“Who is it?” Dave whispered from behind the door, reminding me of his presence. When I didn’t respond—to either person—he tried even harder to get my attention. “Psst. Tosh. Who is it?”
I slowly turned my head to the left and mouthed, “Oh my God,” to Dave. When his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open, I said, “It’s Bill Gates.”
“No way!” He stepped to the side and opened the door more, practically pushing me out of the way. When he noticed Mr. CEO on our front step, his excitement fell faster than a lead weight from the Empire State Building. “You’re such a liar, Tasha. I hate you.”
I couldn’t stop laughing and nearly doubled over from the hysterics that erupted within me. “Seriously, Dave, why would Bill Gates be at our front door?”
“To see me? Heck if I know. Maybe he wanted to offer me my dream job. Why is this stiff here?” He held out his hand toward the man I still hadn’t spoken to.
“Umm…I’m here to speak with Tasha Lewis.” Stiff was definitely the appropriate word.
“That’s me. I’m Tosh, uh…Tasha. Lewis.” I closed my eyes and shook my head. “I’m Tasha Lewis.” I’d somehow gone brain dead and couldn’t figure out how to form a full sentence. Toying with the hair piled on top of my head, I immediately felt underdressed, which was absurd since I’d answered my door in my own apartment. “What can I do for you…um…?”
“Ty Sandoval,” he said and stuck out his hand, which I didn’t take. “I work for your sister. You look different than I anticipated.” He tapped his bottom lip with his index finger while gazing intently at me. “It’ll have to do.”
What in the name of blazing saddles did he mean by it’ll have to do? I glanced down at my loosely fitted sweatpants and bare feet. When I looked up, I caught him examining my ripped AC/DC shirt with its elegant pizza stain on my left boob. His brow creased slightly and his gaze narrowed, telling me two things: one, he was familiar with Botox, and two, something about me left him perplexed. However, it did nothing to hide the disgust curling his top lip.
“May I come in?” He flicked his attention from my eyes to over my shoulder and then back to me again, as if he couldn’t understand why I hadn’t invited him into my humble abode yet.
“Oh, where are our manners?” Dave stepped in front of me and held the door with one hand. Too bad he was an inch shorter than my five-foot-ten height and did nothing to block my sight of Ty. “Absolutely…not. We have no idea who you really are. For all we know, you’ll gag us and steal our valuables.”
Ty quirked one brow, humor dancing at the corners of his mouth. Although, he didn’t exactly seem to find any of this funny. “I highly doubt there’s anything in there worthy of stealing. Plus, I told you, I’m Ty Sandoval. I work for Tasha’s sister, Tiffany; I’m actually her assistant.”
“Wait…” Dave turned to the side and pressed his back against the opened door to look at me without facing away from Ty. Instead of commenting on the rather rude remark of us not possessing anything of value, he asked, “Is he talking about Tiff?”
“She’s the only sister I have, Dave,” I deadpanned.
“The hot to your not?”
“That’s totally offensive.”
“The Tiffany Lewis, who back in high school used to—”
“Tell everyone that you’d put on her clothes and dance around my room to Madonna’s Like a Virgin?” I crossed my arms and flashed my roommate a smug grin. “Yeah, that’d be the same sister he’s talking about. My twin sister. The only one I have. I’m not quite sure how much more clarification you need.”
“Listen, guys…” Ty was either bored or annoyed. Or both. Possibly even a bit disgruntled if his full inhale and rushed exhale were any indication. “As entertaining as this is”—total sarcasm—“I really do need to speak to Miss Lewis about her sister.”
“Oh, yeah…sure. Please, come in.” I took a step back and yanked Dave away from the door, giving Ty enough room to walk inside. “Don’t mind my roommate. I found him in the park and felt bad for him; I think he lost his owners, so I let him stay here. Little guy refuses to leave.” I scrunched my nose and ruffled Dave’s hair.
He shoved my hand away and closed the door. Standing behind Ty, he gyrated