Fool's Gold Collection Part 2. Susan Mallery

      Sasha tossed the paper to the foot of the bed and grinned. “Hey. It’s us. How could they resist?”

      “I heard there were over five hundred applicants.”

      “They narrowed that number down to sixty and we’re going to make the final cut, too. Come on. We’re twins. TV audiences love that. We should make it seem like we don’t get along. Fight and stuff. Then we’ll get more camera time.”

      Stephen shifted on the bed, then rolled onto his back. “I don’t want more camera time.”

      A fact that was both irritating and true, Sasha thought grimly. Stephen wasn’t interested in the business.

      “Then why are you here?”

      Stephen drew in a deep breath. “It beats being back home.”

      Something they agreed on. Home was a tiny town of eighty people. South Salmon, Alaska. In the summer, they were flooded with tourists wanting to see the “real” Alaska. For nearly five months, every waking moment was spent working impossible hours, struggling to keep up with the crowds, to get the job done and get paid before moving on to the next job. In winter, there was darkness, snow and crushing boredom.

      The other residents of South Salmon claimed to love everything about their lives. Despite being direct descendants of Russian, Swedish and Irish immigrants who had settled in Alaska nearly a hundred years before, Sasha and Stephen wanted to be anywhere but there. Something their older brother, Finn, had never understood.

      “This is my chance,” Sasha said firmly. “My shot. I’m going to do whatever it takes to get noticed.”

      Without even closing his eyes, he could see himself being interviewed on Entertainment Tonight, talking about the blockbuster movie he was starring in. In his mind, he’d walked a million red carpets, celebrated at Hollywood parties, had women show up naked in his hotel room, begging him to sleep with them. Which he graciously agreed to do, he thought with a grin. Because that’s the kind of guy he was.

      For the past eight years, he’d wanted to be on TV and in movies. But the industry never made it to South Salmon, and Finn had always dismissed his dreams as something he would outgrow.

      Finally old enough to be able to do what he wanted without his brother’s permission, Sasha had been waiting for the right opportunity. A casting notice for True Love or Fool’s Gold had been it. The only surprise had been when Stephen had wanted to come with him on the interview.

      “When I get to Hollywood,” he began, playing a familiar game, “I’m going to buy a house in the hills. Or at the beach.”

      “Malibu,” Stephen said, rolling onto his back. “Girls in bikinis.”

      “Right. Malibu. And I’ll meet with producers and go to parties and make millions.” He glanced at his brother. “What are you going to do?”

      Stephen was quiet for a long time. “I don’t know,” he said at last. “Not go to Hollywood.”

      “You’d like it.”

      Stephen shook his head. “No. I want something different. I want…”

      He didn’t complete the sentence, but then he didn’t have to. Sasha already knew. He and his twin might not share the same dreams, but they still knew everything about each other. Stephen wanted to find a place to belong, whatever the hell that meant.

      “It’s Finn’s fault you’re not excited about this,” Sasha grumbled.

      Stephen looked at him and grinned. “You mean because he’s so hell-bent on us finishing college and having a good life? What a jerk.”

      Sasha chuckled. “Yeah. Where does he get off demanding we’re successful?” His humor faded. “Except it’s not about us. It’s about him. He just wants to say he’s done a good job.”

      Sasha knew it was more than that, but he wasn’t willing to admit it. Not out loud, anyway.

      “Don’t worry about him,” Stephen said, reaching for the magazine. “He’s a couple thousand miles away.”

      “Right,” Sasha said. “Why let him ruin our good time? We’re going to be on TV.”

      “Finn will never watch the show.”

      True enough. Finn didn’t do anything for fun. Not anymore. He used to be wild—before…

      Before their parents had died. That’s how all the Andersson boys measured time. Events were either before or after the death of their parents. But their brother had changed after the accident. Today Finn wouldn’t know a good time if it bit him on the ass.

      “Just because Finn knows where we are doesn’t mean he’s going to come after us,” Sasha said. “He knows when he’s beat.”

      Someone knocked on the door.

      Since Sasha was closer, he stood and leaned over far enough to reach the knob. The door eased open. Finn stood there, looking as mad as he had the time the twins had trapped a skunk and left it in his bedroom.

      “Hello, boys,” he said, stepping inside. “Let’s talk.”

      CHAPTER TWO

      FINN TOLD HIMSELF that yelling wasn’t going to accomplish anything. His brothers were technically adults, although it wouldn’t be hard to make a case that, over eighteen or not, they were idiots.

      He stepped into the tiny motel room, crammed with two full-size beds, a dresser, battered television and the door to an equally small bathroom.

      “Nice,” he said, glancing around. “I like what you’ve done with the place.”

      Sasha rolled his eyes as he sank back on his bed. “What are you doing here?”

      “Coming after you.”

      The twins exchanged a look of surprise.

      Finn shook his head. “Did you really think an email telling me you’d left college to come here was enough? That I would simply say, ‘No problem. Have fun. Who cares if you abandon college in your last semester?’”

      “We said we were fine,” Sasha reminded him.

      “Yes, you did and I do appreciate it.”

      As there weren’t all that many motels in Fool’s Gold, locating the twins had been relatively easy. Finn knew that money would be tight, which had eliminated all the nice places. The motel manager had recognized them immediately and hadn’t minded giving Finn their room number.

      Stephen watched him warily but didn’t speak. He’d always been the quieter of the twins. Despite the fact that they looked nearly exactly alike, they had different personalities. Sasha was outgoing, impulsive and easily distracted. Stephen was more silent and usually considered his actions. Finn could understand Sasha taking off for California, but Stephen?

      Stay calm, he reminded himself. Having a conversation would get him further than shouting. But when he opened his mouth, he found himself yelling from the very first word.

      “What the hell were you thinking?” he demanded, slamming the door shut behind him and planting both hands on his hips. “You had one semester left of college. Just one. You could have finished your classes and graduated. Then you would each have had a degree. Something no one could take away from you. But did you think of that? Of course not. Instead you took off, quitting before you were finished. And for what? Some chance to be in a ridiculous show?”

      The twins looked at each other. Sasha sat up and sucked in a breath. “The show isn’t ridiculous. Not to us.”

      “Because you’re both professionals? You know what you’re doing?” He glared at them both. “I want to lock you in this damn room until you figure out how stupid you’re being.”

      Stephen nodded slowly. “That would be why we didn’t