Mimi still didn’t look entirely convinced. “Twin brother, you say? Andrew never mentioned he had a twin brother.”
Shelby thought Aaron looked less than surprised by that omission. Didn’t the brothers get along?
“I guess the subject never came up,” he said.
“He told you all about us, hmm?”
“Really nice place you have here, Mrs. Bell. I’d like to stay a few days if you have a vacancy.”
“Of course we have a vacancy for Andrew’s brother,” Mimi assured him, patting his arm. She didn’t even seem to notice that he had made no attempt to respond to her question, though Shelby had taken note. “Cabin Eight has just been renovated, a job that didn’t take as long as we expected, so we haven’t booked it for the next week. We’ll set you up in there. You stay as long as you want, no charge. It’s a one-bedroom, but if that twin of yours wants to join you, there’s a pullout sofa bed in the main room.”
“It sounds ideal, but I will be paying for my stay here,” Aaron said firmly. “Your arrangement with Andrew is between you and him, but I’ve come for a vacation and I’ll pay my way.”
Mimi frowned at him in a battle of wills that few people had the nerve to engage with her. Aaron held his own, gazing back at her with a pleasant but utterly determined expression. After a moment, the older woman harrumphed. “Shelby, take him inside and get him his key. Have Lori take his credit card information, if he insists, but give him the senior citizen discount.”
Aaron chuckled. “I’ll accept that.”
Shelby felt a warm shiver slide through her in response to his laugh. She didn’t remember hearing Andrew laugh quite that way. If he had, she certainly hadn’t responded as dramatically.
Having Aaron here was going to be interesting. And not just because he had agreed to keep an eye on the man in Cabin Seven.
She motioned for him to follow her into the office. “Let’s get that key.”
* * *
Shelby rode with Aaron in his car to show him his cabin, telling him she’d walk back to the office afterward. Cabin Eight was a pretty little A-frame nestled at the edge of the lake, the last in a row of five cabins of varying styles and sizes. Behind the cabins, a short slope led straight down to the water, with a narrow, graveled beach for walking or bank-fishing. A couple of good-sized trees shaded the cabin’s tiny side yard, where a charcoal grill and concrete picnic table invited casual cookouts. On the other side of a stand of trees was the first of the line of waterside camper sites. An enormous motor home with hydraulic extensions that expanded the interior space was just visible through the ruffling leaves of the trees.
Really roughing it, Aaron thought with a chuckle, looking away from the luxury RV. He’d always preferred camping with a tent and a backpack himself—though he had to admit the little A-frame cabin was appealing. Quaint, his mom would call it. He suspected his mother would already have her camera out, snapping shots of the cabin and the picturesque lake spreading beyond, where wake-trailing boats and rooster-tail-spouting personal watercraft crisscrossed the deeply blue water.
A pretty brunette in a green golf cart parked at the end of the cabin’s short driveway. “I see the dashing P.I. has returned,” she called out with a grin. “It’s good to see you again, Andrew—as long as no one’s trying to bankrupt us again. Please tell me you’re here for vacation, not business.”
“This isn’t Andrew, Maggie,” Shelby corrected with a wry smile for Aaron. “It’s his brother, Aaron.”
Maggie laughed heartily. “Right. One of your practical jokes, Shelby? Trying to convince me he’s undercover or something? A different name to go with the more casual clothes and longer hair—which I approve, by the way. Looks good.”
Although he should be getting tired of identifying himself to these people, Aaron couldn’t help but smile in response to Maggie’s teasing tone. “Thanks. My brother is always after me to get a haircut.”
Maggie frowned a little, as if something in his voice or behavior surprised her.
“It’s not a joke, Maggie. This really is Andrew’s brother, Aaron,” Shelby insisted to her cousin. “He’s going to stay with us for a few days.”
Tilting her head, Maggie studied him intently. Aaron figured he might as well return the favor. Maggie didn’t look much like Shelby, though there were some vague family resemblances. Her hair was straighter, darker—walnut-brown with golden streaks that could have come from the sun or a bottle, for all he knew. Unlike Shelby’s bright blue eyes, Maggie’s were hazel, framed in thick, dark lashes. Definitely attractive, but he still found himself more intrigued by Shelby.
“You’re Andrew’s brother,” Maggie said.
Shelby shook her head with an exasperated sigh. “That’s what I just told you. Geez, Mags.”
“Well, how was I to know you weren’t kidding? I mean, they look exactly alike. Mostly.”
Exactly, mostly. Aaron had to laugh at that. “It’s nice to meet you, Maggie.”
“Back at you, Aaron. Is Andrew here, too?”
“No, he’s working in Dallas.”
“Oh. Well, tell him I said hello, will you?”
“I’ll do that.”