Faked (Ward Family #2)(21)

"You don't," I told her. I pointed at Claire. "She does."

Claire raised a shaking hand to cover her mouth.

"You can't ask that of her," Lia argued.

I cocked my head to the side. "Why not? You did."

The look on Lia's face at my answer was what snapped Claire out of her stunned stupor, and she stepped between us. "Okay, stop. That doesn't help anyone right now." She aimed a look at her sister. "You let him explain." She turned a warning look in my direction.

It was hot. So I grinned.

She was like a princess/teacher combo that was checking every damn box I could possibly conjure up in what made a woman attractive.

Maybe I'd never found that combination attractive before tonight, but hell, I did now.

I wanted to muss her hair. Push her buttons. Get her all riled up to see what she'd do. Maybe she wasn't far off about the playground analogy because something about her made me think of a little kid who tugged on a pretty girl's braids just because he liked her. And I wanted to tug those braids hard.

"Not much to explain, princess."

"Oh my gosh, I'm gonna puke if you keep calling her that," Lia mumbled. "She has a name, you know."

Claire pressed her fingertips against her temples like she was stemming a headache.

I ignored Lia. "And there's not much to explain because the nature of Claire's conversation with Richard, and the portion of that conversation that I took part in, make it impossible for you to show up there as yourself, Lia."

She narrowed her eyes. "Why's that?"

Claire's face was a sickly shade of white now.

"Do you want to tell her, or should I?" I asked Claire.

She gave me an incredulous look.

"Right." I turned back to Lia. "Claire spoke to Richard before she knew who he was. And it's my understanding that the thing she discussed, as Claire, positively blew him away."

No one said anything because Lia could read the misery etched on her twin's face and wisely kept her mouth shut. And Claire, she just looked like she was trying not to pass out because she knew she was well and truly stuck.

"Some child development thing, isn't that right?" I asked. "I caught the tail end of your conversation as I walked up."

Claire nodded slowly.

Lia's eyes closed in understanding, and she muttered a curse under her breath.

"Apparently, you hit close to home with what you said. Reminded him of his own childhood, but the way you managed to talk about it had him intrigued how a young woman like you, paired with his resources and that of the community center, could make positive impacts in a child's life who might have had the kind of upbringing he did."

Claire’s face sharpened with interest. Pleasant surprise. "Really?"

"Really."

Her smile was slow to start, slow to build, but damn, it was beautiful when it fully covered her face. "That's amazing."

"Adele certainly thinks so." I winced. "Though I had to tell her which twin you actually were when she couldn't figure out why an English Lit major"—I glanced pointedly at Lia—"would be referencing childhood development studies."

"Was she mad?" Lia asked.

"Are you kidding?" I smiled. "At that point, she couldn't even be upset at me for being present when your little twin swap brought her this kind of quality time with Richard."

Claire looked calmer now, glancing back and forth between her sister and me. "So I get why I need to be the one there, but no offense, why do you have to be there? Can't I just go with Adele and your dad?"

I rubbed at my chest. "Ouch, trying to pawn me off already?"

"N-no," she stammered, "I just ... I'm trying to understand your role in all this."

I pitched my voice low, like we were dancing again. "Don't you remember what he said to me as he was walking away?"

Her brow furrowed for a moment. Then it dawned. Her mouth opened again.

"What?" Lia asked. "What did he say?"

"Son of a bitch," Claire whispered so quietly, I could hardly hear her.

But hear her I did. And I started laughing.

"Someone tell me!"

"Nothing terribly exciting," I told Lia. "I get to go as the boyfriend. The infamous snowboarding boyfriend who Richard is very excited to get to know."

"You what?"

Claire looked desperate. "Why can't he take a meeting with them like a normal person?"

"Because rich people do weird things, princess." I shrugged. "He won't be in Seattle tomorrow, and apparently, a little quality time with you, me, and the parents sounds like his idea of a rockin' weekend."

"Why are you saying yes to this?" Lia asked me. "You and Adele can hardly stand to be in the same room. You haven't done a single thing to help your parents or Finn with anything since I've been around."

Claire looked at me with quiet consideration on her face.

I felt it slide up, up, and over my entire body, a suit of iron that no one but I could see. "Who says I'm doing any of this to help them? Maybe I want a weekend at a big ass house in the mountains where I have the hardship of pretending to date a beautiful woman? There are worse ways to spend my time."