Page 56 of Wicked Ambition

“Of course not,” Señora Alvarez said calmly. It was only then that Ayla realized how fierce her own voice had been. “Your parents never mandated that you accompany them on their adventures?”

Ayla smiled ruefully. “They did at first. Oh, nothing too scary, like rock climbing or parasailing, but the thrill rides at amusement parks? Yes. Sobbing uncontrollably stopped thatand my parents began to take turns staying with me while the other went with Io.”

Señora Alvarez frowned, and for a moment remained silent before she said, “Perhaps you should think about how your sister held your parents back, too. If you were too young to be left unaccompanied, do you think Señorita Desmond was up to adult-level adventures like your parents were capable of?”

The truth hit her like a tidal wave, and Ayla felt her stomach heave again. Instead of reaching for crackers, she put her head down near her knees and drew some deep breaths. She heard Señora Alvarez making sympathetic, soothing sounds, but her brain was whirling. There was no chance that at seven or ten or even thirteen Io would have been able to keep up with their parents.

Io wasn’t the perfect daughter. She never had been. The truth was merely that her interests aligned more closely with their parents’ passions. Their twenty-ninth birthday dinner had been rescheduled forbothof them. Her twin didn’t spend any more time with their parents than Ayla did.

“Your parents accommodated you and accommodated your sister as well,” the older woman said.

Ayla lifted her head enough to look at Señora Alvarez. She couldn’t stop the words that tumbled out of her mouth even though she knew Oz would want her to remain silent. “Accommodate? My sister and I are identical twins. Our parents don’t care enough to be able to tell us apart.”

Señora Alvarez’s eyes widened. A moment later, she nodded. “Your sister dyes her hair blonde to stand out from you.”

Hair color was a topic best avoided. “Io insisted on dressing differently from the time she was around six years old. When we switched what we wore, no one, including our parents, realized it. I was interchangeable to them.”

“Then your sister was interchangeable as well. They didn’t favor her over you.”

The comment left Ayla reeling. All her life she believed her parents were partial to her sister, but this conversation—even the facts that she’d revealed herself—painted a different picture. She needed to think about this some more.

Later.

When she thought she could sit up without embarrassing herself, Ayla did so. She wasn’t quite ready to concede this battle yet. “Men prefer my sister over me.”

Señora Alvarez’s eyebrows rose. “Explain this to me.”

“When we were in high school, guys would pretend to be interested in me to get closer to Io. She never betrayed me,” she added quickly, not wanting the older woman to think her sister didn’t care about Ayla’s feelings. “Any guy I was interested in or who I dated, Io considered completely off limits. That didn’t stop men from using me, though.”

“High school, you say?” When Ayla nodded, the Señora said, “Those are boys, not men. Can you see your husband playing such a game?”

“No.” Oz wouldn’t mess around like that.

Señora Alvarez pushed another package of crackers toward her. “From what you’re telling me, the person doing the most comparing is you.”

Ayla’s hands shook as she tugged open the package of crackers. “But?—”

“Let me recount what you’ve told me,” the older woman interrupted. “Your parents wished you were more like your sister, but they couldn’t identify either one of you if you dressed in unexpected ways. Boys used you to approach your sister, but men have not, and now you have your husband and a baby on the way. You haven’t mentioned your sister comparing you. Does she?”

Taking a bite of soda cracker, Ayla shook her head. After swallowing, she said, “Io doesn’t judge people. She accepts them for who they are, and if they don’t mesh with her, she moves on. She doesn’t believe in wasting time or energy.”

“Has she moved on from you?”

Ayla smiled ruefully. “No. Like I said, Io and I don’t have a lot in common, but she’s there when I need her, whether I like it or not.”

“And that means?”

“She’s ready to fight my battles for me even when I want to fight them myself.” A sudden vision of Io learning Ayla was pregnant, unmarried, and that Oz was the father popped into her head. Her sister would go to war with Oz, demanding to know what he intended to do, and nothing Ayla said or did would keep her sister from protecting her.

“Because she loves you,” Señora Alvarez said, but she was watching Ayla with a concerned look on her face. “Why do I have the impression thatyouwould fight your sister’s battles for her even ifshedidn’t ask for your help?”

“If she needed me to do that, I would, but Señora, Io would already have everything taken care of before I came up with a plan of action.” Her stomach rolled, and Ayla felt her entire body go hot. Oz always told her to breathe, so she tried taking deep breaths, hoping that would quell the nausea.

“I think, dear one, that you are too self-critical. Grant yourself some grace.”

Before Ayla could come up with a response, the front door to the inn opened, the bell making a melodic tinkling noise. Three men entered. The one in front had dishwater blond hair, a neatly trimmed beard, and blue eyes. His gaze landed on their table, and he crossed to where they sat. “We need rooms,” he said. “One for each of us.” The tone suggested it was an order rather than a request.

Ayla had never heard Spanish spoken with a Russian accent before, but there was no mistaking it. Even as she prayed to remain invisible, her stomach went back into its gymnastics routine with zeal. She looked around for a restroom.

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