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)
My stomach jitters with nerves as Miles and I go down in the elevator. As I stand there watching the floor indicator change from two to one, he looks at me curiously. “You okay?”
I shrug a shoulder. “Sure.”
His brow furrows and it looks like he’s about to say something when the elevator door opens with a ding, and my mom and Sadie are standing right there.
The elevator has stopped, but my stomach continues to plummet a few more floors underground.
“Callie! Max!” Mom’s stress appears to have ratcheted back up to at least a nine, and mine is right there with her, as I imagine Miles responding like a deer in the headlights.
Remembering Max’s comment, I do my part to tip Miles off. “Hi Mom. Hi Sadie.”
In my peripheral vision, I catch a glimpse of Miles’s mouth curving up into a very familiar grin, and I have to turn my head to fully take it in. It’s a perfect replica of Max’s smile.
“Ms. Baker. Very nice to see you again.” Miles’s eyes, softer than I’ve ever seen them, focus fully on my mom, eliciting a big smile from her before turning to my sister. “And you must be the bride-to-be. I’m Max.”
“Hi Max, I’m Sadie.” The two of them shake hands before Mom and Sadie step aside, making space for Miles to maneuver the cart out of the elevator.
As Mom exclaims over the welcome bags, Sadie makes eyes at me that I read easily. Wow, Max is good looking, she says, without saying a word. She also gives me a look that reminds me that she knows Max isn’t actually my boyfriend. Little does she know, this isn’t even Max. I can’t wait to tell her about all this sometime after her honeymoon.
While I’m taking in Sadie’s reactions, I continue to be astounded by Miles’s transformation. He’s Max, to a tee, charming my mother like it’s his job. “We’ll get these right over to reception, Ms. Baker. Are there any special instructions we need to tell them?”
“They’ll know what to do. Thank you so much, Max.”
“Are you ready, Callie?” Miles turns to me, setting a hand on my shoulder with an ease someone would have if they’d done it many times.
Trying to keep my expression level, I smile back at him. “Sure, let’s go.” I wave a hand at my family. “See you later, Mom. Sadie, text me if you need me.”
When he has the cart straightened out, Miles shifts his hand to the middle of my back, sending an array of sensations out from his point of contact. He tips his head toward mine as we walk off. “How did I do?”
My eyes are wide as I look up at him. “It’s a little scary how well you did.”
CHAPTER 21
MAX
As soon as Miles and Callie leave, I undo the deadbolt on the door to the adjoining room and let out a relieved breath when the second door opens with no resistance.
We didn’t expressly communicate about the doors, but Miles alerted me that he'd been in the room, so I assumed I'd have access.
It took some last minute scrambling and a couple of calls from the home office to arrange the adjoining room, and though we could have functioned without it, the close proximity will make things easier.
Miles must not have had much time in here, because everything is still inside suitcases grouped near the door.
I set to work, clearing off the dresser to make more space before setting things up. There's only one chair in the room, but that's fine, because it's unlikely there'll be much opportunity for both of us to be in here together.
It seems like hardly any time passes before the alert from Miles comes through. I slip back into Callie’s room and lock the door behind me.
CHAPTER 22
CALLIE
Ever since witnessing Miles’s flip-of-a-switch transformation, I’m starting to question my ability to tell the brothers apart. I study the man who’s dressed to accompany me to the welcome party. From the slightly fuller face, I confirm that it's Max.
“You're going to meet a bunch of relatives tonight. It's going to be a lot of information to relay to Miles.”
Max’s fitted slate blue chinos keep drawing my attention to the muscles in his long legs, and I keep pulling my eyes away. “That’s what makes it a fun challenge,” he says, brushing nonexistent lint from the sleeve of his white dress shirt.
“You two have a strange idea of fun.”
Miles, who’s lounging in a chair scrolling on his phone, is back in silent mode, which I used to take as grumpiness, but now I just see it as him being quiet.
Max is watching as I strap on my sandals. “That’s a great dress, Callie.”
“Thank you.” I do feel pretty this evening in my new pale turquoise party dress. My mom took Sadie and I shopping last month, and it’s a good thing, because I didn’t previously own much that would have been suitable for this resort.