Only A Millionaire

Chapter 8

BROOKE

"I  can't  wait  to  see  you,"  Jade  said   excitedly. "I've  missed  you  so

much."

    "I'm  coming  home  next  week," I  reminded  her, trying  to  keep  my

voice calm  on the phone so she didn't know that I was hurting.

     Jade sensed things with  me, just  like  I  could  tell  when  something

wasn't  quite  right  with  her.  Our  twin  bond  was  pretty  strong, even

though we weren't identical.

     I'd woken up this morning in a complete  funky, and  it  hadn't  gone

away. I had no idea why Liam  had  left, or when  he  had  gone, but  it

was kind of a figurative slap in the face to see that he hadn't even  left

a note.

     Of course, he did still think I had a boyfriend.

    "I  know,"  she  answered. "I'm  just  glad  you  can  finally  come  back."

     I  desperately  wanted  to  see  her. "I'll  let  you  know  when  I'm  com-

ing  in. Evan is lending me his  jet. I can't  wait  to  see  you.  It  seems  like

forever."

    Jade and  I had  never  been  apart  this  long, and  not  having  her  to

talk to  was  killing  me. Sure, we'd  talked  on  the  phone, but  it  wasn't

the  same. We  were  sisters, twins, and  we  did  everything   from  shop-

ping to girls' night together. She'd always been my best friend.

    "Maybe  I'd  really  needed  time  alone. When I'd come to  Amesport,

I hadn't been  able  to  describe  the  pain  and  fear  that  I  had  to   get

through. And I hadn't wanted to talk.

     Now I was desperate to see my family.

    "I can't wait to find out  what  you've  been  up  to  for  almost  a  year.

I've heard so much  about  Amesport  that  I  want  to  experience  it  for

myself."

     "There  isn't  exactly  a  lot  of  exciting  news  from  here,"  I  warned

her. "It's pretty quiet until the summer."

     "I don't care. I just really need  to  see  you.  I  need  to  know  you're

really okay,"

    "I'm fine. Better," I reassured her.

      My  gut  instinct  was  screaming   at   me   that   something   wasn't

quite right with Jade, but I couldn't put a  finger  on  what  it  was. "How

are you doing on your project?"

     Before I'd  left, Jade  had  been  working  on  a  wildlife-conservation

project as a pet of her graduate studies.

        "My thesis is done," she answered.

       "That's amazing," I commented enthusiastically.