“Wait!” she says around the mouthful of popcorn.

“Attractive, sis.”

“Shut up, loser.”

“Hey, be nice or I’m not calling Ryder.”

The four of us watching a movie. Like a double date. What is he thinking?

“Dear, sweet brother.” Tori pats Toby’s arms. “You know I was only teasing.”

“Yeah, right. So should I call him?”

“Duh!”

She really can’t be nice to him for more than two seconds.

Toby leans toward her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t catch that. What did you say?”

Tori grits her teeth. “Yes, please.”

He pats her head, and I can tell she wants to take a swing at him but he hasn’t called Ryder yet. I walk over to her and pull her back toward the bed. “Easy, girl.”

“I have to change and brush my teeth and fix my hair!” She pushes me out of the room with Toby and shuts the door.

“Well, that’s interesting,” Toby says.

“What?”

“She practically threw you into my arms.”

Oh, I wish. I smile and rock on my feet, not sure what to do with myself. “Don’t you have to call Ryder?”

“He’s already on his way.”

I laugh. “You knew she’d say yes.”

“Of course. She’s my twin.”

“So what’s this all about?”

He pulls me down the hall and into his room. My heart hammers, wondering if he’s going to kiss me again. “I don’t want Tori to hear us.”

“Oh.” My whole body deflates.

“I thought if we all hang out, she’d open up to the idea of you and me hanging out.”

Makes sense. I nod.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

“Nothing. It’s a good plan.”

“Glad you think so.” He smiles and steps toward me. “Can I just say one thing?”

Uh-oh. “Sure.”

“The next time you stay over, make sure you bring your own pajamas. It’s so weird looking at you in my sister’s clothing.”

I laugh. “Got it.”

Guess that means no stolen kisses tonight.

Chapter Eight

Ryder is a total popcorn hog, but Tori doesn’t seem to care. She’s staring at him like a lovesick puppy. Luckily, that means she hasn’t even acknowledged Toby and me. He managed to get himself a spot next to me at the head of the bed, while Ryder and Tori sit on the pillows on the floor. It really does feel like we’re on a double date, only Toby hasn’t even tried to touch me. I sneak glances at him, but he’s totally into the movie.

“Oh man, we’re out of popcorn,” Ryder says, holding up the empty bowl.

Tori hits pause on the movie and grabs Ryder’s arm. “Come on. You can help me make more.” There is nothing subtle about the look in her eye or the way she’s rubbing his arm. The girl has no shame. I kind of envy her for that.

“Be right back,” Ryder says, wagging his eyebrows at Toby.

“Does that bother you?” I motion to them as they head downstairs. “Your best friend with your sister?”

“Should it?” He cocks his head at me, and I get what he’s saying. I’m Tori’s best friend and he’s her brother.

“Is that why you did this? Do you think setting them up will make it easier for—?” I stop, realizing I just implied he and I are trying to get together. We’ve only kissed once. How could I jump to that conclusion so quickly?

He smiles. “You need to relax, Becca.”

No chance of that. “Sorry, I didn’t mean—” He reaches for my hand, and I shut up.

“I’m not going to lie to you. I have no idea if this is going to work. I’m just trying to find ways around Tori getting mad at you.”

I nod. No girl wants to hear the words “I have no idea if this is going to work” from the guy she wants to date.

He squeezes my hand. “I want it to work though, and I’ll keep trying until I find something that does.”

Much better. I catch myself staring at his lips, wanting to feel them against mine. But can I really go there again before we figure out what to do about Tori? I look away. “So, do you like the movie?”

“It’s a little predictable. I mean, killer moves to town, people show up missing, and then bodies are found. Everyone but the main character is chopped to little pieces. Been there, done that.”

“Oh? You’ve done that?” I laugh.

“Well, no, I haven’t done that. You know what I mean.” He bumps his shoulder into mine.

“What the hell?” Tori comes back into the room, holding a full bowl of popcorn.

Toby discreetly removes his hand from mine. “Where’s Ryder? Did you scare him off?”

She glares at him. “He’s in the bathroom, genius.” She looks at me. “Is he bothering you?”

“No. We were just talking.”

“Why?” she asks, as if it’s the craziest thing in the world.

“Did you expect us to sit here and stare at the walls until you two got back?” Toby asks. “I mean, it’s not like we were groping each other, which I’m guessing I can’t say the same for you and Ryder.”

She pats her hair down. “That’s none of your business.”

Oh my God! She hooked up with Ryder already. I give her a knowing smile, and she winks at me. It’s a little disturbing that she and Toby both do the whole winking thing, but I shrug it off.

After Ryder returns, we finish the movie and say goodnight. Tori insists on walking Ryder to the door, most likely to steal another kiss. Toby lingers in her room, his hands in his pockets. “So, I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Yeah.” Will there be a goodnight kiss for us?

He turns and walks out of the room, and my heart sinks.

***

I wake up to the smell of pancakes and bacon. Tori is still out cold, probably dreaming of Ryder, so I slip out of bed. I use the brush I always carry in my bag to tame my hair, and then I head to the bathroom. Luckily Tori’s mom has an extra toothbrush for me to use, so I brush my teeth, take one more look in the mirror to make sure I’m presentable, and head to the kitchen.

Mr. and Mrs. Michaels are seated at the dining room table, already eating.

“Good morning, Becca,” Mrs. Michaels says.

Mr. Michaels looks up from his paper and nods.

“Good morning. The food smells great.”

“Sit down. Toby made enough to feed an army.”

“Toby?” I sit down next to Mrs. Michaels and put my napkin in my lap.

“He’s our little chef.” She beams with pride.

“Who are you calling little?” Toby walks in, wearing an apron and holding a plate of pancakes.

“Nice apron.” I can’t help myself.

“You be quiet. Mom bought it for me.” He smiles as he puts the plate in front of me. “Like pancakes?”

“Who doesn’t?”

He sits next to me and pours me a glass of orange juice.

“Thanks.”

“It’s so nice to see we’re raising a gentleman,” Mrs. Michaels says, giving Toby a wink. Apparently winking is a family thing.

“Thanks again for letting me stay over last night, Mr. and Mrs. Michaels.”

“You’re welcome any time. I haven’t seen Toby and Tori watch a movie together in ages. It was a nice surprise, so thank you for that.”

“Oh, well, it was Toby’s idea.” I take a sip of my orange juice.

Mrs. Michaels leans closer to me. “He’s the well-mannered twin.”

“Yup, and I’m the devil twin,” Tori says, coming up behind us.

“No, sweetie. You’re just a little rough around the edges, but we love you just the same.”

I love how weird this family is. My parents are great, but they’re pretty much typical parents. They worry. They work. And they do everything for me. Weird is actually really refreshing.

“What’s got you so happy this morning?” Tori asks Toby as she sits down across from me.

Toby raises his glass and eyes me around it. “Nothing. Just felt like making pancakes.”

“And bacon.” Tori takes a heaping forkful of bacon and drops it onto her plate. The girl can eat like no one I’ve ever met, and she doesn’t gain an ounce. If I didn’t love her, I’d hate her for that.

“So”—Mr. Michaels puts the paper down—“what’s everyone up to today?”