While Gabby was at camp, Ryder decided to go on a hunt. He needed to find the ultimate gift for Cara. One that summated how he felt about their friendship and her. Though he had ordered a HomePod Mini from Apple for her stocking, her actual gift was too important to order online. He needed to see and touch whatever he chose to make sure it felt right. As right as he’d felt when his lips had been pressed to hers.
Which is why he had driven up to the Christiana mall as soon as he had finished his article and submitted it to the team for revision.
The parking lot was so full, he had to park at the movie theater and trek across the lot to the mall. He wasn’t complaining, though. He had been fortunate to snag that spot.
The weather was brisk, windy and had a distinct chill that made him wonder if it might snow. Hunching down into his coat, he pulled his cap lower on his head, meandering past the cars until he arrived at the entrance.
Opening the door, his ears were filled with the loud buzz of conversations and Christmas music. He stopped, taking in the huge number of people in the mall. ’Tis the season, he thought. To his left was the food court, and a Barnes & Noble bookstore was to the right.
Sauntering into the bookstore, he bought Cara a gift card since he knew she liked to read. Another stocking stuffer. He patted his coat pocket. Now to find the present that was a physical representation of how he felt.
Hold on a second. How did he feel? Ryder stopped mid-step. He knew he was attracted to Cara’s mind, her beauty—but did he have deeper feelings than that? The throng pressed around him, but he hardly noticed. When it came to Cara, he experienced a whirlwind of emotions—all good. Forcing his legs to move, he wondered, could this be love?
That question gnawed at him while he searched. Ryder didn’t know what he was looking for, but he would know once he had found it. For the next hour, he checked out perfumes, dress shoes, sweaters, watches... But nothing expressed the depth of his emotion. Panic lined his stomach. He swallowed. He had to find something within the next twenty minutes because he needed enough travel time to pick up Gabby from winter camp.
He was strolling past the jewelry store when he paused. Stuffing his hands into his jacket, Ryder went inside. His eyes slid past the rings and chains before settling on a Pandora set on display. Mesmerized, he moved toward the showcase.
When he saw what was inside up close, his breath caught. He circled the showcase several times. Each time, he grew more convinced that this was it. Every charm had different representations of what you might find in a garden—a rabbit, a watering can, lilies, a mushroom.
The saleslady came next to him. “This is the Pandora garden collection, meant to honor the beauty found in nature. Do you want to take closer look? It’s the only one I have left and there have been many admirers but no takers so far.”
“Can I?” he asked.
She used her tiny key to open the door and handed the piece to Ryder for closer inspection.
“This is perfect,” he breathed out, then asked for the price. When she named the number, he let out a little whistle. But the more he held it, the more he loved it.
“You can get just the bracelet and one charm,” she advised. “A lot of people do that and then add to it every year.”
Squaring his shoulders, he shook his head. “I’ll take the complete set. The woman I’m getting this for deserves the best.”
“Look at the twinkle in your eyes. Your face is like a light bulb,” the woman said, giggling. He stiffened, not liking the comparison. She went around the counter to ring up his order and then gift wrapped it.
Just then, Cara sent a text. Did you get your ugly sweater?
Yes. I have one with the Grinch and Gabby has one with princesses.
Let the contest begin. Wolf will decide on the winner.
No fair. You know he’s going to choose you.
All’s fair in a sweater war. She sent a heart emoji.
The saleslady must have been watching him, because she tsked. “I’d guess you were just texting your lady friend. Because you look besotted.” Cocking her head, she said, “Love looks good on you.”
Her words punched his gut. Whew. This was love. He was completely, madly, unequivocally in love with Cara. Suddenly, his chest lightened, and he couldn’t hold back the wide grin. Why didn’t anybody tell him that falling in love could feel so great? With sure steps, he approached the saleslady, handing her his card. “You’re right. I am in love, and I can’t wait to let her know it.”
When he left, he found himself whistling a Christmas tune. For once, he was looking forward to the holiday—not just for Gabby but for himself. Ryder wanted to knock on Cara’s door and holler out his feelings. But he would wait for Christmas. It would be the perfect day to offer her the most perfect gift of all—his love.
Chanel placed her gift for her sister under the small tree on her mantel, uttering a prayer for her safety. She hadn’t decorated inside her home, partaking in all the Christmas activities with the Frosts instead. She packed her presents for Gabby, Wolf and Ryder in a large gift bag and adjusted her Christmas sweater.
Her red sweater sported a snowman and bells, and she’d paired it with black corduroy pants and boots. The air outside felt crisp, and temperatures were expected to drop low enough that Delaware might actually see snow on December twenty-fifth. Chanel couldn’t remember the last time this state had had a white Christmas.
This evening, they were going to build the gingerbread house, and she was looking forward to stringing the popcorn on the tree. Gabby had been talking about that nonstop for the past few days. She zipped up her black coat and sailed through the front door. Then her eyes narrowed.
There was a black SUV coming down the road and making its way toward her driveway. Thinking it might be someone who was lost, she waited on the porch, expecting a window to roll down and the driver to ask for directions. Instead, the driver pulled right next to her pickup. Her stomach tensed, knowing who could be inside.
The passenger door opened and her sister stepped out, dressed in all black.
Dropping the packages, Chanel squealed and scampered down the steps to throw herself into her twin’s arms.
“Cara!” she exclaimed before kissing her sister on both cheeks and then squeezing her tight again. “I can’t believe it. You’re back. I know you said you’d be back, but still. You’re here.”
“I didn’t come back to get suffocated,” Cara said, her voice muffled.
Chanel released her slightly, her eyes tearing up. “I’m so glad you’re safe. Did you catch him?”
With tears in her eyes, Cara gave a nod. “It wasn’t easy, but Jeremiah Greene is in custody and can’t hurt anyone anymore.”
She looked down at her sister’s right leg. “How is your injury coming along?”
“I’m good,” Cara said, pulling away. “Don’t go making a fuss.” She stuck her hands in her pockets and asked, “Where’s my car?”
Giving her a light shove, Chanel chuckled. “I need to be asking you the same thing.”
They looked at each other and said in unison, “Long story.” Then, after a beat, said again in unison, “We’ll talk later.” This wasn’t unusual for them to do, so they shrugged it off.
Cara grabbed Chanel’s hand and walked her to the driver’s side. “We have so much to catch up on. Were you going somewhere?”
“Yes, I—”
Before Chanel could finish her sentence, a tall dark-skinned man with a slash across his right eyebrow, dressed in all black stepped out of the SUV. Chanel deduced he must be the FBI agent.
“Chanel, this is Agent Memphis Gray.” Her sister blushed—actually blushed.
Memphis? Probably his undercover name. Cara must have read her mind, because she said, “And yes, it’s his real name.” Then she giggled, practically batting her eyes at the agent.
Looking between them, Chanel’s eyebrows rose. She gave her sister’s hand a double squeeze. Code that Chanel was going to get all the details later. Her sister sounded sappy and smitten. Cara squeezed back.
Memphis held out a hand. His voice was bass deep and butter smooth. “Pleased to meet you.”
He had a firm handshake. Something Chanel appreciated.
Just then, a voice said, “Cara?” and Ryder came into view. He was holding Gabby’s hand. Both had their coats open, so she could see they had on their ugly sweaters. Chanel froze and her mouth popped open.
In the excitement of her sister’s return, she had forgotten Ryder had been expecting her. Of course he would come and check to see if she was okay. She watched as Ryder looked at her and her sister standing side by side. His brows knit in confusion before he gave a lopsided grin and his eyes settled on her.
He could tell them apart.
“Ms. Cara,” Gabby boomed out. “There are two of you.”
“Yes, yes, honey,” she said, though she struggled to breath. “We’re twins.” This wasn’t the way she envisioned Ryder finding out.
“Twins!” Gabby yelled, skipping over. “I love twins.”
“Cara, you’ve been holding out on me,” Ryder said, walking over, his eyes pinned on her. “Why didn’t you tell me you were a twin? All these weeks, you never once said.”
“Actually, I’m Cara,” her sister interjected, her voice firm as she jabbed a finger to her chest. Then she pointed at Chanel. “This is my twin sister, Chanel.” Then she smirked. “Hello, neighbor.”
Ryder shook his head. “No. But...” His eyes darted between them several times, his confusion evident.
Gabby’s brows furrowed, her little head turning back and forth between them. Chanel stooped until she was eye level with the little girl. Cupping Gabby’s face, she said, “My real name is Chanel Houston.” She gestured to her twin. “And that’s my sister, Cara.”
“Oh.” Gabby put a hand to her mouth. “So you’re not you?”
“No, I’m me. I just have a different name.”
“But you lied, and Daddy said lying isn’t good. Daddy said I shouldn’t lie and say I brushed my teeth if I didn’t.”
Cara snorted and Chanel cut her a warning glance. She held on to Gabby’s shoulders. “Your daddy is right, and I’m sorry I wasn’t honest. I was pretending to be my sister.”
Gabby’s eyes filled with sadness, which made Chanel’s heart ache. “Did you pretend to play with me?” She returned to grab her father’s hand—a sure sign that she was overwhelmed.
Ryder grunted and held his hand up. “Please stop speaking. You’re only making things worse.”
Chanel nodded and stood back, respecting his wishes. He held Gabby closer to him, his manner protective. She blinked to keep her tears at bay.
At this point, Memphis still hadn’t uttered a word. He just rested against the SUV, his arms folded, watching the scene before him. Shaky, Chanel entreated her sister, “Cara, I’m sure you two must be exhausted from your drive. Why don’t you go on inside and I’ll catch up with you in a minute?”
Cara looked like she was about to argue. Then she heard a bark. Her face twisted. “Keep that flea-filled mutt away from me. I don’t need him jumping on me and shedding his hairs all over my boots.”
Cara’s hate for Ryder’s dog was all over her face.
“Let’s head inside,” Memphis suggested. He must have recognized that Cara had been about to go into confrontation mode. Chanel gave him a look of gratitude, amazed at how docile her sister became. Cara picked up the gift bag holding Chanel’s gifts for the Frosts and took it inside the house.
The screen door slammed behind them.
Ryder bent over to whisper in Gabby’s ear, and she gave a little nod. “Bye, Ms... I forgot your name.”
Her chest tightened at that confession. “It’s Chanel. You’ll get used to it.”
“Go back inside, sweetie,” Ryder said gently. “I’ll be in to start on our gingerbread house.”
Gabby gave another little nod before signaling for Wolf to come with her. Chanel watched her departure, hating seeing the normally animated girl so quiet.
As soon as his daughter was out of earshot, Ryder pounced. “Care to explain why you lied about your identity?” A muscle in his jaw twitched.
Wringing her hands, Chanel said, “My sister needed me to switch places while she hunted for Jeremiah Greene.”
His eyes went wide. “So she didn’t resign?”
“No. Cara had to go undercover to help the FBI track Jeremiah’s whereabouts, and she couldn’t risk any of his family alerting him.”
“That’s understandable.”
She took a step forward. “I was going to tell you.”
“When, exactly?” he asked, his tone cooler than the night temp.
“Tonight.”
His brows knitted. “I can understand why you didn’t say anything at first—but once we were friends, why didn’t you confide in me and tell me the truth?”
She lifted her chin. “I gave Cara my word.”
Ryder shook his head. “The thing is, I knew it. I knew something was off about you. There were tiny little clues that I chose to ignore. Well, actually, huge clues. Your entire personality was completely different. I should have asked questions.”
“I—”
He cut her off, his chest heaving. “But I wouldn’t have guessed in a million years that you switched places with your twin. No one in town ever mentioned Cara had a twin.” His voice rose along with his fury. “Forget the town. You should have told me.”
“I—I should have,” she said, her lips quivering. “I haven’t been here in years, and most of the people might not know about Cara being a twin. But I couldn’t tell you. I had to protect my sister.” She searched for more words, but her brain wouldn’t cooperate. It was too busy keeping her blood pumping because her heart was breaking seeing Ryder’s hurt and anger and knowing she was responsible.
“At my expense?” he yelled in frustration. “Cara, I...” His lips curled as he self-corrected. “Excuse me, Chanel.” He repeated her name, testing it out on his tongue. “Chanel, I confided in you about things I’ve never told anyone. You should have trusted me to do the same. I’m not just anyone. Wait...am I?”
“Of course not,” she pleaded, putting less space between them. “You must know what you mean to me.” The urge to touch him was strong. She curled her fists, knowing that wouldn’t be welcomed.
He scoffed. “How do I know that for sure? You were playing a role.” His eyes turned fiery. “I was a fool. A fool to believe you.”
“I’m still me,” she said.
“Who you are? How can I know you when I don’t even know your name? I don’t know what was real and what was pretense,” he snarled, pacing like a caged panther. “I can’t believe this was all a prank between sisters.”
She fought to get him to listen. “Nothing that happened between us was a pretense or a prank. I get that you’re upset now, but when you’ve calmed down and had time to think about it, you’ll realize that I genuinely care about you and Gabby.”
He swung around to face her. “Don’t utter my daughter’s name. Gabby’s mother has already disappointed her enough. I had to explain why Brittany isn’t coming for New Year’s like she planned and won’t even be here for her surgery. But having you in her life removed that harsh sting. She talks about you and all the Christmas plans you made with her nonstop. And now Gabby doesn’t even know your name.” Anguish filled his face. “Do you know what that’s like for her right now?”
“I—I didn’t mean to hurt her. Or you.”
“But you did. You hurt my little girl.” His eyes glistened. “Stay away from us.” He turned and stomped across her yard, heading over to his.
“She’s expecting me to come help build the gingerbread house. I can’t disappoint her,” Chanel yelled out. “We said we’d make this Christmas special for her. Don’t do this, please.” Her shoulders shook.
Ryder swung around. “Gabby will be just fine without you. Don’t kid yourself into thinking your deception will ruin our Christmas. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. So if you ever meant either of us any good, leave us alone. Neither my daughter nor I want or need an imposter in our lives.”