LITMIR.BIZ

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woman pointed a finger at her and grinned wickedly. “That’s a good one, Allie. I’m not sure how many people will believe you suddenly have a twin sister, but it’s a nice try. I have to warn you, there are a lot of people at DP who think you knew about Jimmy’s extortion plan. I’m really surprised you’re going to the conference.”

      Charlotte opened her mouth to explain about finding Allie fairly recently, but she couldn’t get a word in.

      “Too bad we’re not sitting next to each other.” The woman turned her head quickly to look at the surrounding passengers and lowered her voice. “I’m sure you’ve heard all about who’s going to be at the conference. Rumor has it he’s looking to change advertising firms.” She put her finger to her lips. “But you didn’t hear it from me.” The woman pointed to the front of the plane. “I’m up there on the aisle. I hate sitting anywhere else.” She leaned in the row, nearly resting her ample breasts on the man in the aisle seat, to whisper, “You know how my bladder is, and I hate asking people to move. Oh, speaking of that, I need to use the facilities before they make us buckle up. So good to see you. I want to hear all about what you’ve been doing since you left DP. Check you later.” She waved and moved down the aisle before Charlotte could say another word.

      The woman obviously knew Allie from her previous job. Charlotte hadn’t considered that people attending the advertising conference might mistake her for Allie. She should have, though, since they were identical twins. From their dark, chin-length hair to their matching feet with high insteps.

      “I have to ask,” the older woman next to her said. “Is your name Charlotte or Allie?”

      “It’s Charlotte. She didn’t give me a chance to explain. My twin sister backed out of the conference and gave me the hotel room and travel arrangements to use as a vacation.”

      The woman nodded. “Sounds like you should do some investigating into this ‘special guest’ that’s coming. I’m guessing your sister might be sorry she missed him.”

      The seat belt reminder dinged, and the passengers hurried to their seats to buckle up. Charlotte considered her seatmate’s suggestion as the plane’s engines revved.

      “This is your captain again. Looks like things are moving. We’re number eight for takeoff. Shouldn’t be long now.”

      That seemed like a long way back in line, but Charlotte wasn’t an expert.

      Her mind wandered to what the talkative woman had said about someone important attending the conference. She should definitely call Allie as soon as she was able.

      * * *

      CHARLOTTE’S ROOM WAS beyond beautiful, as well as being the largest hotel room she’d ever stayed in. The furnishings were luxurious, while the room was light and airy. She crossed the hardwood floor to peer out at the ocean, drawn by the gentle breeze coming from the wall of open floor-to-ceiling French doors. The water was calm, and much to her amazement, she discovered how far out to sea she could still discern the white sandy bottom far from shore.

      The first thing she did was call Allie. Her sister had already left her office for the day and her cell phone went right to voice mail. Charlotte left messages both places, but she would have to try again later.

      She was about to unpack when she spotted a flyer on the bed. It was an invitation to the welcome reception the desk clerk had mentioned when she’d checked in. He’d said it was for all guests, not just conference attendees.

      She checked the clock. The reception had already begun. As much as she wanted to hibernate in her room, she remembered one of the reasons she was here—to push herself beyond her comfort zone. “It sounds like fun.” She spoke aloud as if trying to convince herself.

      Charlotte hurried to the bathroom and brushed her teeth and her hair, touched up her makeup and applied lip gloss. She pulled a few things from her luggage, disappointed she hadn’t yet unpacked. Didn’t matter, this was vacation. A little food and a drink actually sounded like heaven.

      She donned a long, flowing skirt and a matching floral peasant top. She retrieved her flat tan sandals from the outside pocket of her suitcase and struggled to buckle them in her haste.

      She locked her laptop and purse in the room’s safe. There was no need to carry a purse when she had a pocket in her skirt to keep her room key.

      Before going out the door, she slipped on her little white shrug with three-quarter sleeves. Even on the hottest summer days, most Newport evenings were cool enough to demand a light sweater or jacket, and this island in October was probably similar in climate.

      Charlotte took the beautiful staircase rather than wait for the elevator. She’d noticed on her way up to her room that one elevator was out of service and she’d already taken several minutes getting herself presentable to attend the reception.

      Partially hidden behind a palm tree in the lobby, Charlotte took in the gathering. The sight of food and a bar made her stomach growl. She thought she was being inconspicuous when she crossed the lobby to join the party.

      “Hey, Allie!” one of the women in the crowd called out.

      Just as she’d suspected, other people here knew Allie. Charlotte picked up a plate and reached for the vegetable tongs.

      “Allie,” said a man directly behind her. “We were all wondering if you’d be here.”

      Charlotte nearly dropped the tongs. She peered over her shoulder at the tall man with light brown hair, neatly trimmed facial hair and hazel eyes, who was probably in his mid-to late-twenties. She didn’t know him, didn’t know what to say. “I’m not—”

      “I haven’t seen you since you left DP.” He lowered his voice. “You must be excited about our special guest.”

      Did all these DP people talk constantly, not allowing anyone to say a word?

      Charlotte merely nodded while she put a few carrots and broccoli florets on her plate and added a small puddle of white dipping sauce. What would it hurt if a few people thought she was Allie? Probably easier than explaining constantly. Every time she told someone about finding her sister, it reopened wounds that were still raw after reading her mother’s letter.

      Everyone seemed to be ecstatic about someone special attending the conference. The more she heard, the more she was concerned that Allie wasn’t here.

      Not wanting to seem rude, Charlotte turned to face the man whose name she didn’t know. “Yes, I’m very excited about our special—”

      “Hi, Allie. Hi, Jared.” A woman joined them before Charlotte could finish her sentence. Great. Another person who thought she was her sister. The petite woman with whitish-blond hair was about the same age as the man Charlotte now knew was named Jared. The woman held an almost empty glass of white wine in her hand.

      “Hey, Veronica,” Jared greeted her.

      “Hi.” Charlotte pretended to survey the room, figuring she’d just go along with everyone thinking she was Allie for the night. During the day, they’d be at their conference and she’d be luxuriating in the sun on the beach. She’d probably never run into them again. “This is quite a crowd.”

      Veronica nodded as she downed the last of her wine and set the glass on a tray with other used dishes.

      Charlotte had nothing to talk about with these two. She knew nothing about them and very little about advertising. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly and dunked her broccoli into the dip on her plate before taking a bite.

      “I’m going to take advantage of the open bar,” Jared said. “Can I get either of you ladies anything?”

      That sounded like an excellent idea, even if it meant she wasn’t ditching either of them. Better to talk to people who thought she was her sister than stand around awkwardly by herself. “I’ll come with you and see what they have.” Charlotte checked out what others were drinking. A few had little umbrellas in what looked like fruity drinks.

      She

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