“I didn't know how you’d take it." I watched her nibble on the fry bread. “How are you taking it?”
“Well, I wouldn't like finding out that just anybody was my sister, but you’re cool.” She cast a glance at Grant. “Even if your taste in men is lacking.”
Grant pulled me closer to him. “She has great taste in men.”
Kari smiled mischievously. “Just think of how much fun we can have driving the paparazzi crazy. We’ll show up at different events at the same time, and when they report two Kari Kingsley sightings, they'll lose all credibility. Total payback time.”
But the thought of the press following me around ignited flames of panic inside my stomach. "Do the paparazzi have to find out about me?”
My father shrugged. "Not if you don’t want to tell anyone that you’re my daughter. We can try to keep it a secret.”
I glanced at my mother, but she shrugged too, turning the decision back over to me.
I felt strangely powerful having the final say. Did I want to live a quiet life as Sabrina Garcia's daughter, or did I want to be known as Alex Kingsley's hidden past? I didn’t like the thought of tabloids in every grocery store across America proclaiming to the world what my parents had done, but at the same time, I was so happy that I finally had a father and a sister, that they were here in my living room to see me, that it seemed wrong to keep it a secret. “We can tell people,” I said.
He smiled and then went back to looking at the photo album with my mother.
I watched her for a moment, thinking how young she suddenly looked. Poor Larry. His days were numbered.
Grant leaned closer, whispering into my ear, "I think your dad has got her number this time.”
I leaned back into him. "I think you’re right.”
THE END
KEEP READING FOR EXTRA SCENE
My Double Life Extra Scene
Grant stood in the green room, leaning against the counter while he gulped down the rest of his water. Singing under the glare of the spotlights always made him thirsty. He caught sight of himself in the makeup mirror. It was the first time he’d ever performed a concert in beat-up jeans and a T-shirt. But then, it was the first time he’d performed a concert where he wasn’t on the program.
And he’d done it to help out his ex-girlfriend who had lied and cheated on him. Yeah, this was probably a new low in the pathetic-love-life department. He wondered what the tabloids would have to say about it. More importantly, he wondered what Kari would say about it.
It would be nice if she popped in about now with a thank-you and an explanation.
But she didn’t.
Alex had never told him exactly why Kari couldn’t do the concert. She had looked well enough beforehand. She’d looked great, in fact. Beautiful and yet, somehow, still . . . he couldn’t put his finger on it . . . that quality about her he found so attractive.
He lingered on the thought of her standing in the doorway and then told himself he was pathetic again.
Over was over. He was stupid to hang around here hoping to catch another glimpse of her.
He would have left altogether, except Alex had said he wanted to talk to him. Grant sat down in a chair, tilted his head back, and waited.
A few moments later Alex came in. Alex Kingsley was usually laid back. It showed in everything from his sauntering walk to the way he spoke—unhurried and thoughtful. Now there was a marked tension to his movements. He went and stood in front of Grant, hands thrust into his pocket, a somber expression on his face.
“My daughter wanted me to talk to you, to explain some things. Before I can do that, I have to explain some things in my own life.” Alex looked past Grant for a moment, then reigned his gaze back in. “Some things I’m not exactly proud of.” He took a small object out of his shirt pocket and closed his hand around it. “You knew Kari’s mother died when she was a baby?”
Grant nodded. “I read about it in Lorna’s book.”
Alex opened his palm to reveal a sapphire necklace. It swung from its chain, lazily flashing blue in the bright overhead lights. “Have you ever seen this?”
Grant nodded again. “Kari never took it off.”
A flash of pain went through Alex’s eyes and he sighed. “I bought this for my wife when I was out on the road. She died before I could give it to her. I left it in my guitar case. I don’t know why. I just couldn’t take it out.” Alex kept his gaze on the necklace, slowly turning it between his fingers. “About eight months later I was on tour again in Charleston, and while I was up on stage, I saw this beautiful woman in the front row. She looked so much like my wife I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. I stared at her through every song, and toward the end I pulled her up on the stage to dance with me. Then I asked her to wait backstage.”
Alex paused and his voice dropped. “I gave her this necklace. I guess I just wanted to be rid of it.” His gaze returned to Grant and his tone changed. “I don’t want you to think I approve of what I did next, especially since you’re dating my daughter. What I did was wrong. And foolish. And wrong. And I would have to hurt you if you did the same thing.”
Grant said, “You slept with her?”
“And it was wrong.”
So this was why Alex had wanted to talk to him? To give him a keep-your-hands-off-my-daughter speech? Talk about wasting his breath. Grant put his hands on his knees, ready to stand up. “Look, Kari and I aren’t even dating anymore, so you don’t need too—”
“You weren’t dating Kari,” Alex said. “Haven’t you listened to a word I’ve said?” He held out the necklace to Grant. “I gave this necklace to Sabrina Garcia. She gave it to her daughter, Alexia—to my daughter, Alexia. Kari never wore it at all.”
Grant stared at him, hearing and yet not quite grasping the words. “Kari wore it all the time. I saw it.”
Alex spoke slowly, carefully. “When you brought me here before the concert, I didn’t find Kari in the dressing room. That was Alexia. Maren saw a picture of her and hired her to pretend to be Kari at concerts while Kari was, well, unavailable. They look so much alike, most people wouldn’t know the difference.”
Now Grant did stand up. “That wasn’t Kari in the dressing room?”
Alex nodded.
“That wasn’t Kari?” Grant asked again. He wasn’t expecting a different answer; he just had to repeat the question.
Alex looked down at the necklace, jiggling the chain. “I never knew I had another daughter. I still can hardly believe it.”
Grant turned and paced across the room, suddenly filled with energy . . . with anger. “She lied about who she was to me?”
“Alexia took the job in order to meet me.”
“And why was she dating me?”
Alex shrugged. “My guess is that she liked you.”
Grant had reached the end of the room and paced back the other way. “That’s not how you show someone you like him—you don’t pretend to be someone completely different. You don’t lie about who you are. You don’t break up with him for no reason and then never speak to him again.”
Alex turned so he was facing Grant. “I don’t know what went on between you and Alexia. You know her better than I do. She just asked me to explain the situation to you.”
Grant looked around the room, at the empty furniture and trays of hors d’oeuvres that no one had touched. “Did she give you any other messages for me?”
Alex hesitated, then answered, “No.”