Jack stood as soon as he saw them coming, a wide grin on his delicious mouth. At least Allie was pretty sure it was delicious. Her tongue wet her bottom lip.
She glanced at Charlotte, wondering if she’d ever kissed Jack. They both claimed to be merely friends, but were they friends with benefits?
She shoved her thought aside. She barely knew the man. Besides, she’d sworn off men for good.
Though she couldn’t deny the instant connection she and Jack had made.
The seating area was comprised of two matching Louis XIV chairs across from a straight-backed sofa, and an ornate black and gold-leaf coffee table that sat in the middle. Charlotte took the chair next to Jack’s, and Allie sat across from them on the sofa. Perfect spot to view this exact replica of herself. She perched on the edge of her seat, anxious to figure out this mystery.
“Tell me—”
“—about yourself.”
The two women laughed when they asked the same thing at the same time.
Jack looked from one to the other. “You’re speaking in stereo. This is really strange.”
Allie said, “You can say that again.”
Charlotte wiggled in her chair.
“What do you know about your adoption?” Allie’s heart was beating furiously.
“Nothing, actually. Yet. I only started thinking about searching for my birth parents a few days ago.” Charlotte told Allie about losing her adoptive mother to cancer and wanting to know her medical history. “My mom was older when she adopted me, in her early forties. She never married, so it was only the two of us.”
Allie saw the sadness in her eyes. “You must miss her terribly.”
“I do.” Charlotte brushed at a tear that escaped from her watery eyes. “Sorry.” Jack patted Charlotte’s arm, and she smiled wanly as she spoke to Allie. “Jack’s doing his best to cheer me up, but I do miss her every day.”
He put an arm around Charlotte’s shoulders and squeezed. Allie approved of how good a friend it seemed he was being to Charlotte.
“What do you know about your adoption?” Charlotte brushed away another tear. “Sorry. It’s still tough talking about my mom.” She sniffed.
“I’ve never looked into my adoption,” Allie said. “My mother doesn’t like to talk about it. When I was younger and asked questions, she’d say, ‘All you need to know is that we chose you and we love you.’ By the time I was an adult, I didn’t feel the need to find my biological parents. Maybe in part because I already had more family than most people.”
“Then you don’t know any more than I do.” Charlotte dabbed at a lone tear on her cheek. “You said you had a big family? Tell me about them.”
Allie smiled. “I’ve got the opposite situation from you. I’m one of five adopted children.”
Charlotte’s eyes grew round.
“My parents lost their only biological child to a rare but fatal genetic disorder that they both carry. He was only a few weeks old when he died. Instead of trying again, they opted for adoption. That’s where I came in. I was their first.” Allie brushed at a lock of hair tickling her cheek. “Shortly before I started kindergarten, they adopted a brother-and-sister pair from China. They were one and three when they came to live with us. Scott—the groom—is my brother.” She looked at Jack. “And you met my sister, Rachael. They were both born with heart abnormalities and were sent to an orphanage so their parents could have a perfect child. Little did they know, a few surgeries later and their children were as good as new.”
“So you have four younger siblings?” Charlotte asked.
“Not exactly. I was the oldest until I turned nine. That’s when my parents adopted my older brothers, Grigory and Nikolay, from Russia. They were also biological brothers. Gregory and Nicholas—Greg and Nick—came here when they were twelve and ten.”
“So you’re the middle child of five?” Charlotte’s eyes—an exact replica of Allie’s—widened.
Allie forced a smile. “That’s right. I’m sure there are hundreds of psychologists out there who would like to study me. ‘Oldest child becomes middle child. Where does this adoptee fit?’”
“At least you can joke about it,” Jack said.
Allie shrugged. “Not always.”
He seemed to be considering her response before he said, “You two are obviously related. Let’s get down to the pertinent stuff. When and where were you born?” He looked to Charlotte first.
“I was born on April 17—”
“1986?” As soon as Allie heard the month and day, she knew the year would be the same.
“Yes!” Charlotte said excitedly. “You, too?”
Allie nodded vigorously, but her excitement wouldn’t allow her to speak for a few seconds. “I was born right here in Rhode Island, but I’m not sure where.”
Jack asked Charlotte, “You were born in Rhode Island, also?”
She shook her head, her confusion evident by her pursed lips. “No. I was born in upstate New York.”
* * *
“HOW CAN THAT BE?” Jack verbalized the question that had to be on all of their minds. “You look so much alike, you sound alike and you were born on the same day. But in different states?”
Jack had been sure from their birthdays that they were twins. But now he didn’t know what to think.
“Coincidence?” Charlotte suggested.
“It’s more than coincidence,” Allie said. “We’re obviously related. Now we need to figure out how we’re related.”
“Maybe we’re cousins?”
“That’s a possibility, but it seems unlikely. Siblings giving birth on the same day in different states... Anyway, I don’t think we’d look this much alike if we were cousins unless both our birth mothers and fathers were twins.”
“Wouldn’t that make you genetic twins?” Jack asked.
“I think you’re right,” Allie said. “But what are the chances that both sets of parents would put us up for adoption? There must be more to it.” She stuck out her hand, palm down, and said to Charlotte, “Put your hand out next to mine.”
As soon as Charlotte did, the resemblance was remarkable. Just like their matching feet.
“You can’t argue with proof like that,” Allie said, “but only a DNA test will tell us for sure.” The other two nodded their agreement. “There’s nothing more we can do tonight.”
“What about your mom?” Jack suggested. “We could ask her some questions and see if she can fill in the blanks.”
Allie shook her head. “I’d rather keep her out of this, at least for tonight. She had pretty bad bronchitis six weeks ago, and between that and the wedding prep, she hasn’t quite regained her strength. Besides, she should just be allowed to enjoy the rest of her son’s wedding day.”
“Of course,” Charlotte said. “And it is getting late.”
Allie jumped up from the sofa. “You’re right. I didn’t realize how late it was. I need to help pack up. Mom’s probably looking for me. Let’s exchange information,” she said to Charlotte, “and we can get together soon.”
Charlotte and Jack stood up, too. “We can help,” Jack said.
“Yes,” Charlotte agreed. “Tell us what needs to