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“What’s it called?” Wincing, Vannah couldn’t help giggling against his chest. “What?” he asked sounding even more curious now.
Bringing her head up she chewed the corner of her bottom lip. “We started it in high school, and she chose the name so . . .”
“So what?” He peered at her with a smirk.
“Sizzling Sisters.” She laughed outright. “But it’s a play on words,” she added quickly. “We originally planned on it being all about cooking, so the sizzle was about the cooking not us being sizzling. And at first it was, until we started getting more into fashion and makeup and then we started doing hair and makeup tutorials. We could’ve changed the name. Still can, but the links are all over the place now with that name, so we never did.”
Those smoldering eyes bore into hers. “Guess you can say the name still works.” He must’ve misunderstood her reaction, because of her inability to take a compliment like a normal person to mean something else, since he was quick to add. “I mean not that I was checking out your sister, in fact I could hardly look her in the eyes after what happened today, but youareidentical twins andyou’resizzling as hell.”
“I would never think that.”
“That you’re sizzling?” he asked looking so incredulous she had to laugh in spite of her inability to just accept a compliment with ease.
“No.” She shook her head. “That you’d be checking out my sister.”
“Good, ‘cause I never would.” He smirked. “Get the feeling she’d call me out on it right quick.”
“She would,” Vannah laughed.
He chuckled nodding as if he had no doubt. “So, you do cooking and fashion tutorials?”
“We do a lot of everything now, anything that might pick us up more followers.”
Vannah explained more about how it worked. They were actually making money now from the sponsors that reached out to them to advertise on their channel. How the channel was part of the reason Nena decided to put off college for the first semester. “She’s still undecided about whether she’d rather not go to a trade school instead and learn more about film and editing and possibly take that route instead of a traditional career. We also post commercials about the restaurants and even film there often when we have some kind of promotion going on.”
“I still think you should stick with a career in the culinary world.”
Before she could respond, he kissed her deep, and it went on for alongtime. Squirming as her entire body trembled in response, Vannah would never get enough of his kisses. A phone ringing in the other room barely registered and neither moved to acknowledge it. Until it started up again and Vannah had to pull away. “That might be my parents,” she said ruefully as she pushed herself up and away from him. “They’re the only ones who’d call back-to-back like that.”
She got up and headed to the kitchen where she’d left her purse with her phone in it. As soon as she reached the kitchen, she realized it wasn’t her phone. Glancing down at the screen on the counter, it rang one last time, but she caught the name,Irma.
As her stomach began to tighten, she reminded herself that A. This could be anyone. It could be a client or family member or evenjusta friend. And B. She and Byron had only technically been going out a week and he hadn’t made it clear until today how he wanted thisfun arrangementto work.
“Did you not get it on time?” Byron asked as he walked into the kitchen.
Glancing down at his phone, she picked it up just in time to see the text preview that popped up nowfromIrma.
I’m outside are you still. . .
“It was your phone ringing, not mine. Irma?” She made sure he knew she’d seen who’d called him back-to-back and apparently was now outside.
Before he could read the text or respond to her question, a buzzer rang downstairs. His jaw going taut wasn’t missed as he slipped the phone in his pocket. He opened his mouth about to say something when the buzzer rang again.
Frowning, he lifted a finger up at her. “Let me take care of this and I’ll explain as soon as I’m back.”
Vannah nodded as he rushed off. In his haste to rush out he left the door cracked open. At first, she wasn’t going to be nosey, but curiosity got the best of her and she started toward it. This could still be nothing. Maybe it was a client or associate or even family member who needed something from him.
“Wouldn’t be unheard of, right?” she whispered as she reached the cracked open door and peeked out.
Byron reached the door downstairs and opened it forIrmawho stood outside. Pushing the door open a little wider, Vannah took in the tall thin girl with the oddly pale red hair. She watched as a scantily dressed Irma instantly tried to hug him. To Vannah’s relief, Byron backed away shaking his head, making it obvious he wanted no part of it. There was no missing the awkward disappointment on Irma’s face as the rejection seemed to set in. Then her eyes glanced up at the door and met with Vannah’s.
Vannah stood there frozen as the understanding of why Irma was being rejected seemed to sink in for the girl now too. Clearly upset, she turned back to Byron and pointed at Vannah. At first Byron didn’t turn, instead continued to speak adamantly, until Irma said something loudly that Vannah couldn’t make out and lifted her hand to point at her again. This time Byron did turn, his expression said it all as their eyes locked. Despite his claim that any and all his downtime this week was spent on Vannah. Judging by the girl’s reaction to seeing Vannah there now, this had to be someone he’d made time for very recently.
