Page 3 of The Banshee’s Unmistakable Love

He gives me a grin. “Great. How about our usual?”

The answer leaves me quickly, one I wish I didn’t know. “Suki’s Sushi?”

Another opportunity to come clean botched. I could’ve told him I don’t know the usual place because I’m not Blair. Added a laugh and teased him for not being able to tell us apart. If I’d done that, I’d be out of this mess right now. Instead, I think I’ll need to fall off the face of the earth for a while after Blair is back in town.

For now, I’m stuck pretending to be my twin sister, all because I couldn’t correct him. Can’t correct him. My heart longs for time with him, and it’s controlling my brain in ways that my willpower can’t seem to take over.

Oh, how I wish I could disappear into one of my books right now.

Chapter 2

A GAME OF PRETEND

ZANDER

I’ve found myself exactly where I want to be—sitting across from Briar at a restaurant. This was on my to-do list upon returning to my hometown. However, this wasn’t how I imagined it going down.

Briar is sitting across from me, but she’s pretending to be Blair.

When I saw her, I thought it would be funny to call out to her with her sister’s name. The last thing I expected was for her not to correct me.

I may be seated exactly where I want to be, but the circumstances make this tough. There are so many questions at the forefront of my mind, but I can’t ask any of them.

There has to be a reason Briar is pretending to be Blair, so I’ll play this silly little game of pretend to get to the bottom of it. Besides, I’ll get to spend more time with her, which is a win regardless of the situation.

As soon as I’m home, I have to text Blair again. I know these two have swapped places a few times to take a test for the other, but this is next level.

I mean, it’s me.

I’ve known these two since we were five years old. Blair has been one of my best friends for twenty years, and Briar…well, I’ve loved her from afar for at least twelve of those.

Does she really think I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart?

“What’re you going to get?” she asks, her eyes darting up from the menu she practically hides behind.

My menu is open between my hands, but I haven’t glanced at it once. I already know what I’m going to order. My attention has been glued to Briar.

The fact that she picked up the menu proves she isn’t Blair. Like me, Blair gets the same thing every time we come here.

“My usual.” I try not to smile at the way her eyebrows crinkle as she thinks. “Spicy crispy crab rolls, smoked salmon rolls, and the classic California roll.”

She nods, a few strands of her pale-lilac hair falling in front of her eyes, where she leaves them. Her eyes continue traveling over the pages, darting around so quickly that I wonder how she even reads anything.

I cock my head to the side, the movement catching her attention. “Are you going to get your usual?”

Her eyes open wider for a split second, followed by rapid blinking. She lowers the menu, revealing more of her face. The same rosiness that painted her cheeks when we saw each other on the wisteria path colors her face. I don’t know if the color has left since I spotted her—but I quite like it there.

“I, uh, don’t think so.” She shakes her head, the scent of her lemon shampoo entering the air. “I’m going to mix it up a bit today. Dynamite rolls and green dragon rolls.”

Only two types of rolls? Definitely Briar—she’s always been someone who orders smaller amounts of food, because in her words, she can always order more.

Blair, though? That woman orders four types of rolls and a few appetizers. With her bottomless pit of a stomach, she gets through it all in one sitting.

Speaking of, I wonder if Briar wants any. “Do you want to split an appetizer or two?”

Her eyes narrow, finally breaking from the stare we’d been caught in. Was it what I asked?

“Sure…” Her answer is hesitant, her hands both folded in her lap. By the way her elbows twitch, I can tell she’s nervously picking at her cuticles. Something she’s done since we were at the end of middle school. “Nothing spicy, though.”