Free Give Me More by Sandra Bosslin Page A

looked up as I approached and smiled.
     
    “Hello, dear. Are you passing through for the festival over in Armenstown?” she asked as I placed my items on the counter.
     
    “Actually, I just moved here. I’ve got a job over at the paper and just moved in today from the city.”
     
    “Oh, you’ll love it here,” she assured me. “Where did you move?”
     
    “The green and pink cottage over the hill there by the woods, next door to these twins, I think? Their names are Blake and Bard.”
     
    “That’s a beautiful house, dear,” the woman said cautiously as she bagged my groceries. “But I would avoid those boys. They are nothing but trouble for good people. Their family has lived here for ages and there are all sorts of rumors. Best to stay away from that type.”
     
    “What kind of rumors?” I asked, my inner reporter coming out.
     
    “Oh, you know, just stories…who knows the truth, really. But you’ll find good people here avoid them,” she deflected before smiling and bidding me good evening.
     
    I headed back to my new home, musing over what the old white woman had said to me. My neighbors seemed like the decent sort, from our short interaction. I had to admit their incredible good looks might have influenced my opinion of them, but they had been kind to offer to help me move in and to invite me over for dinner. Nevertheless, the woman had seemed fairly certain that most of the townsfolk here avoided them for good reason. I decided that I would make my own judgment of them after dinner. I didn’t like to make snap judgments on people, especially based on vague rumors. The same had often happened to my family based on our race.
     
    As I finished unloading my provisions in my new kitchen, I heard a knock on my front door. I opened it to find one of the twins waiting with an easy smile on his handsome face. Up close, he was even more attractive than I had realized. His skin glimmered with a golden tan that set off the gorgeous light blue color in his eyes and the dark hair that fell across his forehead.
     
    “Hey there,” he said in a deep honeyed voice. “You ready for dinner, or is there anything you would like help with first?”
     
    “Dinner sounds fantastic,” I replied. “I haven’t gotten the chance to eat since breakfast. You’re Blake, right?”
     
    “Impressive!” he grinned. “Most people are always mixing us up.”
     
    “Well, you do look incredibly similar,” I agreed. “But more like mirror images than exact copies.  I noticed earlier that your smile leans more to the left and your bother’s leans to the right.”
     
    “You are very perceptive,” Blake said seriously as I headed out the door with him. “Only close family can tell us apart. We…I…think you’re special.”
     
    “I’m pretty ordinary,” I countered. “I guess maybe it is just my training as a reporter.”
     
    “A reporter?” he asked, suddenly guarded.
     
    “Yeah, but nothing all that exciting,” I explained. “I used to work at a fashion magazine and now I’m going to work at the newspaper out here.”
     
    His easy smile returned and we had just reached the door to his house. I wondered if his fear of reporters was just a normal small town thing or was related to some illicit activity like the old woman at the market had implied.
     
    “There you are! Been hogging the lovely lady and keeping her all to yourself?” Bard called as we entered the house.
     
    “Nah, don’t you worry. She hasn’t declared favorites,” Blake winked at me. “Ashia’s just been telling me how she’s going to be working at the newspaper in town.”
     
    “Is that right?” Bard asked, his smile tilting in mirror image to his brother’s. I couldn’t help but be drawn in by their friendly banter and instantly felt at home in the house. Plus, the delicious smell of food wafted through the air and my tummy grumbled.
     
    “Let’s feed the lady! It would be terrible to starve our lovely guest to