For the past few months, what with settling into her new home and discovering her new family in Franklin Grove, Olivia hadn’t had a moment to think about romance.
‘Nope,’ Olivia said. ‘I never have had. But seeing Brendan and Ivy together makes me wish I did.’
Ivy smiled her shy little smile. Olivia knew her sister had crushed on Brendan for years but hadn’t spoken a word to him until Olivia accidentally broke the ice during a twin switch.
Mr Vega stopped squeaking the straw. ‘Do you mean . . . Do you want someone like Brendan?’
‘Oh, no.’ Olivia could see what he was getting at. He fell in love with her human mother and that made his life totally complicated. ‘I’m looking for a perfectly normal boy – without any, erm, unusual eating habits.’
Mr Vega started squeaking the straw again. ‘I see. Well, I am certain that the perfect someone for you would have to be a very special kind of normal.’
‘I second that,’ Ivy said, bumping her shoulder into Olivia’s.
I’m so lucky to have a new dad and new sister, thought Olivia.
‘Now, I spotted some chocolate-chip cookies on the menu,’ Mr Vega said, slurping the last bit of his drink noisily. ‘I’ll ask the waitress to bring three over.’ He raised a hand in the air.
‘There aren’t any waitresses,’ Olivia said. ‘You’ll have to go back up to the counter.’
‘Oh.’ Mr Vega looked like he would rather gulp down a garlic smoothie. But he eased himself out of the booth and went to stand back in line.
Ivy and Olivia grinned at each other.
‘He must really want to spend time with me to risk another sing along,’ Olivia commented.
‘No kidding,’ Ivy agreed, as she watched Mr Vega chatting to the server. ‘He’s the best real dad we could have.’
An hour later, the twins were walking to the Meat & Greet with their friends. It was cold so Olivia had wrapped herself up in her matching pink scarf and gloves set.
‘How was your morning?’ Camilla Edmunson asked.
‘Let’s just say it was pretty . . . musical,’ Olivia answered, smiling at the memory of Mr Vega dancing.
‘My head almost imploded when Olivia wanted to put on “The Right One”,’ Ivy said to Brendan, sticking out her tongue and pretending to strangle herself.
‘I love that song!’ Camilla declared at the same time as Sophia Hewitt said, ‘Torture!’
Olivia was on one side of Ivy and Brendan, and Camilla was on the other. They started singing ‘The Right One’ as loud as they could, forming a surround sound of chipper elevator music.
‘Nooo,’ Ivy screeched, covering her ears with her woolly black mittens. ‘I’m melting!’
Olivia wasn’t about to stop now. She gave Camilla a wink and the two of them started dancing around Ivy and Brendan, still singing the cheesy lyrics: ‘You’re the right one for me, can’t you seeeeee?’
Sophia removed the lens cap from her camera and snapped a few shots. ‘Ivy, you look like Frosty the Snowman at an ice-carving contest.’
Ivy was wearing an ankle-length mauve jacket with big black buttons down the front and had her eyes shut trying to block out the dancing.
Everyone laughed.
‘It’s safe to come out now, Ivy,’ Brendan teased. ‘The happy people have stopped singing.’
Everyone laughed harder.
‘Enough!’ Ivy cried. ‘We have an evil alert at twenty paces.’ She was looking down the street at three girls walking towards them.
It was Charlotte Brown and two hangers on. Her blonde hair was poking out from under her white fluffy hat. Olivia wasn’t Charlotte’s biggest fan, but they had to cheer together on the squad and so she wanted to avoid any major incident.
Unfortunately, Olivia thought, something always happens whenever Ivy and Charlotte are within a mile of each other.
Charlotte stopped and scowled at them until she caught sight of Olivia. She plastered on a big smile. ‘Olivia, darling!’
Olivia smiled at her, Katie and Allison, while Ivy and the rest of the group waited a few feet away. Charlotte turned her back on everyone else, making Olivia feel even more awkward.
‘We’re going to Mister Smoothie to compare Christmas presents,’ Charlotte said. ‘Come with us.’ Katie and Allison nodded like bobble heads in their matching lavender scarves.
‘Oh, we’ve just left there,’ Olivia explained.
‘They were at Mister Smoothie?’ Charlotte squinted at Olivia’s friends.
Ivy piped up. ‘We even got a Twist and Shout.’ Ivy began doing a silly version of the dance right there on the sidewalk. Brendan, Sophia and Camilla joined in while Olivia tried not to laugh.
‘Haven’t you moved yet?’ Charlotte snapped at Ivy. ‘I can’t wait to get some normal neighbours.’
Ivy opened her mouth, no doubt with a cutting come-back, but Brendan beat her to it.
‘Good news,’ Brendan replied smoothly. ‘Ivy’s not going to Europe.’
‘Did they refuse to let you in for crimes against fashion?’ Charlotte smirked. Katie and Allison giggled.
‘It turns out I’m needed here,’ Ivy retorted, ‘for a campaign against conformity.’
Charlotte blinked. Olivia could tell she didn’t really understand the insult. Which is a good thing, Olivia thought.
‘Whatever,’ Charlotte huffed.
Olivia jumped in. ‘Is that a new bag, Charlotte?’
Charlotte shifted the big, brown, expensive-looking bag on her shoulder. ‘It’s a Kevin Green. My daddy bought it for me in New York.’
‘It’s nice,’ said Olivia, not quite sure if the over-sized leather bag went with Charlotte’s shiny blue puffy jacket.
‘Did you say Kevin Greene?’ Brendan peered closer at the bag. Olivia couldn’t imagine Brendan having an interest in handbag designers.
‘Yes,’ said Charlotte, turning her nose up at having to reply to Brendan.
‘I think your logo is supposed to have an extra “e” on the end of Green.’ Brendan straightened up and put his arm around Ivy.
‘What!’ Charlotte spluttered and Katie and Allison gathered around for a closer look.
Katie’s horrified gasp was all Olivia needed to realise that Charlotte’s bag was a cheap knock off. Charlotte stomped away, her friends scurrying after her. ‘At least I won’t be mistaken for a zombie,’ she called back over her shoulder.