Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 86751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
“Having fun is the goal for this event, and wouldn’t it be fun if Miles came along, and he and I traded places with each other, each of us acting like we were the same man?”
Surprises have been coming at me all evening, but this one takes the biscuit. “How old are you two—eleven?”
“We did switch places a lot as kids. We’re very good at it.”
“Max is essentially just an overgrown child,” Miles says drily, the first words he’s spoken since I arrived.
“Remember how you never wanted to have your picture taken on school picture day?” Max asks Miles before turning to me. “We’d wear the same shirt, and I’d get my picture taken twice. Our parents never knew.”
Miles’s lips curve into the barest hint of a grin. “In fact, they used to compliment me on how well I smiled for the photos.”
Max taps his brother’s arm. “Or that time freshman year you were bashful about asking out your crush, so I did it for you?”
Miles scowls. “Let’s not forget the time you were failing chemistry, and I stepped in to save your ass.”
“This is a nice trip down memory lane, guys, but surely you’re not proposing a stunt like this for my sister’s wedding. Miles probably doesn’t even want to come to the wedding. Do you know about this, Miles?”
Max speaks before his brother can answer. “I phoned him on the way here and filled him in. It’ll be a fun distraction. If I’ve learned anything about you so far, Callie, it’s that you’ve been working hard and dealing with a lot of stress. Hijinks like this are just what you need.”
“Hijinks?” I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anyone use that word before, especially when they were the ones planning to get up to mischief.
“Innocent pranks. A little secret that will generate some laughs that will belong to only us three.”
I look to Miles, fully expecting him to be on my side of this argument, but he’s actually grinning now. Full-out grinning. It’s not as dazzling a smile as Max’s, but it has more impact due to its scarcity. “It can be a good time,” Miles says.
Maybe it’s their ridiculous good looks, or the fact that I like the idea of having a private joke during what will undoubtedly be a set of stressful days, or maybe Max is simply skilled at getting his way, but so help me, I start to give in.
“It won’t cause any problems, Callie. I promise. We’ll be careful never to be seen together, and despite my charm and my brother’s—” Max clears his throat—“…lack thereof, we’re good at pretending.”
Later—much later—I’ll realize that Max may as well have been standing on the table, waving a red flag in my face, signaling extreme danger, but I blindly chose to ignore it.
CHAPTER 13
CALLIE
Ishould be exhausted when I leave the Pruitt brothers’ beach house, but I’m oddly energized.
Max can be exasperating, but I have to admit I had a good time with him. Our conversation flowed easily, I laughed more than I have in weeks, and his thoughtful good manners were refreshing.
Miles … is still Miles, but together, the two of them fascinate me, with their similarities and their differences.
I still can’t believe I allowed Max to talk me into going along with their silly prank. If my mom finds out, she’ll disown me. I don’t want anything to mess up Sadie’s wedding, but aside from my mom going ballistic, the twin-switching “hijinks” seem pretty harmless.
What I’m most worried about is spending time with Miles. It’s hard to imagine holding a conversation with him, much less passing him off as my adoring boyfriend.
Maybe I’ll see a different side of him during our study sessions, or maybe the men will decide this was a bad idea and call it off.
We exchanged phone numbers before I left, with Max making another offer to send a dick pic, and Miles whipping his head around in confusion, making both of us crack up.
They offered to cook dinner for me at their place tomorrow, and they even asked what I liked and disliked. Rick never cooked for me. Come to think of it, no man has ever cooked a meal for me, outside of a restaurant worker.
After I pull into my parking space, I text my mom. It’s late, and she’ll probably be asleep, but Max’s name will be waiting for her when she wakes up.
She responds right away, while I’m gathering my yoga bag and towel from the backseat. “Pruitt? I don’t think I know anyone by that name. Can’t wait to meet him!” The little excited emojis she adds to her message make me sad. Why is me being with a man so important to her? I can already tell she’s going to be mightily disappointed when our fake relationship suffers a fake break-up immediately after the wedding.