Chapter 6
Bryson
“What do you mean, out of stock?”
I glared at the half-filled shelves. Our grand opening was in five weeks—exactly one week after the wedding—and the last thing I needed was another delay.
“Sorry, man. I don’t know what to tell you. We’re on back order.”
Greg Olsen had sung a different tune when I’d initially placed our order for stock with him. He’d been all too happy to take my business. That was months ago, though, and apparently the supply chain took a hit when a barge crashed in the Panama Canal.
“So, how long are we talking?” I asked, resigned to the inevitable. “We’ve got a store to open, and I’d like there to be something for people to buy.”
“Another three weeks, at least.”
“Talk about cutting it fucking close.”
“I know,” he said. “But it’s the best I can do.”
“Guess that’s true,” I said begrudgingly. “I appreciate you telling me straight.”
“Of course.”
“Keep me updated if—” I broke off as the door swung open with a crash and my brother stormed inside. “Greg, I gotta go.”
“You’re not going to believe what happened!” Branson exclaimed.
I took in my wild-eyed brother and disconnected the call. It wasn’t like him to be dramatic. He was the even-keeled one of the two of us. I was the one hopping from job to job, never quite finding the right fit.
He had given up a lucrative career in sales to open this sporting goods store with me, with the caveat that we open it in Granville so that he and Caitlyn could be closer to her family. It’d been a lifelong dream of mine, so I’d leapt at the chance.
“You look like Caitlyn just called off the wedding,” I joked. “Everything okay?”
“No, it’s not fucking okay.” He gestured wildly. “I’ll be lucky if Caitlyn doesn’t call off the wedding!”
Whoa. That was unlikely. Caitlyn and Branson were two happy peas in a pod.
“Take a breath and tell me what happened,” I said. “I’m sure we can work everything out.”
“I wish I knew.” He inhaled a deep breath, his tense face slowly relaxing. Better. I didn’t particularly like the wild, manic-eyed look on his face. Or on mine, for that matter, since we were identical twins. “We went to the wedding planning meeting today, as planned.”
“Yeah?”
“And the wedding planner flipped out on me! Said he couldn’t work with us. Just quit out of the blue, and I told him, like you can’t just quit without an explanation, you know? And he told me to come clean. Come clean about what, bro? I’ve never met this dude before in my life.”
Uh-oh. Branson had never met him, but I was starting to wonder if maybe I had.
“What was his name, by chance?” I asked as casually as I could.
“I don’t know, man. Simon or Sawyer or, um—”
“Silas?”
“Yeah, that’s it!” His eyes widened. “Wait, how do you…” He trailed off as he realized. “Fucking hell, Bry, did you really have to fuck my wedding planner?”
“How was I supposed to know he was your wedding planner?”
“Unbelievable,” he muttered. “The town’s the size of a postage stamp, but you met a wedding planner and didn’t consider the fact he might be working with Caitlyn?”
“I kind of had other things on my mind.”
He groaned. “For fuck’s sake, don’t tell me your dick torpedoed my wedding!”
“First off, we had a really nice date. Stop being such an asshole. I really like this guy. It wasn’t just about sex.”
“It never is with you,” he grumbled.
I glared. “Fuck off. Just because I’m not engaged doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to care about someone. I deserve the chance to find a Caitlyn too.”
“Sorry,” he said, chastened. “I’m just freaking out here. The wedding is right around the corner. Caitlyn is refusing to work with Silas’s assistant. She wants him or no one. She went home and cried.”
“Fuck, I’ve got to call Silas.”
“Yeah, you do. Make this right for Caitlyn.”
I glared at him. “I’m more worried about Silas right now. Did you even stop to think how he must feel? He thinks you fucked him behind Caitlyn’s back! He thinks I lied to him about everything on our date. You couldn’t have told him you have a fucking twin?”
Branson cringed. “I didn’t know what was happening in that meeting, man, or I’d have done that. Obviously. Please, Bry. Tell him I’m sorry, okay, and please get him back for Caitlyn. Her heart is set on this.”
I nodded. My brother would move heaven and earth for Caitlyn. I got it. I wasn’t the only Larkin brother who was a romantic at heart.
I picked up my phone and called Silas. It rang four times, then went to voicemail. I tried again. Straight to voicemail that time. Damn. He was screening my calls.
“He’s not answering.”
“Then text him,” Bryson said. “Don’t let him ignore you. We need to fix this.”
I nodded, tapping out a quick message.
Can we talk? That wasn’t me at your office today. I would never lie to you like that.
“What did he say?” Branson asked, leaning in to get a look at my screen. I lifted my phone away. This was shitty enough without an audience.
“He hasn’t answered yet. Give it a few minutes.”
“Okay, well, you keep trying. I’m going to go fill in Caitlyn and reassure her this is a small bump in the road. Maybe I’ll stop at the flower shop and get her a nice big bouquet.”
“Okay, grovel for me too,” I said. “I’ll head over to Silas’s office if I don’t hear back soon.”
Branson’s lips quirked. “Funny how neither of us did anything wrong, but we’re the ones in trouble, huh?”
I shrugged. “Guess we need to tell everyone we meet that we’re clones.”
He laughed. “Right? Sorry if this ruins a good thing for you, man.”
He went back out the door, and I returned my gaze to my phone, trying to will Silas into answering. Still nothing.
I decided to go for honesty over delicacy.
That was my brother who’s getting married. I have a twin. His name is Branson. I’m Bryson. Different men.
Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.
I held my breath, waiting. Silas’s reply popped in.
Nice try. I’ve met your brother. His name is Bolton, and he looks nothing like you!
I groaned, tapping the keys as fast as I could.
That was my other brother. I’ve got two. But only one is my twin.
Silas:
Likely story. Don’t text me again. I don’t mess around with grooms, ever. You’ve not only lied to me and Caitlyn, you’ve put my entire career at risk.
I swore under my breath. Why had I let Branson leave? If he was here, I’d drag him over to that wedding office right now and show Silas there were two of us.
I’d just have to figure out a way to convince him. If worse came to worst, I could drive him over to Branson’s place so he could see the truth for himself.
I grabbed my keys, went out the door, and hopped into my pickup out front. Branson’s sleek silver Audi was already gone. We were identical in a lot of ways—even in personality—but our taste in vehicles diverged significantly.
Silas was so sophisticated. If he’d met my brother first, would he have liked him better?
I shook that thought away and started the engine. Branson was head-over-heels in love with Caitlyn, and Silas would never have the chance to find out if my brother was the better guy for him. Because if I had any say in the matter, he’d be stuck with me.
I reversed out of the parking spot and drove the few blocks to Veils & Vows.
I hopped out and pushed through the glass entrance doors. The front-desk receptionist looked up. “Mr. Larkin, hello. I’m afraid Heidi’s in another meeting if—”
“I want to see Silas.”
She froze, half-raised out of her chair. “I’m afraid he’s not available.”
“Can you just call him and tell him I’m in the lobby? My name is Bryson. I’m not the guy from earlier. That’s my brother, Branson.”
She stared at me as if uncertain what to believe.
Christ. We hadn’t had twinception at this level since we were in middle school.
Normally we were easy to tell apart by our clothes, but now that Branson wasn’t working, he’d traded in his suits for faded blue jeans, which was doing me no favors right now.
“Please,” I said. “I just want to clear up a misunderstanding.”
“I wish I could help you,” she said at last. “But Silas really is out for the day.”
“He left in the middle of the workday?”
She spread her hands. “He did.”
“He’s not just hiding in his office?” I asked. “If I searched this place—”
“You will not do any such thing,” an imperious voice said, which made my spine stiffen and an instinctual flash of guilt run through me.
I turned to see a regal woman coming down the hall. She was dressed in a tailored business suit, black-and-white checked. Her silver hair was pulled back into some sort of fancy bun. Like Silas, this woman was elegant.
“Silas Thorne has ended his work relationship with you. You can work with Heidi, or you can find another wedding planner. Those are your only options. You will not harass him in his workplace.”
I flushed, a wave of shame cresting even though I wasn’t my brother. The fact she believed it, that she believed I was a cheating groom come crawling back to twist Silas’s arm into planning my wedding to Caitlyn made me a little sick.
“I’ve never had a work relationship with him.” I pulled out my wallet and displayed my driver’s license. “My brother is Branson. I’m Bryson. We really are twins.”
She leaned in, peering closely at the license. Flicked a wary look up at me. “I’ll pass on your message to Silas.”
“If I could just show him…”
“He’s really not here,” she said gently. “He took an early day. He was upset.”
I winced. “The sooner he understands, the better for everyone. I don’t want him to be hurt, and I don’t want my sister-in-law to worry about her wedding plans. I need to make this right.”
“I understand. I’ll call him as soon as you leave.”
It wasn’t enough, but there was nothing more I could do here. I nodded reluctantly. “Please tell him he can call me anytime, and I’ll answer any questions he has.”
“I will.”
I went back out to my truck, but instead of going back to the store, I drove to Silas’s neighborhood. It was over the line to stalk him to his house, but I didn’t know what else to do.
Probably a good thing his car wasn’t in the driveway, even if it didn’t feel like that.
I couldn’t force Silas to talk to me. I had to wait until he was ready. But damn, I hated what he must be thinking about me right now.
A whole-ass date, and I hadn’t once mentioned I had a twin brother. Why couldn’t I have talked more about Branson and his bride?
This whole mess could have been avoided, and I could be on Silas’s street to pick him up for another date and another amazing night together.
Instead, I had a sick pit in my stomach, wondering if I’d blown my only chance with him—and ruined my brother’s wedding at the same time.