“All right then.” Her mother sounded hurt.
Anna felt like a jerk, she’d been too abrupt. Softening her tone, she added, “I’ll text you later.”
Mom hung up without another word. She was ticked.
Yeah, well, I’m ticked, too. Mother, you’ve got some explaining to do. Biting back a heavy sigh, Anna switched off her phone and set it on the table.
“I want to show you something.” Kevin pointed to his Google search.
Anna leaned over his shoulder. “What is it?”
“Nothing.”
“Huh?”
“I googled your twin sister and there is nothing about her on the internet. There are over a dozen Amelia Brandts and none of them are her.”
“Maybe her name’s not spelled like that.”
“I’ve tried several different spellings. Nada. Bupkis.”
“So what if she doesn’t have an internet presence? Big deal. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“Everyone under fifty has an internet presence of some sort.”
“That’s a sweeping statement.”
Kevin scowled. “It’s shady.”
“While it might be unusual, I wouldn’t go that far.”
“I’ll do an advanced search. Even if you pay some company to scrub your history, you can’t completely delete your internet presence.”
“No,” Anna snapped. “Leave it alone, Kevin.”
“I smell something fishy.”
Anna stood up. “You have to get on the road.”
“You’re throwing me out?”
“People in Oklahoma need you.”
“I’ve decided not to go.”
“Excuse me?”
From the porch, Allie sang in her high-pitched melodious voice, “Seventy-six trombones,” as she banged the cymbals rhythmically.
Why did the noise sound so ominous and when had her daughter gotten so good at keeping time?
Kevin jutted out his chin. “I’m not leaving you alone with her.”
“Allie?”
“Don’t play dumb.”
“You can’t stay home. We need the money.”
“To hell with money.” Since Kevin was an independent adjuster, he could set his own schedule depending on how much he wished to earn.
“We’re not running up the credit cards again. Go to work.”
Kevin’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell me how to take care of my family.”
“Look, I appreciate you wanting to do this, but we’re basically broke.” She took in a deep breath, felt her throat tighten. “I need time alone with my sister. You can’t cancel out this job with no notice. I’ll be okay.”
“What if something happens?”
“Nothing’s going to happen.”
“She could rob us blind. Harm the children. She’s a stranger.”
Anger pushed up through her, but Anna shoved it back. Kevin was just thrown for a loop, and he didn’t know how to deal with his feelings. She was in the same kayak with him, no point paddling in the opposite direction.
Plus, he was by nature a worst-case-scenario kind of guy. He’d always been cautious. At least when it came to personal safety. Finances? Not so much. He did like to spend.
Like everyone else, they’d struggled in the aftermath of the pandemic, but Kevin, with his taste for the finer things, had found it hardest to rein in his spending. Money was the main thing they fought about and when she’d been on the brink of losing the bakery, things had gotten pretty rocky over his extravagance.
In the early years of their marriage, they’d been broke, and young love had been more than enough, but as they’d become more successful in their businesses, his drive for material things had increased along with their income. She supposed his need came from growing up in the middle of the pack of seven kids with frugal parents who aggressively pinched pennies.
Maybe she was at fault for indulging him when he gifted himself with expensive golf clubs or the latest electronic gadgets. He did work hard, and she wanted him to be happy.
As the economy slowly recovered, things between them had evened out, and they hadn’t been fighting as much lately.
But now there was this twin thing.
“I promise, I won’t leave her alone in the house or with the children. We can even meet outside the house, if that’ll make you feel better. I think it’s silly, but I’ll do that for you if you insist.” She studied her husband, closed the laptop, and handed it to him. “Be careful on the road. We are going to be fine.”
He didn’t take the computer. “I can’t be gone for a month or longer the way I usually am.”
“Then just stay a week.”
“Three days.” Kevin ground his teeth. “I’ll be back on Saturday.”
Anna started to argue, but she could see he was dug in. It would take him eight hours to drive to the town in Oklahoma, so that meant he’d work Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and drive home on Saturday.
Three and a half days with Amelia should be long enough for them to work through the initial getting-to-know-you stage and give Anna enough time to decide the best way to break this disquieting news to her mother and brother.
While three days’ worth of work wouldn’t really earn them the money they needed, it would keep them from having to use credit cards to get by.
Anna dragged her nails across her bare arm, itchy from a mosquito bite she hadn’t even realized she’d gotten. “Fine. Three days.”
“If anything happens, you’ll call me immediately and I’ll come right home,” Kevin said. “I’m here for you, Bean.”
“Nothing is going to happen.”
One eyebrow shot up on his forehead in that way of his that she usually found comical. “Don’t let Amelia cause trouble between you and your mother.”
Anna opened her mouth to argue, but let it go. He was a man, after all. His capacity for understanding the intricacies of female emotions and relationships was limited. No fault of his own, that’s just how it was.
“Scoot.” Feeling lighter, she playfully swatted his fanny like he was one of her children.
“There’s that sunny smile I fell in love with.” He grinned and kissed her before retrieving his luggage that he’d left in the hallway.
Anna folded her arms over her chest and followed him to the back door. “Tell the kids good-bye before you go.”
“Will do.”
“Oh, hang on. With all the interruptions, I forgot your care package.” Anna bustled to the refrigerator for the large collapsible cooler she’d filled with healthy staples to lessen Kevin’s temptation to hit the junk food while on the road.
She’d prepped several homemade Buddha bowls with rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes, fresh greens, and cruciferous veggies. She included baked edamame, chickpeas, and popcorn for crunchy on-the-go snacks.
“Here you go.” She handed him the tote. “Please try to stay away from fast food. Your arteries will thank you.”
Looking resigned, Kevin nodded.
“Cheer up, I did make a special treat.” From the fridge, she took out a key lime pie.
“When did you make that?” he asked.
“Last night. I couldn’t sleep.” She slipped the pie into another tote bag.