I pull a doggie treat out of my pocket and toss it. Squint runs and eats it. Dustin smirks at me, which makes me laugh.

The cement terrace is filled with glass tables, iron chairs, and a thatched roof covers the area. Dustin pulls out a chair for me facing the ocean. I sit and take in the view as Squint jumps on my lap.

“Now I know why you keep treats in your pockets.”

I look up at him. “Why?”

“So you’ll be his favorite.”

I giggle when I realize he’s jealous of my dog. “Yep.”

Dustin sits next to me. His phone chimes, and he picks it up to read the incoming text. He lets out a breath and sets his phone back down. “Looks like things are starting already. I have a costume fitting tomorrow.”

I nod as I pet Squint.

“At least the show will be filmed in LA. But things are about to get quite crazy. I know you know what it’s like.”

“Yeah.” I actually don’t know what it’s like, but I can imagine. It’s okay that he’ll be busy, though. This is a good thing. At least, that’s what I tell myself, and the huge hole that’s forming in my chest, because at some point I’m going to have to leave and this will all be over.

The server comes to our table to hand us menus and get our drink orders. After he leaves, Dustin turns to me. “I have a question, but I don’t want you to feel obligated to answer if you don’t want to.”

That sounds ominous. “You can ask. If I don’t want to answer, I’ll tell you.”

He fiddles with the wrapped silverware. “Have you ever tried to contact your father?”

I see why he’s nervous to ask. I shake my head. “No.”

“Has he ever tried to contact you?”

I swallow and consider my options. I should answer as Jera. It wouldn’t make sense otherwise. “Yes,” I say quietly, looking down at Squint.

“What happened?”

“My father left us when my sister and I were just—” I stop, realizing if I say we were both six years old he’s going to know I have a twin. “When we were little. He stopped all contact with us. It was horrible. We had no money. No food. The only place my mom could get a job was at a fried chicken place. We ate so much fried chicken I still can’t eat it to this day.”

Dustin nods and places his hand on mine.

“Then Mom lost her job and we had to move in with my aunt. He didn’t help with anything. He totally cut us out of his life. So you can imagine my shock when he messages me out of the blue after my first movie hit the screens.”

Dustin cringes. “Oh, no.”

“Yep. He sends me a sob story about how he’s been out of work and how he thinks we should reconnect.” I try not to cry, but this is the part that hurts the most. “Of course, he didn’t contact my sister, Mackenzie, at all. She wasn’t famous. He didn’t care enough to send her a message.”

Dustin exhales and runs a hand through his hair. “That’s terrible.”

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