CHAPTER ONE
How had she run out of ice cream? Kelsey hurried through the grocery store, avoiding eye contact with the few late-night shoppers as she made a B-Line for the freezer section. The harsh fluorescent lights glared down on her like a spotlight, screaming, This woman is wearing her pajamas out in public! When she’d left the house, she’d assured herself she could be in and out of the store in five minutes. Now that she was here, she was worried she would run into one of her co-workers from The Frosted Bride, or maybe a neighbor from her apartment complex. Jasmine, her best friend who lived just a few doors down, was a fashion designer and would die of horror if she saw Kelsey right now.
But Kelsey had just gotten back from Oklahoma a few hours ago and had a relaxing evening of reality TV planned to celebrate yet another successful wedding. Planning movie star Jase Larson’s nuptials had been a major career boost for Kelsey, but she’d been a bundle of worry for the past eight months as her mind played an endless loop of things that could go wrong. At least Cassidy had been an extremely easy-going bride, and in the end, the wedding had turned out perfectly.
Pajamas or no, what Kelsey needed tonight was ice cream. Eye in the Sky wasn’t the same without Dryer’s slow churned. She scanned the selections: mint chocolate chip, fudge tracks, cookies ’n cream. Her eyes stopped on rocky road, making her heart lurch.
That had always been Jadyn’s favorite flavor.
Kelsey rubbed the spot behind her left ear with an index finger. She’d gotten the tattoo of a red balloon after the memorial service, determined to always keep a piece of Jadyn with her. Red balloons had sort of been their thing—a silly way to comfort each other when things got hard. It had started when they were only kids, and they’d kept up the tradition into adulthood. Sometimes it was actual balloons, but usually it was pajama pants with balloons, or red candy in the shape of a balloon, or a dozen other things. Funny that Kelsey hadn’t been brave enough to get the tattoo until Jadyn was no longer around begging her to do it.
You hate rocky road, she reminded herself.
Kelsey was more sentimental than usual with the second anniversary of Jadyn’s death approaching. But not sentimental enough to ruin her ice cream with almonds. Her eyes skipped over the rocky road and focused on the double fudge brownie.
“Jadyn?”
Oh no. Kelsey slowly turned around, wishing she could shoo the person away like an obnoxious fly. Of all the things she wanted to get into tonight, Jadyn’s untimely demise was at the absolute bottom of her list.
In the twenty-two months since Jadyn’s death, Kelsey had run into a few situations like this. Telling old acquaintances about her twin sister’s passing never got easier. At least last time she’d managed not to cry. That was progress, and Kelsey prayed she’d be as successful now.
“It is you.” Before Kelsey could get a good look at the man, he clasped her to him in an enthusiastic hug.
She let out a yelp of surprise, and the man pulled back.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. It’s me, Bryce. From band?”
Her stomach jumped like she’d just swallowed a packet of Pop Rocks, sending a zing of energy clear down to her toes. His brown hair was short on the sides and longer on top, replacing the shaggy mop from their high school days. A five o’clock shadow now covered his face, highlighting his strong jaw and straight nose. But she could see the Bryce of ten years ago hidden beneath. They hadn’t talked often—Jadyn had been the one in band, while Kelsey had chosen to take orchestra—but that hadn’t stopped Kelsey from harboring a secret crush on Bryce all through tenth grade.
“Of course. It’s so good to see you again.” Kelsey wrapped her arms tightly around herself, feeling her cheeks grow warm. Why hadn’t she worn a jacket? Oh yeah—ninety degree weather. But the matching Batman T-shirt and pajama bottoms were just embarrassing.
“I can’t believe it’s you.” He laughed, motioning to her ear. “At first I thought you might be Kelsey, but then I saw the tattoo.”
Kelsey’s hand flew to the spot. Her hair, pulled back in a high ponytail, left the tattoo exposed. The tattoo that she’d made sure was a perfect replica of Jadyn’s. “Bryce, listen—”
But he spoke at the same time, cutting her off. “Did your parents ever forgive you for getting that tattoo? You always were a risk taker.”
Yup, he was definitely thinking of Jadyn. She’d often teased Kelsey for being scared of her own shadow. Kelsey tried again. How had Bryce not already heard the news? “Yeah, about that…”
But Bryce seemed lost in a world of his own, caught up in memories from a decade earlier. “You know, I always meant to ask you out in high school.”
Kelsey’s heart stuttered painfully. Of course he’d had a crush on Jadyn. Every red-blooded male in their high school had been in love with her. Jadyn had been the bubbly, outgoing twin, up for any challenge. Like cliff diving in Hawaii, then getting caught in a riptide and drowning.
She missed Jadyn so much.
“I promised myself if I ever saw you again, I’d ask you out.”
Well crap. Bryce’s gunmetal blue eyes practically sparkled with joy at seeing Jadyn again, and Kelsey really hated to dash his hopes. She shifted, her high-tops squeaking against the floor.
“Wow,” Kelsey said. “I’m very flattered, of course.”
Bryce ducked his chin, making a lock of hair the color of chocolate fall over his forehead. Adorable. The tips of his ears were glowing red in embarrassment, and she realized that asking Jadyn out hadn’t been easy for him.
“Sorry,” Bryce said. “I shouldn’t have assumed that you’re still single. Of course you have a boyfriend.”
Kelsey’s stomach flipped at his expression. This was getting out of hand, even if her sophomore self was fan-girling inside. “Actually, I don’t. It’s just that, well…”
Oh, her heart! His lowered eyes and slumped shoulders caused Kelsey physical pain, sending tiny twinges that radiated out from her heart. How had Jadyn dealt with this kind of thing? Guys had asked her out all the time, and she’d never had a problem turning them down.
Kelsey was pretty sure that if she yanked Bryce’s soul out of his body and jumped on it with stilettos, he couldn’t look more disappointed. The poor guy was clearly crushed.
What would it hurt if she pretended to be Jadyn for just one night?
Kelsey immediately rejected the idea. She couldn’t impersonate her dead sister—that was sick and twisted. If Jadyn were still alive, Kelsey might have considered it. Switching places had been a common occurrence, even as adults. Jadyn had been a jokester like that.
But no. Just no.
“Forget I mentioned anything,” Bryce said quickly. She could see the shy Bryce from high school reappearing—the one who’d hidden behind his trombone and plumed shako hat. “I should probably get home. It was good seeing you again, Jadyn.”
The smile on his lips showed no teeth, the clench of his jaw making the grin look forced. His eyes were sad, but he seemed to be trying hard to hide his humiliation. He’d probably go home and tell all of his friends what a jerk Jadyn Wilkes had turned out to be.
Kelsey squeezed her eyes tightly shut. She couldn’t let someone speak ill of Jadyn. Couldn’t let Bryce leave here crushed.
Really, what was the harm in letting Bryce go on a date with Jadyn? It was one evening, and a tiny white lie meant to help. It might even be sort of nostalgic—a brief, tangible connection with the twin sister Kelsey so desperately missed.
She could go on the date and be intentionally boring. After a painfully dull evening, Bryce would go on his merry way, content his life was complete without Jadyn in it. Wouldn’t that be kinder than telling him the truth? Kelsey knew just how painful it could be to live life with unanswerable “what ifs.”
If she went out with him, he’d stop looking at her like she’d used his heart for target practice. Living out her high school fantasy of dating Bryce was simply a bonus.
“Bryce, wait,” Kelsey said. He was nearly halfway down the aisle now, and she realized she’d been lost in her thoughts for far too long.
He turned back around, his eyes wide with a hope that made Kelsey’s own heart soar. She could do this. No biggie.
Kelsey folded her arms tighter around her waist, mostly obscuring the Batman logo on her pajama top. She wished she could tell Jadyn about this. Her sister would have died of laughter. Kelsey nearly chuckled at her own morbid word choice, then realized Bryce was still looking at her expectantly.
She lifted her chin, cheeks burning in a very un-Jadyn-like way. “I would love to go out with you, if the offer is still on the table.”
“Definitely.” Bryce took a few more steps cautiously toward her. “You are single, then?”
“I’m very single.” So was Jadyn, probably. Could you date in heaven? If so, then Kelsey had no doubt her sister had found the hunkiest Roman soldier and promptly stolen his heart.
195 Pages
3-4 Hours
35k Words
