The Love Twin

In her living room, Becky first dialed Charlotte’s office to tell her that she would be a few minutes late. When she got Charlotte on the line, the executive had said she’d call her right back.

Becky hoped that Charlotte didn’t think she was being flaky by not going straight to her office and prayed she hadn’t ruined Pam’s chances of getting that new job.

Becky then anxiously called her sister’s office in New York where she was an account executive at an advertising agency.

“Pam Lawson’s office,” the secretary said over the phone.

As always, Becky was thrilled when Pam’s personal secretary answered her call. She was so proud of her twin’s career success. Her secretary asked if Becky could wait a few moments for Pam to get off the other line.

As Becky nervously waited, she remembered the first moment she’d found out that she had an identical twin sister.

One year ago she had opened the door to her apartment, and Pam had been standing there. Stunned, Becky had felt as if she was looking into a full-length mirror.

“Becky, it’s me,” Pam said, her green eyes welling up with tears. “I’m your twin sister!”

A sob had caught in Becky’s throat as she hugged her twin, holding her and not wanting to ever let go.

Becky had stayed up all night talking with Pam. Her sister remained at her apartment for two straight weeks until she had to return to her job in New York.

With disbelief, Becky listened as Pam told her that she had found their birth mother right before she died of cancer. She learned that she and Pam got separated at birth because their real mother wasn’t married and had decided to give them up for adoption to two different couples.

Their birth mother had never told either adoptive couple about the existence of the other identical twin. She was afraid that no one would want to adopt two baby girls together or want to keep them apart if they knew.

Becky was astonished to discover that her identical twin had, like her, also been adopted by an elderly couple who had passed away. Her sister had also been named Becky—after their adoptive grandmothers who coincidentally had the same first name—and she was also afraid of the dark and of the water, because she had almost drowned as a little girl.

Within a week, Becky and her identical twin had immediately changed their different adoptive last names to their birth mother’s surname, Lawson. And her sister had changed her first name to Pam, their birth mother’s first name.

“Beck, I was just thinking about you!” Pam’s voice traveled across the fiber optic line from the Big Apple, breaking into Becky’s warm memories. “My bones have been tingling for the last two hours feeling like something wonderful has happened to you!”

“I think I found a great job for you,” Becky said, explaining about Charlotte’s possible L.A. job for her.

“Wow!” her sister responded. “You mean we’ll be together soon? When do I start, Beck?”

“Maybe in four weeks.” Becky replied. “I’ll let you know when you need to give your notice at your New York job.”

“I can’t wait!” her twin added and then stopped. “There’s something else, isn’t there? I can feel it three-thousand miles away.”

Becky sat down to steady herself. “Pam, do you remember Jarrid Browning?”

“Jarrid?” her sister repeated, incredulously. “You saw him today?”

Saw him? She was in his muscled arms! “He goes to the same gym as I do.”

“I can’t believe it!” Pam said, excited. “Jarrid was my very first love in high school. How did he look? What did you think of him?”

The words flew out of Becky’s mouth before she knew what hit her. “He’s sensitive, courageous, caring.” She abruptly stopped. What was she saying? How could she tell Pam that Jarrid made her body so hot she needed an ice bath to cool down?

“You liked Jarrid a lot, didn’t you?” Pam asked, reading her mind. “I can hear it in your voice.”

Becky’s cheeks heated up. “He’s okay, I guess.”

“Beck, for once, will you admit your true feelings?” Pam said, almost like she wanted her to like Jarrid. “Sometimes I worry that you’re so closed up because of what happened with your old boyfriend, Darryl, that you wouldn’t see the man of your dreams even if he kissed you on the lips.”

He did almost kiss me, she wanted to say about Jarrid, but she couldn’t. Not until she knew for sure that Pam no longer had feelings for him.

“Jarrid thought I was you,” Becky hurried on, telling her sister about how he saved her from drowning in the pool. “He even knew about my fear of the water because you and I almost drowned as kids.”

Her sister’s voice rose an octave. “Did you play along with him? Did you tell him you were me to see his reaction?”

“Of course not!”

“Why not? You could’ve gotten to know him.”

All of Becky’s insecurities about being with a man again rose up in her. “I told Jarrid I was your twin sister, but he didn’t believe me.”

She felt so nervous that she got up from the chair and walked over to the window facing the jacaranda trees lining her street.

“This is wild!” her twin exclaimed. “Of course he didn’t believe you, because I was always joking and playing tricks on him.” Then Pam’s voice lowered. “Is Jarrid still angry with me for splitting up with him?”

That’s why he looked hurt when she insisted she didn’t know him. He thought Pam was rejecting him again.

“Pam, why did you break up with him?” she asked.

“I never meant to hurt him,” her sister explained, telling her about Jarrid’s marriage proposal. “Jarrid wanted a wife, but I was too young to get married. I needed to explore who I was. But now, Beck, I wonder if I made a terrible mistake.”

“What do you mean?” Becky wanted her sister to find happiness with a man, because Pam couldn’t seem to settle down with one man in her life. Yet she secretly wished that man wouldn’t be Jarrid Browning!

“Beck, maybe I was dumb back then,” Pam hurried on. “I’ve dated so many guys since Jarrid, but I’ve never met a man as special as him. Do you think he really is the one for me?”

Becky felt momentarily speechless. “Well, sure, I mean, he might be, I guess.” Deep down, she wanted to hear her sister say that she had no feelings at all for Jarrid.

“Beck, I know this sounds totally insane,” Pam rushed on. “But could you keep Jarrid thinking you’re me?”

Becky couldn’t breathe. “What?”

“I don’t want to lose him again,” her sister quickly explained. “I can’t prove to Jarrid that I still care about him when I’m so far away. I need him to see how sorry I am for tearing us apart. Beck, can you do that for me?”

Her throat felt dry. “I—I can’t. I’m not you, Pam.”

“Exactly,” Pam hurried on. “I’m so bold and impulsive. That’s what made me lose Jarrid in the first place. But you’re sweet and sincere, Beck. You can open his heart to me again. Please, Beck, play like you’re me—just until I move to Los Angeles for that job you’ll be getting for me.”

Becky’s mind was whirling. She wanted to say yes so she could have an excuse to see Jarrid again. Yet the whole idea was plain crazy.

“Pam, I don’t know anything about you and Jarrid,” she stammered. “I don’t think I can pretend—”

“I’ll special deliver you my high school diary,” her twin cut in. “I wrote down every detail of my relationship with him.”

“What will happen when Jarrid finds out you’ve fooled him?” she worriedly asked. “It won’t be fair to him, Pam.”

“Jarrid knows I’m a joker card,” her sister explained. “And he’ll doubly appreciate all I did to get him back. Plus, you’ll get to spend time with a wonderful man after depriving yourself of male company for so long. Come on, Beck, will you do this super favor for me?”

Just then, Becky’s call waiting clicked on the phone. She felt a moment of torturous relief.

“Pam, hold on a sec. It’s Charlotte about your new job.” She quickly switched to the waiting call. “Charlotte, I can be at your office at whatever time is best for—”

“Becky,” Jarrid’s deep voice resonated in her ear, “I hope you don’t mind my calling. I got your number from the membership list at the gym.”

“Jarrid—” Becky’s heart started wildly pumping. “Could you hold on a moment? I’m on another call.”

“If this is a bad time—”

“Oh, no, you’re perfect, I mean, it’s okay,” she stammered, her heart fluttering. “I’ll be right back.”

Becky anxiously switched to her sister. “Pam, it’s Jarrid. What am I going to tell him?”

“Beck, here’s your opportunity!” her sister said, excitedly. “Will you treat him special for me? Ask him to lunch. That’ll make him feel great.”

“I can’t!” Becky blurted. “I’ve never asked a man to lunch before.”

“Jarrid won’t believe you’re me if you play Ms. Shy and Reserved,” Pam said. “Let go of your silly inhibitions. Be spontaneous for once in your life.”

“Pam, I don’t know if I can—”

“I gotta go,” Pam quickly cut in. “I love you, sis! Good luck!” Then she hung up.

Becky’s hand was sweating as she held the phone receiver, knowing Jarrid was waiting for her on the other line. She felt weak at the knees, exhilarated and terrified at the same time.

Get close to Jarrid? That was her ultimate fantasy the very second she met him.

Her heart was thumping as she put a trembly finger on the button that would connect her with Jarrid. She couldn’t do it! Pam had to understand. It wasn’t in her to pursue a man, especially someone as incredible as Jarrid Browning!

Two

In the small office at the back of his store in Santa Monica, Jarrid anxiously squeezed the phone in his hand. He was so hyped up he couldn’t even think straight. He wondered why Becky was taking so long to come back to his call. Was she thinking of excuses to hang up on him?

Stop being paranoid, he told himself. He was sure she sounded excited when he first called. Or was he just imagining it to convince himself that he could steal back into her heart?

He didn’t even know why he was calling. He had an appointment at a customer’s house in Beverly Hills to deliver a sixty-inch, high-tech television screen. His technician, Pete, was waiting for him in the van out front. But he couldn’t go until he talked to Becky.

“Jarrid, I’m sorry I took so long,” her soft voice suddenly whispered in his ear.

He swallowed. “Becky, I know you don’t want to talk to me.”

“Yes, I do,” she quickly cut in.

He held his breath. “Then why did you pretend you didn’t know me at the pool?”

“Because my mind was all foggy and cluttered,” she rushed on. “Yours would be, too, if your nose and throat were clogged with chlorine.”

He had to smile. “Maybe I was a bit overly sensitive.” He instinctively put the receiver closer to his lips. “Wouldn’t you still be sensitive if you were on my end the night of your prom?”

He felt her hesitate. “Jarrid, I was really immature then,” she began. “I didn’t know what I was saying.”

Jarrid’s hopes rose. “What do you mean, Becky?”

Becky felt a rush of excitement hearing Jarrid’s deep, masculine voice so close to her ear. She nervously glanced at the framed photograph of her and Pam arm in arm hanging on her living room wall. Pam, help! she silently begged.

“Jarrid, I wasn’t very good at communicating my feelings back then,” she disclosed, trying to think of what her sister might say. “I was too abrupt and insensitive. I should’ve told you I was too young to get married. I should’ve been more gentle with you.”

Jarrid was silent for a long moment, and she wondered if she’d said the wrong thing. She didn’t want to mess it up for her sister. Becky knew she shouldn’t have agreed to this and planned to call Pam back and tell her she couldn’t pretend to be her a moment longer just as soon as she hung up with Jarrid.

“I’m confused, Becky,” Jarrid admitted. “Half of me wants to see you again. But the other half—”

“Do you think you might be able to ignore that second half?”

His voice was almost a whisper. “Do you really want me to?”

She could almost feel his warm breath on her cheek. A tingle of pleasure cascaded from her breasts down to her toes. Her heart fluttered wishing it was her he was talking about wanting to see. But remembering her sister’s love for him, she ignored her own response to him.

“Jarrid, can’t we start over? I mean, seven years have gone by, and we’re both so different now.”

“I want to, Becky, but I’ve got to be honest with you.” She heard him hesitate. “My sister-in-law, Marie, is setting up a date for me with her friend.”

Becky suddenly panicked. She had to do something fast before Pam lost Jarrid a second time. Should she ask him to lunch like Pam wanted?

“Jarrid, would you like to, I mean, I was wondering if—”

“Becky,” Jarrid interrupted as a male voice called him in the background. “I’m late for a business appointment. Can we continue this conversation?”

“Yes, definitely! Where? When?” she blurted.

What was happening to her? She was never that bold.

“I could drop by where you work late tomorrow afternoon,” he said.

“Oh, no, not there.” She didn’t dare take that chance. What if someone at the salon said something that might let him know that she wasn’t the same Becky? “How about at your job?”

“Great!” Jarrid said, excitedly. “I’ll show you my home entertainment store.”

“You own a store?” she asked, surprised and impressed at the same time.

“Yeah, it’s kind of small, but it’s mine.”

She was so nervous and excited that she could barely remember writing down the Santa Monica address of his store before she hung up the phone. She knew she should immediately call Pam to tell her that she couldn’t pretend to be her with Jarrid.

Yet she couldn’t back out on her sister now, not when Jarrid was about to meet another woman and Pam wasn’t in Los Angeles to win him back.

Why deny it? She couldn’t wait to be with him again. She couldn’t wait to see his store. She couldn’t wait to continue their talk. She couldn’t wait—

The sound of the phone ringing interrupted her wayward thoughts. She quickly came back to reality when she heard Charlotte’s voice on the line.

“Becky, how about dropping by my office tomorrow after lunch instead of today?” Charlotte suggested.

“Sure, Charlotte. I’ll be there about 1:30. Thanks so much.”

Suddenly, a rush of anxiety filled Becky’s body. Her twin might be moving to Los Angeles in a few short weeks. So why didn’t she feel as joyous about it as she did before?

Because of Jarrid Browning, that’s why!

Feeling tense, and still having a little time before her first appointment at the salon, Becky grabbed her keys and went out for a walk to quell the uncontrolled feelings she was having about Jarrid.

Under the flower-scented jacaranda trees, Becky followed the hilly sidewalk, breathing in the ocean-filled Mar Vista air. She had to concentrate on getting Jarrid back for Pam. She had to forget her own yearning for him.

As she turned the corner on busy Centinela Avenue, her heartbeat sped up when she spotted a curly brown-haired, muscular guy in shorts jogging across the street. For a second he looked just like Jarrid.

Her skin heated up with desire just thinking about him. She quickly turned away, silently scolding herself for wanting the man her sister was still in love with. She hurried back to her apartment to call Pam in New York. She had to keep her sister’s interest in mind, not her own.

She dialed Pam’s office number desperately needing tips on how to win Jarrid’s heart back for her twin. But it was lunchtime in New York, and she got Pam’s voice mail. So Becky left a message asking her sister’s advice on how she should act with Jarrid when she saw him again.

As she hung up, Becky was determined about one thing. She was going to get Jarrid back for her twin. However, as she grabbed her car keys to drive to the salon, she was a bundle of raw nerves; trying to figure out how she was going to silence her own major attraction to Jarrid Browning.

“Uncle Jarrid, sit next to me!” his nine-year-old niece, Lizzy, squealed as she pulled him to the dinner table at his brother Kenny’s house in West Los Angeles that evening.

Jarrid gently kissed her hand. “Lizzy Browning, I’d be honored to be your dinner partner.” In a princelike manner, he pulled out a chair for her.

How many times had Jarrid wished he had a daughter just like Lizzy and a beautiful wife like his brother had.

“Uncle Jarrid, I heard my mom’s gonna set you up in a few days with her girlfriend,” Lizzy whispered in his ear. “I’ve never met her, but don’t worry, I’ll let you know straight-out if she’s right for you.”

“I’m counting on your opinion,” Jarrid said, warmly hugging his niece, but his insides were churning.

Before Becky reappeared, he had been looking forward to meeting Marie’s friend, who was recently divorced and searching for a relationship like he was. But now, he felt uneasy about it.

All because of Becky.

“Jarrid, how’s your business going?” Kenny asked as he helped his wife set plates of meat loaf, mashed potatoes, cooked baby carrots and salad onto the dinner table.

“I’m still looking for customers who’ll hire me to design video and audio systems for them,” Jarrid replied, relieved to get his mind momentarily off his emotional turmoil about Becky. “Know of any, Kenny?”

“Wish I did,” his brother replied. “I’d send them straight your way.”

“Yeah,” Jarrid said, thoughtfully. “I just need to find a way to get my name out there. Then I’ll be able to open the larger store I keep dreaming about.”

Kenny high-fived him. “I know you’re gonna make it big, bro!”

“By the way, Jarrid,” Marie began as she passed him the meat loaf. “I heard you’re swimming at the gym now. Getting in shape for a new relationship?”

His brother winked at him. “I bet he’s met a couple of cute single women there, right, Jarrid?”

“Ken, stop it!” Marie said. “I don’t want your brother meeting another woman.”

Jarrid avoided Marie’s eyes. “Don’t worry, Marie, I haven’t met anyone new at the gym.” He immediately piled meat loaf onto his plate, not wanting his sister-in-law to know about his confused feelings about Becky and spoil her dating plans.

“Good,” Marie said. “Because I already told my friend, Leah, about you. She’s dying to meet you.”

“Same here,” Jarrid responded, trying to summon his original enthusiasm.

Kenny eyed him for a long moment. Jarrid got the distinct feeling that his brother sensed something was up but was going to keep quiet so as not to ruin things for his wife.

“How do you want to meet Leah?” Marie pursued. “A blind date with just the two of you? A family barbecue here?”

“Family, definitely, barbecue, here with all of you,” Jarrid rushed in a jumble of words. With Becky haunting his mind, he wanted to meet Marie’s friend in a friendly, platonic atmosphere.

Once again, Jarrid felt Kenny’s eyes on him. His brother was eight years older and twenty years wiser. Even as a kid, Jarrid could never put one past his big brother.

“Terrific!” Marie said, excitedly. “How about next Saturday?”

“Fine with me,” Jarrid replied, his stomach in one tight knot.

He was relieved when dinner ended. Lizzy talked him into a game of Monopoly, and he lost all his play money and properties when he landed on her hotels on Park Place and Boardwalk.

But later, while Marie tucked in Lizzy for the night, Kenny cornered him while he played his brother’s new CD-ROM computer game.

“Come clean, little brother,” Kenny said, egging him on. “You did meet a lady at the gym, didn’t you?”

Jarrid could feel the meat loaf grumbling in his intestines. “An old girlfriend.”

Kenny’s eyes widened. “You only had one old girlfriend, Jarrid. Wasn’t she the high school girl who burned you?”

Jarrid anxiously jerked the computer joy stick and missed the game target on the screen. “Yeah. Becky.”

“I never met her, did I?” Kenny went on. “I think Marie, Lizzy, and I were living in Chicago then. But I remember when you came to visit us, how broken up you were.”

I’m still in pieces! Jarrid wanted to yell out but didn’t. He had to find a place in himself that was emotionally neutral about her.

“Kenny, you’ve got to promise not to tell Marie,” he said. “I don’t want to spoil her plans. I’ll work this out. It won’t affect meeting her friend.”

Kenny’s eyebrow lifted. “You’re still hooked on Becky, aren’t you?”

Jarrid quickly got up from the computer. “I don’t know, Kenny, I don’t know.”

Kenny put a brotherly arm around his shoulders. “I know you well, Jarrid,” he began. “Ever since Mom and Pop died in that car accident when you were seventeen, you’ve been looking for a girl to love. Don’t worry. It’s gonna happen for you. Your future wife is out there. Just trust the process.”

Jarrid nodded, trying to absorb his married brother’s wisdom. He knew that seven years ago he’d held on too tightly to Becky because of his desperate need to love and be loved. He had emotionally paid for his overwhelming need when she eventually broke free of him. He didn’t want to make that same mistake twice.

“Hey, Jarrid, how about a quick one-on-one basketball game before you go?” his brother asked.

“Sure,” he replied, hoping the game would help get Becky out of his mind.

As Jarrid shot for the hoop, Becky’s strawberry hair and green eyes flashed through his head. Suddenly, he made a clear basket. A slow grin crossed his face. He couldn’t help but wonder if that perfect shot was an omen of good luck for him and her.

At the Nouveau Hair Salon in Beverly Hills, Becky quickly stuffed her hair dryer, hair spray, gel and scissors into her bag. She was already a few minutes late for her appointment at the Beverly Hills home of Mrs. Gwen Fuller, who preferred having her hair styled in privacy.

Becky didn’t mind doing house calls. Most of her clients at the salon were upscale, wealthy women who had busy schedules to keep.

As Becky packed her bag, she made sure she also had her swimsuit along. Mrs. Fuller always insisted that Becky swim in her pool. However, when she learned of Becky’s fear of drowning, Mrs. Fuller made sure that Becky relaxed in her Jacuzzi after Becky did her hair. Becky couldn’t refuse because she knew Mrs. Fuller was a widow who enjoyed sharing the lavish home she lived in by herself.

Becky anxiously glanced at the clock on the salon wall. She couldn’t even think straight, knowing she would be seeing Jarrid at his store in several hours. First, she had to go to her meeting with Charlotte about her sister’s job.

She still hadn’t talked to Pam about how she should act with him to be convincing. Her twin had left a message on her home answering machine saying she was overloaded with work and couldn’t call back until later.

However, her sister said she’d sent her diary special delivery, and she’d come up with other super-cool ways to help her get over her shyness with Jarrid.

Becky was so blind with worry that she accidentally knocked over her bag. Her favorite pink satin blouse fell onto the linoleum salon floor—the pretty blouse she wanted to change into before seeing Jarrid.

Sherry quickly picked up her satin blouse and smiled. “Are you going out with Jarrid Browning?”

“Yes, I mean, no. He wants to show me his store.” She wished she could tell Sherry about Pam’s scheme, but she couldn’t break her sister’s confidence.

“How wonderful!” Sherry said. “He’s opening his life to you. That’s a true sign that he cares.”

“Do you really think so?” Becky asked, momentarily forgetting she was going to see Jarrid because of her sister.

“Absolutely,” her friend said supportively. “When a man wants to show off where he works, you can be sure he’s very interested in you.”

Becky’s stomach was jumping with butterflies as she gathered up her bag and hurried to her car in the parking structure. She felt so jittery and unsure about herself that she wondered if she should call him from Mrs. Fuller’s and postpone seeing him until she got more advice from Pam.