Page 64 of My Twin Sister's Extremely Famous and Incredibly Hot Neighbor

I can’t understand why Jera is so adamant about this. “Why do you say that? What motive does he have to fool me? He tore down the whole fence. It’s not that.”

Jera glances out of the patio door to the back yard. She blows out a frustrated breath. “He hasn’t liked me from the start. He acted like he did, but then he set me up. He invited me over to a party and—on purpose—humiliated me in front of everyone there. I don’t know why, but he’s had it out for me since he met me.”

I shake my head. “No, he didn’t humiliate you on purpose. I swear, this whole thing between you two has been a huge misunderstanding.”

“You weren’t there. You didn’t see what he did.”

I look out the patio window and see Squint happily running in the grass, chasing a moth. “What exactly happened?”

“I saw him moving in. That weekend I ran into him at a celebrity hang out and I talked to him. I thought he was cute. He said he was having a Halloween party and invited me to come. I thought we had a connection, you know? We chatted, and I thought this could go somewhere. When I showed up at the party, he’d forgotten to tell me it wasn’t a costume party.” She used air quotes around the word forgotten. “Who holds a party on Halloween and doesn’t make it a costume party? I was so embarrassed, but I told myself it was a mistake. He didn’t mean it.”

I try to hold in my smile. “What costume did you wear?”

“I dressed as Barbie. I mean, it wasn’t that bad, would have been worse had I chose that sexy kitten costume, but I was still embarrassed. But then, at the party, he started talking about celebrities who get plastic surgery. He said it was shallow and vain, and then he pointed at me and said—and I quote—‘Jera hasn’t had any and she looks fine.’”

Jera pressed her lips together and stared at me like that proved Dustin was a horrible person.

“So?”

“So? I’d just had my lips done, and I wasn’t happy with how they turned out. Everyone knew, Mackenzie. Everyone. The whole room busted up laughing.”

“I didn’t know,” I said quietly.

“Well, you don’t read the celebrity gossip. It was all over the news.”

“He didn’t know. I’m sure of it.”

Jera blinked back tears. “And then he tossed wine down my Barbie dress, and I’d had enough humiliation. I left. When he put up that fence, I had them come survey the land, and it was on my property. I knew he’d done that on purpose too. That’s when I slapped him with a lawsuit.”

I take Jera’s hand. “Can you imagine that the whole thing might possibly be one mistake after another? That Dustin didn’tmeanto do those things?”

She frowns and brushes her hair over her shoulder. “It’s hard to believe.”

“He didn’t say it wasn’t a costume party, but he didn’t say itwaseither, did he?”

Jera cocks her head to the side. “Well, no.”

“How could he have guessed you’d assume? And he told me he doesn’t read the celebrity gossip unless he’s in it. And the wine was a pure accident.”

Jera contemplates this for a moment. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve gotten to know him this last week. He is really kindhearted. He’s moving the fence, even though I wouldn’t talk to him about it. He knew it being on your property made you angry, so he’s spending all that money to get it moved. He’s giving you what you want. Only—he thinks he’s givingmewhat I want.”

Her expression changes as realization dawns on her. “You mean, he still thinks you’re me?”

All the emptiness and pain that I’d pushed away comes rushing back to me. “Yes. I’ve been lying to him this whole time. At first I was just playing my part, but then, things got complicated. I started falling for him. But I didn’t tell him the truth, and now it’s too late.”

Her eyes turn sympathetic. “Are you really in love with him?”

I nod, totally miserable. “Yes.”

She pats my shoulders. “It’s not too late. I have to make a phone call. Let me help you fix this.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Just give me a second.” She leaves the room, and I stare out the patio door, watching Squint. He runs through the grass, still chasing moths as they flutter up into the air. He plays for a while, and I think about what Jera might be able to do to fix my problem. What is she thinking? I don’t know what good she can do. I’ve lied to Dustin. Nothing she can do will fix that.

Squint walks along the cement surrounding one of Jera’s pools. He pants, and I can tell he’s thirsty when he sniffs the pool water.

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