Page 52 of The Prince's Game
She struggled for a reply, her lips opening and closing at random. “So you went on a reality show without telling me?”
I figured Abby would do that for me since this is all her fault. “It’s complicated. I didn’t expect them to involve you.”
“I expect this from your sister, not you. What about your job?”
“I, uh, sort of had to quit.” This was not going well.
“What?!” She dove into another tirade in Spanish that had me shrinking in my seat. My only saving grace was being the last on Evan’s family tour. That would give me time to turn this around. Telling her Abby set me up wasn’t an option. She hated our prank war. Mentioning Abby’s involvement would only make her angrier.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell your mom,” Brenda whispered after we got out of the car at my childhood home. It was a remodeled four bedroom with more than an enough space to raise two wild twin girls.
My mom went inside after a muttered comment about needing to supervise the cleaners. Family and friends were welcome guests, but strangers were my mom’s kryptonite. She wasn’t shy, but she disliked the unfamiliar.
“I didn’t expect to stay on the show this long,” was my weak explanation. I wasn’t exactly expecting the producers to introduce Evan and his parents to my mom.
I led Brenda into the living area, where she dropped her purse. Bob was sitting in his office, which was adjacent to the living area, and stepped out to say hello. For a man of fifty, he was in good shape, with broad shoulders, a flat stomach, and strong legs. He kept his head shaved to hide his greying hair.
Big blue eyes grinned down at me as he gave me a hug. Of my mother’s recent boyfriends, he was my favorite. I hoped she kept him around longer than the usual two years.
“Hi, kiddo. I hear you’re on some kind of show?”
“Yeah? Did the cleaning crew give that away?” One of them was in the kitchen, which was located beside us, mopping.
“That and your mom ranting about it all night.”
“Uh.” I swallowed, uncomfortable. “Yeah, sorry about all this.”
“It’s certainly interesting.” That was his nice way of saying,This is ridiculous. There wasn’t much to say to that, so I introduced Brenda, and they shook hands.
“Well, I have to finish this project I’m working on, but I’ll be out in a bit. Your mom is thinkingEl Vaquerofor an early dinner since she’s been instructed not to touch the kitchen until after filming is done.”
“I bet she loved that.”
He grimaced. “I had to restrain her from clocking the guy in the face.”
“Sounds like Mom.” Abby inherited her feisty energy, while I got her strong will.
“Okay, but you had to be excited, right?” Brenda asked, resuming our conversation from the garage. “Wouldn’t you want to tell the world you got on this show?”
I snorted. “Would you?”
“No, but I’m not the type to go on one of these shows.” Realizing what she said, she backpedaled. “Not that there’s anything wrong with it. I mean . . .”
“It’s fine. I’m not really the type either.”
“Yeah, so I’ve noticed.” Her gaze narrowed. “You’re not like the others, which has made me wonder more than once why you joined the show.”
The reason walked into the kitchen with a cheeky grin. She pulled a wine cooler from the fridge and offered me one, with a look. I glared at her in response.Bitch.
“Have I mentioned I have an identical twin sister?” Brenda laughed until she noticed the other woman. Then her jaw unhinged. “Brenda, this is Abby. Abby, this is Brenda. She’s fromThe Prince’s Game. I’m sure you’ve heard of it?”
Innocence flashed in those identical brown eyes. “The Prince’s Game? Huh. Yeah, no, not ringing a bell.”
Being unable to say what I wanted to out loud, I let my gaze do all the talking.I’m going to murder you.
“I’ve missed you, too, Sis,” she replied in a bratty tone.
“This is too much.” Brenda’s head was swinging back and forth between us. “Does Paul know you have a twin?”
