“Just fine, Ky. It’s good to see you.”
“It’s nice to be home for a bit.”
“Where do you live?” Gia asks.
“I’ve been in Seattle for the last few years. My husband works at a firm out there.”
“Damn, that’s quite the distance.”
“Tell me about it. But I try to come home a couple of times a year outside of holidays. It works.”
Grayson looks like he wants to say something to that, but he doesn’t. I know he misses Kylie when she’s gone. They’ve been best friends since they were in diapers. I joined their duo in middle school after Gray and I started playing football together.
“Well, we’ll let you two get back to your date.” Kylie grabs Grayson’s hand, pulling him into a dance before he can stop her. And he’s definitely protesting the move. I can see it on his face. I’ll have to thank Kylie later for distracting our nosy friend.
“Want another drink?” I ask Gia.
“Yes, please.”
We head to the bar together, snagging two open seats. I order our drinks from Will, who nods his head. I went to school with him. He was a couple of years older than me, but a pretty good guy. He owns the Howling Wolf now, after managing it for the past decade.
Once our drinks are in front of us, I turn to Gia to watch her expressions. For a while, I thought she kept her emotions locked down tight to hide how she felt. Now that I’ve had a little time to get to know her, she shares exactly what she’s thinking in her eyes. I’m not great at reading her just yet, but I’m getting better.
“Will you tell me why you bristled when Gray called you famous?”
Gia’s eyebrows fly up her forehead. “You noticed that?”
“Of course I noticed.” I reach out for her hand. “You don’t have to tell me. I was just curious.”
“It’s just…being the twin sister of Virginia Miller isn’t always easy. I love my sister. She’s my best friend, and I wouldn’t be where I am if I didn’t have her by my side.”
“But?”
“But…being mistaken for her gets pretty old fast. If it ended in an apology and them moving on, it wouldn’t be a big deal. Instead, they either become insistent that I am her and just don’t want to fess up to it, they get creepy about us being twins—that’s mostly the men—or they ask me to introduce them to her. If I push back or stand my ground at all, they get super annoyed that I’m not ‘nice like Virginia.’ They make their disappointment known, and it’s not a great experience for me.”
“Jesus. That sounds miserable. I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with such shitty people.”
“It’s not all of them. A good portion of them are kind, but there have been many who are the exact opposite.”
“I hadn’t even heard of your sister until the girls brought her up.”
Gia smirks. “I know. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to sleep with you.”
I bark out a laugh. “Fair enough. Although I felt like an epic piece of shit when I realized I didn’t even ask for your name.”
“I liked the nickname you gave me, which was weird. Most of the time, cutesy nicknames give me the ick.”
“It fit you that night. You had this thundercloud parked over your head, and then, when you laughed, it was like a rainbow after a storm.”
“That’s so cheesy.”
I lean in close, running my thumb over her pink cheek. “Maybe, but you like it.”
“Yeah, I kind of do.”
CHAPTER 13
Gia
