His First Choice

“La-a-a-a-a-ceeeeey!” Levi called again, turning around to watch her as Jem pulled him toward Uncle Bob’s.

“She stopped!” Levi said, digging his feet into the graveled pavement. Deciding that dragging his son in front of his ex–social worker wouldn’t be a smart move—he’d never drag him, period—Jem stopped, too.

“Come on, Dad! She sees us!” Levi was pulling him now, away from Uncle Bob’s front door.

Coming up with no other options, Jem looked toward his son’s goal. “I want to see a twin.” Levi’s voice was not getting any softer.

“You’ve seen twins before,” he told the boy. If he’d been able to remember when, he’d have pointed the instance out to him. There weren’t any in preschool, that he could think of. None of Jem’s buddies had twins... Surely...

“Hi, Lacey!” Levi called as they got close to the women. Short-shorts was coming toward them now. Jem knew an uncanny disappointment that the big, welcoming smile on the unknown woman’s face didn’t also appear on the identical face next to hers.

Clearly Lacey was no happier about this meeting than he was.

Or than he wanted to be.

But, damn, she looked good.

“You still got my car?” Levi asked as they all met at the guardrail separating the two lots. “The green one with the turbos?”

Lacey’s grin lit up the sunshiny day as she knelt down. “Why, yes, I do, Levi. I just saw it when I was in the playroom yesterday and I thought of you.”

She’d had another child in that room. Someone else she was investigating. Possibly ripping from his or her home.

A child in danger whom she could be saving from serious harm.

Her job couldn’t be easy.

“I wanted to see a twin,” Levi told her, his hands on the guardrail that ca

me up almost to his chin.

“Hi, I’m Kacey.” Jem saw the perfectly manicured fingers reaching toward him, noticed the shiny polish and looked into eyes that weren’t Lacey’s. Instead of seeing a sunset, he was blinded by the light.

“I’m Jem,” he said, taking the hand, shaking it. He was curious, but not moved at all. Which was crazy, since he couldn’t get Lacey Hamilton out of his mind and the only difference between the two was the fact that Lacey had threatened to take his son away from him.

Sort of.

“Dad, Lacey says that her sister’s visiting her. We’re having a sister visit, too, huh?”

Levi had overheard his phone conversation with his sister. It had been brief. Mom and Dad said you were coming. You’re welcome to stay with us. She accepted the invitation. Told him she’d let him know the exact date of her arrival—sometime in August. And they’d hung up.

“Yes, we are,” he said now, embarrassed as hell as he looked at the two identically gorgeous women. He thanked God they couldn’t read his mind as he tried to wipe it clean of every fantasy he’d ever had. About them, or anyone else.

“We’re going at Uncle Bob’s,” Levi said next. “Do you like Uncle Bob’s?” The question was directed at Kacey.

“I’ve never been there,” Lacey’s look-alike said, kneeling down as Lacey rose. “I’m visiting, remember?”

“Does Aunt JoAnne know Uncle Bob’s?” Levi was frowning as he peered up at Jem.

“No, son.” JoAnne had been at his home only once, and hamburgers at the beach weren’t her thing. At least not if Jem thought it was a good idea. Maybe if Levi made the suggestion...

“Well, you should bring her here if you like them so much,” Kacey was saying while Jem stared at Lacey. With her hair down she looked more...approachable.

He smiled at her.

And then grinned like an idiot when she smiled back.

“We could bring you, couldn’t we, Dad?” Levi turned to look at Jem, who felt like he’d been caught with his pants down.