Free So Much Trouble When She Walked In by Judy Angelo

who.”  He wrinkled his brows and tilted his head. 
“Based on what I’ve heard, Silken is the impulsive, saucy one.  I can see the
fire in your eyes. That’s got to be you.”  He nodded his head toward Silken. 
Then he turned to Suave and his lips widened in a smile.  “And you must be
Suave, as serene and silky-smooth as your name.”
    Ooh,
he's a charmer, this one .  Silken let her glance slide away from his face
and across to her sister who had turned a softly glowing shade of pink.  Oh,
beeswax.  Now he’s gone and embarrassed Suave .  Silken could only pray that
she wouldn’t get cold feet and decide to take flight.
    “Great
job,” she said with a laugh, trying to defuse the tension of the moment.  “It
usually takes people at least a few hours before they can figure us out, maybe
even days.”  Then she shook her head.  “But don’t listen to Max.  I’m not
saucy…” she paused when Max gave her a pointed look, “…at least not all the
time.”
    Duke
laughed.  “Don’t worry about it.  Hey, it’s good that the two of you are different. 
At least this way we can tell you apart.”
    “Come
on, let’s head over to the den,” Max said, breaking in.  “We can chill there
until Reed gets here.”
    It
was after they’d settled down with mineral water and Martinis that Silken saw
Suave begin to relax.  Earlier she'd seemed so tense while Duke's attention had
been on her but now she looked comfortable, laughing at his jokes and even
sitting next to him when he patted the seat beside him.  Silken breathed a
whispering sigh of relief.  It looked like the evening was going to go well
after all.
    Duke
was deep in animated conversation, telling them about his work in the field of
computer technology, when Reed arrived.  “Hi, everyone,” he said, bouncing into
the room.  "Sorry I’m late but I thought the runway show would have ended
earlier.” 
    "And,
of course, your big brothers aren’t worth missing a fashion show.”  Max’s tone
was dry but the grin on his lips said he didn’t care a hoot that Reed had shown
up late.  He was just glad to see his brother.
    Reed
was the total opposite of his brothers.  Where they were over six feet and
dark-haired with craggy features he couldn’t have been taller than five ten or
eleven with brown hair and laughing blue eyes.  And he was young, probably no
older than twenty-five.  “You're the famous twins I’ve been hearing about.”  He
came over and shook both their hands then stood back to regard them with
fascination.  “You guys look so much alike, it’s creepy.”
    That
wasn’t the part of his speech that caught Silken’s attention.  “Famous twins?  We’re
not famous.”
    “According
to Max, you are.  He said you’re known about town as the best auto repair
operation in all of Cupertino.”  Reed nodded as he glanced over at Max.  “He’s
been asking around.”
    Silken
looked at Max, her eyebrows slightly raised.  He’d been asking around?  Now
what was that all about?  But she’d have to tackle him on that another day. 
Right now Max’s face was giving nothing away.
    “Grab
a seat and tell the ladies all about your lovely life in London.”  Max jerked
his head toward the empty La-Z-Boy.  “They already know all there is to know
about me and Duke.”
    A
deliberate attempt to change the subject.  Silken turned and gave Max a look of
suspicion but he totally ignored her, keeping his eyes trained on his brother. 
She knew he could feel her eyes on him but he wasn’t taking the bait.  Okay, no
problem.  He could duck out now but he couldn’t avoid her forever.  She would
tackle him on this soon enough.
    Silken
soon forgot about Max and his questions because Reed ended up being the most
entertaining of all the brothers.  When he told them about his work in Europe,
the clothing lines he’d launched, his work with runway models from all over the
world, and his recent launch of a jewelry line,