And Ivy guessed that was why Mr Vega never told Rebecca about the twins and separating them.
Ivy jumped in to try to break the tension.
‘Well, it’s good to meet you now.’
Mr Vega started to explain, ‘I knew she used to live in LA, but –’
‘But I moved years ago,’ Rebecca interrupted. ‘Now, can I give you both a hug?’
Ivy nodded and the twins stood up at the same time. Their aunt smelled like hay and coffee and hugged like a warm, comfy quilt. Ivy wondered if that’s what her mom’s hug would have felt like.
‘Once I realised I was in the wrong place –’ Mr Vega started but Rebecca cut him off again.
‘I want to know everything about you two,’ she said, her eyes glistening as she sat down in the booth next to Mr Vega, but with a distance between them. ‘Tell me the whole story!’
‘Well,’ Olivia began, ‘I moved with my parents – my adoptive parents – to Franklin Grove at the beginning of this school year and couldn’t believe it when I met Ivy.’
‘I bet!’ Rebecca said.
‘We were completely different but loved each other right away,’ Olivia went on. ‘It turned out to be quite useful having a twin at times.’
Aunt Rebecca’s eyes twinkled.
I wonder if she and our mom got up to some good tricks switching, Ivy thought.
Twin swaps were one of the best parts of being a twin. ‘I bet you’ve got some great stories to tell us about our mom,’ Ivy said.
‘I sure do,’ Rebecca said gently. ‘And I’ll exchange them for thirteen years of your stories.’ Her glance flickered over to Mr Vega, who had folded his arms and was frowning.
Ivy could tell that Rebecca was taking swipes at their dad, but that wasn’t fair. He had good reasons for doing what he did – he thought that humans and vampires being together only led to disaster, so he separated his daughters in order to protect them. Even though they could never explain this to Aunt Rebecca, Ivy and Olivia understood and Rebecca shouldn’t judge him for doing the best he could.
‘Dad,’ Ivy said, deliberately giving him a chance to speak. ‘How did you find Aunt Rebecca once you found out she’d moved?’
‘Well, I couldn’t give up at the first obstacle,’ he said, clearly pleased to have a chance to change the subject. ‘So I did a little asking around in the building. Eventually one of her neighbours told me she’d moved back to –’
‘I’ve been in Beldrake for the past six years,’ Rebecca said, holding the smoothie menu in her hand, but not actually looking at it. ‘At the ranch where your mom and I spent our summers as kids.’
Ivy could see that her father was struggling not to look annoyed at constantly being talked over. After all, Ivy thought, he has gone out of his way to track Aunt Rebecca down.
‘Beldrake is really nearby!’ Olivia exclaimed. ‘It’s less than half an hour away.’
Rebecca nodded. ‘I missed life with horses when I was in LA, and when I heard that the ranch was up for sale, I couldn’t resist.’
‘Would you like a drink, Rebecca?’ Mr Vega asked, standing up, but she waved him off. ‘I’ll just grab some cookies for all of us, then.’ He shuffled back to the counter.
‘Even though I couldn’t afford it, I had to buy it.’ She tossed her curly hair. ‘That ranch meant so much to me and to your mom. Your mom’s favourite horse is still there, you know – his name is Lucky.’
Olivia looked so happy that Ivy wondered if she was going to break into a cheer. ‘That’s so exciting!’ she declared.
Ivy wasn’t as enthusiastic. She’d never really had a way with animals. The only pet she’d ever owned, a white-and-tan hamster named Spotty, had run away at every opportunity. She hoped the horses wouldn’t turn out to be giant versions of Spotty.
Aunt Rebecca clapped her hands together. ‘Oh gosh, I’ve just had the best idea. You should come to stay next weekend!’
Mr Vega, returning to the table, almost dropped the plate of cookies. ‘We were going to discuss this, Rebecca. I haven’t had a chance to ask the girls yet if they want to.’
‘Well, girls,’ she said, her eyes shining. ‘Do you want to? I’d love to get to know you and I do need a little help around the ranch.’
Ivy felt bad for her dad, but she did want to see a place from her mom’s childhood – and to hear Aunt Rebecca’s stories.
‘Oh yes, please!’ Olivia said. ‘I’ll have to check with my parents, though.’
‘I wouldn’t mind,’ Ivy admitted.
‘I will allow it,’ Mr Vega said, softening, ‘as long as your homework is done and it doesn’t interfere with Olivia’s audition.’
‘Oooh!’ Rebecca squealed, full of enthusiasm. Ivy wondered if Olivia would look like her when she grew up. ‘Auditions! What for?’
‘I’m trying out to be Juliet,’ Olivia said, a little shy to tell her. ‘But the auditions are on Monday, so it wouldn’t interfere.’
‘Oh, I love Romeo and Juliet!’ Aunt Rebecca clapped her hands together. ‘You can do lots of rehearsing on the ranch once you get the part; it’s so peaceful. And I’ll make sure you’ve got time for homework. Oh, this will be so much fun!’
Mr Vega sighed.
Olivia beamed.
Ivy jumped as someone tapped on the window.
Then she grinned as she realised the black hair and beautiful smile belonged to her boyfriend, Brendan Daniels. He crossed his eyes and made a silly face, so Ivy stuck her tongue out at him. Then he waved at everyone else at the table.