Falling for the Wrong Twin by Kathy Lyons

Darla’s high chair.
    “Grapes! Grapes!” Darla reached for one fat globe and plopped it into her mouth.
    Distraction success! Mike breathed a sigh of relief. Well, until Darla--with her mouth full--began throwing grapes back at Anna.
    “Oh no!” his mother cried as she grabbed a banana and quickly peeled it. “No throwing food!” she said sternly at the child. Then she turned to Anna and repeated it even more loudly. “No throwing food!”
    Anna subsided with a slight flush to her cheeks. Darla mimicked the gesture, slumping down in her chair and looking admonished. Two minutes later, Darla began mashing her bananas around while Henry confided in an undertone.
    “Don’t worry, Uncle Mike. Mom says shit all the time. Darla knows it always gets a reaction.”
    Mike blinked at the little boy. “You sure?”
    “Fuck, yeah.”
    He jolted, horrified to hear those words coming out of a four year old’s mouth. “Where’d you learn that phrase?” he demanded.
    The kid just shrugged and went back to his pancakes while Mike made a mental note to have words with his sister. That phrase wasn’t something Chrissy said, which meant the boy had picked up the language from someone else. And now that his dad was gone, it was up to Mike to keep an eye on just who was influencing his young nephew.
    He glanced up to see Anna’s slight frown as well, her gaze catching on Mike’s. For a second, they shared total understanding. She was just as startled and horrified as he was. And then, just as abruptly, she flushed and looked away. Had the moment been too much for her? The sudden accord feeling like a punch to the gut? He sure hoped so because that’s exactly how it felt for him. And he wasn’t going to let her run from it.
    “Hey, Anna,” he began before he could double-think himself. “The rain’s stopped for the moment. I know the road’s still blocked, but we could walk to the garage. I could take a look at whatever problem you have with your car.”
    Her eyes abruptly narrowed and her mouth went flat. Not the reaction he’d been hoping for. And her next words confirmed that his intention had gone completely awry.
    “I’m sure the mechanic is working as fast as he can. I’ll be out of here as soon as possible--”
    “No, no! That’s not what I meant.” He floundered then, whatever charm he’d once had completely deserting him. “I meant that we could take a walk together to the garage. And that afterwards, maybe, um…” He glanced nervously at his family all listening intently as he made a hash of asking Anna out. “I thought dinner or something. Since you’re stuck here and I’ve been such a jerk.”
    “Oh my!” Aunt Tilde cried with a clap of her hands. “He’s asking you out on a date, dear. The garage was just an excuse!”
    Mike grimaced at his aunt. Whatever the hell had prompted him to do this in front of his family? “It’s not an excuse! I’m a mechanical engineer and any garage that says it’ll take weeks to fix a car is lying. There wasn’t any body damage, right?”
    Anna shook her head. “Not that I saw. There was some debris that got kicked up and…” She ended on a shrug.
    “No way does that take weeks to fix.”
    “Are you sure? It’s an old car.”
    He frowned. Depending on the make and model, that could make a big difference. “How old?”
    “I-I don’t know, really. I mean I knew, but the manual and stuff is long gone. It was my mom’s car, and I kinda forgot.”
    Ah. Not a car person, but he’d already guessed that. “So, what say we take that walk to the garage--”
    “And then go to dinner. Don’t forget dinner,” interrupted Aunt Tilde.
    “And then go on to dinner tonight. I’m pretty sure my family can spare me this evening.”
    His mom piped up. “Absolutely. He’s free as a bird tonight!”
    Anna laughed at that. Her lips curved up and her eyes seemed to soften.
    “Thank you,” she said. “I’d like that very much.”
    Aunt Tilde clapped.