But Daphne didn’t stop. She made a loud mmmmm in the back of her throat, just to goad Audrey.
So Audrey shoved her twin into the pond.
Daphne fell with a splash and a yell, and Cade barely managed to scramble backward onto the dock. He stared at Audrey in surprise.
That was okay, because Audrey was pretty surprised at her actions, too.
Dang it. There went her impulsive temper. Audrey tried to keep it under control, she really did, but sometimes it got the better of her.
Like right now.
Daphne surfaced in the pond’s scummy water, screeching as she flailed. “Audrey, you suck!” she yelled. “Cade, help me out!”
“That was not cool, Audrey,” Cade told her, leaning over the side of the dock and extending a hand to Daphne. When she continued to flounder in the water, he sighed and looked over at Audrey, who stood on the dock, frozen in horror.
She tried so hard to be the good twin, she really did.
“Here, hold this,” Cade told her, and pulled off his T-shirt. Then he jumped into the water and grabbed Daphne, who went into his arms, sobbing, and began to pull her to the nearby shore.
A moment later, both of them were dripping on the bank of the shore. Audrey still stood on the dock, clutching Cade’s shirt and mortified by what she’d done. She’d pushed her twin in, all because Daphne’d been kissing the boy Audrey wanted.
But it wasn’t just any boy. It was Cade. Audrey had adored him for what seemed like forever, and Daphne only wanted him because Audrey did. That was how it always went.
“You came for me,” Daphne sobbed, clinging to Cade.
“Of course,” he soothed. “I’ll always come for you, Daph. You know I will.”
It was true. Though two years separated them in age, the three of them had roamed their neighborhood for years, fishing for crawdads, playing in the pond, and riding bikes. It never failed that Daphne would get into some sort of scrape—like the time she’d pulled up a manhole and climbed down—and Cade would have to come after her.
Daphne caused trouble, and Cade rescued her. And Audrey stood by, because she was the good twin.
Until today, of course, when Audrey’s temper got the better of her, and she’d suddenly become the bad twin in a blink.
Daphne wiped streaming hair off her brow and scowled at Audrey. “I’m going to the house and telling Mom. You’ll be sorry, Audrey.” She turned and stomped off, heading back to the neighborhood.
Audrey sucked in a breath. She was totally going to be grounded.
“Looks like the birthday celebration’s going to end early,” Cade told her, heading down the dock and reaching for his shirt. He pulled it over his head and then ran his fingers through his wet hair.
“It’s okay,” Audrey said. “She’ll forgive me. We’re twins. We can’t stay mad at each other.”
Cade smiled, reaching out and ruffling Audrey’s hair. “Well, since you’re twins, I can’t give one a present and not the other, can I?”
And he leaned in and kissed her on her freckled cheek.
Audrey flushed bright red, her mouth gaping.
Cade pulled back, tousled her hair again, and grinned. “Happy birthday, Audrey.” When she continued to stand there, he added, “You should probably go home and check on Daph.”