Page 8 of Two Is Better Than One

"Well, I wanted to catch you before you left there."

"Why?"

"So you can ask off tomorrow."

"I can text Michael. Why? What's going on? Fishing?"

"No. It's a job, working with me, for that singer."

"Oh, with Summer Stockton?"

"It's her sister. You need to accompany her sister to some art gallery thing. She's really nice. It's an easy job. They need you to be there at eleven-thirty. Can you get the day off?"

"Yeah, I'll just tell Michael I can't make it tomorrow. How much are they paying?"

"It's five."

"Five hundred? For one day?"

"Yes."

"I'll do it. What do I have to do?"

"I'll tell you about it when you get home. Just let your boss know you need the day off."

***

"This is my cousin, AJ," Casey said, introducing him as they walked into the hotel suite the following morning. Casey had told AJ what to expect. It was a plush suite in one of the nicest hotels on South Beach. He had been in a few that were similar on his trip. He looked all around as he came inside.

Casey basically had no idea who Summer Stockton was when he started this job, but AJ knew about her. He recognized her the instant they came into the room. There were two other people in the room—her sister and…

"This is Brooks," Casey said.

AJ shook hands with the guy.

"This is Summer and Allie," Casey continued. They were sitting on the couch together and AJ leaned in and shook their hands one by one. Summer made eye contact as they shook hands. Allie did as well, but only for a second. She was shy, and AJ liked her instantly. AJ had a shy-ish older brother, and he had been the more vocal one over the years, speaking for Beau. He liked shy people. He felt at home around them. Allie barely looked at him and then she smiled and glanced away.

"I heard you guys were twins," AJ said to her.

"We are," Summer said.

"Identical but for the hair?" AJ asked.

"Yes." Summer was the one to answer.

"I have a brother who's only a year older than me, so I'm almost a twin," AJ said.

"What's his name?" Summer asked.

"Beau."

"They both played lacrosse in college," Casey said.

"I don't know anything about lacrosse," Summer said. "Except that you use a little net on a stick. I think it's to get a ball in a goal. Or a puck. No, it's a ball."

"Yeah, it's a black ball," Allie agreed, chiming in.

AJ smiled. "Yes, it's a ball, and you just summarized the whole sport. You knew more than you thought."

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