And he did know her well enough. Enough to see through her BS. Which meant he had to know exactly what she was feeling.
She felt exposed. And suddenly the cool, fall breeze didn’t feel quite cool enough. She pushed up the sleeves of her sweater.
“But I’m grateful you were there. Last night,” she confirmed her meaning. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t been.”
“I’m just glad you needed me.”
At his words, her skin buzzed. She shielded the early morning sun with a hand to her forehead. She would always need him. In that moment, her body was suddenly betraying her, making her feel a different kind of need for him. A desire so unexpected it caused her head to spin.
She swallowed. “Anyway…thanks again.”
He nodded, though he couldn’t quite meet her eyes when he finally said, “Well, I’m heading into The Daily Grind. Picking up coffee for Garrett and I and taking it to the Larson house.”
“When will the episode air?”
“Sometime this winter, most likely.”
A woman in her late twenties passed Kelsey’s minivan on her way out of the coffee shop. The woman waggled her fingers as she called an overly friendly hello to Davis, as if Kelsey didn’t exist. But Kelsey couldn’t help but notice the woman didn’t specify which twin she was ogling. If she had to guess—the woman had no idea. Identical twins could sometimes be difficult to decipher if you didn’t know them well enough.
Davis waved to the woman, hardly giving her a second look, never mind a first.
In Pineridge Davis might as well have been a movie star. The way the locals swooned over him and Garrett lately was beyond irritating, but it didn’t take much for people around town to get excited. Everyone was always up in each other’s business. After Ricky died, they didn’t stop gossiping about Kelsey for months. Not until word had gotten around that Landon Hoffman was cheating on his wife, Norah.
“She’s cute,” Kelsey said, nudging her chin toward the pretty woman swishing her hips as she strolled down the sidewalk.
“Eh, she’s all right.”
“All right? She practically sexed you with her eyes.”
Davis’s face turned a bright shade of red. He blushed so easily, making it more fun to tease him while also attempting to ignore the burning in her chest.She was not jealous. “That’s not a thing,” he muttered.
“I bet it happens to you more often than you know.”
He pushed his hand through his hair, causing it to stick straight up before it flopped back over. An action she’d seen him do probably fifty thousand times and yet, this time it made her fingers ache to touch it herself. “Pft. Probably because they think I’m Garrett.”
Oof. His comment hit her in the gut. He’d said what she had already been thinking. It wasn’t as if Davis looked much different than Garrett. But they had different styles and personalities.
She wanted to ease his mind, his worries. “Shut up, you know you’re the better twin.”
He gave her a half smile but remained silent while he scratched Cooper’s ear.
To Kelsey, Davis had always been the better twin. His love of indie rock music, woodworking, and craft beer were just a few things she loved about him. Sure, Garrett was attractive, but he was also conceited. He strutted around town as if he were God’s gift to women. That arrogant personality had never really done it for Kelsey.
With his focus still on Cooper, Davis said, “I think you’re the only one who might share in that opinion.”
“Well, I’m the only one whose opinion matters.” When he didn’t say anything, her nerves suddenly standing at attention, she blurted, “You planning on going to the Halloween costume party?”Why’d she ask that?She was only going to be there by default—she’d be working.
“I don’t know. You know how packed the bar gets those nights.” He rubbed at the back of his neck before adjusting the collar of his jacket. “I’m assuming you’ll be there?”
“Don’t really have a choice. I’ll be working that night. The in-laws are taking the kids trick-or-treating.”
He nodded, the wind blowing through his hair.
She needed to somehow get them back on track, to be free from this awkward tension. “C’mon, please just say you’ll come. You don’t even have to come in costume—I’m not. But I don’t want to be stuck talking to the other single losers.”
His features softened, and he chuckled. The sound of it scraped against her skin, causing her nerve endings to tingle. “Like me, you mean?”
“What—no,” she corrected. He laughed again and it eased her mind, her breathing evening. “Not like you. You’re different. You’re always the exception.” What was she saying? Okay, normally she would say something like that. But after their heated encounter the night before, her comment felt strange.Say something else. “I owe you a beer anyway.”
