“I’m Benjamin Miller.” I stick my hand out for her to shake it. She does, placing her dainty hand in mine. The moment my large hand engulfs her, I don’t want to let go, but she pulls away quickly, leaving me wanting more.
“I’m Elle Powell-James, and this is my sister, Peyton.”
Elle. Her name is Elle.
My mouth opens and closes, only to open again and say the dumbest thing ever. “Twins,” I say stupidly. I mean, of course, they are. They’re freaking identical in every way except how they dress. No wonder I messed up. I glance at the both of them, trying to find a distinguishing feature so I don’t make the same mistake again. I have nothing, except for the way Elle smiles. Her head tilts to the side and her eyes, they shine brighter than the northern star. Okay, stop Ben, before you embarrass yourself.
“So how long have you been in Beaumont?” Elle asks.
“A couple of weeks. We just moved here from Orlando.”
“Disneyworld!” the twins say in unison.
“Sorry,” Peyton tells me. “We love Disneyworld. It’s our favorite place. Our dad takes us there all the time.” They seem sort of old to enjoy a theme park, but who am I to judge. Given a chance, I’d probably go because let’s be real, we all want to act like kids.
“Beaumont must seem like a sleepy little town compared to Orlando. Why’d you move?” Peyton asks.
“We’re adjusting.” The truth is, it’s a nice change of pace. Orlando was a hectic lifestyle, and we rarely saw our mother. At least here, she’s home every night, and we can be a family.
“What do you like to do?” Elle asks.
I shrug. “Everything really.”
“Well, that’s good. You should come to the football game on Friday night,” Elle suggests.
“Will you be there?” I ask.
The twins laugh. I must be missing some inside joke.
“Elle is a cheerleader, so yes, she’ll be there,” Peyton says.
“And you?” I ask, curious about why her sister thought it was important to tell me that. Granted, I’m very thankful.
“Peyton will be on the sidelines, coaching.”
If I’m not mistaken, my eyes bug out of my head. “You coach football?”
Peyton shrugs. “I help out.”
I nod. “Gotta say, that’s really cool.”
Peyton shies away from my compliment, but her sister doesn’t allow it. Elle bumps Peyton on the shoulder and smiles brightly. These girls are the first twins I’ve met, and I can already see the closeness between them. On any given day, Brad and I are cordial with each other if we’re not trying to fight one another.
The bell rings and I have no choice but to gather my stuff and head to class. Thankfully, Elle’s locker is near mine, which gives me more time with her. Through the halls, everyone yells out her name, and guys stop and talk to her. It’s awkward for me to stand there, but I don’t want to leave. There’s something about her that draws me in. I can’t put my finger on it.
“Excuse me.”
I shake my head. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” I ask the clerk.
“I asked where you’ll be working?”
“Right, sorry. I’ll be working in New York for a bit. I need some suits and business casual wear.”
“Let me get your measurements, I’ll be right back. In the meantime, take a look at our suits along the back wall.” He points toward the back of the store before leaving me there. The last time anyone took my measurements was for prom, which seems so long ago. It’s hard to believe I’ve been in the twins’ life for over eight years.
The suits hang by color, starting with white and ending with jet-black. It makes me wonder if the coats come with a chart as to where they’re supposed to go or if an employee here has a keen eye for the different hues and this is their task for the day. It’s something I don’t know if I’d have the patience for.
The clerk returns and ushers me into the dressing room where he has me stand on a pedestal. “Left or right?”