Page 11 of The Charade

"You have a point." Cambrielle elbowed Nash in the back. "He should have to work for his inheritance, too."

"They're headed this way." Nash turned to Mack, anticipation filling his face, clearly oblivious to my conversation with Cambrielle. "Scarlett is leading the twins to our table."

"Of course she is," Mack said, like he hadn't just been holding his breath as he waited for the new girls to reappear from the cafeteria line. "I told Ava I'd save her a seat at our table."

"Ava?" Nash asked, grasping onto this new information like an alcoholic licking the last drop of vodka from his shot glass. "And what's the other one's name?"

Mack pursed his lips as if trying to remember. Then he glanced between Hunter and me. "Do you remember her name?"

Hunter was so focused on the messages blowing up his phone that he didn't hear the question. Even though I knew I shouldn't have stored their names in my memory from the brief interaction I'd had with them, my brain recalled them anyway. "Their names are Ava and Elyse."

"Yes, that's right." Mack snapped his fingers. "Can't tell you who is who, but those names sound right."

"Ava and Elyse…" Nash spoke their names slowly, like he was savoring them on his tongue as he watched the girls approach. "I love those names."

Of course he did.

"Hot, right?" Mack cocked an eyebrow.

"Definitely," Nash agreed.

I just rolled my eyes at my best friend and brother. It was like they hadn't seen a single female since school let out last June and were parched from the thirst.

I didn't get it. Sure, the new girls were nice to look at, but they weren't any prettier than, say, Scarlett, or even Cambrielle.

And before you could think it, no, I didn’t have the hots for my sister.Never have, never will.

We might be an interesting family, but we were notthatinteresting.

"Hey guys," Scarlett said when she got to our table, a big smile on her lips. "Any room for me and my new friends?"

"Sure." Hunter slipped his phone into his pocket, Scarlett's presence taking his attention from his screen for the first time since he'd sat down. He made space between him and Nash. "You can sit here."

Mack scooted closer to me so that there would be room on his other side. "One of you can sit here." He patted the bench, looking at the twins in earnest.

"Yeah." Nash not so gently nudged Cambrielle in the arm with his elbow to get her to budge. "There's room here, too."

Cambrielle rolled her eyes at Nash. But being the wing-sister that she was, she obliged him.

Scarlett slipped onto the bench beside Hunter. After having some sort of twin-telepathic conversation, one twin sat next to Mack with flushed cheeks while the other set her tray on the table between Nash and Cambrielle to sit in the spot across from me.

Before the girl in front of me could even take a breath, Nash eagerly asked, "So what's your name?"

"I-I'm Ava," the girl said, tucking some of her long, nut-brown hair behind her ear nervously. "Ava Cohen. What's your name?"

"I'm Nash Hastings." Nash held his hand out for Ava.

"Nice to meet you, Nash." Ava shook his hand and seemed to appraise my brother. Nash, at six-foot even, was a few inches shorter than me. But since Ava was on the taller side for a girl, they were almost eye level with one another.

Taking more after his mom than our dad, Nash always joked that what he lacked for in height compared to me, he made up for with his charm. Which was definitely something he had a lot more of than I did.

Being charming took too much energy.

Cambrielle introduced herself next. "I'm Cambrielle Hastings."

"Hastings?" Ava asked, looking between Nash and Cambrielle. "Are you twins, too?"

"Definitely not." Nash shook his head. "I'm clearly the more mature sibling."

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