She opens the door, her head tilted to the side with her phone pinched between her ear and shoulder. She holds up a finger and opens the screen door before I close us inside. Obviously, I turn the deadbolt to lockLiamout.
“Okay, sure thing,” she says with a smile you can hear. “I’ll talk to you later. Good luck. Bye now.” She pulls the phone away from her face and presses a button. “Jules!” She makes her way over to me and locks her arms around my neck. “I’m so gladyou’rehere.”
“So,” I huff, looking over my shoulder through the bay window, wondering if Liam has reached the door yet. He’s probably making out with that chick outside. “I don’t know if Liam wants me here, and I don’t want to make things awkward,youknow?”
“Awkward, as in, locking me out of the house I live in?” Liam walks in through the kitchen. Come on. Give me a freaking break. I swear, Ican’twin.
“The door is unlocked,” Sam says, walking over to the door and checking it out. “Oh weird, the deadbolt is turned. It wasn’t a second ago.” She looks at mequestioningly.
“I’m sorry. I just wanted to talk to you inprivate.”
“You didn’t have to lock Liam out,” shelaughs.
“It’s not just Liam,” Iexplain.
Sam turns around, finding Mandy in the opening between the kitchen and the living room. “Oh, Mandy, come here, I want you to meetsomeone.”
Mandy, with a devilish grin on her perfect lips, prances over to Sam. “We’ve already met,” Mandy says, looking me up and down as if she were some kind of sexualdeviant.
“Do we look alike or what?” Sam asks, elbowing Mandy inthearm.
They both have different hair colors, different facial features, and Mandy is at least three inches taller, so, I kind of don’t thinkso. “Uh—”
“We’re sisters. Would youbelievethat?”
I can’t help closing my eyes, slowly realizing how much messier this situation is becoming. “You two don’t look that much alike, so I am pretty shocked.” I sound confused, slow, weird, and annoyed, and she’s just trying to introduce me to her sister who wants to have sexwithme
“Where’s Jared?” Samasksher.
Jared. Jared, Jared? “He still hasn’t come downstairs yet? He never came to thebeach.”
What? “Not that I’ve seen,”Samsays.
Liam is in his own world right now, looking through his phone for something, and it’s pissing me off even more, seeing as I’m sitting here dumbfounded and more bewildered than I think I’ve ever been. “Jared, get your ass downstairs!” Mandyyells.
I hear something drop upstairs, followed by footsteps. Jared descends the staircase, and it’s Jared, Jared. “Hey stranger,” he says to me. “How’s itgoing?”
“Good,” I say with just my breath. I’m not sure where my voice is right now, but it’s probably somewhere with my pulse, which can’t be foundeither.
“Is Jared your brother?” I ask Sam, looking back and forth between everyone inthisroom.
Sam laughs. “In-law, yeah ... lucky me, right?” She rollshereyes.
“Whoa, easy, I made the bed this morning. You can’t be mad at me for that. Plus, that’s Liam’s job anyway,”Jaredsays.
“I’m confused ...” Someone, please explain to me what the hell everyone is talking about. My focus is directed at Liam, who’s grinning while still looking at his stupidphone.
“Well,” Sam says, looking at me strangely like I shouldn’t be so confused, “Mandy is my sister and Jared is her husband.” Oh my God, Mandy and Liam are having anaffair?
Mandy places her head down on Liam’s shoulder. “Hey babe?” she asks. What the hell? I honestly can’t imagine what my face looks like right now because I can’t believe what I’m watching. This is more than I can comprehend and handle for themoment.
“Yeah, babe?” Liamresponds.
Sam’s looking at Liam and Mandy, rollinghereyes.
“Can I stop calling you ‘babe’ now? Because it’s gross,” Mandy says. She shivers like she just touched aspider.
“I guess,” Liam says, avoiding myglare.
